TBC Woodlands is ready, and that makes 40 states

TBC Woodlands is ready.

This one is a bonus course. I took on a commission to build The Woodlands Club in Falmouth, Maine, partly because it looked like a fun project. The clubhouse caught my eye, and the property has some really cool rock outcroppings and water features that give it a strong identity.

There was another reason too. It is in Maine.

I have been quietly trying to build at least one course in every state, and Woodlands brings the total to 40 states complete. Ten to go.

A little history

The Woodlands Club was founded in 1988 as a private, member-owned country club just outside Portland. Developers Jim Vamvakias and Bob DeRice envisioned a year-round club built for the whole family, not just a place that shut down when Maine golf season ended.

The course was designed by Jim and George Fazio and opened in 1988. In its early years it hosted three Ben Hogan Tour events and one Nike Tour event, the circuit now known as the Korn Ferry Tour. It stretches to 6,856 yards from the championship tees, with bentgrass from tee to green.

For me, the appeal was the mix. It has a very recognizable New England setting, but it is not just trees lining every hole. The rocks, ponds, shaping, and clubhouse views keep changing what you see and how the holes feel.

The final ten

Here are the states I still need:

• Delaware
• Kentucky
• Mississippi
• Montana
• New Mexico
• North Dakota
• Oklahoma
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Vermont

So if you nominate a course from one of those states in a future vote, it may get a few extra-special votes from me. Completing all 50 would be pretty damn cool.

Thanks to the person who commissioned this one and gave me a good excuse to add Maine to the map. I hope you all enjoy it.