AUBURN – Already one of the top public courses in New England, and the host site of the Maine Open, Fox Ridge Golf Club could easily have spent 2007 sitting back and reaping the rewards of a job well done.

The staff spent six years making the course into a gem.

Er, make that seven.

In an effort to provide an ever-changing layout for golfers – and, the staff would argue, a better layout – the crew was again hard at work this year, adding bunkers and chopping down grass to make the risks and rewards on each hole a bit more compelling.

Perhaps the most compelling change greets golfers on the first hole of the back nine. The 10th hole was already tough – playing 403 yards from the back tees with a forced carry for the second shot over a hazard.

But some members found that great drives were far too often ending up in the hazard. Same thing went for second shots missing the green to the left. The swales would send errant shots bounding into the woods.

The solution?

Sand traps. A long, thin trap now greets golfers at the end of the top half of the fairway, cutting 10 yards of playability off of the tee. To the left of the green, two more traps will catch anything left of the front half green. While the traps are likely not going to be fun to hit from, they will be much better than the alternative.

Speaking of sand, the left side of the 11th hole, which to this point had been wider than a highway with no risk, got a whole lot tougher this spring when the club added a long, curving trap in the left rough. Golfers can no longer bang away and expect a favorable hop from the backside of the swale into the fairway.

Adding a trap on the eighth hole also made missing the green there a much more perilous venture.

The rest of the course plays like it always has: Tough but fair. The four tee levels assure each golfer a chance to play to their ability, and the signature hole – the fifth with its island green – continues to play with the mind.

Contact information:

Fox Ridge Golf Club

550 Penley Corner Rd.

Auburn, ME 04210

Phone: 207-777-GOLF (4653)

www.foxridgegolfclub.com

Director of Golf: Bob Darling Jr.

Course Superintendent: Eddie Michaud

Architect: Carol L. Myshrall

Consulting architect: Geoffrey Cornish

If you go

From I-95: Left at lights onto Washington St. then 2nd right onto Danville Corner Rd. (go past Sleepytime Motel & Channel 8). Proceed 1 mile to intersection, take left onto Old Danville Rd. Continue 1 mile and take 1st right onto Harmon’s Corner Rd and proceed 1 mile to Fox Ridge Golf Club. For complete directions from other locations, log on to www.foxridgegolfclub.com/directions today.

Basic rules: Collared shirts required; No jeans.

Tip from a pro: Use your practice areas!

From Fox Ridge Pro Bobby Darling: I stress to them, that while we have a putting green you almost have to trip ovcer to get to the first tee, and most golf courses are like that, I don’t see a lot of people stopping to hit a few putts and hit a couple of chips. To not get an idea of the green speed and/or the rough area around the greens, to me is a big mistake for most people. You need to plop a few balls down there and see what kind of conditions you’re going to face on the golf course.