Here in Kennebunkport, we offer top notch golf courses for visitors and residents to enjoy. Our particular favorite is the historic Cape Arundel Golf Club.
Kennebunkport’s Cape Arundel Golf Club was initially developed in 1896 by visitors to this Maine coastal community who wanted to be able to play golf while here in the summer vacationing with their families. At its founding, it was just one of 74 golf clubs in the United States. Some twenty years later, after it was determined that the original course outlived its usefulness, the residents decided to build a new course, one that would offer a bit of a challenge for skilled golfers while still providing enjoyment for all skill levels. The new course was designed by the US and British Amateur Champion Walter J. Travis in the 1920’s. He planned every hole carefully in order to provide first-class golf, with natural hazards, contoured greens, and perfectly placed bunkers. The new course demonstrated what Travis set out to do, provide the finest kind of golf. It’s a short course, but quite challenging.
Golf and the ‘first family of Kennebunkport”, the Walker/Bush family, go way back in the history of US golf, and with the Cape Arundel course. The Walker Cup Match, co-organized by The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (R & A) and the U.S. Golf Association has its name in honor of George Herbert Walker, (grandfather and namesake of the former President of the United States) and is played every two years alternating on courses in the US and UK. Walker was president of the USGA in 1920 when the series was introduced and was honored to be the namesake of this international competition.
Playing the 15th Hole
There have been many well-known people who have teed up at Cape Arundel over the years including Arnold Palmer, Jose Olazabal, UK’s Prince Andrew, Greg Norman, Babe Ruth and Bill Clinton. On October 2, 2006, Phil Mickelson captured (and still holds) the course record shooting a round of 9 under 60 on a par 69. George H. W. Bush has been a member for many years and his sons, George W and Jeb Bush, still play the course today while vacationing in the area with their families. This link to 41 and 43 has earned the club the nickname “Home of Presidential Golf”.
The 1802 House Bed and Breakfast lies along the 15th hole of this historic course. We’re pleased to partner with our neighbors at the Cape Arundel Golf Club to offer a “Stay and Play” package for our guests. Stay two nights in our Arundel, Windsor or Sebago Suite and we’ll provide a $50 gift certificate towards a round of golf during your stay. We will book the tee times for you so give us a call and let us help you get out and enjoy playing this beautiful course. Some restrictions apply, please call the Inn for more information.