Beer of the Week

The beer: Chocolate Orange Porter

Brewed by: Allagash Brewing Company, Portland, Maine

Description (from the website): "Inspired by the tempting combination of chocolate and orange, we created this smooth porter. Cocoa nibs deliver notes of dark chocolate and roast coffee, while a combination of sweet orange peel and orange zest draw out a hint of citrus in the beer’s finish."

Would I buy it again? If you go into this beer expecting orange or citrus flavor, you're going to be disappointed. However, that doesn't mean the orange isn't doing anything here; what the citrus does is lighten what would otherwise be a very heavy, dense porter. It's still pretty thick, but it's much easier to drink than you'd expect. It wasn't what I thought it would be, but it is still very good, and I probably would buy this again.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Imperial Maple Sunday

The brewery: Lone Pine Brewing Company, Portland, Maine

Description (from the can): "Every fourth Sunday in March, sugarhouses across Maine open their doors for tours, music, and most importantly, a pancake breakfast with Maine maple syrup. Brewed in collaboration with the Maine Maple Producers Association, with local syrup from our neighbors at Merrifield Farm, Imperial Maple Sunday is our dialed-up contribution to one of Maine's longest standing and most delicious traditions."

Would I buy it again? I don't actually remember buying this beer or where I got it, but I'm incredibly glad it made its way into my beer collection, because it's extremely good. I love maple syrup, I love brown ales, Lone Pine would have had to supremely screw up to make this beer not one I enjoyed. Fortunately, they stuck the landing: it's wonderfully thick and maple flavored while still maintaining the brown ale maltiness. No hoppiness to speak of here, which is a relief. I would definitely buy this again.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Haunted House Hoppy Dark Ale

The brewery: Allagash Brewing Company, Portland, Maine

Description (from the website): "Doomed by a love of pitch-black Porters and our Allagash House Beer, we summoned the recipe for Haunted House. Roasted Barley and Blackprinz malt curse this beer with a gravely dark hue. Hopped with Cascade, Nugget, and Northern Brewer hops, this beer ends with a ghost of coffee-flavored bitterness and hauntingly complex malty palate."

Would I buy it again? I wasn't initially sold on this one, as the heavy dose of hops clash pretty strongly with the dark maltiness of the beer. But I discovered a bit later that this beer pairs quite well with pizza. It washes down the savory saltiness quite effectively. That's a pretty small niche, though, and not quite enough to justify spending more money on it, but if you are eating pizza and this beer is available, they are pretty good together. Also, I do like seeing a fall beer that isn't either pumpkin flavored or an Oktoberfest/Märzen. Variety is always good.

Which State Has The Cheapest Golf?

No one has ever said golf was a cheap hobby. Quite the opposite, really. Just equipping yourself for a round with new equipment costs thousands, and that's without stepping foot on an actual golf course. When you play as often as I do, green fees add up very, very quickly. So, the question of which state has the cheapest public golf courses is a very relevant one to those of us who aren't members of private courses.

New York is decidedly mid-tier when it comes to cost, but Copake is tough to beat in the value department.

Conveniently, a recent survey from Supreme Golf has ranked all 50 states (plus D.C.) by the cost of an average round of golf, based on an analysis of over 5 million rounds of golf. And the cheapest state by a wide margin – at $14, it's half the price of second place – is Alaska. Which isn't surprising, really, considering how few courses there are up in the Great White North, how basic most of them are, and how short the golfing season is. In fact, I'm inclined to throw Alaska out since it's such an outlier. It's the same story for D.C., which is tied for second at $28; there are only three public courses in the District and they're all incredibly cheap municipal courses.

So, now that we've gotten rid of the noise, which state possessing actual serious golf has the cheapest average round? A state in the Upper Midwest feels most likely, considering how abundant and accessible golf is there, but it's actually Maine, which matches D.C. at $28. That said, the Midwest does very well, with Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, and Minnesota all coming in under $40 (although Michigan at $49 and Wisconsin at $47 was mildly surprising). 

With tee times topping $200 throughout the summer, Cape Arundel's likely bumping up Maine's average a dollar or two all on its own.

