Belgrade Lakes Golf Course, Belgrade Lakes, Maine - A 5-Star Golf Course in the Maine Hilltops

The Belgrade Lakes Golf Course is a hilltop course located in the rolling hills of central Maine. Like its hilltop perch, the course sits similarly high atop the rankings for Maine golf courses. It was one of only a handful of courses in the nation to receive a 5-Star award from Golf Digest in 2002 for the magazine's "Places to Play'' rankings. It also vies with Suglarloaf every year for the honor of best golf course in the state.

The course opened in 1998 and was designed by British golf course architect Clive Clark, who in 2001 was ranked #1 in GolfWorld's "25 Hottest Architects of the Year.'' In his designs, Clark tends to emphasize variety, playability and balance, with the goal to provide an exciting and enjoyable golfing experience.

The 18-hole, par-71 course plays to 6,723 yards from the longest tees, with a USGA rating of 72.2 and a slope rating of 135. The course features lush, tree-lined fairways, ribbed bunkers and a number of large boulders and rocks sprinkled throughout. The course overlooks the Belgrade Lakes Region, and offers incredible views and panoramic scenery that's said to rival any in the state. Another interesting feature is that, even with 200 feet of elevation change, very few holes play uphill - a fact most golfers will enjoy.

It's been said that every hole on this course is noteworthy, making it difficult to choose any for special praise. Hole No. 1, however, sets the tone, as few golfers will forget the experience of driving from a tee box situated 200 feet above lakes and ponds that stretch for miles, and more than 100 feet above the landing area.

Hole No. 3 is a par-5 that plays to 475 yards from the Black tees, and designer Clark felt it was going to be one of the more spectacular holes on the course. Trees line both sides of the fairway until giving way to a large water hazard on the left nearer the green, along with a string of rocks that runs along the right before broadening into a small rock quarry near the end of the fairway.

Hole No. 5 is a par-3 that plays to 174 yards and has been lauded by many golfers as the prettiest on the course. What makes it so picturesque, and challenging, are the tall grasses and water hazard that must be carried to reach a green isolated in a horseshoe of trees. Three deep, timber-clad bunkers are cut sharply into a bank that runs just behind the green. While this hole shouldn't be especially difficult, the challenge comes from the "layering effect'' from the tee, as the eye goes from rough, to water, to rock, to rough, to green, to bunkers, to woodlands behind, making for a "splash of textures.''

When the course first opened, many golfers rated hole No. 9 as their favorite on the course. This strong par-4 is considered a "true test of golf,'' as it twists between the rocks on the left and the trees on the right, before ending with an approach shot to a long, narrow and elevated green. The hole is built into an "amphitheater'' that's said to be "worthy of hosting the Ryder Cup,'' according to one golf magazine.

The course also features a large, New-England-style clubhouse that sits atop a plateau that overlooks the course.