The Course at Augusta Country Club

The centerpiece of Augusta Country Club is a classic New England golf course on rolling, wooded terrain. The course provides challenge for all abilities and plenty of fresh air in a setting that features the best of what nature has to offer.

Picturesque views of Cobbosseecontee Lake and the surrounding valley make playing this 18-hole course enjoyable Spring, Summer and Fall. Lofty pines and hardwood trees define the fairways, and five tee placements for each hole allow all players to adjust hole length and difficulty as desired.

The present-day front nine was designed in 1929 by renowned course architects Wayne Stiles and John Van Kleek. It takes players on a down-up, down-up trek over the opening three holes before a long, gradual descent down Nos. 4 and 5 into a valley at the course’s southeast corner. The front nine features a pair of challenging par 3s that require wise club selection to compensate for elevation changes and avoid sand hazards.

Water features in the form of meandering creeks with wetland grasses cross several fairways. While a pond with a central fountain just short and left of the ninth green can pose a tactical challenge, it also offers a visual welcome for players approaching the Clubhouse at the turn. Large apple trees that date back to the 1890s guard the back and right sides of the ninth hole's putting surface.

Today's back-nine, which features generally tighter fairways than the front nine, offers scenic views of Cobbosseecontee Lake from three holes. Elevated tees again play a role in the pair of par 3s on the back side. The closing 18th, a par 5, can be a real challenge as the circular green is guarded by two front bunkers about five yards apart. A thick band of dense, long grass a few yards behind the putting surface must be avoided at all costs to close out a successful round.

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• For players who enjoy friendly competition, leagues and tournaments provide opportunities to get to know other members. And from a business standpoint, Augusta Country Club has always offered one of the region's best networking opportunities.

• Two practice greens located behind the Clubhouse can be used for putting and chipping practice. They are carefully maintained to match the conditions of all 18 greens on the course. On-demand lighting allows practice even as night falls.

• The practice range adjacent to the ninth fairway allows golfers to warm up before play, cool-down after their round and practice anytime they have a few minutes to sharpen their game. Practice balls are available in the Golf Shop.

The History of the Course at Augusta Country Club

The current back nine was the Club's original first nine when it opened for play on Labor Day in 1917. One of the Club's founders, Walter S. Wyman, hit the first tee shot at the current 10th hole, which was the 1st hole at the time.

A large fire on Halloween in 1925 destroyed three-quarters of the rear of the Clubhouse, sparing only the front Cape Cod portion of the structure. It also destroyed many of the Club's historical records, including blueprints for the original nine holes.

Research has shown that the likely designer was Arthur G. Lockwood, a talented amateur from Bristol, England, who won three of the first four Massachusetts State Amateur Championships. In the small community of course designers at the time, Lockwood was certainly familiar with the work of legendary course designer Donald Ross and likely incorporated elements of the famous designer's philosophies into the current closing nine holes.

Lockwood was a close friend of Francis Ouimet, an American amateur golfer who won the 1913 U.S. Open and was the first non-Briton elected Captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in Scotland. When the pair played at Augusta Country Club in 1918, Ouimet's only design suggestion was to move the green at the 4th hole (now No. 13) about 60 yards farther from the tee. The change transformed the original 395-yard par 4 into a 465-yard, par-5 challenge.

Another important figure who brought professionals to Augusta Country Club was Joseph Conway, the Vice-President of Wilson Sporting Goods in the 1930s and '40s. As an active Club member (mostly tennis) and an avid outdoorsman, he enjoyed a great friendship with Ouimet. In fact, Conway made a practice of inviting many of Wilson's contracted professionals, including World Golf Hall of Fame members Betsy Rawls, Patty Berg, Gene Sarazen and Babe Didrickson Zaharias, to play from time to time at Augusta Country Club and other area courses to help grow the game.

A few years later, golf legends Walter Hagen and Horton Smith competed at the Club in a "barnstorming" tour of the region. Other celebrities who have played at Augusta Country Club include Bob Hope, Dave Cowens and Willie Nelson.

Augusta Country Club has hosted several major New England golf events, including the Men's New England Amateur Championship, the Charlie's Maine Open, the Men's and Ladies' Maine Amateur Championships, Maine Seniors' tour events and the Susan G. Komen Rally for a Cure event (now run as the ACC Cares Tournament). 

Want to fix your game? Hone your putting skill? Chip better? Drive longer? Work on your short game?
Golf lessons can be scheduled by calling our Golf Shop at 207-623-9624