Birdie

Hole #8, Kebo Valley Golf Club

There’s a tale that’s been told at Kebo Valley Golf Club for 99 years that has been cemented into local legend. President William Taft, playing the course in 1911, met more than his match with the bunker situated on what was then called the “Elbow Hole,” and is now part of the 17th.  Some say it took the president 17 strokes to get out of the sand. Others say it was more like 23. However, one thing locals do agree on is that the 27th President of the United States shot a less-than-stellar 27 for the entire hole. Taft, who history would remember more for his mustachioed visage and 300-pound-girth than for any of his politics, had presumably seen better days on the links.

Now commonly called the Taft Hole, No. 17 is arguably the course’s most famous. It’s a 358-yard Par-4 that slopes 30 to 40 feet upward to the hole from the fairway, which is buffeted on the front side by a large bunker. A creek runs across the fairway, causing players to consider keeping the driver in the bag. Many locals will hit a small iron instead, but with its upward slope and prevailing winds a mid-range iron often works best.

For all this talk one would think 17 is the toughest hole on the 6,000-yard parkland, ring-style course. But most consider that distinction to fall to No. 8, which, according to the locals, golf legend Walter Hagen called “one of the hardest par fours I have every played.” And not surprising. The risk/reward hole requires length and precision. A brook runs along the left side of the fairway, and dense forest flanks the right. Course management reports that when the Maine Amateur was played at the course in 1998, the 8th was the key hole.

Consistently rated one of the top-15 public golf courses in New England, and garnering a four- tar rating from Golf Digest, Kebo is once again hosting the Maine Amateur Championship this summer in the first week of July. Located in Bar Harbor, an hour-plus drive east of Bangor and about three hours northeast of Portland, the 122-year-old course is surrounded by the picturesque Acadia National Park. Daily sightings of deer, fox and bald eagles are commonplace.
In autumn, golfers are treated to foliage-flecked views of Cadillac Mountain, which is visible from multiple holes. With its beauty and lack of dwellings, the course feels miles away from civilization and has ample character, playing different every time.

Established in 1888, Kebo is the eighth oldest golf club in the nation. The clubhouse was destroyed by fires in 1899 and 1947, and was redesigned and rebuilt both times. The course, however, remains basically untouched since Herbert Leeds first designed it.

Historically, holes 1-4 and the 18th were referred to as “the infield” because vacationers used to play baseball on them. The infield was at one time ringed by a horse track. Initially incorporated for “cultivation of athletic sports and furnishing innocent amusement for the public for reasonable compensation,” the club also featured a casino and tennis and crochet courts during the late 19th century. In the archives of the member list you will find members of Henry Ford’s family and the Du Pont dynasty, as well as current member David Rockefeller, who still summers in the region.

While history still permeates the course, Kebo is open to the public. Non-member rates range from $59 to $99. The course has a pro shop and lessons are available. Lunch is served daily at The Links Pub, an eatery in the clubhouse that overlooks the aforementioned infield. Kebo offers several stay-and-play packages with nearby lodging establishments. For more information, visit kebovalleyclub.com.