In 1896, summer residents of Kennebunkport, Maine, founded a golf club. Four years later, they engaged Scottish professional Alexander Findlay to design nine holes on farmland near the Kennebunk River. However, it wasn’t until 1921 that Cape Arundel Golf Club took its current form as an 18-hole course designed by Walter Travis. The greens Travis built—with their arrays of false fronts, shelves, swales, and spines—are among the most peculiar and ingenious we’ve seen. They are also beautifully preserved. Consulting architect Bruce Hepner and superintendent Brendan Parkhurst have spent over two decades restoring Travis’s design, removing trees, expanding greens, rebuilding bunkers, and installing a new drainage and irrigation system for bouncier, more consistent turf. Their efforts have crystallized in the past decade, as Cape Arundel has emerged as perhaps the most authentic American Golden Age course available for public play.
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Take Note…
Head on a swivel. When you turn off of River Road in Kennebunkport and onto Cape Arundel Golf Club’s driveway, you will be mildly shocked to find yourself in the middle of the golf course. To reach the clubhouse, you’ll have to cross, in order, 1) in front of the 12th tee, 2) through the 11th fairway, 3) in front of the seventh tee, 4) through the 10th fairway, and 5) through the 18th fairway. It’s a scenic preview of your round, if treacherous.
The tides. Cape Arundel sits on a tidal river that flows into the Atlantic Ocean two miles south. High tide brings energetic, full waters; at low tide, nearly drained basins reveal thousands of lost golf balls. Locals often note that wind comes in with the tide, so a rising river typically means rising scores. This hour-to-hour volatility gives Cape Arundel a unique sense of place: it’s a river course with the heart of a seaside links.
“Now watch this drive.” You know the video. It’s 2002, and U.S. President George W. Bush hops out of a golf cart. He holds a TaylorMade 580-series driver in his left hand, and with his right, he gestures toward the gathered press. He condemns a recent suicide bombing in Israel, urging all nations to help halt these acts of terror. “Thank you,” he concludes. “Now watch this drive.” This moment, now part of internet-meme history, occurred next to the first tee at Cape Arundel, where the Bush family has played golf for generations. This is not a political blog, so make of these facts what you will.
