Cape Arundel Golf Club – Played July 2021
- Rankings: None of my four lists
- Location: 19 River Road, Kennebunkport, Maine
- Year: 1896
- Original Architect: Walter Travis
- Additional Work By: Bruce Hepner & Tyler Rae
- Course Access: Semi-Private
- Walking Rules: Carts Available
Score Card Information:
- Black: 5,859 yards, Par 69, 67.8 Rating/123 Slope
- White: 5,354 yards, Par 69, 65.1 Rating/116 Slope (Men’s), 69.7 Rating/124 Slope
- Green: 5,018 yards, Par 70, 68.2 Rating/120 Slope
I was thrilled to get an invite to play Cape Arundel Golf Club with some of my “internet golf friends” on a sunny weekend day. I’ve known about this course for a little while but hadn’t been to play it for one reason or another.
After I got the directions to warm up at a different address from the golf course, I headed to the range to get warmed up. A few swings later and I migrated over to the actual course and literally drove through the holes to get to the small parking lot. It was wild!
Cape Arundel Golf Club has been around for a long time. You are made aware of this right from the first tee where the rock below greets you. You can also feel the history in the intimately routed course with short green to tee walks and easy view of many other holes.
Another line in the story of the club is the affiliation it has with the Bush family. George W Bush (more on him at the end) is an honorary member and the clubhouse is named “41 House: in honor of his father. In addition to the Bushes, Nixon and Clinton have teed it up at Cape Arundel.
Going back further, George Herbert Walker (namesake of the Walker Cup) was a member and President of the club. Other notable names to play the course include Babe Ruth, Francis Ouimet, Arnold Palmer, Fred Couples, Dottie Pepper, and Charles Lindbergh.
Let’s get into the course tour. We played the Black tees and all yardages are from those markers.
Hole 1 – 367 yards – Par 4
The preferred line is up the right side of the fairway, but take note of the bunkers. The green features plenty of slope on the left side.
Hole 2 – 309 yards – Par 4
A shot of about 200 yards sets you up for a good approach here. If you choose to go longer, you need to be precise with trees all up the right side. With the slope of the green, be aware of where the pin is located.
Hole 3 – 153 yards – Par 3
A theme may be developing for you so far. The greens at Cape Arundel are treacherous. They feature lots of slope and don’t need to be lightning quick to get you in trouble. This hole is no different.
Hole 4 – 398 yards – Par 4
There is miles of room to the right to miss with OB to the left. The approach is pretty straightforward and you can run the ball up if you like.
Hole 5 – 340 yards – Par 4
This hole was pretty interesting. A hazard runs up the left between a depression in the land while the green is perched on the other side. Driver isn’t really needed.
Hole 6 – 118 yards – Par 3
With the short distance you might be thinking birdie. If the pin is in the back it will be really difficult to hit one close.
Hole 7 – 389 yards – Par 4
On this straight hole the standout item was the gumdrop mounds around the green. It reminded me of Yeamans Hall.
Hole 8 – 378 yards – Par 4
The drive is standard here, but the green really shines. Look at all the contouring.
Hole 9 – 476 yards – Par 5
We played this hole into the wind if I remember correctly. In calm conditions it’s definitely reachable.
You’ll want to avoid long putts on this green.
Hole 10 – 333 yards – Par 4
The green is to the right here, so a drive up the left side gives you the best angle.
There is a hidden bunker on the right side of the green.
Hole 11 – 339 yards – Par 4
Eleven plays over the road you enter the club on. The further left you go the more distance you cut off. If you’re lucky the road will provide a boost.
I really liked the green complex here.
Hole 12 – 399 yards – Par 4
Longer hitters can carry the trees to shorten the hole, but my push ended up catching them square. I don’t recommend playing from there!
Hole 13 – 167 yards – Par 3
The setting here is pretty cool. You can see a lot of other holes and the river winds in front and around the green. In the wind this is a difficult tee shot.
Hole 14 – 387 yards – Par 4
The water is only in play here with a really poor drive. Hugging the left side will give you the best angle but there is hazard all along the left.
Hole 15 – 341 yards – Par 4
The approach shot on this one can be complicated by the tree short, right of the green. As you can see, the corridor is wide, but the rough weaves in and out.
Hole 16 – 210 yards – Par 3
You’ve got to step up and hit a good shot here. The short grass in front of the green allows you to run one up, so there are options.
Hole 17 – 358 yards – Par 4
This approach shot plays to a blind green. It will play less than the yardage. I imagine familiarity with the hole is a huge advantage because you learn how to play the slopes.
The green isn’t the largest target.
Hole 18 – 397 yards – Par 4
You need a solid drive at the finisher. The green is a big target, but the hole feels like it plays a bit longer than the yardage.
Cape Arundel Golf Club doesn’t feel like a course that is less than 6,000 yards. There is plenty of challenge out there and it didn’t feel short. The sub-72 par helps with that a bit. The greens really shine and give the course plenty of bite. I’d enjoy playing this course day to day as I think it would take a while to figure it out.
We capped off the day with some beers on the porch. As we were getting ready to leave, we heard that “43” was coming in. I had to stick around to see that. We got the whole show with Suburbans, Secret Service, and all. One of our group had spoken with W a few times and had a pleasant back and forth. The former President has a quick wit and is a good needler from all accounts.