Last week we devoted this space to the first half of a trip north, with golf in New Brunswick. The second half of the trip was back into Aroostook County to play a pair of courses, one of them with one of Maine’s newest authors.

The Aroostook Valley Country Club is unique in several ways. First forget the perception that the County is all flat potato fields. This course has all the ups and downs of a mountain layout with panoramic views of the surrounding farmlands and forests. Its history and location make it one a kind. Local farmers built the course in the 20s, and to thwart prohibition, chose a site in Fort Fairfield on the Canadian border.

Today, the pro shop is in Maine, with a divided parking lot. We park on one side while golfers from New Brunswick park on the other. The course and clubhouse are in Canada. The first benefit was breakfast. Two eggs, ham, home fries, toast and coffee was $6.00 cdn., about $4.50 U.S. All prices were Canadian, although both currencies are accepted at the current exchange rate.

This is one of few spots where you can cross the border without going through customs, but the parking lot is under camera surveillance and cars leaving the wrong way will be stopped within a mile of the club.

Our foursome included John Corrigan, an English teacher whose third Jack Austin mystery novel will be out this fall. I had interviewed John by phone following his first book about a PGA Tour pro who solves murder cases and looked forward to meeting him in person and seeing how his game stacked up with his hero. I can report that he is a good golfer, who if he didn’t spend so much time working and writing books, would probably lower his single-digit handicap.

The round starts out with a climb of 375 yards with OB left (into the states), getting near the high point of the layout. We played from the whites (5977/67.4/118). The back tees can stretch that to 6,304 yards and the forward reduce it to 5,393.

The next day we drove south to Mars Hill and played in the shadow of Big Rock, a ski area being rebuilt by the Libra Foundation, much as Black Mountain in Rumford is being upgraded. Like AVCC, this course has its ups and downs with the dramatic par-three sixth providing a great example. The tees have been carved into the wooded mountainside and the drop is at least two clubs.

Not overly long at 6,043 yards from the back, a combination of elevation changes, doglegs and strategic bunkers make Mars Hill CC a course well worth playing. Aroostook Valley is better known, but the pair make the Presque Isle area a good headquarters for a golf vacation. Add Edmunston an hour and a half north and the two courses in Fredericton two hours east and the County offers some good golf. Shawn Manter of the Northern Maine Development Commission told me they were working on golf and lodging packages to attract more golfers.

For information on both sides of the border check www.nmd.org and www.golfnb.com.

Our lone outing locally this past week as at Springbrook for a Maine Golf Hall of Fame fundraising scramble. Our team finished out of the money, but it was a great day. Rain was forecast but held off until the ride home and as always, Al Biondi put on a super feed for the awards. Gary Rees who will be inducted into the hall, Sept. 10, joined our foursome and it was good to see him out there. Maine’s most successful high school golf coach has been through a tough bout with cancer and the treatments have left him weak, but he is recovering and we expect he will be in much better shape by the celebration tournament.

Also on hand was Abby Spector who was presented with a framed document from Governor Baldacci proclaiming August 1 as Abby Spector Day. She looked great and expressed her appreciation for all the support she has had coming back from her near fatal complications from heart surgery.

Dave Irons is a freelance writer who lives in Westbrook.

Her game has been improving and even though she won’t be the heavy favorite she was before, plenty of fans will be rooting for her at Waterville CC this week for the Maine Amateur title.