NEWS FROM OLD MARSH

More Pictures From Larry Lambrecht

Everyone will remember the beautiful pictures taken by professional golf photographer Larry Lambrecht at Old Marsh in June... download our new slideshow to enjoy another round of these beautiful shots. Or Click on the hole number below to view the individual photo.

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9-25-08 Fall Golf at Old Marsh

We're having a beautiful fall here in Wells-- and where better to enjoy the foliage but out on the course at Old Marsh? The full 18 is playing, the Clubhouse is now open and the public is welcome. Give us a call at 251-GOLF to make your tee time!

8-5-08 Old Marsh in the News

Channel 13 from Portland did a great feature on the opening of Old Marsh to the public. Watch it here!

6-25-08 THE FULL EIGHTEEN!

To view a hole photo, click on the number below-- or, view our Course Slideshow.

On Monday, June 23rd--nearly two weeks ahead of schedule-- the front nine at Old Marsh was opened to Member play. Members and their guests are now playing the full eighteen holes at Old Marsh. Early reviews have been very, very positive. One member called it "the best front nine I've ever played." High praise from players who have seen some great golf out there in the world! Photos of most of the 18 holes can be viewed above-- although in many instances, no single picture can do full justice to the natural beauty now in play in Wells, Maine. Come see it for yourself-- a few Memberships are still available! We are still planning for public play to begin on August 1st.

5-12-07 MID-MAY UPDATE

            
Irrigation pipe is being lined up and prepared for installation. Electical conduit is being laid in the ground. Roads are nearly ready for paving. And most exciting of all... we are closer than ever to seeing grass on a golf hole. Careful, painstaking work on shaping the 18th green went on this week. And as that finishing work on a hole was happening, cuts and fills were happening on the ninth and first holes. This means that all eighteen holes are at some advanced stage of development now. The work is truly in high gear, with beautifully dry working conditions and activity everywhere you look. Spring is in the air... and it agrees with Old Marsh Country Club!

5-9-08 MAY AT OLD MARSH

It's hard to imagine a place in Maine where it feels more like Spring than at Old Marsh Country Club-- buds are on the trees, birds are singing, turtles are basking on rocks in the ponds... and everywhere you look, things are green, green, green. And the plants and animals aren't the only indicators of new life-- the Clubhouse continues to materialize before us. Our tour today saw that the Pro Shop roof has been shingled, windows are in and interior walls are up. Over in the main Clubhouse area, what was once just a dirt area with a cement boundary is now a fully-poured foundation with four walls. Roof trusses were on deck but not quite in place when these pictures were taken.

4-11-08 CLUBHOUSE PROGRESS

The Clubhouse continues to progress! Despite a lot of clouds and a little drizzle, the intrepid blogger could not help but run around the construction site, excitedly snapping pictures of this beautiful building, coming to life. As you'll see, the four dormers on each side of the roof are up-- and the roof itself was taking great shape on this day as well. Along with the Clubhouse, other work is happening-- private residences, part of the Homes at Old Marsh Country Club, continue to progress as well. And as for snow... not a flake in site. Spring is here and golf is coming!

03-29-08 RAISING A CLUBHOUSE

First the golf course was completed... then houses started going up... and now, the Old Marsh Clubhouse is on its way to becoming a reality! Foundations were poured in late February/Early March, and last week, walls began to go up. You can now clearly see the shape of the building as it will be-- the Pro Shop connected to the main Clubhouse area by a breezeway between the two. The Clubhouse will come together quickly now-- materials for the roof are stacked up and ready to go up this week. Have a look at the pictures above and take a video tour through what's there right now!

03-10-08 CLUB HOUSE CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY

Maine still has more than its fair share of snow for March... but in Wells, it's a little less every day. Old Marsh Country Club is just waiting to wake up-- and nothing makes that more evident than the fact that the Clubhouse construction has begun! Foundation work is underway and before long we'll be seeing walls, a roof and more. The heart of a golf club is its Clubhouse. This one is going to be exceptional! Watch the Blog for pictures and updates, coming soon!

In other course news, we have hired our Head Professional-- please welcome Mark Robinson, recently of Wentworth By the Sea. We have actually known Mark for a long time and couldn't be happier to see him at the helm of Old Marsh's inaugural year. Welcome, Mark!

10-24-07 CONSTRUCTION... IS... DONE!

