Bangor Municipal Golf Course celebrates 60 years of play

When Peter Baldacci was 10 years old, his father Bob used to drop him and brothers John and Rob off at the Bangor Municipal Golf Course on his way to work.

“For us, it was a great playground. We used to play there all day. We’d play 18 holes,” Baldacci said.

That was 60 years ago and it’s still a great playground for Baldacci and thousands of others.

Bangor Municipal Golf Course celebrates its 60th year this season. Designed by renowned golf course architect Geoffrey Cornish, the original nine-hole course had its first ball driven on July 9, 1964.

Just over two months later, on Sept. 19, nine more holes were ready for play which made it an 18-hole course.

Another nine-hole layout was opened in 1989. It was named the Kelly Nine after long-time Bangor Muni professional Austin Kelly, who was the course’s first pro.

The 27-hole complex is owned and operated by the City of Bangor. Its popularity with golfers has resulted in it being financially self-sufficient, with greens fees and other revenue more than covering the costs of operation. The facility has averaged $123,000 in profits over the last eight fiscal years, according to the City of Bangor proposed budget for fiscal year 2024-25. Its operating budget for the current fiscal year is $895,142.

The 18-hole course is 6,345 yards long and is a par 71, while the tighter Kelly Nine is 3,155 yards and is a par 36. Thirty-two thousand rounds of golf were played there last year according to Bangor Muni head pro Rob Jarvis. And it was a wet spring, he noted.

Jarvis points to the addition of the Kelly nine as a pivotal point in Bangor Municipal’s history.

“That was a game-changer. I don’t know what we’d do without it. A lot of golfers wouldn’t have been able to play the championship (18-hole) course if we didn’t have the Kelly Nine,” said Jarvis, adding that it enables golfers to pay a nine-hole greens fee instead of an 18-hole fee.

Brian Enman, who would eventually serve as the golf pro at Bangor Muni, used to watch the original 18 holes being built because he grew up right next to the course on Crestmont Road. When the course was finished, he would develop his game, often playing with the Baldaccis and Julie Green.

“I used to sneak out and play a few holes with my grandfather’s old wooden-shafted clubs and his old golf bag. I would grab quite a few range balls and go out and use them,” Enman said.

Enman began working at the golf course as a 12-year-old in 1965, picking up golf balls on the range and cleaning members’ golf clubs.

He became the assistant pro at Bangor Muni in 1973. He left for three and a half years to serve as the golf pro at Northport Golf Club and Dexter Municipal Golf Club and then returned to Muni.

He eventually became the head golf pro at Bangor Municipal and served in that capacity for 21 years before retiring in 2015.

He still works at the course for Jarvis, his former assistant pro.

“When I started working there in ‘65, it was hard and fast,” Enman said. “There was no irrigation as far as the fairways were concerned. The tees and greens were irrigated. So you could hit the ball a long way because the ball rolled a lot on the hard clay.”

Enman said the course has evolved over time.

“It’s like night and day. The golf course has gotten a lot better and a lot more people are playing now. You have automatic irrigation along with new sand, a new maintenance building. You name it.

“It’s a whole different atmosphere now,” Enman added.

It didn’t take long for Bangor Municipal Golf Course to host local and professional tournaments.

The year after the original 18 holes opened, the Bangor Daily News sponsored the first Paul Bunyan Amateur golf tournament which was a 54-hole event involving three courses: Bangor Muni, Pinewood (now Lucerne) and the Penobscot Valley Country Club in Orono

There were 119 golfers entered in the first tourney.

The tournament ran for over 50 years but went through a number of changes with several other courses being involved including the Rockland Golf Club and the Bar Harbor Golf Course in Trenton. It eventually became a 36-hole tournament.

Bangor Muni was involved in it until 2006.

In 1967, the Muni held its first Greater Bangor Open professional golf tournament.

The GBO would go on to have a 52-year run and the list of entrants included 1971 winner Lanny Wadkins, who went on to win 21 PGA Tour events and captain the U.S. Ryder Cup team; six-time PGA Tour winner Keegan Bradley and Sean O’Hair, who has won four PGA events.

Current Bangor Muni golf pro Jarvis began working at the course in 1994 at the age of 17. One of his greatest memories was his first exposure to the GBO.

