Freeport ME Golf Weekend
by Fat Guy
Admittedly I've only been to Freeport once for a long weekend, and it was quite awhile ago. The scenic coastline home of L.L. Bean, it's a great little touristy microcosm of all you'd expect from coastal Maine, with all the great clifftop oceanfront scenery, massive pine forests, quaint architecture, fishing boats, and you can get some of the best lobster you've ever had at dockside lobster shacks for less than $10 (well, maybe $15 these days anyway).
The town itself is a cute but strange blend of somewhat-manufactured Maine quaintness, interesting shopping and boutiques, and chain stores and restaurants forced to blend into the original historic architecture by local code. The flagship L.L. Bean Store dominates the main drag, and is a haven for outdoor enthusiasts. Rock climbing walls, suspension bridges over water features, and a massive inventory of all things outdoors. It'll make couch potatoes want to run out and go camping.
Where To Play:
Brunswick GC (Brunswick, www.brunswickgolfclub.com) has a the type of pedigree you'd expect from a Maine seaboard course: 9 holes built in 1898 and redesigned by Van Kleek & Stiles in 1920, with a second 9 added in 1960 by Geoffrey Cornish. Cornish's front is a long par-37 with three par-5's and water hazards. Van Kleek & Stiles' classic back is shorter and more open, with plenty of birdie opportunities. The on-site 1898 Bar & Grille has a deck overlooking the scenic 9th hole, and serves up popular Friday Night Dinner events.
The course is just down the road from Bowdoin College, and Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin while living in Brunswick. MSN.com's profile of Main Street in Brunswick: "Yes, you can pause at the corner of Pleasant and Maine in Brunswick, the primary intersection of this quiet town that's home to Bowdoin College (founded in 1794). A diverse roster of restaurants fill with members of this erudite community after events at the local art-house movie theater, concerts on the green or summer stock theater productions. A recently adopted downtown master plan will add to the canopy of trees and increase the terrace seating options in this emblematic New England village. Here, you can buy a book at the Gulf of Maine independent bookstore and settle into the Little Dog Coffee Shop for an afternoon read. Hanging flowerpots started to appear in April and, true to Mainers' stubborn reputation, they won't be stowed away until autumn's first frost."
Fox Ridge GC (Auburn, www.foxridgegolfclub.com) is a gentle blend of rolling hills, native fescue, babbling brooks, century-old stone walls and bridges, with a semi-island green. A thinking man's course, with fast undulating greens and lurking trouble. The on-site Fox Den Grill has a small 7-seater bar with a stuffed fox keeping a watchful eye from above, a deck that overlooks the course, and typical grill room fare.