The Best Golf Courses Near Portland, Maine, Ranked
Greater Portland has a strange golf market. We lost Sable Oaks in 2019 (still hurts, and the land is now slated for housing), the private clubs hoard most of the best dirt, and the public options that remain range from genuinely good to "fine, I guess, it's golf." But if you know where to go and when, you can play very enjoyable golf within 25 minutes of downtown without a member sponsor or a second mortgage.
Here's how I'd rank the public and semi-private options, with the caveats that matter: conditioning, pace, and whether the price feels fair.
1. Dunegrass Golf Club (Old Orchard Beach)
Yes, it's at the edge of the radius, about 25 minutes from town. It's still the best public golf in the area. Dunegrass winds through pine and sand in a way nothing else around here does, with holes carved out of the trees so you rarely see another group. The conditioning is consistently the best of any public track on this list, and the par 3s are legitimately fun.
The catch is price. Peak summer weekend rates with a cart push toward triple digits, which is real money for Maine public golf. Midweek and twilight rates are far more reasonable, and the facility runs simulators year-round, so it earns its keep in the offseason too. If you're playing one round to impress a visitor, play it here.
2. Val Halla Golf and Recreation (Cumberland)
The Town of Cumberland owns Val Halla, and it's the best-run municipal operation in the region. The 18-hole, par 72 layout stretches to about 6,567 yards, the back nine through the woods is the better half, and the greens generally roll true by June. Cumberland residents, seniors, and military get a discount, which is the kind of muni pricing policy more towns should copy.
Honest gripes: the front nine is flatter and less interesting, spring conditions can be soggy in the low spots, and summer weekend mornings are league-and-regulars territory, so book ahead. Still, for the quality you get, Val Halla is the best value 18 within 20 minutes of Portland.
3. Nonesuch River Golf Club (Scarborough)
Nonesuch is the most professionally managed public course around. It's a 203-acre, walkable 18 that was built in the 1990s with pace of play in mind, and it shows. Rounds actually move here. The course uses dynamic pricing, so rates swing by day and time. That cuts both ways: weekend prime time gets pricey, but a Tuesday afternoon can be a deal.
The golf itself is good rather than great. Generous fairways, some wetland carries, greens that are usually in nice shape. It won't make your all-time list, but it will never ruin your Saturday either, and there's something to be said for a course that respects your time.
4. Toddy Brook Golf Course (North Yarmouth)
The sleeper pick. Toddy Brook is a 6,214-yard 18 that's one of the first courses to open in spring and one of the last to close north of Portland, with a grass-tee driving range and a restaurant that's open year-round. The layout has more elevation change and personality than you'd expect for the price, and the back nine has a couple of genuinely tricky holes.
Conditioning is a notch below Dunegrass and Nonesuch, especially early season, and a few holes feel squeezed. But the vibe is friendly, the pace is decent, and the two Trackman simulators make it a 12-month operation. About 20 to 25 minutes from downtown.
5. Riverside Golf Course (Portland)
Portland's muni, open since 1932, with an 18-hole North course, a 9-hole South course, and a little 3-hole practice loop along the Presumpscot. Riverside is where Portland actually golfs: leagues, juniors, retirees, beginners hacking it around on a Sunday. The North course is a classic old parkland layout that's easy to walk and pleasant to play.
The honest part: conditioning is hit or miss. Some years the greens are surprisingly good, some stretches of summer the fairways get thin and the bunkers get neglected, and pace on weekend mornings can crawl past four and a half hours. You're not paying premium prices, so it mostly evens out. As a place to play 40 rounds a year without going broke, it's hard to beat.
6. Gorham Country Club (Gorham)
Don't let the name fool you, Gorham CC is public. It's a 6,555-yard par 71 about ten minutes from the Jetport, old-school in the best way: trees, doglegs, small greens, no gimmicks. Conditions are solid for the price point, and the regulars are welcoming.
