It’s impossible to talk about Poland Spring Resort and Golf Course without talking history. When George Washington was president, Jabes Ricker began a stagecoach stop on the grounds in 1794. Hiram Ricker discovered the healing powers of the spring water, and in 1845 began bottling it. Thirty years later, the Rickers built one of the largest resorts in New England on the property. Poland Spring Golf Course opened in 1896 and is the first golf course to be built at a resort in America. Arthur Fenn, who has been described as the first “American-born golf professional,” initially designed the first nine holes. He served as the course’s golf pro until 1925.
Donald Ross redesigned the original nine holes and expanded the course to 18. It was one of more than 400 golf courses he designed in his lifetime. Poland Spring is the first of 11 he designed in Maine. His portfolio also includes the famed Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina.
Ross’s fingerprints are all over the course, which is a great attribute, given his skills. He used the preexisting landscape instead of creating something completely new. The Rickers, for their part, demanded that very little dynamite be used for fear that it would affect the spring source, thus most of the course was designed by the use of hand tools.
Poland Spring Resort and Golf Course is no stranger to brushes with greatness. Famed golfer Bobby Jones played the course during World War One as part of a promotional tour for the American Red Cross, and Babe Ruth was also known to frequent the course after his retirement from baseball. Walter Hagen, a golfing legend in his own right, held the course record for several years.
The course has changed very little in the decades since its redesign by Ross and the course’s management has tried to stay true to the traditional style of the course. Birch and pine still dot the landscape and a chain of three lakes surrounds the course, which is framed by the Presidential and Carter ranges of the White Mountains.
Although the bottled water company that shares a name with the resort is now under different ownership, the original spring that acted as the catalyst to what is now an internationally known brand, continues to bubble from the earth steps away from the 3rd green. What’s more, visitors can tour the 1906 Bottling Plant Museum while on the premises. But as much as that is exciting, the real excitement is on the course. The Par-71, 6,178-yard course is located two and half hours north of Boston and 35 minutes north of Portland. For the public, rates range from $20 to $40, exceptional fees given the quality of this track. For resort guests, rates run as low as $17.50 to $36. Multi-day golf packages are also available to resort guests.
The resort also offers a unique deal called the “Maine Trifecta,” which allows guests to play Spring Meadows in Gray, Fox Ridge in Auburn and Poland Spring. The package includes greens fees, carts, two nights lodging and four meals at the resort. Guests have several lodging choices, including the Maine Inn, which houses the main dining room, game rooms, Rick’s Pub, and a 10,000-volume library; the Presidential Inn, which is a Victorian classic originally built in 1913 and fully renovated in 1982; and the economic Motor Court Inn, which is located on the 12th hole of the golf course. Eleven cottages are also available for guests.
The resort offers post-round recreations aplenty, from Tai Chi lessons to hiking trails to shuffleboard courts and nightly entertainment. A huge swimming pool, three grass bocce courts, and three grass tennis courts are on site. Various boat rentals and mountain biking rentals are also available. Nearby Rocking Horse Farm offers Horseback trail riding by appointment. For the resort, a two-night weekend package ranges from $79 to $199 per person. Five-night midweek rates range from $179 to $429 per person. Seven night packages range from $210 to $559 per person. All packages include all-you-can-eat breakfast and dinner buffets.
For more information, visit polandspringresort.com or call 207-998-4351.