Northeast
Northeast
White Mountains, New Hampshire
A 1915 Donald Ross course at 1,600 feet with Mount Washington filling the skyline, and green fees that top out near $104.
Overview
The White Mountains are New England's grand old mountain-resort country, and Bretton Woods is its centerpiece. The Omni Mount Washington Resort sits in a broad glacial valley at roughly 1,600 feet, a National Historic Landmark in Spanish Renaissance style with a red roof you can spot from miles down Route 302. This is a destination for golfers who care about heritage and scenery more than about collecting modern architects, and for groups who want a genuinely affordable trip that still feels like an occasion.
The golf is short and deep rather than broad. The Mount Washington Course, laid out by Donald Ross in 1915, runs 7,004 yards at par 72 with the Northeast's highest peak looming over essentially every shot you hit. Alongside it, the Mount Pleasant Course is a historic nine dating to 1895, one of the oldest resort courses in America and a genuine piece of golf archaeology at $30 to $50 a loop. Two courses is the whole menu, so plan on replaying the Ross rather than course-hopping, which is no hardship at these prices.
Practically, this is a compact and easy trip. Both courses, all the resort dining, and the best lodging sit on one property, so once you park the car you may not move it for days. The valley floor at 1,600 feet plus the surrounding 4,000 to 6,000-foot ridgelines means real mountain weather, cool mornings well into July, and a short season that runs mid-May to mid-October. Groups of four to eight fit perfectly, mixed-skill foursomes do fine, and non-golfers have the Cog Railway, Crawford Notch, and a hotel that rewards an afternoon of wandering.
Courses · 2
Mount Washington Course
Resort/Public · Championship
$54-$104
Best for: Anyone who wants a genuine Donald Ross original at a fraction of what that pedigree costs elsewhere. Generous landing areas make it playable for a mixed-skill group while the Ross green complexes keep the low handicaps honest.
Insider tip: At 1,600 feet you pick up roughly 3 percent of carry, about half a club on a long iron. The bigger effect is optical: the mountains behind the greens compress distance and most first-timers come up short all day. Trust the yardage book over your eyes, especially on the holes aimed at the Presidentials.
Mount Pleasant Course
Resort/Public · Approachable
$30-$50
Best for: The arrival-day warm-up, the late-afternoon extra nine, and any group with non-golfers or beginners you want to bring along without intimidating them.
Insider tip: At $30 to $50 this is one of the great golf bargains anywhere, and it is a legitimate artifact from 1895. Walk it, play it fast, and use it to calibrate before the Ross course. The modest 3 percent altitude bump matters less here than simply getting your eye used to reading distance against a mountain backdrop.
Lodging
Premium
Omni Mount Washington Resort
$300-$800A National Historic Landmark in Spanish Renaissance style, and one of the grandest resort hotels in America. Staying here gets you the best golf rates and tee-time access, plus the dining room, the spa, and a property that takes an afternoon just to walk. Rooms in the historic wing are smaller than modern hotel standard, which is part of the charm. Ask about stay-and-play packages for the best value.
Mid-Range
The Lodge at Bretton Woods
$150-$350The casual alternative on the same property, with shuttle access to the grand hotel and the same golf privileges. Rooms are larger and more conventional than the historic hotel, which suits groups who want space over grandeur. The obvious choice for a buddy trip that would rather spend the difference on dinners.
AMC Highland Center
$100-$200The Appalachian Mountain Club's base at Crawford Notch, rustic and unpretentious with shared and private room options. Meals are communal and the trailhead access is unbeatable. A good fit for a group that plans to hike as much as it plays, less so for anyone expecting resort service.
Budget
Town & Country Motor Inn (Shelburne)
$80-$150A straightforward motel about twenty minutes from the resort, and the cheapest real bed in the area. No frills and no golf privileges, but it keeps a four-day trip well under budget when you are already paying under $104 a round. Plan on driving to every meal.
Dining
The Main Dining Room
$$$$American / Continental
Grand resort dining under a vaulted ceiling with mountain views on three sides, in the room where the 1944 Bretton Woods conference delegates ate. This is the one big-night dinner of the trip. Reserve ahead and check the dress expectations, which run a step above golf casual.
Stickney's Restaurant
$$$American
Casual fine dining at the resort and the better everyday choice for a golf group. Comparable kitchen quality to the main room with none of the formality. Easy to get a table for six or eight on a weeknight.
The Cave
$$$Wine Bar
An underground wine and cocktail bar in the hotel that ran as a speakeasy during Prohibition. Small, dark, and excellent for a nightcap after dinner. Too tight for a large group to take over, so go in twos and threes.
Fabyan's Station
$$American / Pub
A historic train depot converted into a restaurant, just across from the resort. Burgers, beer, and no ceremony, which makes it the natural post-round lunch stop. The most relaxed room in Bretton Woods.
Pro Tips
- 1
The green fees are the story. Fifty-four to $104 for an original 1915 Donald Ross with Mount Washington behind the greens is one of the best values in American resort golf, so put the savings into the room and the dining room rather than hunting for a cheaper bed.
- 2
Ride the Cog Railway. The 1869 rack railway to Mount Washington's summit is 30 minutes from the resort and is the single best non-golf half-day in the region. Book ahead in summer, and bring a jacket regardless of the valley temperature.
- 3
The season is genuinely short, mid-May to mid-October. Late September is the sweet spot, with foliage across the Presidentials and firm turf, but it is also the most competitive week of the year for rooms. Reserve by early summer.
- 4
Arrive a few hours before your first tee time. The hotel is enormous and full of history, and rushing from the car to the first tee means missing half of what you came for. Walk the veranda, find the Gold Room, then go play.
- 5
Build in a Notch day. Crawford Notch is fifteen minutes south and Franconia Notch about forty, and pairing a morning round with an afternoon hike is how this trip earns its keep for the non-golfers in the group.
- 6
Use Mount Pleasant deliberately. At $30 to $50 for a historic nine from 1895, it is the perfect arrival-day warm-up and the cheapest way to add golf to a day without committing to a full round.
Sample Itineraries
weekend getaway
3 daysDay 1: Fly into Manchester, drive up through Franconia Notch, check in at the Omni Mount Washington Resort and walk the property, then play a relaxed afternoon nine at Mount Pleasant; dinner at Fabyan's Station. Day 2: Morning round on the Mount Washington Course, afternoon on the Cog Railway to the summit, then the big dinner in The Main Dining Room and a nightcap at The Cave. Day 3: Replay the Ross course early while the dew is still on it, quick lunch at Stickney's, and drive back to Manchester. Two days of golf and one genuinely great non-golf outing is the right shape for a short trip here.
full trip
5 daysDay 1: Arrive from Boston or Manchester, settle into The Lodge at Bretton Woods, warm up with nine at Mount Pleasant and eat casually at Fabyan's Station. Day 2: Full round on the Mount Washington Course in the morning, afternoon hike in Crawford Notch for anyone with legs left, dinner at Stickney's. Day 3: Cog Railway to the summit in the morning, afternoon nine at Mount Pleasant or a spa slot at the resort, dinner in The Main Dining Room and drinks at The Cave. Day 4: Second lap on the Mount Washington Course now that you know where Ross put the trouble, afternoon at Franconia Notch for the Flume Gorge and the tramway, casual dinner back at Fabyan's Station. Day 5: Early nine at Mount Pleasant or fly fishing the Ammonoosuc, a last walk through the hotel, and drive out. Five days lets you play the Ross twice, which is the point of coming.
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