Sunday River (7.3)

Played on 10/12/09

Layout

Ben (8.5): A very strong layout at SR. Excellent use of both uphill and downhill holes. Routing presents all wind directions. Enough forest cleared to give the course continuity (unlike Sugarloaf, at which each hole is an island unto itself). I only found two holes objectionable: No. 15, which is a blind, uphill tee shot, with a sandy wasteland unseen in the landing area of a good drive, and No. 10, which is a visually intimidating tee shot, with no attractive landing area.

Jody (8.0): The course is well laid out, with good continuity from hole to hole. The course makes good use of bunker-type wasteland areas on several holes that for the most park work very well as an alternative to typical water/sand hazards (with the exception of No. 15 as Ben mentioned). The course is hilly (which is to be expected on a mountain course) and would be very unpleasant to walk. I much prefer walking to riding, and try to walk whenever I can; the practical inability of walking Sunday River (I'm not sure they even allow walkers) is the primary reason my "Layout" score is not higher.

Score: 8.25

Condition

Ben (7.5): The greens were fast, firm and smooth. Tee boxes recently aerated. Bunkers not consistent - some fluffy and others hard-packed. Fairways excellent, despite rain. Only a few rough patches. Obviously, the geography and weather make condition difficult at SR, but they make it work.

Jody (8.0): For mid-October, I thought the course was in fantastic shape. As Ben mentioned, the greens were fast, but they rolled true; I can't blame any bad putts on the condition of the greens. The tee boxes were all dead level and well maintained, I felt the sand in the bunkers appeared to be in good condition for the time of year, and the fairways held up well despite some wet spots. SR is a fair test for the mid-high handicapper. It is a very playable course from the white tees. Fairways are tree-lined, but wide enough to allow for a moderate slice or hook. Hazards are in play, and punish errant shots, but not so prevalent as to punish small mistakes.

Score: 7.75

Aesthetics

Ben (9.5): During foliage season, the most scenic course in Maine, and probably rivals any mountain course in the world. 360 degree views of towering, orange mountains. Almost no housing on the course. One in our group exclaimed "This is already worth it" upon exiting the car as we arrived.

Jody (9.5): I hesitate to give SR a "10" here only because it is the first course we're rating. Having said that, I think we'll be hard pressed to find a course in Maine that is more breathtakingly beautiful than SR at peak foliage. Almost every hole offers spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. Truly a remarkable experience.

Score: 9.5

Amenities

Ben (6.0): Rustic, log-cabin-esque ski lodge clubhouse. Full driving range. Pre-made chicken salad and cranberry sandwich at the turn with Red Gatorade. All solid.

Jody (7.0): Large welcoming clubhouse with an appropriate design for the setting. Very nice folks in the proshop and at the bar. Not fancy, but definitely not low-rent either.

Score: 6.5

Place in Golf

Ben (5.0): Robert Trent Jones design, though never broken through the Sugarloaf/Belgrade hammerlock in the ranking magazines (that I know of). Hosted some local club pro events, but never the State Am. Definitely a top tier course in Maine, and deserving of more recognition.

Jody (6.0): I'm going a bit higher than Ben here because SR has to be one of the top-5 courses in Maine, and, thus, definitely "above average" in the gold world.

Score: 5.5

Sentimental Value

Ben (6.0): A small bump for our annual Columbus Day end-of-season pilgrimage, and another small bump for my first round at SR - the day before I started law school.

Jody (7.0): Columbus Day Golf Bump, plus a bump for getting to play SR with my dad.

Score 6.5

My Round

Ben: Decent day off the tee, but shaky approach shots and horrendous around the greens. Could not adjust to the speed and slope of the greens when chipping and lag putting. This course is definitely playable, though hitting from the white tees took driver out of my hands more often than I like. The white tees also leaves only short par 3's (8-iron was my longest club). In general, this is a second-shot course, owing to the many uphill approach shots and the severe sloping in the greens.

Jody: Played like a putz, although I did have a couple of great shots. The speed of the greens did take a little getting used to, but at least they were consistently fast so I was able to adjust. I played fairly conservatively and still couldn't break 100, but that's more my fault than the course. It was an odd round in that I had 2 birdies (Hooray!) but still shot 105 (taking an 8 on three holes on the back nine tends to inflate one's score). If consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, then I was Stephen freaking Hawking at SR. Could I shoot 85 at SR? Not likely. Could I get close to 90? Definitely.