Martindale Country Club

This by far was one of our best finds while traveling.
I live in Northern New Jersey we have some of the best courses ... With that said ... None can compare to the care taken to this course's layout. Believe me when I tell you this course is well thought out. There are AGED, well established shade trees, benches, ball cleaner for the men's AND the same goes for the ladies tees, except, the ladies have benches & flowers. An amenity not found on even the best courses. Well kept greens, fairways and rough. Challenging even for this 10 handy cap golfer and his girl.
We pre-ordered our lunch before beginning the 9th hole. Two Cheese Burgers M/R with a choice of FF, Chips and get this, a Caesar salad. (<-- a choice not given on any other course without paying extra for it). The Burgers were hand crafted, juicy, delicious and served on a Brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle. The salad was crisp ! with just the correct amount of dressing, cheese and croutons all served as a box lunch. This was sooooo good and done right that after I finished eating I went inside, asked to see the Chef and thanked him and his Sous Chef for making my lunch experience so delicious (I tipped them $10.00 each)
No doubt, I will return to this course ... matter of fact, I will go out of my way to play there again !
Enjoy !!
Giorgio from Jersey

I reviewed this course via web pages. (Golf advisors latest review was from 2014) There were very few reviews and i was beginning to think they might be closed. We booked on line through their courses web page. They stated that this was recently a country club and private and still maintaining the course as such with new owners. But now its listed as semi private.
The club house is very antiquated but that adds to the allure of the club for me. Exceptionally clean and organized and easy to maneuver in The staff in the pro shop were extremely friendly and informative. The clubhouse layout is reminiscent of the old era of country clubs as well. We were a two some and made it to the first tee to face a uphill par 4. Not a lot of directional s when on the course but then again any new course to the player will be like this. This course is definitely not up to private course standards and there are a lot of high grass and weeds in fairways as well as rough area. A lot of sand traps are in rough shape and need sand added to them. The tee boxes were so-so, and greens were in great shape. The course does have alot of character and the #9 par 3 from the tips is outstanding (253 all downhill)!!! he back 9 was a bit more entertaining than the front in my opinion. After golf we stopped in the small bar area upstairs. Its very obvious from the moment you enter until the beverages after your round, that this is a mainly locals course. All the people we met were super friendly and quick to converse with the" new people". The bartenders were super quick and attentive and prices were like a local bar , rather than killer private course prices. Highly recommend sitting out back on the patio afterwards as well, spectacular views!!! he locals had their dogs there as well and it was like a party after our round.
I wish they would put some more effort into the course fairways and rough. I would play it again, but look for a cheaper rate before doing so. The pic attached is a par 5 and the nicest hole on the course

Greens are in good shape. Fairways are in good shape. Only a few water hazards and only a few sand traps. Tricky last 18th putting green. Lots of uphill tee shots.

I go back 35 years with Martindale from my college golf days. It is great to see looking better in every way than it did back then. The course came through the brutal winter very well and the greens are some of the best in the state right now. Tees and fairways all were pristine and the rough is fair. If you go astray past the rough, there is a lot of native grass areas with 3 foot high "hay" that is tricky to play out of. This is a course where local knowledge is necessary and can be gained with every round played. The dramatic changes in elevation, the blind approaches, the swirling winds and the undulating greens all make for constant challenges in a round. The par 3 9th hole, which can play from 250 yards down to 180, is a perfect example. It is like teeing off from atop a 10 story building to a small green with OB left and long and outcroppings of rocks short. The wind can add or subtract 3 clubs from the yardage. I have hit driver on it and then come back and hit 6 iron the next time. The 12th is a rare 600 yard par 5 that is a true 3 shot hole. The menacing Little Androscoggin River is down the entire right hand side and eats up lots of errant shots. The 18th is a 440 yard par five, and that is not a typo, that calls for a second shot to be laid in the flat wedge zone or for a glory shot that attempts to reach the treacherous turtle back green that sits 60 feet above the fairway level. There are so many memorable shots and views at this grand old course. Some people are put off by the several parallel holes, but that is not going to subtract from the overall experience. Martindale is about 5 minutes off the Maine Turnpike at Exit 75. It may not be a place you find yourself all that often, but I would say it is worth a special trip to play. They surely do not make them like Martindale any more. Hills and views like it has are very rare indeed.

We were received with courteousness and all amenities were clean and attractive.

The course was in good shape and a good challenge. It was fair and we were able to make decent scores. Bad shots were recoverable with good scrambeling.

It was not crowded and we were never pushed. Players ahead and behind us were courteous and kept up a good pace. We finished in less than 4 hours.

We look forward to more rounds.

I noticed the 5 star rating of this course and didn't pay attention that there was only 1 review. The course is scenic, hilly, and a good value if you get a discounted rate. The condition of the fairway and greens were fair at best. The golf cart paths were pretty rough. I must say Maine is a pretty state to play golf in.

i am a average at best player and i found the drives to be very forgiving, i did not lose many balls for there being so many blind shots, the greens were just being air rated and were alittle sandy, but the upkeep and drainage on this course was excellent