One Course in MA/NH

[cbaldell]

Let me provide some context. My Dad and I play 18 versus my two uncles (his brothers) late every summer. It's become a bit of a tradition and I'm really looking forward to it again...

 

We switch off between courses in Central MA and Southern NH (Dover/Portsmouth area). Last year we played Blackstone National, the year before Owl's Nest in NH and the year before that we played Red Tail.

 

Looking for an idea (closer to the Dover/Portsmouth area) for later this summer. We like to keep it in the $60-$80 range and generally play on a Friday. We splurged a bit on Red Tail and would do the same for another great course...

 

Ideas please!

[Bandy1080]

Highfields CC is a great track. And a killer deal at $61 with cart on the weekends.

[DCSerafin]

In southern NH, I have heard a lot of great things about Portsmith CC. Non-members do have some restrictions. A course just 30 minutes north in southern maine and worth the trip would be The Ledges in South Berwick/ York. It's a great course with firm fast greens, great clubhouse and great people who run it.
It has a good mix of holes (no two are the same), two of the par 5's are reachable, and a good range of short and long holes, #8 is a great Par3 and trying to play 18 from the tips is just plain brutal but a must try even if you're playing from tees more forward.

[Bigbigrdg]

I played Ledges in ME for the first time this weekend and it was an awesome course with the toughest greens ive ever played.... Fast with alot of ridges/slopes..... Pretty expensive at a little over $90 riding on the weekend though.....I personally think that The Oaks in Somersworth is one of the best value in the area and is always in good shape.

[Bigbigrdg]

Oh and Portsmouth CC is an awesome course as well but is in the $100 range.... Long course but pretty open and very nice layout and conditions.

[Chris_NH]

The other guys nailed it - Portsmouth CC and The Ledges in York ME are the two stars around the Portsmouth area. PCC is more expensive and has restrictions on when non-members can play (only after 10am, I believe, and can only make tee times something like 4 days in advance). The greens are the purest in the area (that I know of) and it plays along a beautiful stretch of land on the Great Bay. Having said that, I prefer The Ledges. More undulating terrain, greens that will make you cry at times - it's just a first-class track. It's expensive for a public course, but is well worth it.

The other course to consider closer to Dover is The Oaks in Somersworth, NH. That's my home course. Great conditioning, green complexes that are similarly difficult to those at The Ledges, and a much lower price point.

Those are the three I'd recommend. My personal ranking would be Ledges, Oaks, Portsmouth. But I don't think you'd be disappointed with any of them.

[Bigbigrdg]

Funny you said that the greens at the Ledges can make you cry because this weekend my buddy and I were in a match against my uncle and brother an my uncle went on a 4 hole birdie streak (8,9,10,11) and thats exactly what my buddy said..... "I feel like im gonna puke, or cry" lol

[cbaldell]

Thanks for the suggestions!

[millionyards]

I am a huge fan of Cyprian Keyes in Boylston, MA. Maybe a little west of where you are looking but it is an awesome track, reasonably priced, and very rarely crowded.

It's my go to course!

[KNGR5150]

[quote name='Bigbigrdg' timestamp='1374023047' post='7469290']
I played Ledges in ME for the first time this weekend and it was an awesome course with the toughest greens ive ever played.... Fast with alot of ridges/slopes..... Pretty expensive at a little over $90 riding on the weekend though.....I personally think that The Oaks in Somersworth is one of the best value in the area and is always in good shape.
[/quote]I am going to second this one. I played both courses this summer and he is spot on with these two.

[cbaldell]

I am booking a tee time tomorrow AM for next Friday at Breakfast Hill. I'll report back on how it is!

[bruinsPATSirish]

Go play The Shattuck and tell us how many balls you lost

[cbaldell]

So, we made a tee time online for last Friday, 8/9 at Breakfast Hill. For all of you in the NE area, you'll remember how bad the weather was last Friday up here. I called on Thursday afternoon to see if I could cancel our tee time because of the impending weather (torrential downpours, high winds, etc.).

