Belgrade Lakes - Maine - USA

The late Harold Alfond – the businessman and philanthopist credited with opening the first American factory outlet store in 1971 – liked the idea of having 18 holes to play close to his summer house in Maine so he hired English architect Clive Clark to build him just such a course at the tail end of the 1990s.

Situated seventeen miles to the north of Augusta, the state capital of Maine, the course at Belgrade Lakes is not, as its name might suggest, a place where water predominates – instead, rather uniquely, the main hazards here are the numerous rocky outcrops and stone boulders that line either side of many of the fairways.

And on a site that enjoys a shift in elevation of several hundred feet, the routing of the course has been planned so well that an uphill tee shot is played at only one of the holes on the scorecard – quite a remarkable feat on a much under rated layout where walking is encouraged, especially if golfers choose to bring their dog along for company.