Hardest Public Golf Courses in Maine
The hardest public golf course in Maine is Sugarloaf Golf Club in Carrabassett Valley, with a slope of 150 and a course rating of 75.2 from the BLACK tees (6,958 yards). It is a resort course that is open to public play. Some resorts hold the best tee times for hotel guests, so call ahead. Next are Sunday River Golf Club (slope 147) and Sunset Ridge Golf Links (slope 138).
4 hardest public courses in Maine, by slope
Every course here has had its public access checked against a named source.
| Rank | Course | City | Access | Slope | Course rating | Tee | Yards | Access checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sugarloaf Golf Club | Carrabassett Valley | Resort | 150 | 75.2 | BLACK | 6,958 | Nov 2026 source |
| 2 | Sunday River Golf Club | Newry | Resort | 147 | 74.9 | Black | 7,006 | Nov 2026 source |
| 3 | Sunset Ridge Golf Links | Westbrook | Public | 138 | 70.2 | BLUE | 6,148 | Nov 2026 source |
| 4 | Belgrade Lakes Golf Club | Belgrade | Public | 137 | 72.5 | BLACK | 6,614 | Nov 2026 source |
How this list is built
Each course is ranked by the highest slope rating from its men's tees. Women's ratings are used only where a course publishes no men's rating. Only regulation 18-hole courses are included; nine-hole courses are left out.
Only courses whose public access Stymie has checked against the club's own site or another named source are listed, and private clubs are left out. That is why this list differs from the hardest golf courses in Maine, which ranks every rated course.
Courses are checked in order from the highest slope down, and the list stops at the first course whose public access has not been checked yet, so nothing here skips over an unchecked course. Courses that were checked and could not be confirmed as open to the public are left out. 97 golf courses in Maine have a slope rating on file, and Stymie has checked access for 9 of them so far.
Resort courses may require a stay or hold tee times for guests. Call ahead before you plan a round.
Maine public course FAQ
What is the hardest public golf course in Maine?
Of the Maine courses Stymie has checked for public access, Sugarloaf Golf Club in Carrabassett Valley has the highest slope rating: 150 from the BLACK tees, with a course rating of 75.2. Sunday River Golf Club is next at 147. Courses are checked from the highest slope down, so no unchecked course ranks above the ones listed.
Can anyone play Sugarloaf Golf Club?
Yes. Sugarloaf Golf Club is a resort course that is open to public play. Some resorts hold the best tee times for hotel guests, so call ahead. Stymie checked its access in Nov 2026 against sugarloaf.com. Tee-time policies change, so confirm with the course before you go.
How is difficulty measured?
By slope rating, which measures how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer. It runs from 55 to 155, and 113 is standard difficulty. Each course is ranked by the highest slope from its men's tees, and only regulation 18-hole courses are included. Course rating, the score a scratch golfer is expected to shoot, is shown alongside.
More Maine golf
- Hardest golf courses in Maine, private clubs included
- Easiest public golf courses in Maine
- Every rated course in Maine
- All Maine golf courses