The annual Fenn-Ross Golf Tournament to be played Tuesday at Poland Spring is one of many held during the short, but very active, season in Maine.

Bill Kennedy, Golf Columnist

What makes this event special is the history of this tournament along with that of the Poland Spring Golf Course and Resort. Plus, its proceeds go to the Poland Spring Preservation Society, which keeps the long and proud story of the Poland Spring complex alive and well.

Even before the golf course opened in 1895, history was being made on the Poland Spring grounds.

The initial attraction was the water, which area residents got to use, going all the way back to 1845. In 1859, owner Hiram Ricker decided to go into the water business. The bottling plant was built in 1905. It is safe to say that the sale of “agua” was not a bad idea, because Poland Spring water can be purchased everywhere in the United States, and in many foreign countries.

Descendants (great-grandchildren) of Hiram Ricker will be playing golf Tuesday, which is just one reason that it will be a special event. Another reason is the tournament name. Arthur Fenn and Donald Ross are the architects of Poland Spring. Fenn, a championship golfer, designed the nine-hole course which opened in 1896, and Ross redesigned the property as an 18-hole track in 1915. Ross became one of the world’s most famous golf course architects.

If you need more Poland Spring golf history, then consider this. Among the numerous celebrities who played there in the early part of the 20th century were Walter Hagen, Bobby Jones, Jim Gallagher and Harry Vardon, all famous golf champions. U.S. presidents — William Howard Taft, Calvin Coolidge and Warren Harding — also were on the links at Poland Spring. Add to that, the greatest baseball player in major league history, Babe Ruth, golfed at Poland Spring.

Poland Spring is not just a golf course. It ranks among Maine’s most popular resorts, which is just one reason that it is on the National Register of Historic Sites.

Alex Robert lines up his shot on the 16th hole at the Maine Amateur qualifier at the Poland Spring Golf Course in Poland on June 16, 2020. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

In addition to the bottling plant, on the property is a large hotel with a sizeable banquet room. There is a motel and other buildings in which visitors can stay. Then there are the Maine State building, museum and the All Souls Chapel. This is not to mention the views from the property of Lower Range Pond and at a distance the peaks of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. All of this makes Poland Spring a unique venue and resort.

Cyndi Robbins is the proud owner. She and her late husband, Mel Robbins, purchased Poland Spring in 1972. They continued and improved upon the proud tradition of Poland Spring as a landmark resort.

During the Fenn-Ross Tournament, golfers will hit off the first hole out of a sand tee box. At the turn of the 20th century, golfers would put their ball on a pile of sand to tee off. On another hole, players will tee off using hickory-shafted drivers. That is how clubs were made in the early 1900s. On the tee box of every hole is a sign which points out something historically significant about Poland Spring.

It would be an understatement to say that Tuesday, June 4, will be a historic day in Maine golf history.

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After four years of not being held, it’s back. That’s the Charlie’s Maine Open, which will take place June 24-26 at the Augusta Country Club.

The three-round event is open to out-of-state professionals, Maine resident pros, Maine resident amateurs and Maine resident juniors. Entry information is available at Mainegolf.org with a June 10 entry deadline. Charlie’s Motor Mall is the sponsor.

It was a few years ago, quite a few in fact, that the Maine Open was founded — in 1917.

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The upcoming Maine Golf playdays are: Men, June 4 at Spring Meadows, and June 8-9 at Fogg Brook, with the women scheduled June 4 at Valhalla and Natanis.

Bill Kennedy, a retired New Jersey golf writer and editor now residing on Thompson Lake in Otisfield, is in his 12th season as Sun Journal golf columnist.