Kebo is not just another golf course. Kebo is a source of pride for Mount Desert Island, an enticing lure to tourists from around the world, and noble adversary to all who play the course.
Kebo is a living thing to the people who challenge its fairways. Its face and character constantly change with the seasons, the wind conditions and even with the daily movement of the sun. It seems, at times, nature conspires with the course in order to change a brilliant nine or even fifteen holes into a frustrating round by the time one walks off the 18th green.
But Kebo is also a special place, even to those who have never played the game of golf. It preserves hundreds of acres of land in their natural state, providing a recreational resource which helps draw thousands to Mount Desert Island. It is a sanctuary amidst the hectic pace of a Bar Harbor summer.
On July 14, 1894, the local paper, the Bar Harbor Record, noted �A golf club has been formed and links covering one and three fourths miles have been laid out at Kebo Valley. Mr. Herbert Leeds, the champion player, is the instigator of the club.� Leeds would return to Kebo over the years and after redesigns by member Waldron Bates and pro Shirley Liscomb, he would have a hand in the 18-hole course that remains in play today. Kebo Valley Golf Club is one of those rare courses that seem both state-of-the-art and turn-of-the-century. The course is as every bit as captivating today as when it was installed.
July 18, 1889: First clubhouse opens, near the site of the current fourth hole. The club grounds also host a small theater, casino, horse race track, baseball field, and tennis and crochet courts.
1899: First Clubhouse burns down at the beginning of July.