New Sharon family bringing back an abandoned golf course in Chesterville

A driving range and open-air simulator are open now. A par-3 course may be next.

Posted September 18

Updated September 19

Tye Nichols of New Sharon stands Thursday in the open-air simulator of the new Fairway Fields golf course in Chesterville that he and his parents, Rachel and Nick Nichols, also of New Sharon, purchased last spring and opened Sept. 10. The property was formerly the Sandy River Golf Course, which ceased operations about eight years ago. A driving range, a pro shop and a self-service golf ball dispenser are among the amenities. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)

Tye Nichols turned on a simulator overlooking the greens at Fairway Fields in Chesterville, swung his driver and watched the ball land 262 yards away.

“I kind of got bitten by the golf bug,” the new owner of the former Sandy River Golf Course on George Thomas Road said. He started playing last year.

In May, he and his parents, Rachel and Nick Nichols, all from New Sharon, purchased the 40-plus-acre property that Tye Nichols believes was last open in 2016.

They opened Fairway Fields on Sept. 10, after months of reclaiming fields and renovating a dilapidated clubhouse into a pro shop with a porch overlooking the greens. Nichols’ mother added hanging baskets of flowers and chairs and tables to create a peaceful covered area to sit.

Their priority was getting the driving range reopened and an open-air simulator installed so golfers could play a realistic imitation of any course in the United States.

And a par-3 course is being considered for the future.

“The plan is to bring some life back to the property,” the 28-year-old said, adding that so far it’s been busy.

“It is pretty interesting to see people rally around us trying to bring it back,” he said.

Tye Nichols demonstrates a swing Thursday in the open-air simulator of the new Fairway Fields Golf Course in Chesterville he bought and opened with his parents. The property was formerly the Sandy River Golf Course. Fairway Fields’ open-air simulator uses technology to track metrics of a golfer’s swing with sensors and TV monitors. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)

Steve Pottle, of Wilton, who started golfing this year, came to the range Thursday morning.

“This is great. It is better than going to Auburn or Augusta to practice,” he said.

The Mt. Blue High School golf team in Farmington was the first to use the range. The University of Maine golf team has also played there.

“It has been great for people bringing their families, young families,” he said. “We know we want to do something to keep their kids entertained while their parents play.”

Fairway Fields has nearly a million followers on Tik Tok and Instragram watching the renovations, Nichols said.

Farmington-area golfers have a new place to play at Fairway Fields, seen Thursday, in Chesterville. The former Sandy River Golf Course opened Sept. 10 after owners Tye Nichols and his parents, Rachel and Nick Nichols, all of New Sharon, purchased the property in May. The pro shop is modernized, complete with a self-service ball dispenser for the driving range. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)

The grass driving range, which is open from sunrise to sunset, is self-service with a machine to purchase balls. It’s cash only, but a card reader for debit or credit cards is in the works.

People can buy a small bucket of balls for $5, a medium for $10 and a large for $15. The simulator is $25 an hour with unlimited balls. Golfers can also set up their tee time for the simulator on fairwayfields.com.

A self-service golf ball dispenser is seen Thursday at the pro shop of the Fairway Fields Golf Course in Chesterville. The 44-acre project came to life through Tye Nichols and his parents, Rachel and Nick Nichols, all of New Sharon. They bought the former Sandy River Golf Course in May, renovated it and opened it Sept. 10. The course has a driving range and an open-air simulator. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)

Nichols said he hopes to stay open until the first snow falls.

Besides running his new enterprise, the 2015 graduate of Mt. Blue works full-time for Jocko Fuel, an energy drink company, besides caring for his 1-year-old daughter, Elsie, and soon-to-be wife, Madisyn Merritt.

Nichols said he’s optimistic about next year at Fairview Fields: “I think next year is going to be big.”