Penobscot Valley Country Club

About
Opened in 1924, Penobscot Valley Country Club in Orono, known locally as "Penobby," has a classic design created by Donald Ross. Nestled in the rolling hills of central Main, the golf course runs alongside the river that created its namesake valley. The scenic landscape is covered with mature trees, which are concentrated along the undulating fairways. The original design was slightly tweaked in 2001 to make it both more challenging and more playable. The green sizes were reduced and bunkers were shifted or removed. The result was a golf course that is challenging enough for more advanced players but still gentle enough for beginners to approach with confidence. The classic elements of Ross' design still manage to shine though, which has cemented Penobscot Valley Country Club's status as a Maine tradition.
Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
---|---|---|---|---|
Blue | 72 | 6442 yards | 71.2 | 125 |
White | 72 | 6280 yards | 70.6 | 124 |
Green | 72 | 5927 yards | 68.7 | 122 |
Red (W) | 73 | 5370 yards | 70.9 | 120 |
Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Black M: 71.2/128 | 394 | 408 | 524 | 172 | 350 | 168 | 477 | 368 | 388 | 3249 | 518 | 374 | 376 | 453 | 149 | 452 | 197 | 322 | 431 | 3272 | 6521 |
Blue M: 70.1/126 | 385 | 392 | 516 | 167 | 339 | 160 | 465 | 354 | 363 | 3141 | 494 | 368 | 370 | 419 | 145 | 444 | 190 | 311 | 424 | 3165 | 6306 |
Modified M: 68.8/120 | 385 | 392 | 461 | 146 | 339 | 160 | 441 | 338 | 363 | 3025 | 494 | 368 | 370 | 366 | 141 | 444 | 164 | 260 | 356 | 2963 | 5988 |
Gold M: 66.9/114 | 358 | 309 | 461 | 146 | 281 | 152 | 441 | 338 | 303 | 2789 | 422 | 320 | 351 | 366 | 141 | 408 | 164 | 260 | 356 | 2788 | 5577 |
Green M: 65.4/109 W: 70.2/122 | 313 | 289 | 453 | 137 | 279 | 121 | 441 | 334 | 277 | 2644 | 422 | 291 | 348 | 366 | 141 | 408 | 93 | 205 | 305 | 2579 | 5223 |
Red W: 67.6/115 | 313 | 289 | 403 | 137 | 279 | 121 | 349 | 269 | 277 | 2437 | 381 | 291 | 270 | 295 | 141 | 351 | 93 | 205 | 305 | 2332 | 4769 |
Handicap | 8 | 4 | 12 | 18 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 16 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 3 | 17 | 13 | 5 | 15 | 1 | |||
Par | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
Handicap (W) | 10 | 12 | 6 | 16 | 14 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 7 | 17 | 13 | 9 |
Course Details
Rentals/Services
Practice/Instruction
Policies
Food & Beverage
Snacks, RestaurantAvailable Facilities
Clubhouse, Meeting Facilities, Banquet FacilitiesAvailable Activities
Swimming, BilliardsReviews
Great course, not so great conditions
This is a very cool course, and if you're an architecture aficionado there is a lot to soak in here. There is a lot of movement to the land and the course sits very nicely on it; there really are no bad holes.
The greens were in pretty good shape, although very wet with sprinklers running on a lot of them even during my round. Fairways were spotty with a lot of crab grass and bare patches mixed in.
This is a good golf course that could be great with improved conditions.
Poor conditions
A drizzly day and the condition of the course kept the crowds away. We had the place to ourselves. Fairway and green conditions were rough even for this time of year. The price-$13.50 with cart- made it worth the trip. Hope it is better in mid-season.
Great location and good value
Enjoyed the wide open fairways and large but tricky greens. Lovely hilly location with some interesting holes. Only issues were the cart tracks are in pretty rough shape and more distance markers would have been helpful. Played on a "hot deal" so all in all, amazing value for money!
