The Bar Harbor Golf Course (Trenton, ME)

[stuben]

Overview

Originally named Tidewater, the Bar Harbor Golf Course is actually in Trenton, ME along the tidal Jordan Bay (about 20 minutes from Bar Harbor). It is a long course with open fairways and large greens. One unique characteristic of this course is that it is one of the very few in the world where you can see the ocean from every tee box. The course is one of the best values in the area (Greenfees are $35-55 in the summer months). Tee times are not taken, golfers start on a first come first serve basis.

 

Facilities

There is a bar serving softdrinks, draft beer and mixed drinks, as well as hotdogs, sandwiches, chips, and crackers. Their is also a fully stocked proshop to assist with any equipment needs you may have. The club recently expanded their patio area offering a fantastic vantage point of the golf course, and Cadillac Mountain Range. It is a good place to kick back with a frosty beverage while reminiscing about the day's round with your playing buddies. The course has a laid back feel and is a pleasant contrast from the sometimes "stuffier" island courses.

 

Hole by Hole

 

1st

The first hole is a long 420 yard par 4 that is straight away with a pond on the right hand side. I typically aim for the fairway bunker on the left side in hopes that a wayward tee shot doesn't find it's way into the pond. There is nothing worse than starting your day out with a penalty stroke! Like most of the greens at BHGC the green is slightly elevated with bunkers protecting either side.

 

2nd

The second hole is a nifty dog leg right. There is plenty of room on the left hand side of the fairway, and you'll want to take advantage of it to avoid getting too close to the trees on the right. Big hitters will want to avoid hitting driver or 3 wood here as any shot over 250 yards risks reaching the stream on the left side of the fairway that begins after the dogleg straightens out. This is one of the few holes on the course where you'll actually be hitting slightly down to the green on your second shot. It is better to be short on your approach shot to avoid the hedges surrounding the backside of the green.

 

3rd

The Par 5 3rd runs along the shore of Jordan Bay and stretches to a length of about 510 yards. The hole has a welcoming feel and can offer you a chance at birdie if you don’t get to aggressive with your drive and second shot. The fairway is wide but you have to be careful not to spray one off into the ocean on the right. Like the first two holes, I try to line up down the left of the fairway to protect my drive from the hazards on the right. If you’re a short or medium length hitter you’ll have a tough decision on your second shot. There is an inlet from the bay that cuts across the fairway. If you’re hesitant with your lie you may want to take a medium iron and lay up short of the hazard and set up a 180yd approach to the green. Any drive past the fairway bunkers gives you a chance to clear the this inlet. The green is slightly elevated and has bunkers protecting either side.

 

4th

This Par 3 is about 160 yards from tee to an elevated green that slopes away from the center. Bunkers protect either side of the green and collect many balls that land on the green only to roll back down the sloping apron. It is better to be long on your tee shot with little trouble on the backside of the green.

 

5th

The Par 4 5th is the second most difficult hole on the course. Your drive requires an accurate shot over a gully that is protected on either side by towering oak and maple trees. Two fairway bunkers guard the narrow fairway. If you manage to find the fairway here on your second shot you still may find yourself with a long second shot to an elevated green. The apron slopes dramatically away from the green and poor shots will end up away from the green and may found themselves on the hardpan between the green and 6t tee. The green has a “valley” that runs down the center that can create some precarious putts.

 

6th

The fairway on the Par 4 6th is wide and there is trouble on either side (look for the old gravestones on the right hand side from the early 1800’s). The hole is straightforward but don’t expect and easy birdies here. The fairway goes down a hill and then back up to a flat landing area surrounding the green that is protected by bunkers on both sides.

 

7th

This is one of my favorite holes on the course. The hole is a slight dogleg left over a gully that cuts across the hole before the fairway. It is only 130 yards to clear the gully with your tee shot but it can still be intimidating much like your tee shot on #5. I aim for the single tree on edge of the right hand side of the fairway to take advantage of the holes gentle slope to the left. Once you make it out to the fairway you have a beautiful second shot into a large green surrounded by towering pine, maple, and birch trees.

 

8th

This Par 3 is similar to #4 but is slightly longer. Being long on your tee shot is better than being short here. If you find yourself in the right hand bunker your in for a challenging up and down, the bunker is notorious for damaging players’ rounds and is not unlike the deep pot bunkers that you find in Scotland.

 

9th

Line up down the left hand side of this short Par 4 and let her rip. There are two fairway bunkers but if you hit a good shot down the left you’ll clear them easily. The fairway is wide and there are no hazards on either side unless you are LONG right where you may catch the hedges beside the green. The valley green has a tendency to “trap” balls and it pays to be aggressive here.

