Va Jo Wa Golf Club

Few golf courses in Maine carry a name with as much local character as Va Jo Wa — an acronym drawn from the first names of the founding family's children. That kind of personal origin story sets the tone for what awaits: a family-built, community-rooted course in the remote reaches of Aroostook County, a part of Maine most travelers never reach but those who do tend to remember.

Island Falls sits in the northern interior of the state, far removed from the coastal resort corridor. The landscape here is defined by dense spruce and fir forest, potato farmland, and the kind of wide-open quiet that feels genuinely earned. The St. Croix River runs through the area, and the natural topography gives the course a rugged, unhurried character that mirrors the region itself.

Va Jo Wa plays as a full par-72 layout, and the experience leans toward the honest, unpretentious side of golf — the kind of place where the game feels uncomplicated and the surroundings do most of the talking. For golfers willing to make the drive north, it rewards the effort.