On October 9th, an amazing thing happened at Old Marsh Country Club: the heavy equipment being used to build the holes on the golf course left the property. Nine months and one week after ground was broken on the site, the construction phase of the golf course project has been completed! With the completion of Holes 2 and 3, there is now grass growing on all 18 fairways. Of course on the back 9, it’s more than growing—we’ve been mowing it for weeks, even months on some holes. At this writing, the last fairway to be seeded--#2—is even greener than the pictures above show it to be. Next on the agenda for Old Marsh Country Club: construction of the Clubhouse. We’re looking at a grand opening of next summer… and it’ll be here before any of us realize it!

9-28-07 WRAPPING UP THE FINAL HOLES

We stopped by Old Marsh early one evening this week for a look at progress. The changing foliage was the only indication it was fall, as the thermometer read in the high 80's even at 6pm. We hardly noticed the weather, though... because it was so exciting to see the latest progress. On this visit, we stayed on holes 2 and 3 because a.) we haven't spent much time there on this Blog and b.) this is where the action is! A walk down the 2nd fairway from the tees leads you to the green and it's purely Scottish "punchbowl"-- a very old-school feature. Hole 2 is racing to catch up with hole 3. By the time we actually post this Blog entry, the Third Hole at Old Marsh will probably be completed. The bunker complexes are gorgeous, and half the fairway has been hydroseeded with the other half merely awaiting the same treatment. Beneath the blue sky, golden sun and emerging foliage colors, it was a terrific walk along the final two holes to be completed at Old Marsh Country Club.

9-17-07 "A LOT OF GOLF GOING ON"

Once again, we took a long tour of the golf course from end to end-- viewing progress on nearly every hole of the course. And as it all comes together, you start to see with your own eyes that there is a lot of golf going on here. Long, sinewy strip bunkers that edge certain fairways... vibrant, beautiful ponds everywhere you look... wide, gracious fairways... deceptively approachable putting surfaces that demand the best of a golfer who has made it to the green. And everywhere, a harmony of architecture and natural setting that you simply don't find at many facilities. And if the progress on the golf course wasn't enough-- the first foundations are being laid for the Homes at Old Marsh Country Club! As you can tell... we had a very good day.

8-27-07 IT WON'T BE LONG NOW...

In previous Blog entries, we would often stay in the area of 2 or 3 holes, looking at different aspects of each one. Now... each visit is a fast-paced tour to try and see as many holes as possible. It is amazing to see how much of the course is green or well on its way. Today we started our tour on the 1st and 9th holes, both being shaped and worked on. From there we drove over to the 16th hole... and then got on foot for a loop around 12, 13, 14 15 and back to the car. Then it was across the site to the 4th, 5th and 6th before calling it an afternoon. The end of the construction phase is actually in sight!

8-13-07 AFTERNOON AT OLD MARSH

Today we brought some guests through a picture-perfect, blue-sky tour of the 18th, 4th and 5th holes at Old Marsh. It's only been a week since we last checked in here on the Blog, but progress is (as always) significant. Hydroseeding is underway on the 5th hole (see picture above), crews are hard at work on the 4th green (also pictured) and work is at various stages on every other hole of the Front Nine. And wow... the 18th Hole is just crying out for golfers!

8-6-07 A WALK WITH THE ARCHITECT

According to a thermometer, the temperature at Old Marsh Country Club in the middle of the site was just over 100 degrees--but that didn't stop architect Brian Silva from walking through eight different holes on the Back and Front Nines, conferring with the shapers and making adjustments to work in progress. All of us tried gamely to keep up with Brian, whose always-energetic pace and style were not diminished by the heat. Today we spent time on the 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th... and then traveled across to the Front Nine, where we viewed progress on the 5th and 6th. A hot but satisfying tour at Old Marsh!

8-3-07 EXCEPTIONAL LIVING!

"The Homes at Old Marsh Country Club" will be an exclusive 18 Hole golf course community in beautiful Wells, Maine. The development will feature single and townhome style condominiums and single-level golf villas. Just minutes from the ocean, this is what "exceptional living" is all about!