The pro shop said that they could not take cancellations because the tee time was booked online. This confused me since I booked through their website. The man gave me the number of Active Golf, who powers the tee time system on their website. I called Active Golf and the [i]first [/i]thing they said was "cancellations are non-refundable." I let the woman know of the weather that was forecast, and she said that it didn't matter unless the course closed. Less than 24 hours prior to our tee time, I didn't want to leave it up to the course to close. I called the course back and expressed my frustration but it really didn't seem like anything could be done.

We went. It was drizzling on the first couple of holes, but really picked up from there. We played the front 9 and decided to head back out to get our money's worth. The course was not closed; but there were only about 10 others out there at most. We finally picked up on 14 as it was torrential downpouring, the winds were significant and some greens were literally under water.

I couldn't believe they made me keep my tee time to golf in those conditions. It was a nice course and a nice facility but I likely won't be back given the poor customer service.

[Elixir]

[quote name='cbaldell' timestamp='1376491606' post='7674876']
So, we made a tee time online for last Friday, 8/9 at Breakfast Hill. For all of you in the NE area, you'll remember how bad the weather was last Friday up here. I called on Thursday afternoon to see if I could cancel our tee time because of the impending weather (torrential downpours, high winds, etc.).

The pro shop said that they could not take cancellations because the tee time was booked online. This confused me since I booked through their website. The man gave me the number of Active Golf, who powers the tee time system on their website. I called Active Golf and the [i]first [/i]thing they said was "cancellations are non-refundable." I let the woman know of the weather that was forecast, and she said that it didn't matter unless the course closed. Less than 24 hours prior to our tee time, I didn't want to leave it up to the course to close. I called the course back and expressed my frustration but it really didn't seem like anything could be done.

We went. It was drizzling on the first couple of holes, but really picked up from there. We played the front 9 and decided to head back out to get our money's worth. The course was not closed; but there were only about 10 others out there at most. We finally picked up on 14 as it was torrential downpouring, the winds were significant and some greens were literally under water.

I couldn't believe they made me keep my tee time to golf in those conditions. [b]It was a nice course and a nice facility but I likely won't be back given the poor customer service.[/b]
[/quote]

Unfortunately, the poor customer service in the pro shop seems to be the norm at Breakfast Hill. It is a decent course and a nice facility but the guys in the pro shop leave something to be desired. All my contact with them leaves me shaking my head as I walk out. That said, it's close to home and keeps drawing my back due to the course. I booked a time online for Sunday morning as they plan to aerate next week. We'll see how it goes.

Next time, try Ledges. It's worth the price. It has always been in superb condition compared to the other courses I've played in that price range (Red Tail, Shaker Hills, etc.) And the guys in the pro shop have always been professional and funny. (They once mocked us for getting a speeding ticket on the way to the course when they saw our car pulled over as one of the guys was heading in to work.)

[Elixir]

[quote name='Elixir' timestamp='1376666743' post='7687798']
[quote name='cbaldell' timestamp='1376491606' post='7674876']
So, we made a tee time online for last Friday, 8/9 at Breakfast Hill. For all of you in the NE area, you'll remember how bad the weather was last Friday up here. I called on Thursday afternoon to see if I could cancel our tee time because of the impending weather (torrential downpours, high winds, etc.).

The pro shop said that they could not take cancellations because the tee time was booked online. This confused me since I booked through their website. The man gave me the number of Active Golf, who powers the tee time system on their website. I called Active Golf and the [i]first [/i]thing they said was "cancellations are non-refundable." I let the woman know of the weather that was forecast, and she said that it didn't matter unless the course closed. Less than 24 hours prior to our tee time, I didn't want to leave it up to the course to close. I called the course back and expressed my frustration but it really didn't seem like anything could be done.

We went. It was drizzling on the first couple of holes, but really picked up from there. We played the front 9 and decided to head back out to get our money's worth. The course was not closed; but there were only about 10 others out there at most. We finally picked up on 14 as it was torrential downpouring, the winds were significant and some greens were literally under water.

