Portland Maine Trip August 2017

[Valleygolfer]

4 hours ago, billchao said:

I took a look on Game Golf at the course. Definitely looks tight with plenty of hazards. Key for me is going to be staying smart with my strategy and not getting aggressive, and of course executing shots.

Should be fun. I'll bring a dozen balls, just in case 

Back nine is def challenging. The internal o.b. gets me about every time. Dave will be able to tell you where you need to hit and what to watch out for. Def narrow course.

[billchao]

50 minutes ago, Valleygolfer said:

Back nine is def challenging. The internal o.b. gets me about every time. Dave will be able to tell you where you need to hit and what to watch out for. Def narrow course.

Internal OB, my favorite 

We'll have fun regardless 

[jsgolfer]

Have fun.

http://www.thegolfnexus.com/satellite-course-map/6973/Sable Oaks Golf Club

Check this link out, you can zoom in on the holes.  Don't let the yardage fool you, this is a good test for your golf game.

[jsgolfer]

@billchao Did you guys play Sable Oaks yet?

[billchao]

3 hours ago, jsgolfer said:

@billchao Did you guys play Sable Oaks yet?

Yea, it beat us up. I'm going to do a bigger post about the area and my experiences sometime later in the week.

[jsgolfer]

Just now, billchao said:

Yea, it beat us up. I'm going to do a bigger post about the area and my experiences sometime later in the week.

Damn course, used to kick my ass every time I played it.  It's been over 10 years since I played it, but need to play it again next time I go back.  

[Valleygolfer]

I talked to Dave and says everybody he has brought to Sable Oaks never wants to come back except for me. I told him that I must be a glutton for punishment.

[billchao]

27 minutes ago, Valleygolfer said:

I talked to Dave and says everybody he has brought to Sable Oaks never wants to come back except for me. I told him that I must be a glutton for punishment.

I probably won't play it again if I go back to the area, but not because it's hard, just thought it was quirky.

[Valleygolfer]

2 hours ago, billchao said:

I probably won't play it again if I go back to the area, but not because it's hard, just thought it was quirky.

I don't blame you. I would not have picked it necessarily. I don't mind playing it There are a few holes that I don't particularly enjoy though.

[billchao]

50 minutes ago, Valleygolfer said:

I don't blame you. I would not have picked it necessarily. I don't mind playing it There are a few holes that I don't particularly enjoy though.

It was a toss up between that and Nonesuch and nobody seemed all that impressed with Nonesuch.

I'm mostly against the design elements at Sable Oaks that artificially lengthen the course. We talked a bit about that already.

Still had fun though and I'd play it again if others would. It's just not a course is go back to on my own.

[jsgolfer]

35 minutes ago, billchao said:

It was a toss up between that and Nonesuch and nobody seemed all that impressed with Nonesuch.

I'm mostly against the design elements at Sable Oaks that artificially lengthen the course. We talked a bit about that already.

Still had fun though and I'd play it again if others would. It's just not a course is go back to on my own.

Yeah, unfortunately there aren't that many good public courses in the Portland area unless you want to drive a little bit.

[Valleygolfer]

1 hour ago, billchao said:

It was a toss up between that and Nonesuch and nobody seemed all that impressed with Nonesuch.

I'm mostly against the design elements at Sable Oaks that artificially lengthen the course. We talked a bit about that already.

Still had fun though and I'd play it again if others would. It's just not a course is go back to on my own.

Spring Meadows is a nice course but 27 minutes outside of Ptown. Would have added some yardage to Boogie's travel though.

[billchao]

Ok, I promised a longer post about the Portland and Cape Elizabeth area, so I'm going to try to go over some stuff without making you all relive my vacation 

One of the first things we saw was the rock-lined shores that the Portland area is known for. There were some sandy beaches but for the most part it was large rocks and gravel beaches, which was great fun to explore. You can see some rock formations as a result of the erosion as well as various tidal pools full of snails and mussels. Here is a picture I took from Two Lights State Park:

You can see the Lobster Shack at Two Lights in the background, which is where @jsgolfer recommended to go. I was kind of disappointed by it TBH. The lobster rolls were good but kind of small and parking (the lack thereof) was an issue. There was also a long wait both times we ate there which soured the experience.

