Golf in Maine in the spotlight in 2026
This year, the state of Maine is celebrating its history and culture as an avid golf destination.
With a distinction as the “golfiest” state in the Northeast and a new historical exhibition, Maine’s world-class golf courses and resorts are in the spotlight, from the mountains to the sea.
In its recently published 2025 Golf Scorecard, the United States Golf Association (USGA) awarded Maine the title of “Golfiest” State in the Northeast.
Mainers’ enthusiasm for golf began in the 1880s, as described in Maine Historical Society’s “The Early Days of Maine Golf: A Visual History, 1888-1940″.
The Portland-based exhibit traces the history of Maine’s clubs, players, and courses, which comprise several of the longest-surviving golf courses in the country.
From seaside links to mountain vistas, Maine’s more than 130 golf courses offer golfers an opportunity to enjoy the state’s natural beauty and active lifestyle alongside Mainers who share a love of the game.
Several Maine golf courses have garnered critical acclaim for their design: Golf Digest ranked the Belgrade Lakes Country Club as one of the top 100 public golf courses in country, and the publication also recognized the Lucerne Golf Club, with a Phillips Lake overlook amid a cluster of mountain peaks, as one of the best nine-hole golf courses in America.
Two ski resorts nestled in Maine’s western Mountains, Sunday River and Sugarloaf, have award-winning golf courses designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr.
For a coastal getaway along Maine’s midcoast, golfers can enjoy luxury cottage accommodations steps from the green and the ocean. The Samoset Resort features a breakwater path to the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse, the Sebasco Harbor Resort offers a marina and water recreation rentals, and accommodations at the Boothbay Harbor Summer Cottages include golfing at the Boothbay Habor Country Club, which is named one of the top resort golf courses in 2026 by Golfweek.
Unique inland experiences include Mount Kineo Golf Course, accessible only by a ferry shuttle on Moosehead Lake, and Aroostook Valley Country Club, where three holes border Canada.
Families will find welcoming golf courses for all skill levels across the state. Hermon Meadow Golf Club and the Bangor Municipal Golf Course, both located in the heart of Maine, emphasize a family-friendly experience, and PGA youth camps in Freeport offer the opportunity to learn while enjoying a memorable Maine vacation.
For more on golfing in Maine: https://visitmaine.com/things-to-do/nature-outdoors/sports/golfing/.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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