7-26 ROLLING ON THE FRONT NINE

We've been so excited about grass growing on the 10th, 11th, 17th and 18th holes that we've hardly been talking at all about other, equally exciting happenings around Old Marsh Country Club. Such as... major work being done on the FRONT Nine of Maine's most exciting golf course construction project! Our tour on this day took us first through the back nine. Beyond those previously mentioned holes that are green or on their way to green, we saw the 12th Hole covered front to back in rich topsoil (harvested from the site!) and extremely impressive work on the 12th green. After a quick stop at the maintenance barn to grab a rugged all-terrain cart, we looked at tee boxes on the 3rd Hole, the pond and green on the 4th and then tried to stay out of the way of the heavy equipment working all over the 5th and 6th. We're looking to keep the weather dry and get construction on the Front Nine completed!

7-13-07 THE QUIET SOUND OF PROGRESS

Five months ago, progress on the Back Nine could be seen and heard by the incredible amount of construction activity going on everywhere you looked-- bulldozers, excavators, backhoes, stump-grinders, harvesters and rock trucks. Now, progress is evident by how quiet many of the holes are. On holes 10, 11, 17 and 18, for instance, the sounds you're most likely to hear at this time are: sprinklers, birds, water lapping on the shore of a pond, raking and the occasional mower. The shapers and their equipment are still working their artistry in many places on the Back Nine, but today's tour (of every hole on the back nine except 13 and 14) looked and felt less like a construction site and more like a golf course.

6-16-07 THE GREEN IS NOW GREEN

              

Since breaking ground in the cold of January (a mere 6 months ago!), we have all been waiting for this moment: we have grass on a golf hole! The 18th is growing beautifully. We strolled the paved cart path along the fairway under a blue June sky, water arching across the fairway from the powerful irrigation system... and from the tee boxes to the pond-side green, this is one special golf hole. The 17th Hole has been hydroseeded and will look like 18 within days. 10 and 11 are next in line, and the rest of the back nine will fall into place rapidly after this.  And as the back nine is ever-closer to play, the front nine is coming together just as rapidly. The maintenance barn is up, the entrance road is paved and our powerful pumping station is feeding an irrigation system that becomes more complete every day. Before our very eyes, Old Marsh is coming to life!

5-25-07 ENTER... OLD MARSH COUNTRY CLUB

We received architectural renderings of the Old Marsh Country Club entryway just yesterday... here are a few of the drawings for you to look through yourself! The columns between which you'll drive to enter will be lit with lanterns inside... a welcoming light to guide you home at night to Old Marsh. The stonework will be done by local masons, and we hope to begin work on this important part of construction soon. Paving begins this week on the road leading into the Club. Welcome to Old Marsh!

5-4-07 EVERY DAY, A LITTLE CLOSER TO GREEN

With crazy, early-spring nor'easters firmly behind us, the sun has been shining and every day brings new and impressive progress down here at Old Marsh. Our tour today showed drainage being laid down on the eighteenth green (essentially one of the last steps before greens mix and seeding!), shaping of greens and bunkers on the front nine... and everywhere you look, ponds. We have decided to create a new pond just off the 17th green. With this new body of water added to the final total, Old Marsh will boast eleven ponds! And every one of them is beautiful. Standing on the edge of the pond on 10, you can see ducks and geese already making themselves comfortable.

4-14-07 SPRING AT OLD MARSH

Spring Nor'easters be damned, there is progress at Old Marsh Country Club. Our tour today took us through the only part of the course we hadn't been yet for this blog... holes 5,6 and 7. This is a particularly pretty corner of the property, and this was a beautiful day to walk each of the holes. Hole #5 is especially interesting for the natural earthen wall that borders the edge of the green as well as for the natural pond that sits on the other side of that "wall". Other high points of the day were the first stages of paving on the main road, the poured foundation for the Maintenance Barn and a chance to see the pond on the third hole, now completely filled. Perhaps most beautiful, though, was our walk through the woods along a section of the Webhannet river that runs between the third and forth holes. A gorgeous spring day on a golf course that is coming to life everywhere you look.

3-30-07 THE POND ON 3... COMPLETE

This blog is hard to keep up with. As soon as you put up a picture of construction starting on some part of the project... that part is done! Here is the pond on the third hole, featured in our previous week's blog as "under construction". What a difference a few days makes!

3-24-07 THE PONDS OF OLD MARSH

This week's construction update focuses mostly on the work either completed or in process on the various ponds around Old Marsh. Some of these will be as deep as 30 or 40 feet... some no more than 8. We plan to stock several of them with fish, and know that each will support an abundant community of aquatic wildlife. Digging these ponds early on serves a dual purpose-- not only will they be scenic elements of the golf course, but directing the site's naturally existing water into specific places is going to allow us to maintain dry golf holes and homes. There is now a beautiful panorama from the pond on 10 to the pond on 18... and the pond on #3 is well on the way to full. Excavation and removal of fill is underway on the pond between #2 and #3. In addition to the pond work, we are clearing and even shaping holes like crazy on the front nine-- on the day these pictures were taken, work was going on at #2, #3, #5, #7, #8 and #9. Additionally, clearing has begun on the future site of the Clubhouse!