Coming close to home, I was happy to see Pennsylvania do well, coming in at $40 exactly, and not surprised to see Maryland well down the list at $54. Actually, if anything I thought Maryland would be worse.

Of course, where there is cheap, there must also be expensive, and topping the list – with an average round costing a mind-melting $143 – is Nevada. Those artificial oases in Las Vegas may be engineering marvels, but they're expensive engineering marvels. At $108, Hawaii is the other state with an average green fee topping three figures, with the remaining spots in the bottom ten mostly filled out by popular Sunbelt states (California, Arizona, South Carolina, etc.), although Delaware is also down there for some reason. Just another reason to avoid Delaware.

South Carolina's (and Myrtle Beach's) reputation as a cheap golf destination feels mildly unearned to me, especially when solid but not earth-shattering courses like Caledonia nearly reach $200.

So, if you're a golfer looking to play regularly and not break the bank, Maine would seem the most obvious choice, right? From a strictly monetary standpoint, yes, but there is another wrinkle: weather. Most golfers don't love putting their clubs away for the winter, and while it may not match Alaska for cold weather, Maine doesn't have a particularly long golf season either. Seven months would be generous. And that's why I need to mention the sleeper hit of the nation: Oklahoma. The average price for a round? $31, and while winters may not be warm, per se, the average high in Oklahoma City in January is 50 degrees. That's a lot more hospitable than Portland's 32. You could play year-round in Oklahoma. The quality of courses is surely better in Maine, but if being able to play is more important than how good the course is, then Texas's hat may be the place for you.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Carnival of Horrors

The brewery: Lone Pine Brewing Company, Portland, Maine

Description (from the can): "'There are three things that I've learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and pumpkin beers,' Linus.

"Carnival of Horrors is a menacing imperial stout brewed with pumpkin pie filling, maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and vanilla, and is definitely worth of a straight jacket."

Would I buy it again? You know, I was really expecting an imperial pumpkin stout to really smack me in the face with pumpkin flavor, but the pumpkin is surprisingly subtle. I'm actually not sure I'd be able to identify the pumpkin if you offered me a glass of this beer blind. Don't misunderstand, this beer is good – with that list of additional ingredients, it's tough to go wrong – but I don't know how much of a pumpkin beer this is. I'd probably buy this again, because it is good, but not if I'm specifically looking for a fall-themed pumpkin beer. It fits the thick, hearty winter beer stereotype much better.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Gneiss Weiss

Brewed by: Gneiss Brewing Company, Limerick, Maine

Description (from the can): Gneiss Weiss is our take on a classic German hefeweizen. Soft, clean, and crisp with ester-produced of banana (isoamyl acetate). Very restrained phenolic presence. Cascade hops provide a somewhat nontraditional lemon/citrus finish. Pairs well with delicate and robust food alike."

Would I buy it again?: I love the name, but unfortunately the beer is just not great. Sure, the tasting notes on the can say all these fancy things, but the reality is that I just didn't taste any of it. This felt more like a homebrew, if I'm being honest, particularly when it came to the lack of a full head. It's not awful; it's certainly drinkable, but there are so many better hefeweizens out there.

Review: Cape Arundel Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time to check out the back nine at Cape Arundel, go here if you haven't seen the front.

The tenth hole is 330 yards, and it doglegs significantly around a cluster of knobs and bumps. To the left is both an arm of the river and a small hidden pond that narrow the fairway. There's plenty of room right, but there's a bunker short and right of the green that makes approaching from that side much more difficult, plus the green is tilted from right to left. The green itself is especially bumpy and difficult to putt. The river also lurks just beyond the green, not exactly in play, but it's definitely something in the back of your mind. 

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green. It's not an inviting target.

The tenth green, with the river beyond.

The eleventh hole is about 5 yards longer than the tenth, but it plays very differently. There's a classic risk/reward aspect to the tee shot, as the more water you carry, the shorter the second shot. The fairway gets narrower as you go as well, as it gets squeezed between bunkers and a road out on the far side. Oh, plus the entrance road crosses the fairway right where you'd want to aim a driver. You don't want to go too far down the right, as a bunker short right of the green will complicate second shots. The green has a bit of a bowl aspect to it, get in that and shots will funnel toward the hole, miss it and they'll be repelled. This is a strong hole simply because blasting away with driver isn't the automatic choice off of the tee.

The eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green, with the entrance road crossing just before.

The eleventh hole.

The twelfth hole is 399 yards, falling just one yard shy of the 400 yard mark. But that still makes this the longest par 4 at Cape Arundel. The hole bends right around a pair of tall pines, but other some O.B. beyond the fairway to the left, there's not much in the way of trouble. Technically you can actually play down the eleventh fairway out to the right, as my brother and I did accidentally. Approaching the green is a slippery prospect though, since it slopes from front to back, and it's got a bit of the Pinehurst No. 2 style as well, as it falls away on all sides. 

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green. This is not the standard route.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is Cape Arundel's postcard hole. It's 170 yards and plays over the river, with more river left. It's an intimidating look, but there's a fair amount of space short and left to miss, so the shot isn't quite as tough as it looks. The green is precisely as difficult as it looks though, and it's one you absolutely don't want to miss long. Which is what I did. Actually, I managed to get my chip on, which was probably the best shot I hit all day, but then I proceeded to three putt, so the effort was rather in vain.

The thirteenth hole.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole crosses the Kennebunk River early on the tee shot for yet another one of Cape Arundel's not particularly interesting "long" par 4s. Just don't go left on the tee shot and keep it in the gap and you're fine. The green slopes from right to left and has two bunkers on each side. Other than the river crossing, this hole is kind of forgettable, in my opinion.

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green. This is not the correct fairway, however.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is 340 yards and features a bunkerless fairway. There's O.B. left, but it's not much of a threat when you have literally hundreds of yards of room to the right. You could use a driver, but I'd actually recommend against it, despite the abundance of space. Just right and short of the green is a small tree, which is the key to the hole. Now, if you use a long iron or fairway wood off of the tee, you'll be able to hit a full wedge or short iron into the green, and you'll be able to hit it that second shot high enough to render the tree irrelevant. But a driver would leave you with just a pitch, and that sort of shot is much more difficult to get up high enough. You could go down the left side with the driver, but with the O.B. lurking and the green being fairly big and relatively quiet, I'm not sure you gain any particular advantage by doing so.

The fifteenth hole.

The fifteenth green features an interesting hazard.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is the longest par 3 at Cape Arundel, playing 210 yards. There are no bunkers, which might make you think the hole is on the easier side. Well, that's not necessarily the case, though I admit any hole is tough when you miss it 50 yards right or 75 yards left. For once, I didn't have the absolute worst miss. The green is crowned, so it plays smaller than it looks. But all in all, despite the length, this isn't a very difficult hole if you hit a mildly competent tee shot.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is 360 yards, with the first 300 yards playing gently uphill up a ridge. At the top of the hill, a big bunker eats into the fairway, so if you're a long hitter, you may consider using a fairway wood or heading out to the right. After all, getting to the top of the hill means you'll have a clear view of the green. And what a green it is. It cascades down, following the slope of the hill, and it's right up against the river, so any shot that bounces or flies too far will go in. While a run-up shot is possible on most holes at Cape Arundel, it's absolutely the best play here. Flying the ball all the way to the flag is just asking for trouble. 

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green, bordering on the river.

The green falls significantly from front to back.

The eighteenth hole crosses back across the Kennebunk River for the final time. The tee shot is partially blind, and O.B. lurks left in the form of the clubhouse and parking lot. This is one final par 4 that's just under 400 yards, and it's just as straightforward from tee to green as the rest. The green isn't particularly noteworthy either, not by Cape Arundel standards anyway. So unfortunately, it's not a very exciting finish to the round, especially after how good the last hole was.

One more river crossing on the eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

Cape Arundel has two things going for it: great greens and an almost-idyllic setting. There are few trees and the course is intimately routed, so you can hit the ball basically anywhere and get away with it. As a golfer, I loved it. But when I look at the course with a critical eye, I have to admit that there are some big flaws with the course. Yes, we've got the reverse of my opinion on Butter Brook, which I respected critically but disliked as a golfer.

