All,
I think the most underrated destination area for golf is Northern New England. Either as a group, or separated into its three distinct parts of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, Northern New England sports quality golf that is:
1. Accessible, be the course open to public or resort play
2. Not too expensive, as one will not find a course that costs more than $90-$100, with many well below that
3. Filled with history. Ross lived for a time in Mass, and later had an office in RI, a relatively short train trip from the endless forests and glacial features of NE. He did many courses in NH and ME, and couple in VT. This included some well-known favorites, as well as some fun, quirky courses you have never heard of. Also, many other "Golden Age" or earlier architects made their mark in the Northeast, including Travis, Findlay, Fenn, Park, Stiles and Van Kleek.
4. Played in a mild climate. All of the major golf mags have features on NE, VT especially just before leaf-peeing season in Oct. This misses the wonderful summer season. As long as you don't mind a few mosquitoes at dusk, the temps. never rise much above 80 degress in the summer. Also, despite the harsh winters, golf can be played well into November after the occasional frost delay.
5. Surrounded by many, many diversions. These include the Green and White Mountains in VT and NH respectively, the many pure lakes and streams in all three states, and Maine's breathtaking seacoast. All three states also offer many insights into American colonial history.
6. Better than the Cape. Cape Cod golf includes close to 70 courses, public and private, and has many good venues. However, all of the public courses seem to be locked in at about $50-$60 a round, regardless of their quality relative to the course down the street. To avoid crowds, you must take a chance with the weather in May or late season. Also, the Cape is a huge mess of traffic every summer weekend, and you must always wait for a time to get over either of the bridges. Where can you make tee times at a moment's notice and play in four hours or less in mid-summer? Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
Those planning a trip will be fortunate to find that almost all golf in these three states is accessible. Economies are not really strong enough to support many private clubs in these areas, but there are a few. If access is not a problem, Maine has Augusta CC and Portland CC by Ross, Prouts Neck by ?, York Golf & Tennis by Ross. NH has Bald Peak, Lake Sunapee, Manchester CC by Ross, and Vermont has Ekwanok by Travis, Dorset Field Club, one of the oldest clubs in the nation, Burlington by Ross, CC of Vermont by Cooke, and Vermont National by Nicklaus.
However, the point of this post is the great courses anyone can play. A quick rundown:
ME: Golden Age: Cape Arundel by Travis, Webhannet by Wogan, Kebo Valley by Leeds (same as Myopia) Penobscot Valley, Poland Spring (orig. by Fenn), Cape Neddick, Biddeford-Saco, Northeast Harbor by Ross (some are 9 Ross, 9 modern), and Boothbay Region, Bath CC by Stiles (both 9 Stiles and 9 new). Last 20 years: Belgrade Lakes by Clive Clark, Point Sebago, The Ledges in York, Samoset Resort, Fox Ridge in Auburn, and Sugarloaf by RTJ, which in my opinion, is remote, expensive, brutal, and not always in good shape.
NH: Golden Age: By Ross: Wentworth-by-the-Sea, Mt. Washington Hotel GC, The Balsams (one of the best Ross courses I've ever seen, although almost in Canada), Maplewood Casino, Bethlehem CC, Kingswood GC. By Ralph Barton, red. by Ron Prichard, Hanover CC. By Park, North Conway CC. Last 20 years: CC of New Hampshire, Canterbury Woods, the two courses at Bretwood, and the controversial course at the Shattuck.
VT(my favorite): Golden Age: By Ross, Woodstock GC (red. by many), by Stiles, Rutland CC (highly recommended), by Travis, red. by Rees Jones, Equinox, St. Johnsbury by Park, and the very fun 9-holer, John P. Larkin CC, which is a hidden gem for me even hough i spent 4 college yrs. in VT. Last 20 years: Green Mountain National, Ralph Myhre GC in Middlebury (!!), Okemo Valley GC, and several other courses affiliated with ski resorts that should have stuck to the operation of their ski facilities.
There are many other courses than mentioned above where a good game can be had. I know that some members of the DG know some things about the courses above, and some would scoff at Ross's name being still connected with what is on the ground today in some places, but many of his routings still exist, and to my eye, the spirit of his design still exists. Also, some laugh at courses that lack tees beyond 6300 yds. In my experience, some of the shorter courses are much more interesting than those ready for the tour. N. NE is full of these. The emphasis is fun golf with a bit of history.
Only one word of caution when traveling in N. NE: Those used to driving great distances out west will laugh when they see that Burlington, VT and Portland, ME are only 250 miles apart. The drive time between these two places is not three hours, it is more like five, and you will feel as though you have driven across the entire country. The Green and White Mountains run North-South in VT and NH, respectively, and in many cases you have to drive around them on non-interstate roads. Rural roads often are long and unpredictable, but the extra time can be spent taking in the scenery. My recommendation would be to choose a golf weeked or vacation in only one of the three places, as traveling between them sometimes adds stress, which is of course what you are there to alleviate.
--Brad