Golfers living in southern New England can reach many of the courses in the three northern states within an hour or two making them plausible day trips. But head to the far reaches of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont and overnights become desirable. With this in mind Northern Exposure has been exploring Stay and Play opportunities and we found everything from bargain to all inclusive top shelf packages. This month we’re focusing on resorts. If you go to the Balsams web site, you will find the words, “All of our packages are golf packages”. The resort’s full American plan package includes buffet breakfast, buffet lunch and a five course dinner off a menu that changes nightly, all prepared by the staff and students of an award winning culinary institute and unlimited golf, $209 ppdo. Play the Donald Ross Panorama with its mountain side views or the executive nine near the hotel. The only extra is cart rental, but the food amenities and service throughout the resort are worth the price. At this Grand Hotel, gentlemen are required to wear jackets in the public areas and dining room after six. While the Balsams is at or near the top in value, it is in the middle for price. A pair of Maine resorts offer similarpackages. Point Sebago is widely known as a family camping area on one of the state’s largest lakes, but it has hundreds of park homes with bedrooms on each end and kitchen, dining, living area in the center. Buffet breakfast and dinners are in the restaurant and pavilion on the lake and are included with the golf (w/cart) and lodging starting at $79 a night. Poland Spring is another resort that offers those bountiful buffets for breakfast and dinner, two nights, three meals and unlimited golf for three days with carts for $274.79. Poland Spring also serves as the lodging base for the Trifecta, two nights, four meals, and golf at Poland Spring, Fox Ridge and Spring Meadows for $279.
The Bethel Inn is another popular resort with an attractive golf package. For $99 per person per night a three day package includes two nights lodging, two breakfasts, a four courses dinner and unlimited golf. Up along the coast, the Samoset, often call the Pebble Beach of the East offers a golf package for two until June 30, two nights lodging, unlimited golf starting at $199 per night. Sugarloaf and Sunday River are connected resorts with Trent Jones Jr. layouts and plenty of lodging. Over in Vermont, several resorts offer stay and play packages on highly rated courses. Okemo’s packages featuring golf on either Okemo Valley or Tater Hill with cart and lodging start at $134.45 ppp/perday for a two day weekend through 6/26 and $154.95 through the summer. Not far away, Killington offers a great package for the traveling foursome: two nights including 18 holes w/cart daily for four people in a two bedroom condo go for $94 pp/pnight midweek and $99 weekends. One of Vermont’s newest courses at Jay Peak combines lodging in the new Tram Haus Lodge with unlimited golf with cart starting at $92 pp/do. Also included are tram rides and access to the ice arena.
Stratton Mountain with 27 holes has attractive stay and play packages starting at $79 per night. The Equinox in nearby Manchester is one of New England’s classic historic hotels with a highly rated golf course and activities including an off road driving school, falconry, and fly fishing instruction. Sugarbush is another resort with stay and golf packages and a Trent Jones Sr. track. New Hampshire has its share of stay and play. The Omni Mount Washington is another grand hotel with a Donald Ross layout recently renovated by Brian Silva and a links style nine to add to the challenge. The Mount Washington Valley has gathered nine courses and about 20 different lodging properties into an association with a multitude of packages. Check their web site www.golfmwv.com for details. Another resort offering golf packages is the Jack O’Lantern in North Woodstock. Their package includes lodging, unlimited golf, breakfast and dinner weekends for $148 pp/pnight. Midweek the price is $87 pp/pnight midweek and $102 weekends for lodging, golf and continental breakfast.
Obviously there are more than we have listed here, but those will be checked out in the next two months. We’ll be looking at stand alone courses and clubs that have arrangements with various lodging properties. Another topic will be golf schools, of which there are some very good ones at resorts and individual clubs. With somewhere around 300 courses in the three states, the choices are endless. Don’t miss New England Golf Monthly for more of Northern Exposure. If you can’t wait, check www.nhgolf.com, www.vtga.org, and www.golfme.com.
About Greg Sampson
I am the Sales and Marketing Manager for NEGM. I am a member of the International Network of Golf & the Golf Writers Association of America. I specialize in customized all-inclusive programs across a multi-media platform.
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