My first big issue is the lack of length. I understand that there's no room to expand the course, but Cape Arundel would benefit enormously from having a couple of challenging long par 4s. The "long" par 4s are the worst holes on the course because they're so easily overpowered. That segues into my second issue: the lack of challenge tee to green. Cape Arundel relies entirely on its greens to provide defense, and while the greens do an admirable job, it's just not enough in my opinion. I can't believe I'm advocating for more trouble on the tee, but this is a weird world sometimes. On so many of the par 4s, there's absolutely no reason not to blast away with the driver. Who cares if you go 50 yards or more offline if there's no punishment for it? Recovering from that far away should be possible, in my opinion, but it shouldn't be easy either. 

To be honest, this is more an indictment of golf in the modern era than of Cape Arundel itself. Giant drivers and super golf balls have rendered all of the course beyond the greens basically irrelevant. Anyone who can drive the ball more than 250 yards (which I understand is a minority of all golfers, but a minority that I'm in) can overpower Cape Arundel. Again, that's no guarantee of a good score, considering the complexity of the greens, but fully half the round is just not that interesting to the good golfer. 

If I'm seeming harsh, that's because of the steep price of the round. If it cost $40 or $50 to play, I could forgive the course's flaws. But it costs $115 in the summer to play Cape Arundel, which is way too much. So if you can get on for less than $50, than absolutely go and play the course. It's got some real strengths. But if you can't, I'd say skip it. It's not worth it at full price.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Pumpkinhead

Brewed by: Shipyard Brewing Company, Portland, Maine

Description (from the website): "Pumpkinhead is a crisp, refreshing wheat ale with delightful aromatics and subtle spice flavor. To celebrate the fall season, we enhance the pumpkin flavor with a proprietary blend of spices including cinnamon and nutmeg. A proper pint of Pumpkinhead is served in a pint glass rimmed with sugar and cinnamon and often accompanied by a shot of spiced rum or vanilla vodka."

Would I buy it again?: Sometimes breweries go too far with their pumpkin beer. While drinking a double imperial pumpkin stout or spicy pumpkin beer (never again) might be fun once, sometimes it's nice to kick back with an approachable pumpkin beer. That's Pumpkinhead. It's light, it's drinkable, and it's got a great name. I'd definitely buy it again.

Review: Cape Arundel Golf Club (Part 1)

Before this trip to Boston, I'd never been to Maine. It's not exactly what I'd call conveniently located, especially for someone living in Maryland. Boston is just an hour south of the Maine border, however, so I figured why not make the trip up I-95 to the Pine Tree State? And while we're at it, why not play what is quite possibly the most architecturally respected golf course in the state? That brings us to Cape Arundel Golf Club, located a mile from the Atlantic in Kennebunkport, and the home course of the 41st and 43rd Presidents of the United States. Yes, this is where both George Bushes play, and remarkably, such a place is not ultraprivate. It's not even tough making a tee time, under normal circumstances you could even do it online. No calling in favors, no begging or bugging a member, just a simple phone call. You hear that, other private golf courses? A course good enough for Presidents can manage public play, why can't you?

Anyway, onto the course, which was designed in 1921 by Walter Travis, who, despite being technically Australian, is widely known as America's first great golfer. He could barely drive the ball 200 yards, but Travis was an incredible putter. He was so successful with the center-shafted Schenectady putter that, after winning the British Amateur, the R&A actually banned that style of putter for almost 50 years. Walter Travis is probably most known for his play, but he did more than a little dabbling in golf course design, being responsible for almost 50 courses. His redesign of Garden City Golf Club in New York is his most notable work, along with Westchester Country Club, which hosted the PGA Tour for many years. Perhaps unsurprisingly given how he played golf, Walter Travis golf courses are most known for their greens, and as we'll see, Cape Arundel is no exception.

The first hole has two immediately notable features: a rather significant gully cutting across the fairway and the Kennebunk River paralleling the hole to the left, just close enough to be uncomfortable if you tend to hook. The gully can be carried with a drive of about 250 yards, and the river can be fairly easily avoided by bailing out right. The pair of fairway bunkers just over the gully can also be carried by a strong drive. Besides, this is a pretty wide fairway we're talking about. Get far enough and you'll have an unimpeded view of the green, which will be little more than a sand wedge. The hole is only 365 yards after all. There is a bunker right of the green, but that's not how the hole defends itself. No, that comes courtesy of the contours of the green itself. There are several sections, with each section separated by a sort-of tier. Fortunately, the green speeds are kept under control, so putting isn't a task in futility. This is a good hole to start the round, it's open and inviting, but there's enough here to keep the golfer engaged.

