jbmajor

I played this course for the first time in 2015, now I am a member who lives 30 minutes away. Gray, ME is not a hotbed of activity, but the 15-30 minute drive from Portland or other surrounding towns is well worth it. For starters, the staff is great. Very friendly and engaging, down to Earth people. Secondly, the course conditions are GREAT! I was amazed when I hit balls off of the fairways (best fairways in the state, IMHO), and the greens are usually in great shape and run "true". A lot of the course is low-lying, so if there has been rain, the fairways can be damp. Well-placed bunkers and water hazards will greet you during your round, and the 3 par 5s on the course will test your shot-placing ability - not simply bomb it off of the tee.

This course is really fun to play, and you can score well if your ball-striking is on. However, you can also find yourself in trouble if you are not hitting in particularly well that day. Fair pricing, as well.

Has driving range.

I have mixed emotions about this course. I, literally, live in a neighborhood within a 1/4 of a mile from this course, yet I choose to be a member at a course 30 minutes away. The course itself is not bad. I actually like the holes, and it is playable for mid-high handicappers as well as more advanced players. My two main issues with this course are 1) the constant build-up of the residential neighborhood on the grounds, which have made the course tighter and tighter, and taking much of the enjoyment out of the round for the mid-high handicapper who worries that he will hit a house or person watering their lawn with an errant shot, and 2) the new management company. I will admit, the course conditions have improved dramatically since the new management company took over, as the prior owner was stingy with the water, but there is definitely a high sense of arrogance from the staff, especially their top staffers. I had a $20 gift certificate from the prior management (no expiration), and all i wanted to do was hit some balls at the range, and they wouldn't honor them because they "could not get their money for them". When I told him that you assume outstanding liabilities when you take over a business, he claimed he didn't have to. When I then asked him if he really wanted to be that stingy and risk losing business from someone who lived across the street over $20 worth of range tokens, he simply said "sorry". Bad business move, in my opinion.

Anyway, personal feelings aside and back to the course.....the annual membership is actually very reasonable, with no food minimums, and you get discounts to play at other courses the management company runs. I would become a member if I didn't have the issues that I had.

For golfers who want to start off on a positive note, this might not be the course for your. The first tee is a par 5, with houses lining the left side of the fairway. Given the average amateur's outside-in swing, it can lead to a lot of nerves and start your day off on the wrong foot.

Good putting green, driving range is no great shakes, but at least they have one.

Overall, the course is better than many in the Portland area, but there are many other places that are simply more enjoyable to play.