A mountain of a course

The extravagantly restored Mount Washington Resort Golf Course
is well worth the trip North

Staring at a backdrop like this one takes the edge off finding the sand at the Mt. Washington Resort.

By Gary Larrabee

Visiting the Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, N.H. offers golfers a unique chance to visit both the past and the future.

The past, of course, is represented by the grandest of New England’s grand hotels, the 107-year-old Mount Washington Resort Hotel, a national historic landmark situated at the base of 6,288-foot Mount Washington, amidst the famed Presidential Range and the 800,000-acre White Mountain National Forest. The resort’s 200 rooms and suites epitomize old-style elegance and comfort.

The new – and the old – are symbolized by the handsomely restored Mount Washington Resort golf course, 6,974 yards of Donald Ross original design. The course was opened in 1915 and rejuvenated by Brian Silva, the New Hampshire-based golf architect who led a massive effort that has returned the par-72 layout to its former glory.

Playing the course four days after its reopening last August in a constant rain should have dampened my golf enjoyment: it did not. The new tee boxes were expansive. The ball set up beautifully on the fairways. The restored bunkers gave reasonable lies and improved target alignment. The tree lines were cleared so that recovery shots could be made. And the restored and enlarged greens putted like a dream. The course should play even better this season in its first full season of its rebirth. GolfWeek recently tabbed the revamped layout as the best in New Hampshire.

“We’ve got a first-rate resort course for every level of golfer,” says Mike Carroll, the director of golf club operations, who left his native Cape Cod and the Country Club of New Seabury to take over Mt. Washington golf in 2008.

“Every golfer, from beginner to professional, can have fun and be challenged at the same time.”

While nestled in the mountains, you do not have to be a goat to get around on this course. In fact, it is one the flattest five-star layouts you’ll ever play, thanks to its location on an uncharacteristically level piece of terrain that is situated in the center of the Ammonoosuc River Valley, at the base of the famed Presidential Range, the highest set of peaks in the United States east of the Mississippi River.

“It’s a wonderful walking course,” adds Carroll. “It’s great for exercise, easy to carry your bag or use a pull cart. There are no extreme elevation changes; a few mild ones, but nothing that will cause you to lose your breath.”

The championship 18, which resort officials hope will host major state, regional and national competitions within the next decade, is nicely complemented by the shorter and even more walkable nine-hole Mount Pleasant course that sits directly in front of the hotel. The Mount Pleasant course first opened in 1895 and was restored by Silva, creator of the magnificent Renaissance Club in Haverhill, in 1989. The creation of a second nine is in the works, all part of a $7 million renovation of the two layouts.

The Mount Washington Hotel, envisioned and funded by entrepreneur Joseph Stickney, was designed by architect Charles Alling Gifford and opened for the rich and famous of the Northeast in 1902 as a summer retreat. The golf, of course, was the central activity then, and remains so today. In late 1999 the resort, located across Route 302 from the famed Bretton Woods ski slopes, became a winter retreat as well.

Both golf courses are reason enough to make the two-plus hour drive from the North Shore. The spacious new clubhouse and pro shop is simply a bonus. Away from the greens, there is an amazing array of other amenities that can enhance your visit as well, whether you’ve arrived traveled with golf chums or your family.

A brand new 25,000-square-foot spa, opened this past winter as the headlining feature of the resort’s overall $50 million renovation, is at the top of the list. Other offerings include a renowned tennis facility where Rod Laver once served as tennis director, horseback riding (from a restored Victorian equestrian center), hiking, fly fishing, swimming (three pools and the aforementioned Ammonoosuc River), a massage center, a Kids’ Club (for ages 4 to 12) and the nearby Mount Washington Cog Railway.

But the golf is the headliner come spring.

“We’ve created a family club atmosphere in a historic luxury resort that gives memories golfers and their families will cherish their entire lives,” says Matt Massei, the resort’s general manager and former golf director and vice president for golf operations at the equally famous Pinehurst Golf Resort in North Carolina. “For a combination of beauty in natural surroundings and great golf, we can’t be beat,” adds Kim Dietel, the course superintendent responsible for turning Silva’s restoration into a daily joy for its players.

For a golfer who hates driving anywhere, let alone nearly three hours northward, this is one trip I would make again in a heartbeat.

From the Tips

Course: Mt. Washington Golf Course

Par: 72

Yardage: 6,974

Architect: Donald Ross (1915), restored by Brian Silva (2007)

Rates: $125/18 holes (resort guest); $135/18 holes (public)

Website: www.mountwashingtonresort.com

Other: Resort also includes a nine-hole course, Mount Pleasant Course, among many other amenities.