Featured Resorts

FEATURED RESORT

Omni Mount Washington Resort

The 18-hole Omni Mount Washington Golf Course was designed by legendary Scottish architect Donald Ross and was completed in 1915. Its backdrop features New Hampshire’s spectacular Presidential Mountain Range.

The par-72, 7,004-yard-course has hosted four New Hampshire Opens, plus the prestigious New England Open Championship, the New England Senior Amateur Championship and several New Hampshire Mid-Am, Senior and High School Golf Championships.

Reopened in August of 2008, the Omni Mount Washington Golf Course has been restored to Donald Ross’ original plans by noted golf course architect Brian Silva, including bunkers crafted in a classic flair and infinite varieties of recovery shots in the closely cropped areas around the putting greens. The par-five 11th hole and the par-three fifth hole feature stunning views of Omni Mount Washington Hotel and surrounding mountains.

The Omni Mount Washington Golf Course was voted Golfweek’s Best Course You Can Play in New Hampshire since 2009.

The nine-hole Mount Pleasant Course first opened in 1895, and has been host to generations of golfing enthusiasts from New Hampshire and beyond. Greats like U.S. Pro Golfer Gilbert Nicholls, Golf Course Designer Alex Findlay, British Golf Champions Harry Vardon and J.W. Taylor, and U.S. Open Golf Champion Willie Anderson have all played the historic par-35 course. In 1989, the course was restored and upgraded by Cornish & Silva Golf Course Architects, with advice from world-renowned golfers Gene Sarazen and Ken Venturi, and now offers players a more challenging round alongside New Hampshire’s scenic Ammonoosuc River. You will want to stay and play when you visit, as the Omni Mount Washington Resort is a grand masterpiece of Spanish Renaissance architecture, conceived by industrialist Joseph Stickney, and named a National Historic Landmark. A full-service spa, year-round canopy tour and seemingly endless outdoor recreation are sure to enhance your golf getaway.

www.OmniHotels.com/MountWashington

Vermont’s Mount Snow

Geoffrey Cornish designed the18-hole, 6,943-yard (there are three other sets of tees) championship Mount Snow Golf Club has also been named one of the top 10 resort courses in the country by SKI Magazine. It has also been rated one of the top five courses in Vermont by Golf Digest.

The course meanders through stunning picturesque countryside and provides stunning views of the Green Mountains, including the peaks of Mount Snow and Haystack Mountain. Tamaracks, oaks, birches, and sugar maples line the fairways while the mountains provide a majestic backdrop. The front nine is spread over rather wide expanses and the back nine winds its way through wooded terrain. Water comes into play on no fewer than 11 holes, and 41 sand traps are strategically located around nearly every hole.

The resort also has a fully-stocked pro shop with the latest in equipment, accessories, and apparel. Mount Snow’s Original Golf School, founded in 1978, was one of the country’s first golf schools and continues to be a trusted program for those looking to improve their games. There is a multi-day curriculum that includes instruction and evaluation on every aspect of play, with daily on-course instruction. During your visit, stop by Fairways Restaurant, where you can enjoy fresh food, cold beer, or your favorite cocktail on a large deck overlooking the course. Or relax inside watching the game on flat screen televisions. Fairways is open daily for lunch with frequent menu specials and to-go service, as well as Sunday brunch. The area around Mount Snow has historic towns, antique shops, artisans, craft producers, farms open to visitation, performing arts venues, and outlet shopping centers. Extend a vacation with a few days of hiking, mountain biking, scenic chairlift rides, and horseback riding, learn fly fishing, or go canoeing, sailing, and kayaking on any of the numerous pristine rivers and lakes.

www.MountSnow.com, or 802-464-4254.

FEATURED RESORT TOURNAMENTMUST PLAYS

Killington Grand Resort

Killington Grand Resort’s 18-hole golf course, designed by noted New England architect Geoffrey S. Cornish, was skillfully routed high in the lush Green Mountains of Vermont.

Here, you will find panoramic views and plenty of challenge. Cornish designed the course to take full advantage of the mountain terrain, and Killington’s rushing snowmelt streams and elevation changes make for an exciting and strategic round.

Generous greens allow players to attack the flag with confidence. The 6,186-yard, par-72 layout presents an enjoyable round for any golfer, no matter what skill level or handicap. And at a 2,000-foot elevation, gentle breezes offer a soothing respite from the summer sun.

The longest hole on the course is number two, a par-five that plays 510 yards from the back markers. The shortest hole on the course is the sixth, a tricky par-three that plays to 147 yards from the championship tees. And, watch out for number five, a beefy 473-yard par-four and the number one handicap hole on the course. Perhaps the most approachable hole on the track is the 17th, a 168-yard par-three.

