Pine Hill Golf Club

Orrington sits quietly on the eastern bank of the Penobscot River, a small Maine town that most travelers pass through rather than stop in — which makes Pine Hill Golf Club something of a local institution for the golfers who do know it. The course occupies the gently rolling terrain typical of this part of coastal Maine, where the land rises and falls through spruce and pine stands that give the club its name and its personality.

At par 72 over 18 holes, this is a full-length layout designed for the kind of unhurried, community-rooted golf that defines the Maine experience outside the resort corridors. You won't find the national rankings or the celebrity architect pedigree here — what you'll find is a honest, member-driven club that rewards local knowledge and regular play.

Orrington is just a short drive from Bangor, which anchors the golf scene for this stretch of central Maine. The season is compressed by New England's winters, which tends to concentrate a real enthusiasm among the regulars who wait all year for the fairways to open.