If ever a golf course qualified as a hidden gem, then Hale’s Location Golf Course in New Hampshire’s White Mountains is high on the list. The nine holes, nestled in what is called The Valley of the state’s east central region, averages about 7,000 rounds a year for a simple reason, says head pro Kim O’Neil: “We’re not known.”
It’s certain that Major Samuel Hale didn’t know about the course named after him, or even the sport. From Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Hale served in the Revolutionary War, but for close to four decades was a master of the Latin Grammar School in Portsmouth. He also represented the town in the Legislature and was for several years a judge in the Court of Common Pleas. In 1771 he was granted a tract of land near North Conway, a compact unincorporated area that doesn’t quite qualify as a town.
The township has a little over 200 homes, the newly renovated White Mountain Hotel & Resort, and the hidden gem of a public course, now ripe for play by leaf peepers. Both the course and hotel opened in 1990, the latter established by Gary Sullivan, who is still at the helm, though his youngest son, Trevor, is general manager in charge of daily operations, and his wife, Carol, is the director of business development.
The hotel recently unveiled the second phase of a nearly $5 million dollar renovation that began with all of its 80 rooms back at the start of the COVID shutdown. This year the owners showcased the re-do of its lobby, the Tullamore Tavern and the 120-seat Ledges Restaurant, while also introducing the new executive chef, Alex McKinnon.
It all looks to have been worth it. Both the rooms, suites, hallways and lobby double as a virtual art gallery. The lobby, in particular, has nature murals by Vermont artist Nikolas Kotovich that would make James Audubon proud. “This is a great spot to commune with nature,” Trevor says, “and the idea was to bring the outdoors indoors, all inspired by the White Mountain region. The list of outdoor activities here is limitless; if you can dream it up, you can do it.”
It starts with a year-round heated pool and hot tub on property, pickleball courts, the golf course, rock-climbing cliffs, hiking trails and all the camping and skiing possibilities in the abutting Echo Lake State Park and the White Mountain National Forest. The charms of the resort town of North Conway are just minutes away.
Unsurprisingly, with its spectacular views in every direction, the hotel is a frequent wedding location. And with the same views out on the golf course, the feeling is just as celebratory. The course is a quick stroll from the hotel’s front door, and both sit at the base of 800-foot-high Whitehorse Ledge, one of New England’s significant rock-climbing areas, along with the nearby 500-foot Cathedral Ledge.
It’s fairly common to see climbers and their lines working their way up Whitehorse Ledge — so named that in a certain light the granite slab walls resemble a white horse — or to be momentarily distracted from your putt by parasailers who have opted to take the aerial way down.
The course was designed by the late Al Zikorus, who did a few dozen courses almost exclusively in New England. If unlikely to land on anyone’s list of the top-tier architects, he had a can’t-miss palette to work with here, with the ready-made hills and mountainous backdrops that never quit, particularly on the closing holes looking right at the imposing ledges.
The course also has an ace in the hole with superintendent Evan Connors, who has been working the grounds over for five years. According to O’Neil, “He has this place jumping; the course is in the best shape it’s ever been in.”
Kim’s assistant, Fritz Carr, working toward his PGA Professional card, was quick to point out the various peaks in the Moat Mountain range looking backward from the fifth green, many of which qualify for the NH 48 — the 48 peaks that surpass 4,000 feet in elevation. Hike to the summit of them all and you can enroll yourself in the 4,000 Footer Club. The obsessed try to do it in one year. Carr’s mother did it in a more rational dozen.
Carr knows the hills well. He began playing golf at age 4, a year after he started skiing. Asked for a 20-second review of the course Carr did it in 15: “It’s not really a bomber’s course, more target golf; it’s pretty narrow. You want to keep it inside the fairways when you can. Most tees are elevated and most greens are raised. With your approaches, staying short is usually better than going long. The greens aren’t real fast but they run true.”
Many of the Hale’s Location homeowners, who automatically qualify as course members, drive their own carts over to the first hole. One, Kent Baughn, says what brought him to the area was, “Just the beauty. To live here is great, but the course is the real extra. What a backdrop. I never get bored seeing that every day. And the course has been so well-maintained — it’s pristine, really. And we never have to fight to get tee times. My wife just started playing, too — she’s got the bug, but says it’s the hardest sport she’s ever played.”
Sure enough, in the midst of a short game clinic O’Neil was leading, Anne-Marie Baughn confirmed that she was a jock in her younger days — tennis, softball, field hockey. “But they all had a fairly small learning curve. Not this game. Of all the sports I’ve played, this is the most mental, with so many fractional pieces to it.”
Chipping next to Anne-Marie on the practice green was Maureen Blanchard, who had moved to Hale’s Location with her husband from Maine six years ago. How long had she been playing?
“Six years.” And how was her progress going?
“Slow,” she says. But with a smile.