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March 25, 2022

Bangor businessman buys Orono golf course created by famed Scottish designer

aerial of golf course Courtesy / Resurrection Golf Penobscot Valley Country Club in Orono, with a golf course by noted Scottish designer Donald Ross, sold to a Bangor businessman.
By Laurie Schreiber

An anonymous Bangor businessman has purchased a century-old Orono golf course that has a distinguished history in the sport.

“It’s one of Maine’s oldest country clubs,” Robert Baldacci of F.O. Bailey Real Estate told Mainebiz, referring to the sale of Penobscot Valley Country Club. “What makes it distinctive is it’s a Donald Ross-designed course.” 

Baldacci and David Jones, also with F.O. Bailey Real Estate, represented the buyer in the deal.

The sale price was not disclosed. The seller was Penobscot Valley LLC headed by Kevin McCarthy, co-owner of Resurrection Golf, a Brunswick golf course ownership and management company. The deal included a leaseback to Resurrection Golf, which McCarthy co-owns with his son Sean and which will continue to manage the operation. 

The group decided to sell because it “was financially advantageous for all parties involved and gave the course and club itself a better foundation for success and growth,” said Sean McCarthy.

‘Devilishly quick’ greens

Born in Scotland in 1872, Donald Ross moved to New England in 1899 to build and run the Oakley Golf Club in the Boston area, according to his bio on the Donald Ross Society website.

At his death in 1948, he had designed 413 courses. Over 100 U.S. national championships have been played on his designs. 

He “transformed the American sports landscape in the first half of this century,” the bio says.

Trademarks of his designs included “devilishly quick domed greens and “a sense of impending doom for any wayward shots.” However, many hazards were taken out of play over the years “in the misguided pursuit of ease of maintenance or making the course more playable.’”

Arnold Palmer

Located at 366 Main St.  and nicknamed “Penoby,” the 18-hole championship course has hosted well-known golfers such as Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Patty Berg and Gene Sarazen, according to its website.

Since 1926, 10 Maine Amateur Championships have taken place on the course; an 11th Amateur is scheduled for the near future. 

The property spans 157 acres and includes a clubhouse, golf cart building, maintenance shed and pumphouse.

scruffy lawn
Courtesy / Resurrection Golf
In 2017, Hole 10 needed an overhaul. About 60% of the fairways were similarly deteriorated at the time.

The property was listed for auction with Tranzon LLC. Baldacci said the auction process was stopped when he identified a buyer several months ago. He credited Jones with helping to solidify the deal. 

“Working closely with Dave and the client we were able to make it happen,” he said.

Fairway resurrection

In September 2017, the club was taken over by Penobscot Valley CC LLC and operated by Resurrection Golf, which also owns and operates Old Marsh Country Club in Wells, the Bath Golf Club in Bath, and the Highland Green Golf Club in Topsham. All clubs have undergone extensive rehabilitation and renovation under Resurrection’s management.

green grass and trees
Courtesy / Resurrection Golf
Seen here is Hole 10 after the first round of renovation.

In 2017, about 60% of Penobscot Valley Country Club’s fairways were dead, said McCarthy.

“We dove into widespread renovation on the golf course,” he said. 

Rebuilding the fairways included rototilling and resetting their soil profile, then regrowing them from seed. 

Other areas of the course were operational during that time. 

“We were dedicated to bringing back the playability of the golf course,” McCarthy said. “We were looking for long-term restoration.”

The fairway overhaul, including equipment, came in at over half a million dollars and was performed from 2017 to 2019. The club’s general manager, Jeff Susdorf, and superintendent, Dan Allen, put a lot of work in with to help make the improvements happen, McCarthy added.

The initial phase focused on restoring turf health. There’s still more turf restoration to be done and the focus will expand to include the periphery of the course. 

scruffy lawn with trellis
Courtesy / Resurrection Golf
The “wedding lawn,” used for ceremonies, in 2017.

Bunker restoration also began last year and will continue over the next few years. Future plans include improvements to the pumphouse and the irrigation system. The clubhouse underwent a large-scale renovation that included replacing carpet and paint and swapping in LED lights. 

“Conditions have continued to improve year over year and we expect top-tier conditions this year,” said McCarthy.

Membership has increased by 150 members since 2017 and now totals 350.

green lawn with brick path
Courtesy / Resurrection Golf
The “wedding lawn” after improvements.

The course has a special place for Maine golfers, McCarthy said.

“There’s not a lot of Donald Ross designs up this way, so having a Donald Ross course in Orono is an honor to be part of in the industry,” he said. 

Once a private course, it’s been open to the public since the late 2000s. 

“It’s an important piece of property for the greater Bangor area community,” he said.

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