Brian Bickford poses at Brunswick Golf Club on Oct. 15. Drew Bonifant/Press Herald

When Maine Golf took over Freeport Country Club in 2022, it said it hoped to boost youth and junior play in the state.

On Wednesday, Maine Golf revealed the latest phase of that plan, announcing a $2.5 million capital campaign to convert the course into a brand-new training and educational facility.

Maine Golf Executive Director Brian Bickford said that $1.3 million has already been raised – he’s planning for donations to cover the remaining portion – and that the new Maine Golf Center will include a new clubhouse, covered driving range with 20 bays and Toptracer technology, revamped layout with a short 9-hole course and additional par-3 holes, indoor simulators, and classrooms. Bickford said he’s expecting the project to break ground in the spring.

Bickford added he had the facility in mind when he took the position at Maine Golf (then the Maine State Golf Association) in 2019, and when Freeport went through its transition two years ago.

“From a state association perspective, we have thought that to really grow the game, it would be ideal to be able to have it at a facility that we actually managed,” said Bickford, the former head professional at Val Halla Golf Club in Cumberland. “You’re always nipping and tucking and borrowing and begging and stealing in order to make junior golf work. … But when you have your own facility to run junior golf programming, that is (ideal).

“This is launching tomorrow’s game. This meets our mission as an organization in a big, big way.”

A.J. Simokaitis, who coaches the Falmouth High team and is the director of the Maine Golf Center, said the project will continue what has been a rise in golf interest among young players. Maine saw its Youth on Course participation rise to more than 3,000 members, with 26 courses offering $3 to $5 rates for rounds.

“It’s huge. It’s been a long time coming for us,” he said. “There’s been a lot of behind-the-scenes work that’s gone on to get to this point where we can finally say ‘Hello world, this is our plan, this is what opportunities we have up here.’”

Maine Golf already had the Freeport facility, which it leases from L.L. Bean, but Bickford and Simokaitis said it was clear that upgrades were necessary to improve the driving range, upgrade the clubhouse and increase the center’s ability to draw players, and its opportunities to help them improve their game.

“You’ve got the golf entertainment aspect of it … (and) a space to provide classroom space, learning space, programming whether it’s the First Tee, whether it’s Youth on Course,” Simokaitis said. “We now have the ability to accommodate in a way more functional manner.”

One of the biggest improvements will be the driving range, which will be covered and feature technology that allows players to see data behind their shots, including distance, ball speed and launch angle.

“The setup sounds cool. … A Toptracer range, that’d be sick, I’d be there all the time if I could,” said Gardiner junior Jack Quinn, who won the Class B individual title earlier in the month. “Especially to go play nine, and then whatever didn’t go the way it should have, you can use the Toptracer to correct everything. That’s the best part about practicing, working on the things you’re not the best at.”

Quinn said he can see the new facility further increasing the sport’s popularity among kids.

“I think it’s awesome, especially in the Freeport area where a lot of juniors are,” he said. “(They’re) just expanding the game, as (far as) it being something fun to do.”

The sport’s rise in popularity has led to a crunch where high school teams have more kids wanting to play, but limited opportunities to offer them to get onto a course. This has led to more teams cutting players, and some teams having to split practice time for their players.

Bickford said the new facility, by offering kids more room to play or at least swing a club and hit balls, will help ease the issue.

“This is an opportunity to provide access to area schools that might have, say, a JV program that doesn’t have access,” he said. “This may be a way to provide schools access to allow their teams to continue to grow.”

Simokaitis said the new facility will offer more resources for current and future high school players to improve.

“Sometimes, kids get squeezed when you’re running greens fees and courses are as busy as they are,” he said. “To have a place where we can bring kids in at any level, any exposure to the game, and give them a place that’s theirs to access where you’re not worried about ‘Hey, can I get a tee time today?’ or ‘Is there programming in my area for junior development,’ we have that space and the ability to do that now.”

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