Belgrade Lakes Golf Club

Set on a 240-acre mountaintop overlooking the lakes region of central Maine, Belgrade Lakes Golf Club features rolling fairways framed by white granite outcroppings and brilliantly colored stands of hardwood and pine. Designed by Clive Clark as his first American course, the layout rewards strategic play with old-style cross bunkering, a shared double green on the 9th and 18th holes, and panoramic views of the surrounding lakes and forest from the elevated clubhouse.

Belgrade Lakes Golf Club opened in 1998 in the small lakeside community of Belgrade Lakes, Maine, roughly 15 miles north of Augusta. The course was the vision of Harold Alfond, a Maine philanthropist and businessman best known as the founder of Dexter Shoe Company. Alfond, who had deep ties to the Belgrade Lakes region, envisioned what he called "a country club for the average guy" — a championship-caliber public course that would be welcoming and unpretentious rather than stuffy or exclusionary. To realize this vision, Alfond selected British architect Clive Clark. Clark had enjoyed a successful playing career on the European Tour, amassing five professional victories and representing Great Britain and Ireland in the 1973 Ryder Cup at Muirfield. After transitioning to course design, Clark brought a distinctly British sensibility to his work, favoring natural landforms and strategic bunkering over heavy earthmoving. Belgrade Lakes became Clark's first design in the United States, and the project established his reputation in the American market.

The course occupies a 240-acre parcel of rolling, wooded terrain that sits above the Belgrade Lakes chain. From the clubhouse and first tee, which are positioned at the property's highest point, golfers look out across a sweeping panorama of Great Pond, Long Pond, and the forested hills beyond. The routing descends from this elevated perch and winds through corridors of birch, maple, oak, and pine before climbing back to the clubhouse on the closing holes. Clark designed Belgrade Lakes with a philosophy of moving as little earth as possible, allowing the natural contours and features of the site to shape the golf holes. The result is a layout that feels organic and timeless. Glacial rock outcroppings and stone boulders line many fairways, creating unique visual framing and introducing an element of unpredictability — an errant shot that strikes a boulder might bounce back into play or disappear into the woods. These natural stone features are a defining characteristic of the course and give Belgrade Lakes a look unlike any other layout in New England.

The bunkering draws on traditional British design principles. Cross bunkers appear on several holes, requiring golfers to carry specific distances from the tee or risk finding sand. The bunkers are framed with railroad ties, giving them a distinctive oval shape that references links courses in the British Isles. Greenside bunkering is strategically placed to protect pin positions and punish shots that miss on the wrong side. Among the course's most memorable features is the double green shared by the 9th and 18th holes, a classic design element drawn from the Old Course at St Andrews. The par-3 holes offer remarkable variety, ranging from short precision tests to longer carries over dramatic terrain. The par-5 holes are short but devilish, rewarding intelligent course management over raw power.

From the Black tees, Belgrade Lakes measures 6,723 yards with a course rating of 72.2 and a slope of 135. The par is 71 from all tee positions. Belgrade Lakes has earned widespread recognition since its opening. It has been ranked among the top public courses in Maine and throughout New England by multiple publications. The course draws golfers from across the Northeast and beyond, many of whom combine a round at Belgrade Lakes with visits to other top Maine courses such as Sugarloaf and Sunday River. The club operates as a fully public facility, with tee times available to all golfers, and the relaxed, welcoming atmosphere remains true to Harold Alfond's founding vision.