What I ended up liking better was the lobster roll from Bite into Maine, which is a food truck located inside Fort Williams Park. Not only do they offer a variety of styles to choose from, but they also packed twice the amount of lobster on the same sized bun. I definitely recommend checking them out though they did close a little early at 6PM.

Fort Williams Park is worth a visit even if you don't like lobster rolls. It's a free park with a bunch of different trails to explore and the remnants of the old batteries which used to defend the bay. The park is also home to Portland Head Light, which was commissioned by George Washington and is the oldest lighthouse in Maine. There's a museum there but it was closed by the time we arrived.

Speaking of lighthouses, there are six in the area to see, but I think you can only go inside one of them. Still worth a mention for those who are lighthouse aficionados

The city of Portland is a great place to visit. It's kind of a small city; you can park in the middle of it and just walk everywhere you need to go. There are lots of small specialty shops to check out and lots of microbreweries. A couple of places I went to that I liked were Gritty's and Duckfat. Duckfat is a small place and we ended up sharing a table with another family but it was well worth the wait. I didn't even end up drinking beer there, opting for a milkshake and a craft soda instead.

I also want to mention Two Fat Cats Bakery just around the corner from Duckfat, which sells handmade pies and whoopie pies. Just the smell of the store as you walked in made you want to eat everything. The whoopie pies were excellent, not too sweet which I liked.

The architecture of the city is interesting with a mix of old and new brick buildings. Some of the streets are still cobblestone. I probably could have hung around the city the whole week as there were lots of places I didn't get to see and eat/drink at.

One thing I did do in Portland was a duckbus tour which drove around the city briefly and then into the bay. It was kind of a quirky thing but fun and I learned some bit of history about Portland and Maine in general. It was a lot of fun for the kids.

I did mention I was going to do a whale watch and I did. Didn't see any whales but did see a big pod of dolphins which was very exciting.

Oh and there was golf, too 

We played at Sable Oaks Golf Club which I kind of touched upon in other posts. The layout was interesting, had some design features which I don't like such as forced layups into forced carries, blind tee shots, etc., but still a fun round. I feel like they used these elements as a lame way to make the short course play longer and I think it's a tight enough course which is penal enough without needing to add extra "cheese".

The last thing I want to mention is that Maine lobster is totally legit. It is definitely much better than lobster that I can get in Jersey. We bought both new and old shell lobster several times from a local farmstand and it was delicious.

[jsgolfer]

15 hours ago, billchao said:

Ok, I promised a longer post about the Portland and Cape Elizabeth area, so I'm going to try to go over some stuff without making you all relive my vacation 

One of the first things we saw was the rock-lined shores that the Portland area is known for. There were some sandy beaches but for the most part it was large rocks and gravel beaches, which was great fun to explore. You can see some rock formations as a result of the erosion as well as various tidal pools full of snails and mussels. Here is a picture I took from Two Lights State Park:

You can see the Lobster Shack at Two Lights in the background, which is where @jsgolfer recommended to go. I was kind of disappointed by it TBH. The lobster rolls were good but kind of small and parking (the lack thereof) was an issue. There was also a long wait both times we ate there which soured the experience.

What I ended up liking better was the lobster roll from Bite into Maine, which is a food truck located inside Fort Williams Park. Not only do they offer a variety of styles to choose from, but they also packed twice the amount of lobster on the same sized bun. I definitely recommend checking them out though they did close a little early at 6PM.

Fort Williams Park is worth a visit even if you don't like lobster rolls. It's a free park with a bunch of different trails to explore and the remnants of the old batteries which used to defend the bay. The park is also home to Portland Head Light, which was commissioned by George Washington and is the oldest lighthouse in Maine. There's a museum there but it was closed by the time we arrived.

Speaking of lighthouses, there are six in the area to see, but I think you can only go inside one of them. Still worth a mention for those who are lighthouse aficionados

The city of Portland is a great place to visit. It's kind of a small city; you can park in the middle of it and just walk everywhere you need to go. There are lots of small specialty shops to check out and lots of microbreweries. A couple of places I went to that I liked were Gritty's and Duckfat. Duckfat is a small place and we ended up sharing a table with another family but it was well worth the wait. I didn't even end up drinking beer there, opting for a milkshake and a craft soda instead.

