Kebo Valley Club (Bar Harbor, Maine)

Bar Harbor... A great little town on the coast of Maine, gateway to Acadia National Park, and the home of the eighth oldest golf course in America, Kebo Valley. 

Kebo Valley Club was founded in 1888, and Herbert Leeds designed six holes in 1891. Three holes were added in 1894 to bring the total to nine holes. (In 1894 Leeds would design Myopia CC, a very challenging course that would go on to host four US Opens) In the 1920's, Kebo would expand to the present eighteen holes, guided by Donald Ross. 

The first hole is 392 yards, and it is an excellent starter! 

It plays uphill where the green is beautifully etched just over the rise. It basically slopes front left to back right, and the player must gauge the bounce and run the ball will have coming off the club face. Thankfully, any ball that runs through will have an uphill chip shot to save par. (I believe 1-4, 17&18 are the original Leeds holes) 

Two follows with a hefty 443 yard par four  down over the hill. Like most long par fours of this period, the green is wide open in front for a running shot. Then three plays back up the hill. (1-3 are parallel to each other) Originally, the green was way above atop a second hill. When Donald Ross came to see the course, he opined that the green was too difficult a shot, and suggested it be placed in front of the hill. And so it was. 

And this is one tough green to hit! The putting surface is pushed up and slopes away on all sides. Good hole!!

The only downside to moving the third green is the tee box for the fourth is no longer on the hill, where it supplied gorgeous views, and a tough downhill shot to a green surrounded by sand. The new tee box is even with the putting surface. The fifth follows with the only par five on the front. Its a good length at 528 yards, and the player makes a decision off the tee to be agressive or not. The main feature is the rolling valley, where any type of shot that fades with the slope will run all the way to the stream in the valley on the right. The green is smartly designed too. It's fairly flat in the front, but the middle portion starts to slope away in the rear. It requires several plays to learn the proper way to attack. 

The sixth hole is a flat out brutish par three, playing 181 yards straight uphill.

This crowned green is not only difficult to hit, but anything short rolls downhill several yards. 

Seven is a wonderfully designed short par four! 

The player can use the hill to his right to bring the ball down to the fairway. The stream on the left is in play should you pull it or overcook it off the hill. Not seen too well in the photo is the mound just short of the green. In today's game, it doesn't have much influence, but in the old days, trying to gauge the pitch was vital to making a birdie. 

The eighth is the best hole on the course! It follows the stream from the last hole, racing towards Cadillac Mountain, then doglegging left towards the valley. 

Watching the ball soar against the blue sky and the gray mountain is awesome!! It's another green etched nicely in the crook of the stream, sloping away and to the left. It's an excellent hole! 

Whenever the pro tip in the yardage book suggests laying up on a par three, I tend to take notice. 

 It's only 201 yards so I'm not sure why one would lay up unless the wind is blowing in your face. In the pic, fairway can be seen short of the creek, so that strategy is given to the player. I felt the best part of the hole was the internal contours within the green. (As a side note, the way a short course plays tough is by having long par threes. Six and nine definitely qualify here at Kebo.)

The back nine at Kebo Valley is a little easier. It begins with a 353 yard par four that plays uphill. I like how the corner of this slight dogleg is guarded by mounding as opposed to a bunker. It has a great old school look! Then eleven follows with the longest par four on the back, 410 yards playing straightaway. There's plenty of width to run the ball thru the shallow valley into the green. 

In the pic above, the bunker on the right is probably thirty yards short of the putting surface.  Twelve is a 286 yarder uphill that's really not driveable from the tee. Not only are two bunkers guarding the front, but the small green is not visible. 

This is a side view of twelve green. A tough target to hit with a wedge, let alone hit it with a driver! 

The thirteenth is 399 yards, and a field of mounds is a classic crosshazard that challenges the approach shot. 

A ball that carries over can bounce forward onto the green. Also, the view is obscured from the fairway, misleading the player into hitting a club that may not be the correct one. 

Fourteen is the only par five on the back. I liked how the ridge came off the hill down by the 140 mark, making the layup problematic by blocking the view of the green, and leaving the player with the ball above his feet. The pond short of the green seemed out of place. The green slopes away to the right, the exact opposite of the ball flight above your feet. Carrying the ridge is a big advantage.  

After putting out, the player walks across the road and plays my favorite par three on the course, 156 yarder whose green has a false front all on the right. I love the setting, the way the road goes by the tee, and the look of the bunkering guarding the green. 

(I wish it was a better picture. Almost left it out.) 

The sixteenth is driveable. It's only 268 yards, and a drive over the crossbunker will roll up on the green. It's the one hole I felt was a throwaway. Besides being short, it was on a really small parcel of land. I was beginning to think Kebo Valley was running outta gas, a common trait many of these old courses share, but stepping to seventeen tee, I was in awe of the hole in front of me. 

This is the "Taft" hole, where president  Taft took a 27(!) after hitting it in the hillside bunker. 

Look at that bunker!!! It's a good 30-40 feet to clear it! The challenge doesn't stop there. The green is severely sloped to the right! It reminded me of Aurora's fifteenth with it's steep uphill approach except instead of a wall of rough, a wall of sand needs to be carried to hit the green. This hole alone is worth a play at Kebo Valley!! 

The final hole is 348 yard par four that plays across the road and up the hill. 

The hole plays in front of the clubhouse and the green has a fall off to the right. No bunkers needed! The ball is below your feet on the approach, bringing the fall off into play. It's a simple ending, but one that demands skill to make a birdie. 

Kebo Valley has the luxury of being in the national park. It's not a destination course per se, but Acadia is one of the great places to visit in the country! Wheather you re into hiking the trails, or whale watching out in the ocean, the fact that a wonderful old course awaits when you're ready to golf is fantastic. I give it a 5 (good).