The knock is that it's a bit one-note. The holes blur together, and the property doesn't have a wow moment. But it's a fair test, it's rarely impossible to get a tee time, and the value is honest.
7. Willowdale Golf Club (Scarborough)
Willowdale is flat, open, and built on the edge of the Scarborough Marsh, which makes it the easiest walk in southern Maine and a popular choice for seniors and newer players. It runs April through October, and the prices stay in budget territory.
It's also, to be blunt, the least interesting layout on this list. Minimal trouble, minimal elevation, greens that are fine but slow. That's not an insult so much as a description of its job: Willowdale exists for relaxed, affordable golf, and at that job it succeeds.
8. South Portland Municipal (South Portland)
A 9-hole, par 33, 2,071-yard course from 1931, tucked between neighborhoods off Wescott Road. The green fee is in the teens, the postage-stamp greens will sneak up on you, and you can walk nine in well under two hours. It's a short-game tune-up and a beginner's haven, not a destination. For exactly what it is, it's great.
Worth a Mention
Maine Golf Center in Freeport (the old Freeport Country Club) pairs a walkable 9-hole par 33 with a 20-bay Toptracer driving range, and it's become the area's best practice facility. If you just want to hit balls with data, go there.
But if you really want a premium golf experience?
Everything above is open to the public, and some of it is genuinely good. But the best golf in southern Maine is behind gates, and it's not particularly close. Private clubs maintain their courses to a standard that public facilities simply can't match: daily mowing heights, consistent green speeds, uncrowded tee sheets, and practice facilities that would cost a fortune to replicate at a muni.
Here's how the private clubs rank for pure golf:
1. Falmouth Country Club (Falmouth). The strongest overall golf operation in southern Maine. The 18-hole course was designed by Brian Silva, conditioning runs at a level nobody else in the region touches, and the practice facility includes a full short-game area, driving range, and four Trackman simulator bays for winter. The tee sheet is never crowded. If golf is your primary sport, this is the club.
2. Portland Country Club (Falmouth). The prestige name, founded in 1895, with a classic Wayne Stiles layout that rewards shot shaping. Conditioning is strong, the membership is established, and the social calendar is deep. The course plays tighter and more strategic than Falmouth CC's more modern design.
3. Purpoodock Club (Cape Elizabeth). A beautiful, walkable 18-hole course with ocean proximity and a quieter, more relaxed membership culture. The course itself is well maintained and scenic, though it doesn't chase the conditioning arms race the way the Falmouth clubs do.
4. Prouts Neck Country Club (Scarborough). The most exclusive and the most remote on this list, with genuine oceanside holes and a membership that skews seasonal. If you can get in, the setting is unlike anything else in Maine. But for year-round, everyday golf, the other three are more practical.
For an honest, detailed comparison of all four (plus The Woodlands), read our Private Clubs in Southern Maine guide.
FAQ
What is the best public golf course near Portland, Maine?
Dunegrass in Old Orchard Beach is the best pure golf experience open to the public near Portland, with the strongest conditioning and most interesting layout. For value closer to town, Val Halla in Cumberland is the pick.
How much does it cost to play golf in Portland, Maine?
It ranges widely. South Portland's 9-hole muni costs less than $20, mid-tier 18s like Val Halla, Gorham, and Toddy Brook sit in the moderate range, and Dunegrass peak weekend rates with a cart approach $100. Most courses post current rates online, and Nonesuch uses dynamic pricing, so check before you book.
Is Riverside Golf Course in Portland worth playing?
Yes, with expectations set correctly. It's an affordable, walkable, historic muni with a real golf community, but conditioning fluctuates and weekend pace can be slow. Play it as your everyday course, not your special-occasion round.
When does golf season start in Maine?
Most Greater Portland courses open in April and close by late October or early November, weather depending. Toddy Brook is typically among the first to open and last to close, and Dunegrass and Toddy Brook both run indoor simulators through the winter.