I also want to mention Two Fat Cats Bakery just around the corner from Duckfat, which sells handmade pies and whoopie pies. Just the smell of the store as you walked in made you want to eat everything. The whoopie pies were excellent, not too sweet which I liked.

The architecture of the city is interesting with a mix of old and new brick buildings. Some of the streets are still cobblestone. I probably could have hung around the city the whole week as there were lots of places I didn't get to see and eat/drink at.

One thing I did do in Portland was a duckbus tour which drove around the city briefly and then into the bay. It was kind of a quirky thing but fun and I learned some bit of history about Portland and Maine in general. It was a lot of fun for the kids.

I did mention I was going to do a whale watch and I did. Didn't see any whales but did see a big pod of dolphins which was very exciting.

Oh and there was golf, too 

We played at Sable Oaks Golf Club which I kind of touched upon in other posts. The layout was interesting, had some design features which I don't like such as forced layups into forced carries, blind tee shots, etc., but still a fun round. I feel like they used these elements as a lame way to make the short course play longer and I think it's a tight enough course which is penal enough without needing to add extra "cheese".

The last thing I want to mention is that Maine lobster is totally legit. It is definitely much better than lobster that I can get in Jersey. We bought both new and old shell lobster several times from a local farmstand and it was delicious.

Guess I owe you a beer.  You should've got the fried clams, they were money the last time I was there.  It is a popular place, I don't remember the lines being that long, but it is the end of the summer, which makes for lots of travelers. Hopefully the views made up for the disappointment a little.  

The Old Port in Portland is great, my cousin lives in South Portland, used to hang out at Gritty's when I went to visit her.  Always used to love the women walking around Old Port in heels, with all of the cobblestone.

If you ever have the chance to go back to Maine, Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park is the place to go.  And if you can't make it that far, Camden, Rockport and Rockland is really nice as well.  Especially if you can play golf at the Samoset Resort.  They call it the Pebble Beach of the East.

 

Edited August 28, 2017 by jsgolfer

[billchao]

3 hours ago, jsgolfer said:

Guess I owe you a beer.  You should've got the fried clams, they were money the last time I was there.  It is a popular place, I don't remember the lines being that long, but it is the end of the summer, which makes for lots of travelers. Hopefully the views made up for the disappointment a little.  

I won't object if you want to buy me a beer, but I don't feel like you owe me one. The place was good, but I happened to stumble upon Bite into Maine for lobster rolls which I felt was just a notch better. I wanted the fried clams but I was not the one who went in to order and both times they forgot to order my clams.

Views were definitely spectacular.

3 hours ago, jsgolfer said:

Always used to love the women walking around Old Port in heels, with all of the cobblestone.

I thought the same thing, I kept waiting for one of them to snag a heel. It's not like the sidewalks are even, either, since they are old brick pavers. Lots of character and I liked it a lot.

3 hours ago, jsgolfer said:

If you ever have the chance to go back to Maine, Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park is the place to go.  And if you can't make it that far, Camden, Rockport and Rockland is really nice as well.  Especially if you can play golf at the Samoset Resort.  They call it the Pebble Beach of the East.

We talked briefly about Bar Harbor in the preliminary stages of trip planning but balked at the extra distance. That, and with the older folks and kids, we weren't sure how much we would get to experience the area. Definitely something I can see the wife and I doing on our own though.

The Samoset looks great, going to have to put that on my short list if I get up in that area.

[jsgolfer]

2 hours ago, billchao said:

We talked briefly about Bar Harbor in the preliminary stages of trip planning but balked at the extra distance. That, and with the older folks and kids, we weren't sure how much we would get to experience the area. Definitely something I can see the wife and I doing on our own though.

The Samoset looks great, going to have to put that on my short list if I get up in that area.

Plenty of things to do in Bar Harbor with older folks and kids, well worth the visit.  The views from Cadillac Mtn, may be some of the best anywhere. It's spectacular.  Kebo Valley Golf Course is great as well.  One of the oldest golf courses in the US.

There is so much to do in Bar Harbor and Mt Desert Island, it would take you several visits to hit everything.  The downtown area is really nice.  I grew up 45 minutes from here.