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It opened in September 1998 and it's that raris avis in US golf, a walking course that is open to the public.
It was a tough design job, Clive disclosed. The heavily wooded site was riddled with some 30 acres of sacrosanct wet land, huge boulders and a string of lakes. But he created features with the cleared rocks, worked around the wet lands and incorporated the lakes into a design that encompasses many old fashioned virtues.
Several holes, for instance, involve strategies evocative of the Old Course at St Andrews in that some fairways have landing areas 80 yards wide but with a prescribed line of approach that frequently predicates a tee shot flirting with danger, a mark of Donald Ross design.
The end result, with a variety of tee options, is a sound and pleasurable test, a course out of the top drawer. It looks a picture, the owners and the locals are delighted. Pop in and say hello.
Our final stop has us within sight of the Atlantic, in fact a couple of holes flirt with it at the Samoset Resort, near the town of Rockport, 275 miles north of Boston. It is chalk as to cheese with what's gone before, ideal as a starter or as dessert for this gourmet golf tour of New England.
Set in 230 acres on the edge of Penobscot Bay, Samoset has been attracting holidaymakers since 1904, although they've added a few attractions since those early times. It's a year-round resort with facilities to suit every proclivity, indoors and out.
There are 150 de luxe rooms and suites, most with sea views, all enveloped in a gracious, yet casual ambience. The dining options are varied and appealing, there's nightly entertainment and a golf course voted one of America's most beautiful.
Seven holes nudge the bay -- the 4th is a dog-leg that dares you to take on the ocean -- and the homeward loop winds through pond-studded woodland. You'll begin to suspect that Maine has cornered the market in scenery.
It's all in tip top order, too, and the course is open from April to early November with golf at its best in the autumn when the temperature hovers in the 70s F. It's easy walking, which is permitted even though carts are available and included in the green fee.
You can fly from Boston to nearby Rockport, or vice versa if Samoset is your final stop. Go on, push the boat out: this may be your golf holiday of a lifetime...
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