History:
The Northeast Harbor Golf Club is historically significant in part because it is more than 100 years old, and most importantly because two famous architects designed the course. The Northeast Harbor Golf Club was organized in 1895. The new 9 hole golf course was laid out in August, 1899 by J.G. Thorpe. Much of the course lay on what was Corson's Farm, with the clubhouse sited approximately where Millbrook and Manchester Roads intersect. Some of the holes are across from Somes Sound, the only fjord on the North American east coast.
In 1916 The Northeast Harbor Golf Club Corporation was formed to buy land for a permanent golf course. The first 9, holes 1-6, 13-15 were designed by Arthur Lockwood. As golf became more and more popular, the corporation offered another stock sale and rasied the money to buy more land for an additional 9 holes. The second 9 which opened in the summer of 1925 was designed by Herbert Strong.
At some point during World War II, the president of the Northeast Harbor Golf Club, William Rodman Fay, allowed the second 9 holes to return to nature due to a lack of finances and/or manpower. The holes remained in disuse until the mid-1970s, when six of the 9 were cleaned up. For many years, the course featured only 15 holes. Eventually, the other three holes were restored through the generous donations of some of the summer residents and the hard work of some year-round residents — the 17th hole is dedicated to those who helped restore those holes and allowed the Club to finish the project.