I couldn't believe they made me keep my tee time to golf in those conditions. [b]It was a nice course and a nice facility but I likely won't be back given the poor customer service.[/b]
[/quote]

Unfortunately, the poor customer service in the pro shop seems to be the norm at Breakfast Hill. It is a decent course and a nice facility but the guys in the pro shop leave something to be desired. All my contact with them leaves me shaking my head as I walk out. That said, it's close to home and keeps drawing my back due to the course. I booked a time online for Sunday morning as they plan to aerate next week. We'll see how it goes.

Next time, try Ledges. It's worth the price. It has always been in superb condition compared to the other courses I've played in that price range (Red Tail, Shaker Hills, etc.) And the guys in the pro shop have always been professional and funny. (They once mocked us for getting a speeding ticket on the way to the course when they saw our car pulled over as one of the guys was heading in to work.)
[/quote]

Not sure if anyone is reading this but I thought that I would follow-up with Breakfast Hill. Played yesterday (8/18). Course is in pretty solid condition. Pro shop staff were fine, no issues. I just paid for my round and went to the putting green. But there is definitely an everybody-knows-everybody feel there even though (i thought) it was a public course.

[Swampcooler]

[quote name='Elixir' timestamp='1376934365' post='7706240']
[quote name='Elixir' timestamp='1376666743' post='7687798']
[quote name='cbaldell' timestamp='1376491606' post='7674876']
So, we made a tee time online for last Friday, 8/9 at Breakfast Hill. For all of you in the NE area, you'll remember how bad the weather was last Friday up here. I called on Thursday afternoon to see if I could cancel our tee time because of the impending weather (torrential downpours, high winds, etc.).

The pro shop said that they could not take cancellations because the tee time was booked online. This confused me since I booked through their website. The man gave me the number of Active Golf, who powers the tee time system on their website. I called Active Golf and the [i]first [/i]thing they said was "cancellations are non-refundable." I let the woman know of the weather that was forecast, and she said that it didn't matter unless the course closed. Less than 24 hours prior to our tee time, I didn't want to leave it up to the course to close. I called the course back and expressed my frustration but it really didn't seem like anything could be done.

We went. It was drizzling on the first couple of holes, but really picked up from there. We played the front 9 and decided to head back out to get our money's worth. The course was not closed; but there were only about 10 others out there at most. We finally picked up on 14 as it was torrential downpouring, the winds were significant and some greens were literally under water.

I couldn't believe they made me keep my tee time to golf in those conditions. [b]It was a nice course and a nice facility but I likely won't be back given the poor customer service.[/b]
[/quote]

Unfortunately, the poor customer service in the pro shop seems to be the norm at Breakfast Hill. It is a decent course and a nice facility but the guys in the pro shop leave something to be desired. All my contact with them leaves me shaking my head as I walk out. That said, it's close to home and keeps drawing my back due to the course. I booked a time online for Sunday morning as they plan to aerate next week. We'll see how it goes.

Next time, try Ledges. It's worth the price. It has always been in superb condition compared to the other courses I've played in that price range (Red Tail, Shaker Hills, etc.) And the guys in the pro shop have always been professional and funny. (They once mocked us for getting a speeding ticket on the way to the course when they saw our car pulled over as one of the guys was heading in to work.)
[/quote]

Not sure if anyone is reading this but I thought that I would follow-up with Breakfast Hill. Played yesterday (8/18). Course is in pretty solid condition. Pro shop staff were fine, no issues. I just paid for my round and went to the putting green. But there is definitely an everybody-knows-everybody feel there even though (i thought) it was a public course.
[/quote]

That's interesting. BH got a ton of business this year from Pease closing 9 holes for reconstruction. I think it'll be quieter down at BH next year. I have no complaints about the place, but it's been a couple months since I've played there.

I am really looking forward to playing some golf here in NH as the leaves change.

[Chris_NH]

They did benefit from some extra members with Pease closing some holes. To BH's credit, I believe they put some of that money back into the course, as the conditioning has been better this year than the previous couple. Of course, they're also responding to complaints from members (or members voting with their feet, as I did) - but it's good to see that the course is in better shape.

I'm pretty sure some of those former Pease guys are going to stick around, so the benefits should continue for BH.