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green, with the Kennebunk River in the background.

The second hole is the shortest par 4 at Cape Arundel, and is reachable to long hitters. But an arm of the river extends the entire length of the hole to the left, and trees to the right progressively narrow the fairway. There's not an excessive amount of room by the green, so hitting driver may not be the greatest idea. I did, and I ended up in a bunker next to the eighth green. That's another thing about Cape Arundel: The property is less than 100 acres, so the course is very tightly routed. Anyway, back to this hole. The play off of the tee is probably a lay-up down the left side, followed by a wedge into the green. 

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole plays alongside the same tributary of the river that the second plays against. The hole is 155 yards and it's quite a tough little par 3. There's water left and bunkers right, and the green has a false front. There's a lot of back to front slope to the green as well. Really, you want to hit this green, and get pretty close too. 

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole is, by Cape Arundel standards, a long par 4, but when the course's lone par 5 is the only hole over 400 yards, it's a bit disingenuous to call this a long par 4. It's just under 400 yards and plays alongside a road to the left. The tee shot is also blind. A pair of bunkers sits on the right side of the fairway, right where I imagine a lot of people aim. The second shot is to a pretty open and large green, but there's a fair amount of undulation in the green, so two putts aren't easy. 

The blind tee shot on the fourth hole.

The fourth hole, with the seventh beyond.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is not a long par 4 by any standard. It's 340 yards, and using a driver is really not advisable. I suppose the distance from tee to green isn't huge and so the green could potentially be driven, but there's a small stream running through the gully between the fairway and green, not to mention the road to the left. Really, you'll want to lay up out to the right, then hit a wedge over the gully into the green. The bunkers and the undulations of the green ensure that it's not an easy wedge, but the green is pretty big so it's not a difficult wedge either.

The fifth hole.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is a tiny little 120 yard par 3 that's both incredibly simple and very complicated. Clearly, the main obstacle is the pond in front of the green, but that's not the full story. The green slopes severely from back to front, so putting from above the hole is a dicey prospect. So while it's easy to play safe and go well past the hole, you'll be left with a long and incredibly slippery putt. So if you want a decent chance at birdie, you've got to flirt with the water. This is honestly quite a clever hole and one of the best at Cape Arundel.

The sixth hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is 390 yards, playing in the opposite direction of the fifth hole. The fairway is massive and there are few trees to interfere, so you can really hit your drive anywhere and get away with it. There are a few bunkers on the right side of the fairway, but any drive more than 250 yards can clear them. The second is a wedge or short iron to another big and lumpy green.

The seventh hole. Yes, that is the entrance road just in front of the tee. And no, this isn't the only time that will happen.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is a few yards shorter than the seventh, but it plays in the same direction, this time parallel to the fourth. Again, this hole has a very wide fairway, with just a couple bunkers right providing any difficulty on the tee shot. There's a pair of cross bunkers about 50 yards short, which also don't come into play much. The green is the primary obstacle on this hole -- this is probably the most extreme green at Cape Arundel. There's an especially nasty ridge on the right middle section of the green that is no fun to deal with. I had to deal with that one personally.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is the lone par 5 at Cape Arundel, but it's not very long, being well under 500 yards. It was playing into the wind, but still, I was able to get close enough to the green to approach it with a long iron. Of course, I did that by flirting dangerously with the tree just left of the tee, I imagine most people take a slightly more conservative route. Even so, this hole is definitely reachable in two. But if you can't reach it, a cluster of three bunkers cut into the fairway about 100 yards from the green. The green is open in front, but there's a very deep bunker just to the right. It's deep enough that a staircase is necessary to get down into it. I wish I'd gotten a picture of that. The green itself is big and has the usual slope to it.

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green.

The ninth green.

That's it for this week, next week we'll take a look at the back nine.