Kebo Valley Club

Overview: Kebo Valley Club in Bar Harbor is a historic course beside Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island. Its coastal parkland character comes from the combination of open ground, woodland, mountain views and seasonal changes in wind and light. Herbert Leeds shaped the early golf at Kebo, while Donald Ross later advised on parts of the layout. The course is not defined by one period of architecture alone: its interest lies in the layers of work that produced an 18-hole course with a strong sense of place. The routing can look different from day to day as the surrounding weather changes the exposed holes and the views toward the Acadia landscape.

History: Kebo Valley Club was incorporated in 1888, but golf developed in stages. The first six holes date to 1891, the course reached nine holes in 1896, and the outer nine was added in 1920 to complete the 18-hole layout. Herbert Leeds played a central role in the early design, alongside later work by Waldron Bates and the Liscombs. Donald Ross advised on a reconstruction of the third hole in 1926. The 1920 date is used for the current 18-hole routing, while 1888 remains the club’s founding date.

Did You Know? In 1911, President William Howard Taft reportedly made a 27 on the hole now known as the 17th. The hole was then called the “Elbow,” and the old score became part of Kebo Valley’s course folklore.