“I didn’t play golf when I started working there. I was a basketball player. I had no idea there was a professional golf tournament in my hometown or there were golf professionals (working at each course),” said Jarvis. “It was quite eye-opening for me, for sure. It was grandiose.”

Enman has fond memories of the GBO.

“We saw a lot of good players come through. And a lot of the same guys would come up every year. It was always great to see them,” said Enman. “Most of them were really good guys.”

He remembers Wadkins’ win.

“It was fun to watch him play. He shot a 74-64-63 and won in a playoff. He hit some incredible shots,” said Enman.

Unfortunately, Jarvis had to pull the plug on the GBO after the 2018 tourney had only 67 entrants, the lowest number in recent memory, and sponsorship money dried up.

“It became so expensive for guys to travel,” said Jarvis. “In its heyday, two or three guys could stay in the Holiday Inn for 35 bucks a night.”

Then the COVID-19 pandemic eradicated a lot of tournaments and they were never replaced, he said.

Several years ago, Jarvis teamed up with Kebo Valley Club pro Pieter DeVos to create a 36-hole tournament that has become very popular: the Downeast Metro Amateur. The tournament involves golfers playing both courses over two days and it will celebrate its 10th anniversary on June 8 and 9.

“We’ve had great turnouts. People love it and that’s all that matters,” said Jarvis.

Jarvis noted that the golf world has undergone a number of changes.

A lot of people took up golf during the ‘Tiger Boom’ ’stage in the late 1990s when Tiger Woods was the shining star on the PGA Tour, he said. Then there was a big resurgence during the COVID-19 pandemic “because people needed to get outdoors (in a safe environment).”

And golf is still thriving.

“Now we have people who want to get outside and play golf with their friends. They took up the game and have stuck with it. You can see it in our instructional programs. More people than ever before are taking golf lessons and asking questions about it,” said Jarvis. “And we have a lot of activities.”

The Muni’s membership quota of 400 (including family memberships) is full for this year.

“What I like about the future is the amount of young people playing. The average age is 25 and they have a great time playing matches with their buddies. There’s also a social aspect and I really like that aspect, too,” said Jarvis.

Bangor Muni has undergone several changes, technologically and physically.

“I remember how excited we were when we got our first fax machine,” quipped Jarvis. “Now they can book tee times online.”

Hundreds of trees were removed from the course just over a year ago to appease the Federal Aviation Administration because the trees were taller than the safety parameters for planes landing on the Bangor International Airport runway.

That affected four holes on the back nine.

“It was a shock to people to see all those trees gone but it hasn’t changed the golf course much at all,” said Enman. “Maybe it’s a little windier because the trees aren’t blocking as much of the wind.

“Everyone thought it was going to be easier and it’s not,” Enman added.

Jarvis said future plans for the course include adding bunkers, resurfacing some tee boxes and improving drainage in a lot of areas.

Changes are unlikely to affect the devotion golfers have for Bangor Muni.

Brian Bickford, the executive director of the Maine State Golf Association and the golf coach at the University of Southern Maine, said Bangor Municipal Golf Course “sets the standard” for what a public golf course should be.

“I love the Muni. They have big greens and it’s very walkable. It’s always in nice shape and they are very welcoming. And I love their putting green and driving range,” Bickford added. “So many good players have come out of there and they’ve had so many good events.

“They have developed such a rich history in just 60 years,” said Bickford, who has played several tournaments at Muni. “They do it right.”

Baldacci said there is a nice ambience on the course.

“It’s not a country club atmosphere. It’s a regular working-person atmosphere,” said Baldacci.

Bickford said “having 27 holes makes it really unique. And they have had only three golf pros over 60 years which is amazing.”

MIke Dugas, who owns J.W. Parks Golf Course in Pittsfield and is the golf pro there, said “the Bangor Municipal Golf Course has made a lot of memories over the years.

“I don’t know many amateur golfers in Maine who haven’t been to the Bangor Muni to play in an event,” said the former Husson University of Bangor golf coach, who has played in several tournaments at the Muni and also caddied for his dad, Bob Dugas.

Baldacci still plays the 18-hole and nine-hole layouts.

“The course has matured,” said Baldacci. “All those tiny trees they planted 60 years ago have grown to full height. It has been great to see it get better and better.

“We’re very lucky to have it. It’s a treasure for the city,” he said.

BDN interim Sports Editor Mike Dowd contributed to this report.