3-20-07 TOUR THE FUTURE GREENS

Architect Brian Silva recently presented us with his latest sketches for 17 of the 18 greens complexes at Old Marsh. Here's your chance to review the greens before seeds are even planted! Each of these sketches shows contours by illustration or height at a certain part of the hole. Enjoy your tour... soft spikes only on the virtual greens, please!

3-8-07 ON TO THE FRONT NINE

It was a frigid week in Maine, and despite sunshine and clear skies, temperatures around the state hovered in the single digits. At Old Marsh Country Club, that's what's known as "absolutely perfect." And even though we were far from the freezing mark (in the negative direction), the constant back-and-forth friction of excavators, rock trucks, bulldozers, skidders, dump trucks and one mighty stump grinder have kept things muddy enough to need boots as you walk the site. Shaping is taking place on the 12th hole and fairway. The pond between 12 and 15 is done and filling. Sandcapping us either underway or complete on the 12th, 13th, 14th and 18th. Bunkers are being shaped everywhere, and the tee boxes and green settings are easy to spot. Working against a particularly strong spring, the pond on 18 is being excavated. Most significantly, though, work in the last week has begun to shift over to the front nine. We are on schedule, ahead of schedule and WAY ahead of schedule.

3-1-07 SAND ON THE 13TH

A tour was given today to some friends from Gardiner Savings Institution. Jason Harris took the above pictures with his cellphone of the work so far on the 13th fairway-- now nearly capped with sand from end to end.

2-25-07 WORK CONTINUES-- TV TAKES NOTICE

February 23rd was yet another picture-perfect, blue sky winter day at Old Marsh Country Club. With heavy equipment rolling everywhere you turned, it was a great day to have our friends from WCSH 6 on-site! Maine's most-watched local news broadcast was doing a story on the unprecedented wintertime construction project going on here in Wells. Jennifer Rooks, the reporter doing the story, received a tour of the work site from Clayton Longfellow, Dick and Jeff Harris and Steve Doherty of DC Development (our partner in developing the Homes at Old Marsh). The Channel 6 crew was able to see first hand active work on the 9th fairway, the 12th and 15th holes, the 13th and 14th holes and excavation of the pond that will sit between 12 and 15. The story aired in the 6pm news on Channel 6 on Friday, February 23rd... but you can still watch it online at WCSH's site, www.wcsh6.com. Thanks for a great story and a great morning, Jennifer-- you can come back any time!

2-15-07 PONDS, PLAID AND PROGRESS

As you stand on the 16th hole at Old Marsh Country Club, it's hard to overstate the amazing work that is happening in Wells, Maine. We have just completed "sandcapping" 16-- this involves covering the entire hole from front to back and side to side with beautiful sand. A base like this allows for outstanding drainage, always-firm turf and fast playing surfaces. We have rough-shaped the fairways and bunkers... and we are here to tell you... it's a golf hole missing only the grass and the pin. Elsewhere, Pond #1 continues to fill up, Pond #2 has turned out to be deeper than expected and is also filling up, and we believe we may just be on our way next week to Pond #3 (between the 12th and 15th holes; see pictures in our previous blog entry). Don't tell the construction crew that it's the dead of winter-- they don't seem to know it. Shh!

2-09-07 ALL AROUND THE GOLF COURSE

Tucked into the back of Clayton Longfellow's extended cab truck (and sharing the bench with his aerdale terrier, Sunshine), we took a whirlwind tour from one end of Old Marsh to the other. Amazing progress-- at this time, Pond #1 is completed and work has begun on Pond #2 (video). Over on the second hole, a forestry harvester is clearing trees-- you have to see this one to believe it (video). Fill is being laid on the 13th fairway, waaaayyy across the course from the 2nd hole (video). It's a blur of heavy equipment on the area on and between holes 12 and 15 (video).Everywhere you look, tee boxes are shaped and mulched. The 10th hole actually looks like... well... like a 10th hole. Bunkers are shaped, mounding is in and the green is plain to see. On this day we also passed through the 1st, 8th, 16th, 11th, 12th, 15th, 13th, 17th and 18th. Every single one has work in progress.

