Follow our golfing adventures, as we make our way to the valley’s ten premier golf courses! Catch up, here, and be sure to sign up for our monthly Vacation Inspiration newsletter for a jolt of creativity when it comes to planning your Mt. Washington Valley vacation.
The calendar still said summer but blustery skies one recent Sunday previewed the fall golf season in Mount Washington Valley. Hale’s Location Golf Course is located at the base of Cathedral Ledge, which loomed large as dramatic towering clouds battled for golfers’ attention. Just over the border in Maine, Bridgton Highlands also offered striking views (see what I did there) of Shawnee Peak (nee Pleasant Mountain) from its first tee on the last official day of summer. Both courses offered a preview of fall, the ultimate season to golf .. free of black flies, mosquitos and the best greens conditions of the season.

Hale’s Location Golf Course is located in, well, Hale’s Location, which shares a zip code with North Conway but is in fact its own township in Carroll County. It is adjacent to both the stately White Mountain Hotel and its eponymous housing development, home to luxury homes whose association rights include access to the course (a selling point for sure).
Check into the Pro Shop in the hotel lobby to grab your cart keys and pick up any necessaries for your round, including golf balls, clothing, tees and gloves. Swing back through at the end of your round for lunch or dinner in their Ledges Restaurant (now taking reservations through OpenTable.com). While the course is scheduled to remain open through October 25, they are reporting the course is selling out daily so securing a tee time may be difficult even at this point of the season. Call ahead or risk missing out. https://www.whitemountainhotel.com/
Bridgton Highlands saw back to back foursomes late into the afternoon on the last day of summer, but the pro shop cheerfully accommodated our last minute request and got us swinging by 2pm. Their clubhouse features a large outdoor screened porch with widely spaced tables – a welcome sight during these pandemic days. Its featured lunch special of the day? Lobster Roll – a welcome Maine delicacy from this Maine golf course.

We played the front nine, which features a delightfully varied course layout. Rolling greens, grass bunkers, dog legs and many elevated tee boxes made the round fun and not punishing for this pair of duffers out for the day. However the foursome ahead of us – four youngish guys spending the weekend golfing in Maine – were chatty and friendly and obviously out for as much golf as possible on this spectacular sunny day. Their previous day at the Sugarloaf Golf Course – known for its length and mountainous layout – was a stark contrast to Bridgton’s.
Their site offers online tee time reservation. It’s always a good idea to check ahead.
Fall foliage was just beginning to show its face on several of the swamp maples adjacent to the course. Book a tee time now at either course and enjoy the best time of year on the greens.
Follow along with our valley golfing gal, Kathy Bennett, as she makes her way from course to course:
Eagle Mountain House Golf Club
The Wentworth Golf Club
North Conway Country Club