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Samoset Resort - Rockport, ME - The Review


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One of my goals in life is to play as much golf next to an ocean as I can.  Not that I expect to do it all that much.  But when the opportunity arises, I figure I'd better jump on it.  My family recently returned from a vacation in mid-coast Maine and on @00sportsman's recommendation, I took my daughters to Samoset Resort in Rockport.  I won't say it was cheap (the three of us played at noon on a Monday for about $350), but it was absolutely worth it.

I don't know that there's a hole on the front nine where you don't see the ocean.  It's wide open and just waiting for you to take it deep and low.  At one stretch, there are three parallel fairways with just a few trees scattered around.  When you tee off on the middle hole, you have a landing area that's some 150 yards wide.  I still managed to get to within about 10 feet of the Atlantic Ocean, but I still had a reasonable approach shot into the green.

The scenery is dramatic, but the elevation changes on the holes are what really make the golf fun and interesting to play.  We played the course after a few days of rain, so it was soft and squishy.  I don't know that it ever gets firm and fast, but it would have been fun if the ball would have bounced some more.  

 

The back nine heads inland for a few holes, and it becomes much tighter.  Much more of what I'd expect from a New England golf course and what I'd seen other places.

 

It took me a few holes to realize that I needed to put the driver back in the bag until I could see the water again.  My brother-in-law joined us for the back, and I apologized for him not getting the views we had on the front... and then we came to the 14th.

14 through 17 play near the ocean, with a wonderful "top of the world" tee shot that you can hit absolutely anywhere and still have a look at the green.  So of course, I hit it about 50 yards right onto the 18th tee, and had a clean look with a nine iron at the green.  There is nothing more thrilling than hitting driver off the top of a hill and not worrying a bit about where it goes.  The 18th is a fairly bland par 5 away from the water (a better sequencing would probably finish up on the dramatic par 5 4th), but by the end of the round you've had so much fun, taken so many pictures, and enjoyed everything so thoroughly that you really don't care.  It's not a tough course (barely 6000 yards from the middle tees), but it's one I will definitely play again if I get the chance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's in the bag:
Driver - :cobra-small: F8 - Aldila NV Blue 60 ( S )
3 Wood (13.5*) - :titleist-small: 980F 
4 Wood (18*) - :cobra-small: F8 - Aldila NV Blue 60 ( S )
3 Hybrid (19*) - :taylormade-small: RBZ
4i - PW - :wilson_staff_small: D7 Forged - Recoil 760 ( S )
52* - :cleveland-small: CBX
58* - :cleveland-small: CBX Full Face 2
Putter - :ping-small: Craz-e
Bag - :1590477705_SunMountain: 2.5 (Blue)
Ball -  :titleist-small: AVX
Instagram - @hardcorelooper
Twitter - @meovino
Facebook - mike.eovino

 

 

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I'm super glad, and relieved, that you enjoyed it. I'm sitting on the north shore of North Haven right now (the only place on the island I get any type of cell service - my phone won't even load your pictures here) looking across the bay at Camden and Rockport. I wondered if you had come to Maine and played the Samoset like we'd talked about. Did you play any other courses while you were here?

One of my goals in life is to play as much golf next to an ocean as I can.  Not that I expect to do it all that much.  But when the opportunity arises, I figure I'd better jump on it.  My family recently returned from a vacation in mid-coast Maine and on [mention=76176]00sportsman[/mention]'s recommendation, I took my daughters to Samoset Resort in Rockport.  I won't say it was cheap (the three of us played at noon on a Monday for about $350), but it was absolutely worth it.
I don't know that there's a hole on the front nine where you don't see the ocean.  It's wide open and just waiting for you to take it deep and low.  At one stretch, there are three parallel fairways with just a few trees scattered around.  When you tee off on the middle hole, you have a landing area that's some 150 yards wide.  I still managed to get to within about 10 feet of the Atlantic Ocean, but I still had a reasonable approach shot into the green.
The scenery is dramatic, but the elevation changes on the holes are what really make the golf fun and interesting to play.  We played the course after a few days of rain, so it was soft and squishy.  I don't know that it ever gets firm and fast, but it would have been fun if the ball would have bounced some more.  
 
[/url] The back nine heads inland for a few holes, and it becomes much tighter.  Much more of what I'd expect from a New England golf course and what I'd seen other places.
 
It took me a few holes to realize that I needed to put the driver back in the bag until I could see the water again.  My brother-in-law joined us for the back, and I apologized for him not getting the views we had on the front... and then we came to the 14th.
14 through 17 play near the ocean, with a wonderful "top of the world" tee shot that you can hit absolutely anywhere and still have a look at the green.  So of course, I hit it about 50 yards right onto the 18th tee, and had a clean look with a nine iron at the green.  There is nothing more thrilling than hitting driver off the top of a hill and not worrying a bit about where it goes.  The 18th is a fairly bland par 5 away from the water (a better sequencing would probably finish up on the dramatic par 5 4th), but by the end of the round you've had so much fun, taken so many pictures, and enjoyed everything so thoroughly that you really don't care.  It's not a tough course (barely 6000 yards from the middle tees), but it's one I will definitely play again if I get the chance.
 
 
 
 
 
 


Sent from my XT1585 using MyGolfSpy mobile app

I always try to remember that I'm not good enough to get mad!

 

My Bag:

:ping-small:  G400 Max

:ping-small:  G30 3W

:cobra-small: King S9-1 5W

:taylormade-small: Aeroburner 3 Rescue/Hybrid

:ping-small: G400  5-UW

:cleveland-small: RTX4 52* and 56*

:rife-putters-1: 2Bar Mallet

:ping-small: Traverse II Cart Bag

 

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3 hours ago, 00sportsman said:

I'm super glad, and relieved, that you enjoyed it. I'm sitting on the north shore of North Haven right now (the only place on the island I get any type of cell service - my phone won't even load your pictures here) looking across the bay at Camden and Rockport. I wondered if you had come to Maine and played the Samoset like we'd talked about. Did you play any other courses while you were here?

 


Sent from my XT1585 using MyGolfSpy mobile app
 

 

Hope you get to take a look at the pictures.  That place was pretty amazing.  One of the prettiest courses I've ever played.

Samoset was the only place we played.  We drove by a bunch of other courses that looked really cool, especially Megunticook Country Club (we'd need to know someone who belongs there, but as it turned out, my brother in law does).  We only got one round in because we also sailed, rode bikes in Acadia National Park, hiked and kayaked.  I'd love to play some of the other courses, especially Kebo Valley in Bar Harbor. 

What's in the bag:
Driver - :cobra-small: F8 - Aldila NV Blue 60 ( S )
3 Wood (13.5*) - :titleist-small: 980F 
4 Wood (18*) - :cobra-small: F8 - Aldila NV Blue 60 ( S )
3 Hybrid (19*) - :taylormade-small: RBZ
4i - PW - :wilson_staff_small: D7 Forged - Recoil 760 ( S )
52* - :cleveland-small: CBX
58* - :cleveland-small: CBX Full Face 2
Putter - :ping-small: Craz-e
Bag - :1590477705_SunMountain: 2.5 (Blue)
Ball -  :titleist-small: AVX
Instagram - @hardcorelooper
Twitter - @meovino
Facebook - mike.eovino

 

 

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