Belgrade Lakes Golf Course in Maine

Sandwiched improbably between a lake they call Great Pond and another they call Long Pond in the west of Maine, Belgrade Lakes was built in 2000 by British golf architect Clive Clark, his first American design. In eight years it has quickly earned the reputation as one of the most coveted rounds of golf in Maine.

What's notable about the golf course is what it doesn't have: There's no clubhouse. No bar. No driving range. No twilight rate (and not really any off-peak rates in general to speak of). There's no hotel, no condos, no gated communities.

Belgrade Lakes is about one thing: Golf - 18 holes of it.

Belgrade Lakes is not that long: It plays to 6,723 yards and a 135 slope rating from the tips. The yellow tees, a better bet for most golfers, drops down to 6,249 yards and a 131 slope rating.

The golf course is in excellent condition, and there's nothing so penal - deep rough, dense forest - on most holes that you can't recover from. Holes are well laid out, with a lot of natural mounding. Boulders do more work than bunkers. There are plenty of holes to score on.

It's also a remarkably un-crowded golf course, thanks to tee times at standard 15-minute intervals.