Sugarloaf Golf Club in Western Maine

Sugarloaf Golf Club is a demanding, Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed golf course that will challenge mid- to low-handicappers, and give high-handicappers fits.

Greens are extremely tricky on this golf course, with few giving flat lines to the hole. Most holes require precision off the tee and an ability to place the ball according to the terrain. Mistakes are punished, and scores can skyrocket in some of the course's thick rough.

But it's a stunningly beautiful golf course, both in its conditioning and mountain surroundings. And the layout equates to one of the quietest rounds of golf imaginable: Not one hole is in sight of another, so you truly feel like you're on a walk in the woods.

Golf Digest this year ranked Sugarloaf 45th in its list of the country's best public golf courses. Greens fees are an exceptional value: $43 on weekends, including carts.