1-29-07 A VIEW TO A CLUBHOUSE

What will it all look like when it's done? Here's a small peek at exactly what's to come at Old Marsh Country Club. Click on the picture above to see an artist's rendering of the Clubhouse, the amenities, the housing... and, of course, the golf that will soon grace Wells, Maine. For reference, #1 pond (featured in most of the previous Blog entries) can be seen in the center of the rendering.

1-26-07 BLUE SKY, WHITE SNOW, GREEN GRASS?

Winter has finally kicked in, but you couldn't tell that from the level of activity on site at Old Marsh. 5 rock trucks. Two excavators. Bulldozers. Skidders. Forestry mowers. And... a truck from Hydrograss Technologies?? It's true. Pond #1 on the 10th hole has filled in with water. Pond #2 is under construction. A pile of dirt and stumps in the center of the site has grown to nearly two stories high. Work on 16 is in full swing. Hydromulching is underway all over the site. 18 has been cleared even further than before, 17's tee boxes and green are coming together and on the 11th you can practically visualize the pin at the end of the fairway. Things are on schedule and AHEAD of schedule.

1-15-07 MOVING AND SHAPING!

Work was moving at a breakneck pace when we toured the site today. Excavation was considerably further along on the pond between 10 green and the Clubhouse, with drainage trenches dug around the pond's edges. You can really see the shape and size of this future body of water now. Even more exciting-- we are now shaping golf holes. 17 has been stumped and grubbed at this point, and the 17th green had its first round of shaping under the careful hand of Charles Finch and crew. Timber is being hauled out from 11 and 16, there is a constant rumble of trucks, backhoes, bulldozers and big mowers... you can't miss the fact that this is going to be a golf course sooner than later! Stay tuned to the Blog-- things are always changing!

1-4-07 HEAVY EQUIPMENT, LIGHT JACKETS

Under a brilliant blue sky with temperatures pushing 60 degrees, the heavy equipment was rolling today at Old Marsh Country Club. Stumping and grubbing is well underway on the 18th hole. We've flagged and begun to strip topsoil for the pond on 10. Earth, stumps and giant boulders are being carried by rock trucks from one place to another. As we continue to do forestry work all over the site, we are also installing sedimentation and erosion control. If the weather continues to work in our favor, work will continue at its unbelievable pace. Who would have thought we'd be building a Maine golf course in January?!?

12-20-06 A WALK WITH CLAYTON

Clayton Longfellow is the Head of Construction at Old Marsh Country Club. If you don't know Clayton's name, you surely know his work-- he was head of construction at Sunday River Golf Club and for the 2005 and 2006 seasons he did his magic as Head Superintendant at Boothbay Country Club. No one knows the site quite as well as Clayton (or his faithful Airedale, named Sunshine). Have a look at some of the pictures and then take a tour with Clayton himself by clicking on the links below. You must have your sound up and Quicktime loaded on your computer. Put on your walking shoes and enjoy!

11-29-06 HOLES TAKING SHAPE

We walked the site at Old Marsh today-- and despite the season, you can now actually visualize golf holes. Mowing (not what you do on your lawn-- this is FORESTRY mowing. Instead of trimming grass, you take down trees) has been going on for a few weeks now, clearing hole corridors and preparing for the next phase of stumping and grubbing. Our tour took us on foot through holes 18, 17, 11, 16 and 2. Watch our video of the forestry mower in action, clearing trees on hole 11!

Old Marsh Country Club to Be Built

After more than a decade of waiting, the Wells, Maine area will soon see construction begin on what will be one of the most unique courses in the state of Maine.

The 418-acre site, located off of Littlefield road (Route 9B) in Wells will incorporate an 18 Hole, championship golf course into the natural surroundings. This will be Maine's first Silva Signature, Upscale Semi-private course, created by renowned golf architect Brian Silva. Also to be built are 131 duplex and single-family homes.

Having just completed work in 2005 on the Sunday River Golf Club (to rave reviews), local developer Harris Golf, Inc. is excited at the prospect of building Old Marsh.

"This facility will serve not only the golfers of Maine but those in Southern New Hampshire and Boston, as well," says Dick Harris, patriarch of the Harris family and founder of Harris Golf. "It's going to be a beautiful Club."