SOUTH BERWICK, MAINE — Not just a vacation destination for city slickers, southern Maine with its day-trip getaways, from the great shopping at the outlets in Kittery to the beautiful beaches like Old Orchard Beach, is popular with North Shore residents. Perhaps not as well known is that the area also boasts several gorgeous golf courses, like the Links at Outlook, no farther a drive north from Newburyport than Boston is south.
The property on the old Outlook Farm was originally just a driving range, but over the course of several years, the Flynn family received so many compliments about their property and what a nice golf course it would make, they decided to consult with one of the best golf course architects in the area, Brian Silva. From there, the decision was made to design an 18-hole course in which 11 of the holes were built in the traditional Scottish-links style, with the other seven taking on a more typical northern New England topography.
Ten years later, and the vision is complete. The rolling dunes layered by fescue grass and the seemingly endless open meadow on the front side depict the perfect image of an old Scottish-style links course. Once players finish the 10th hole and travel through the unique little underpass that takes them underneath Route 4, an entirely different adventure awaits with tree-lined fairways and a more mountainous terrain, creating more dramatic increases and decreases in elevation for tee shots and approaches. And when players trek back through the tunnel to No. 18, the historic yet refurbished Red Barn — the course's dining and function hall — sits perched atop the hillside as the perfect finishing touch to a classic New England setting.
As for the course itself, Outlook places a premium on accuracy. Although the front 11 holes appear to be as open as the eye can see, a stray shot will either be gobbled up by the long fescue grass, plucked by one of the smartly placed Silva sand traps, or perhaps splashed into one of several water hazards. At just 6,423 yards, players can often get away with hitting long irons out of the tee box into safe landing zones and still have easy low-iron shots into the green.
Holes nine and 10 are perfect examples of how players must pay attention to the path that lies ahead. On No. 9, a 370-yard par-4, two large fairway traps entice golfers to risk pulling out a driver to hit over when the safer lay-up shot would likely be rewarded with a much-easier approach. No. 10 has a very narrow landing area for the fairway, but at just 374 yards, the point is almost moot to risk losing the ball off into the large water hazard that eats up the entire right side of the hole.
So, if you are looking for a great weekend day getaway, while perhaps mixing in a little foliage viewing, kill two birds with one stone and take a short ride up to the Links at Outlook.
Teeing Off
Course: The Links at Outlook, founded 2000
Website: http://www.outlookgolf.com/
Rates: Monday-Thursday $27 (9), $50 (18); Friday-Sunday $27 (9), $55 (18)
Special: Twilight after 1 p.m. 18 holes with cart $45
Par/Distance/Slope/Rating: From blacks 71/6,423/125/70.2
Architect: Brian Silva
General Manager: Tim Flynn
Head PGA Pro: Dave Paskowski
Ownership: The Flynn Family
Signature Hole: Pick'em No. 1 or No. 10 — The two starting holes at Outlook are like twins in an Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito sort of way where one is just slightly shorter than the other — No. 1 a 524-yard par-5 and No. 10 is a 374-yard par-4. The two holes line up next to each other just past the clubhouse. Both holes are slight dog-leg right in which the green is protected by a small body of water on the right-hand side of the fairway. But as is true on all the high points of the Maine course, hitting off elevated tees on each hole you get to see a beautiful encompassing views of the front side of Outlook.
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