Golf Among Many Attractions In & Around Portsmouth, New Hampshire

By: Rob Duca

Portsmouth, N.H., is one of America's great seaport towns. The downtown waterfront offers the quintessential experience for visitors looking to spend a peaceful day exploring the area's numerous attractions.

The striking North Church sits in the center of Market Square, surrounded by charming shops, upscale dining, historic homes, museums, wine bars and quaint clubs featuring nightly live music.

Golf is also a major Portsmouth draw, especially during fall foliage season when the fairways are framed by trees emblazoned in burnt-orange, fiery-red and deep-purple leaves. A handful of outstanding courses are within a 30-minute drive, each offering a unique experience. From the seaside links at Wentworth By The Sea Country Club and The Links at Outlook Golf Course to the century-old Portsmouth Country Club and the more recently opened Breakfast Hill Golf Club to Pease Golf Course - where A-10 Thunderbolts descend over your head - the area won't disappoint.

Pease Golf Club, built in 1901, was originally the site of Portsmouth Country Club. It is the only area club with 27 holes with the addition of the Blue Course in 2000. The original 18 features rolling terrain and begins with a pair of par-5s. Although there are a couple of narrow fairways, the greens are large and sloped, demanding a deft short game.

Nine holes on the championship course were renovated last year and reopened for play this spring, improving drainage and overall conditions.

The newer Blue Course is a completely different animal from the original holes. Carved into dense woods, each hole is completely isolated as you embark on long rides (a cart is mandatory) down trails that wind over bridges, across marshes and through the forest. Though more target golf, the design is creative and fair, with no two holes alike.

Most memorable about the course is its location. The club abuts Pease Air National Guard Base, which occupies a portion of Pease International Airport. On any given day you might see the Thunderbirds practicing their routines or watch a huge C-130 Hercules making a descent. It's quite a spectacle, particularly at the 11th as you prepare to play the 236-yard par-3 while planes whiz over your head.

Wentworth By The Sea Country Club is simply magnificent, both in terms of challenge, design and splendor. Although the course is private, tee times are open to guests staying at the nearby Wentworth By The Sea Hotel & Spa. The hotel, originally opened in the late 1800s, sits on a hillside overlooking the ocean and is one of New Hampshire's last remaining grand seaside resorts.

The facility has had a checkered history. It closed in 1982 and was later nearly demolished to make way for private homes. Rescued from the wrecking ball, the resort finally reopened in 2003 following a six-year, $32 million renovation that included the addition of an 8,500-square foot spa, fireplaces in 18 suites and the Little Harbor Marina waterfront suites. Today, a reservation grants guests access to the golf course, although the hotel and club are separately owned.

The Scottish links-style venue was originally designed by George Wright in 1897, improved by Donald Ross in 1921, and finally expanded to 18 holes by Geoffrey Cornish in 1964. It is a true gem, featuring panoramic ocean views, Ross's severely undulating postage-stamp greens, rolling terrain, and dramatic tee shots over water, beaches and marshes.

It helps to play with a member who knows its quirks. The fairways are tree-lined and narrow as bowling alleys, with numerous uphill blind shots and sharp doglegs. On more than one occasion I hit what I thought was a superb drive, only to watch the ball disappear over the hillside, never to be found again after it apparently caught the rolling terrain and bounced in some unknown direction. It wasn't until the 14th hole that I stood on the tee feeling I could fire away without trepidation.

There are eye-catching holes along the way. The closing stretch, beginning at No. 15, is as good as it gets. This par-3 of 195 yards plays toward the ocean, providing a dazzling view of the red-roofed hotel in the distance. The 16th offers one of the most dramatic tee shots around. At this dogleg-right, par-5 of 520 yards, the tee ball must be driven over the ocean to find safe haven. The 215-yard 17th plays slightly uphill into the prevailing wind, while the finisher is a 395-yard, dogleg-left par-4 with a forced carry over water on the approach. Good luck with that.

Portsmouth Country Club is another coastal masterpiece. Designed in 1956 by Robert Trent Jones, it is regarded as one of New Hampshire's most challenging, scenic experiences. Several holes skirt Great Bay as the course snakes around the water. Measuring 7,153 yards from the tips, it features a number of demanding holes, not the least being the 226-yard par-3 eighth and 472-yard par-4 12th.

Not far away in Greenland is Breakfast Hill Golf Club, designed by Brian Silva and opened in 2000. The course curls through woodlands and past exposed granite boulders, providing ample challenge and beauty along the way.

It occupies 170 acres of family-owned land dating back 250 years. Once a working farm, the course flows beneath towering pines and has been ranked by national publications as one of America's top public layouts. The practice facility includes a sprawling 10,000-square-foot putting green, while the cedar-shingled clubhouse boasts a picturesque patio overlooking the finishing holes.

The Links at Outlook Golf Course is another Silva creation located just across the state line in Berwick, Maine, a short 30-minute drive. A par-71 at 6,500 yards, the layout takes full advantage of natural landscape that once served as a working farm. The land has been transformed into a links-style layout with rolling dunes and bunkers scattered throughout the property. Breathtaking ocean views are prevalent, and you'll feel as though a slice of Scotland has come to the Vacationland State.

For more information about these courses, visit www.peasegolf.com, www.wentworthbytheseacc.com, www.portsmouthcc.net, www.breakfasthill.com and www.outlookgolf.com.

Rob Duca is an award-winning sports columnist who wrote for the Cape Cod Times for 25 years, covering golf, the Boston Red Sox, the Boston Celtics and the Boston Bruins. He is now managing editor of New England Golf & Leisure magazine and has written for a variety of other publications, including Sports Illustrated, the Boston Globe, Yankee magazine and Cape Cod Life.

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