Founded in 1895, Portland Country Club moved to its present coastal location twenty years after its formation. Shortly after, Donald Ross designed an 18-hole layout for the club and this relatively short course is still in play.
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Founded in 1895, Portland Country Club moved to its present coastal location twenty years after its formation. Shortly after, Donald Ross designed an 18-hole layout for the club and this relatively short course is still in play.
Portland Country Club
Founded in 1895 as Portland Golf Club, the club has since expanded its sporting interests to include tennis and swimming, hence the need to adopt its modern day country club title.
The original Portland golf course was located in Fort Preble but the club then moved to Thornton Heights before settling on its current Oceanside property, where Donald Ross set out the course for the members around 1920.
Laid out as two nines that each visit the coastline before returning to the clubhouse, the course extends to a modest 6,440 yards, with par set at 70. The confines of its location ensure that the layout remains much to the scale that was intended by its eminent designer.
A number of holes standout at Portland, including the long, 609-yard 6th and the right doglegged par four 15th, but it’s the two waterside par threes at the 184-yard 7th and 200-yard 17th that steal the golfing show at this lovely old parkland track.
Ron Prichard was hired in 2017 to conduct a course restoration, removing trees, expanding greens, and refurbishing bunkers.