Pen Bay nice Ross layout poor grounds keeper
I paid $10.00 per head for me and a buddy so hard to complain, 18 holes with a cart on hot deal, however the course is a dog track, no fairways like a pasture all basically mowed to the same length. Bare spots everywhere and he greens were poor, bare spots, rot weeds, would not play it again. Bummer because it had a lot of potential. The traps are plenty full but the sand had rocks it it and was inconsistent. Save the 10 bucks and go somewhere else
It has been let go
This used to be a very nice course with great fast true rolling greens...in places it looks like a war zone, all your putts bounce, it has clearly not been taken care of. Don't play for over $20 for 18
Great Layout! Wonderful Old Donald Ross Course
My wife and I played this course yesterday and enjoyed it so much that we returned and played again today. The course was masterfully conceived. It is fun to play with wide fairways and fairly large greens. There is quite a bit of elevation change. As with most Ross courses, the challenge starts when you arrive at the green. Straight putts are almost non-existent. If you find yourself above the hole, you can only hope that it goes in or your next putt will likely be at least 4 feet coming back up the hill.
If you want a fun and challenging course to play, don't miss Penobscot Valley CC.
Disappointed in condition of the course
This course has been around for quite some time and family friends have been members for years so I was excited to have the opportunity to play it. The tees were a mess, chunked up and rock hard, nearly had to hammer in the tee. The fairways were dry and hard and not pleasant with a cart, drive slow if you don't want back issues and would like to keep your teeth. The greens were rock hard and tough to keep the ball on, when it landed a big dust puff then it rolled out more than expected. They don't use marked range balls so errant practice shots end up on the fairways making it difficult to spot your own ball amongst all the white balls on a couple of fairways near the range.
Compliment on the bunkers, nice sand and steep walls, a challenge to get out of a couple of them.
It appears their watering system is on the blink which is too bad as the course would be more fun to play if not so dried up and dusty. This summer has had more rain than last, why aren't they watering?
penobscot valley gc
JJ and mark hall the pro's are great to talk with and make you welcome.The Donald Ross layout is fair and fun to play.The greens can be a challenge . The course is just off I-95 and very easy to find..Nice track.
Penoby
The info about booking this course indicated that carts were not available . This is inaccurate as they have many carts at all times. The course is a little rough in places. Greens are in good shape and faster than most courses in the area.
Loved it
Played this course while our daughter was at freshman orientation for college. Booked through golfnow so the rate we got was ridiculous. Course was in great shape, beautiful layout, challenging but very fair. The greens were in excellent shape but easily rank as some of the hardest to putt that I have ever played in 20+ years of torturing myself with this sport (as evidenced by the multiple 3-putts on my card)! Had a great day off the tee so it made the course manageable with short iron second shots. Staff was incredibly friendly, courteous, professional, and accommodating. This course quickly placed itself on the short list for one of our favorite courses-so much so in fact that the wife and I snuck in another 9 the following morning before picking baby girl up and heading home! Highly recommend it if you ever find yourself in the northern reaches of Maine.
Really gone downhill.
First played here a couple of years ago and it was in good shape and had a good experience. Course is now in a state of neglect and looks like it has fallen on hard times financially. Rough was 8-10 inches which made it fairly easy to lose a ball inches off the fairways. The greens were very hard and looked really unhealthy. The staff was very friendly. The clubhouse roof looked to be in a state of disrepair and the pool was green and not being used. Hate to see such a cool course in an abused state like this.
Roughest Fairways I Have Ever Seen
-Confusing layout, you really need someone with course knowledge for your first time here.
-Some of the wholes adjoin others, so if you or others are spraying your drives, you could be in jeopardy.
-Driving range is so close to some of the holes, you'll see balls all over those holes
-Cart paths are in rough condition, and when they end, the whole course is really rough. I'd say if you have back issues, you should walk, or drive *really* slow, so you don't hurt yourself. If you carry your bag, you should be fine, but even a pull cart will experience the roughness of the fairway.
There has not been enough rain, and the greens are very hard. Not in bad shape at all, just hard. Fairways are in good shape.