Sunday River Golf Club

The verdict

Sunday River is the younger of western Maine's two great mountain courses, and it makes the most of its ski resort setting. Robert Trent Jones Jr opened it in 2005 in Newry, routing a par 72 of roughly 7,130 yards through dense forest and across the natural slopes of the mountain. It is a bigger, more open course than its yardage suggests, with generous landing areas off the tee but constant elevation change that turns club selection into the real test.

Jones built the layout around his belief that a good hole can be played several ways, so doglegs, tiered fairways and well guarded greens reward the player who thinks before swinging. Add the mountain backdrops, the quiet of the Maine woods and a finishing stretch with real drama, and you have a course that pairs perfectly with nearby Sugarloaf for a two course trip into the western highlands.

The holes worth the trip

The character of Sunday River comes from the land. Because it sits on a ski mountain, the elevation changes are constant and dramatic, with tee shots that drop into valleys and approaches that climb to greens set against the trees. The fairways are wider than at the tighter Sugarloaf, so the round is more about managing the slopes and choosing the right club for a downhill or uphill shot than about threading every drive.

Jones's doglegs give the player options on most holes, and the greens are large and contoured to match the bold setting. The par 3s use the terrain for some of the best one shot holes in the state, and the closing holes build to a memorable finish with the mountain framing the green complexes. Throughout, the views over the Mahoosuc range give the round a sense of scale that flat parkland courses never have.

For traveling golfers, Sunday River is the ideal companion to Sugarloaf: a modern, playable mountain course with big scenery, paired with the older classic for a complete western Maine golf trip.

Where to stay nearby

Sunday River is a full resort, so the easy plan is to stay on the mountain in the resort hotels or condominiums and take advantage of the golf packages. The nearby town of Bethel offers classic New England inns and restaurants, and Portland, with the nearest major airport, is around 90 minutes away.

For a wider Maine golf trip, Sunday River pairs naturally with the state's top ranked mountain course at Sugarloaf Golf Club in Carrabassett Valley, and with the dramatic highland round at Belgrade Lakes Golf Club to the east.

Looking for a base nearby? See our recommended hotels and resorts.