The quest to check out new courses took me to New Hampshire recently and I found some surprises.

The trip was also an opportunity to experience what is being offered as an upscale golf package.

We started by heading over to the Lakes Region to Holderness and the Manor on Golden Pond. The plan called for playing three courses in three days, Owl’s Nest, Laconia CC and Canterbury Woods. The Manor is actually on Squam Lake, but apparently, On Squam Lake would not have made much of a movie title.

The Manor has introduced a Stay & Play golf package for the 2004 season and it’s not the kind four guys would go for. But a couple would find this a great golf getaway. This 27 room luxury inn is a place to be pampered with a fine dining room and an ambience that speaks of a different era. A two night package, for example includes breakfast and afternoon tea daily, one multi-course dinner for two, two rounds of golf at a choice of local courses with cart and a 55 minute massage per person. If you have someone special to take golfing, the Manor would be a great place to start.

And the golf doesn’t take a back seat either. Our first golf was at Owl’s Nest, the highly rated layout in Campton, not far from Waterville Valley.

Located just off I-93 the course opened in 1999 and has risen near the top of New Hampshire golf in a short time. It was ranked 17 in the New England Journal of Golf’s Top 100 public courses in the six states.

With five sets of tees Owl’s Nest is a true championship challenge from the back tees where it stretches to 6818 yards. The most forward are 5174 and we played it from the middle whites at 6110 with a rating of 69.1/124.

The opening hole can give a false sense of ease playing just 370 yards with little trouble, but that changes quickly. No. 2 has a big drop as the front nine layout is well below the club house along the valley floor. Dog legs and water keep this nine from being easy and No. 7 qualifies as tough par three playing 213 from the tips. We played it at 174 and the drive requires and extra club. The par five ninth at 483 yards is made tough by an uphill tee shot that starts the climb to the clubhouse.

Although the front nine is a fine test, the back nine is where the character of Owl’s Nest comes out as mountain golf. Ten and eleven are downhill and uphill but nothing compared to the rest. No. 12 starts the climb and a series of uphill holes and traverses bring golfers to the highest point where No. 16 heads back down the mountain side.

We found this side to be one of the most scenic anywhere with sweeping views.

There are no weak holes on this course, and it was easy to see why Owl’s Nest is so highly rated.

Day two was a contrast when we traveled to Laconia CC. This 1922 layout is anything but an old course having gone through a complete renovation. Director of Golf Dan Wilkins told us when they rebuilt greens 11 and 17, the members said why not the whole course. Somehow they kept 18 holes open during the changeover, but $2.5 million later they opened the new layout in August of 2002.

Relatively flat, the course ranges from 6813 (72.6/1370 from the tips, 6348 from the blues, 5660 from the whites and 4875 from the reds.

Because of the old routing the trees are mature and separate the holes well. Seven ponds on the property come into play on a dozen holes, but most of the water will catch only wayward shots and there are only a few shots directly over water.

Multi-level greens, some very large add to the challenge.

This was a very enjoyable golf course, playing much better than expected for such new construction.

Day three found us on a totally brand new golf course. Canterbury Woods in that town about ten miles north of Concord is only a mile and half off I-93. The course has an interesting story in that the owner was not a golfer when he decided to build it.

George Glines operates Sloping Acres Farm which has been in the family for several generations. He told us, “The land wasn’t any good for farming, but it was ideal for a golf course.”

What he meant was it was too hilly for farming and that’s a key feature of Canterbury Woods. The clubhouse is situated high on a hill top with a deck overlooking what will be incredible foliage views in a few weeks.

Multiple tees range from 6644 yards down to 4482 with four sets on each hole. Some holes have severe drops while others use some steep climbs.

Designer Ross Forbes managed to keep the climbs from adding too much to the difficulty, by having some short holes going up and some long holes going down. The layout sprawls over 260 acres with the front nine in an inner circle and the back circling the perimeter.

We played from the white tees (6134 yards, 69.2/130) and it was plenty of challenge. Add 500 yards from the tips and with these elevation changes this could be a monster. As this course matures it will be among New Hampshire’s top layouts.

This three day tour was well worth the trip. We discovered three fine golf courses in central New Hampshire within two hours of home.

There was sufficient variety to keep any level golfer happy and all were close enough together to make them easy day trips from Holderness. Laconia would also be a central location. The trip also reconfirmed our belief that Northern New England has an incredible variety of fine golf. I can’t wait to explore some more, here in Maine and elsewhere. For information on these courses you can start with the Manor web site, www.manorongoldenpond.com

Dave Irons is a freelance writer who lives in Westbrook.