 

10th

The 10th is a long par 4 that is straightaway downhill. Aim just left of the right hand fairway bunker and your drive should set up nicely down the sloping fairway. If you can catch the downhill slope that starts about 230 yards from the tee box you’ll be in excellent shape. Beware, red stakes line the left hand side of the hole.

 

11th

A short Par 3 occupying a peninsula on Jordan Bay. There is a greenside bunker that protects the front right of the green. Be careful not to be long or you’ll catch the back edge of the elevated green and bounce into the hazard surrounding the green.

 

12th

This is another one of my favorite holes. When you're standing on the tee you are faced with a 150 yard carry over a man made lake (built for irrigation purposes). The hole is a short 300 yard Par 4 with a an elevated green that is concave in shape. Be careful of the bunker in front of the green. You can see it from the fairway and the green is further away than it appears when your standing 80 yards out in the fairway. Being long on your approach here is better than being short. You have a good opportunity for a birdie if you don't get intimidated by the water in front of the tee box.

 

13th

13 is one of two long Par 5's on the back 9. From the elevated tea your drive carries over a hilltop to a blind fairway. If you look straight ahead you'll see a line of fir trees that separates the 13th and 16th fairways. This line of trees is a good target especially with the lake running down the right hand side of the fairway. There is a small brook that runs across the middle of the fairway about 320 yards out. If you're a long hitter you may want to back off your drive a little bit to avoid this hazard. Spanning this brook is the "Bridge of Champions" were name plates of previous club champions are hung (No, you won't find my name there).

 

14th

Probably the most straight forward Par 4 on the course, the 14th is about 400 yards long with an elevated green and two greenside bunkers. The hole runs along the Jordan River Bay back towards the club house and offers some great views during hightide.

 

15th

This hole is another great birdie chance. Protected by two small fairway bunkers this short hole (315 yards) has narrow fairways but has a wide expanse of rough that is playable on either side. Like most BNGC holes, this green is slightly elevated and is protected by a front right greenside bunker that will suck your ball in if you are short on your approach.

 

16th

The 16th hole is the most difficult hole on the course. It is only about 400 yards long but you are forced to lay up on your drive to avoid reaching the brook that runs across the fairway at the bottom of a hill. Don't leave your ball to short or you will have a large maple tree that will restrict your second shot to the green. Take your 210 yard club and favor the left hand side of the fairway to avoid the tree, stream, and out of bound stakes on the right hand side.

 

17th

The 17th hole is a downhill 160 yard Par 3 to a two-tiered green. If you end up on the wrong tier you will have to negotiate a 3-4 ft ridge to get your ball to the hole. One of the most famous hole-in-ones on this hole was by a gentleman named Ed Kaminski who's ball bounced off the embankment of the 18th tee box and rolled over onto the green and into the hole.

 

18th

The signature hole is the challenging 620 yard par 5th 18th. A few years back the hole was billed as one of the 20 most "unreachable" par 5's in the country by a major golf magazine. The legend still lives on to this day. The tee shot landing area was widened within the last few years allowing you to be a little more aggressive with your drive. You want to be careful to to hit your ball to the right with out of bounds lining the first half of the fairway. Many balls have been hit over the road onto the neighbors lawns.

[iCollector]

what about the Kebo Valley Golf Club on the Island? Is that private? It would be a shorter drive to play there. I wasn't a golfer when last I was in Bar Harbor - my favorite vacation spot. Next time I go my clubs will certainly accompany me!

 

Thanks for the review!

[stuben]

There are actually 3 great golf courses in the area. Kebo, Northeast Harbor, and the Bar Harbor golf course.

 

I'm currently writing reviews for all three but they take a little while to do properly. You can find less detailed reviews of the other two on my blog here.

 

I promise this will be the first place that I post the detailed reviews when I'm finished with them. Feel free to ask me about any of these courses. I worked at two of them for a total of 10 years, and third was my "home" course in highschool.

[Leeds1888]

IMO this course wouldn't be a good value if it were FREE to play it. Anyone traveling into the area who chooses to play it is throwing their money away. The water view explained above is especially overrated. The ocean in question is the ocean but it isn't open water. It is a small inlet that is nothing but mud at low tide. This is not the Old Course, Pebble or even Samoset. Even at high tide it doesn't resemble the ocean. It looks like a nasty river, actually. But thankfully you can see it from all 18 tee boxes, enjoy.

 

If you want to avoid stuffy places, you can do it without playing here. The Northeast Harbor Golf Club is stuffy from July thru August. That is when the rich summer residents are in town. In late September, early October or early in the season you have the place to yourself. To emphasize the stuffy month point, the club offers off season memberships that are very cheap but you aren't allowed near the place in July or August. The rest of the year, the course is yours, literally.

 

The two other courses in the area are not stuffy at all. The Causeway Club is a short 9 hole course that has a very laid back membership. Kebo is much the same. It isn't stuffy. Its a public course that welcomes everyone.