The course is open mid-May through mid-October.

The resort has a new practice facility, as well as a new fleet of golf carts. There is a fully-stocked pro shop and professionals offer golf lessons and clinics, as well as golf schools. There is a clubhouse bar and grill with indoor and outdoor seating.

Killington is an all-around family resort with an adventure center, a bike park, a spa, and a fitness center. There is shopping on and off-site, as well as several dining venues. www.Killington.com.

Bethel Inn Resort

The Bethel Inn Resort golf course in Bethel, Me. is a venerable layout, built over 100 years ago.

The course takes full advantage of mountain vistas and the natural beauty of the area. Large, well-trapped greens, tree-lined fairways and five tee positions make play challenging for golfers of every ability. There is a pleasant mix of short and long par-fours, tough par-threes and demanding par-fives that will test the ability of golfers of all abilities.

The course was just nine holes for a number years before an additional nine holes was added in 1988 to bring it to championship caliber. The course was redesigned and expanded by the renowned New England architect Geoffrey Cornish. The existing layout has been recognized not only for its natural beauty but also as a very good test of playing ability.

The 6,663-yard, par-72 layout was listed by America’s Greatest Golf Resorts among the top 10 resort courses in the Northeast, and Golf Digest magazine awarded it 3 1/2 stars.

The Bethel Inn Resort offers complete and affordable stay, play and dine golf getaways and PGA golf school vacation packages.

There are 158 guest rooms at the Inn in both traditional accommodations and luxury townhomes. There’s a formal dining room or the more casual Millbrook Tavern and Grille to enjoy. The resort offers a health club with spa services, a lake house, tennis and other lawn games, and several state parks are located nearby for the adventurous. The property offers a truly all-around, funpacked experience for individuals, couples and families.

www.BethelInn.com

Wyndhurst Manor & Club

The Wyndhurst Manor & Club, located in Lenox, Ma., features an historic 18-hole course (actually 19 holes).

It’s a picturesque, traditional New England resort course routed over the hills surrounding the resort and through mature woodlands of the area. The course features tree-lined fairways and naturally contoured greens that have been carefully preserved in the more than 80 years since the course was built.

The eighth hole is one of the best on the course. You tee off next to the resort hotel and can cut the distance to the hole on the 347-yard par-four dramatically if you take the drive over trees that hug the left side. It’s all downhill to a small green that is easy to miss if you don’t concentrate on the pitch shot.

You need to score well on the front side because the inward nine is much more difficult, with several brutal par-fours and some very good par-threes waiting. The 11th is one of the course’s signature holes, a 200-yard parthree that plays from a chute of trees to a severely slopped green. Huge bunkers guard the putting surface.

The finishing hole is a wide open 393-yard par-four that allows you to hit driver and follow up with a mid- or short-iron into the slightly elevated green. Then it’s a bit of a drive, or walk, back to the clubhouse, which allows you to take in the scenery and tally up your score.

And remember that 19th hole? The par-four is situated near the eighth green and plays toward the clubhouse, allowing golfers who need to get back for dinner or a spa treatment to enjoy a shorter round.

www.WyndhurstManorAndClub.com

Poland Spring Resort

At the Poland Spring Resort in Poland Spring, Ma. you will find a superb golf course that was established in 1895 by Arthur Fenn and re-designed by the famed Donald Ross in 1912. The Links at Poland Spring in Maine claims to be the first golf course built at a resort in the United States.

To warm up for your round, Poland Spring Resort has a 330-yardlong driving range with natural grass, artificial tees, and a spectacular view of the rugged White Mountains.

After or après golf you can relax on the clubhouse porch overlooking the championship golf course at Mel’s Hilltop Restaurant, or grab a quick bite at the Pro Shop Café before you join your family for a swim in the large crystal clear swimming pool, all just a few yards from the 18th green. The Inn offers a number of options for dining.

Poland Spring Resort’s Lodge includes both an arcade and a general store. Fresh air adventures are to be found everywhere here, with miles of hiking trails that line the golf course and wind through the woods, taking you past the calm waters of Lower Range Pond. Cyndi’s Dockside, a restaurant on the shores of Middle Range Pond, was recently renovated and provides another alternative for family dining by a large fieldstone fireplace or outside next to the lake.

Poland Spring Resort is part of the Maine Trifecta giving you the opportunity to play three golf courses in the area: Poland Spring Golf Course, Fox Ridge Golf Course and Spring Meadow Golf Course. Call 207-998-4351 for information, or visit www.MaineTrifecta.com.

www.PolandSpringInns.com