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www.northshoremassgolf.com
Home on the Range
A farm-turned-links golf course has managed to make itself quite
comfortable in Southern Maine
By Bruce Hoard
The first thing that strikes a visitor while approaching The Links at
Outlook in South Berwick, Maine is the split-nature of the layout. On
the left hand side of Route 4 is a big hill with a lush, green fairway.
On the right side is a verdant, rolling lowlands shrouded in
early-morning shadows. The result is two very striking contrasts, two
distinct geographical compositions and one very enjoyable golf course.
From the parking lot there are more scenic vistas: the expansive
grass-tee driving range that hits toward a working farm and its silver
silo; the huge, red barn off the pro shop with its glassed in cupola and
the antique brick farmhouse sitting next to the barn under a canopy of
graceful oaks. Even though this course - a favorite of nearby North
Shore golfers - has only been open since 2000, it has the feeling of a
place that has seen a lot of history.
Director of Golf Operations John Flynn is eager to explain some of that
history, while his father and course owner Tim Flynn chips in with
interesting anecdotes. John’s brother Tim III is general manager and
another key cog in this family-oriented operation.
Turning his attention to a framed photo of the farmhouse, John notes,
“Someday we might turn it into a bed and breakfast so we could have
stay-and-play guests.”
Then there is the graveyard. Roped off and sitting on a side hill next
to the 10th tee, it has some 20 tombstones dating back to the late
1800’s, and according to John, may be the final resting place for
victims of the plague. “The town grandfathered it in when they approved
our permits,” he explains.
That permit process was somewhat complicated by the fact that not one
but two towns - Berwick and South Berwick - had to sign off on it since
the entrance to the parking lot and the driving range reside in Berwick
but the entire golf course is in South Berwick. Fortunately, John notes,
there were few objections to overcome.
Tim the elder explains why: “I told them I can get 2,400 pigs on that
farm or turn it into a golf course,” he proudly proclaims.
All of this dates back to the mid ’80s, when the family patriarch bought
what was then a working farm and subsequently created a driving range.
That went so well that he decided to turn it into a full-fledged 18-hole
facility.
The Head PGA Professional of the facility is former North Shore resident
Dave Paskowski, who previously worked at Beverly Golf and Tennis Club
for 10 years before landing at Outlook. The Hamilton-Wenham High School
and Salem State College graduate, who works up to 60 hours a week during
the height of the summer season, attributes his current professional
happiness to the comfortable work environment engendered by the
family-oriented Flynns.
“The atmosphere here is great, and everybody pulls together,” he says.
Also on the Outlook team is course superintendent Steven Smyth, who
plied his trade at Farm Neck on Martha’s Vineyard before moving inland.
Of Smyth, Paskowski declares, “He does an unbelievable job on the bent
grass fairways tees and greens.”
The Flynn team must be doing something right because since the course
opened four years ago, players have averaged between 26,000 and 30,000
rounds per year. According to Paskowski, many of those rounds are played
by satisfied North Shore golfers that are either making one-day road
trips or visiting the popular family vacation area.
“On any given day, we get 50 to 60 percent of our business from the
North Shore, especially on weekends,” says Paskowski, who noted that the
course recently installed new flat-screen, GolfLogix GPS systems on all
of its carts. “It takes them less than an hour to get here.”
The Links at Outlook stretches some 6,423 yards from the tips. The
ladies’ course is 5,025 yards. Unsuspecting players may feel the
demanding 524-yard, par 5 first hole is endlessly long if they stray
from the narrow, 100-plus-yard swatch of fairway that greets them. A
faulty shot here and the likely result is a frustrating search in the
dandelion-studded, ankle-deep fescue rough. Ironically, finding the ball
might be the worst thing that could happen, because then the golfer has
to hack it back onto the fairway, which can easily take more than the
single stroke assessed for a lost ball.
Although dense rough can be found along all nine holes going out, they
seem to subside - and the fairways seem to expand - after the fifth
hole, a 366-yard, par-4 featuring a wicked right-to-left stretch of
fairway that appears to be about as wide as your average typewriter
ribbon.
Even though the first 10 holes definitely demonstrate the windswept
persona of a classic links course, they do not include the draconian
bunkers that fans of the British Open associate with venerable tracks
such as the Old Course at St. Andrews or Royal Troon. That’s by design,
according to Framingham native Brian Silva, who was hired to architect
The Outlook after he finished renovations to the back nine at nearby
Cape Neddick Country Club in York. Silva is a partner with Cornish,
Silva and Mungeam, Inc.
“I didn’t really try to copy specific bunkers or bunker styles from the
links of Scotland,” Golf World’s 1999 Architect of the Year explains.
“I’m not sure that all American golfers are ready for Scottish bunkers
seven days a week, especially the ones you have to hit out of
backwards.”
In contrast to bunkers filled with fluffier sand, The Outlook bunkers -
which are fairly passive on the fairways, but tend to get more
protective around the greens - are firm enough that golfers will want to
pick the ball cleanly as opposed to hitting explosion shots. This
firmness was particularly evident on a recent morning following heavy
rain.
Most of the close-cropped greens are not particularly large, and some
seem a little thin, but putts tend to roll true across their well-shaped
contours. Silva designed several of the putting surfaces to slope from
front to back, which puts a premium on well-crafted approach shots.
Overall, the designer says he was given no specific marching orders.
“They just wanted to develop a really nice and distinctive daily fee
course,” he declares.
After finishing the scenic, uphill 370-yard, par-4 ninth, which is
bordered by 10-foot spruces and a weathered wooden fence on the right,
golfers drop down a more gentle slope on the 374-yard, par-4 10th to
start the inbound nine. This is a great risk-and-reward hole for players
that hit a decent drive and then shoot for the pin over a marshy pond.
From there, it’s under the Route 4 tunnel and up the big hill for a
quick 206-yard, par-3 at the 11th before climbing to the hilltop for a
completely different environment. The surrounding mountain and valley
views are as gorgeous as they are variable during the following up-and
down string of six holes.
The par-3, 169-yard, 14th is particularly memorable because the tee box
sits so high above the green that the distance to the hole becomes
deceptively long. Not surprisingly, an ample green side bunker is
well-placed to accommodate anemic tee shots.
The pungent aroma of manure is detectable on the 386-yard, par-4,15th,
which features a steep hill buttressed by embedded boulders on the right
and a drop to nowhere on the left. The smell emanates from another
working farm across the street from the clubhouse. Yet another element
of this richly variable tract is on display from the 16th tee, which is
one of five holes requiring blind drives: a mobile home park. Somehow,
it seems to fit right in.
The par-4, 17th drops precipitously downhill to a green protected on
either side by bunkers. There is more long rough on the right here, so
straight shots will be rewarded. This is the last of the highland holes,
and after finishing it, players head back through the tunnel to the
finishing 354-yard, 18th, which offers handsome views of the red brick
house and signature barn.
At the turn or after the 18th, the snack shop and well-stocked bar is a
good place to grab a sandwich or a cool drink. More elaborate fare may
be had at any of the functions that are held in the large tent set up
next to the clubhouse.
Jeff Maldonis, the director of advertising and events manager, is a
former marketing sales executive at the Boston Herald and married his
way into the Flynn family. According to Maldonis, he reaches out to the
local area for a lot of business.
“Our special touch is customer service,” he declares. “We do a lot of
stay-and-plays with resorts and hotels in southern Maine. We also handle
corporate outings, weddings, lobster bakes and lots of other events.”
The main event remains golf, however, and the split personality of The
Links at Outlook makes it twice as fun to play.© COPYRIGHT
SUBURBAN PUBLISHING CORPORATION 2005
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