The Many Ways to Play Golf on the Cape

In mid-September, Bonnie, Paul, T.O.G. (The Other Gary) and I, headed east to the last major New England golf destination I had yet to experience — Cape Cod. The name comes from the Mashpee Indian language and loosely translates as “Where Did All These Darn Tourists Come From?”. I’d only been on the Cape twice in my life and never to play golf.

One of the goals I’ve been pursuing for the past several years is to play 75 of the top 100 public courses in New England. Prior to this trip, my total stood at 58. There are nearly a dozen Cape Cod courses on the list so I was eager to experience some of them and get nearer to my goal.

Our first stop was actually just short of the Cape, in Lakeville, MA — the Poquoy Brook Golf Club. After a two-hour drive, we arrived an hour and a half early, expecting to eat lunch before our round. Unfortunately, the menu was rather limited and not overly inviting so we drove to a nearby (and apparently soon to be defunct) Friendly’s for a quick meal. We returned 40 minutes before our tee time but were unable to get off early as every tee time was taken for the next few hours. This of course did not bode well for a quick opening round and, indeed, it took us over five hours to finish.

The course was quite nice and well maintained. However, nobody played particularly well both due to the slowness of play and, we surmised, the fact that we are generally early morning golfers who prefer the first tee time of the day. Going out after 1 p.m. must have messed with our biorhythms — yeah, that was it — and it was an unfortunately frustrating round on this solid, if unspectacular course.

We continued on to Falmouth after our round, where we were to spend the rest of the week at the home of TOG’s brother- and sister-in-law who were kind enough to let us stay during our trip. The home has beautiful views of the ocean and is well situated to play many of the nearby Cape courses.

The next day, Monday, took us to the highly anticipated Cranberry Valley golf course in Harwich. The course is a beauty with a nice variety of tree-lined holes and the weather was delightful with bright skies and moderate temperatures. I shot two solid nines (43-44) and really enjoyed this challenging parkland layout.

But this was to be our 36 hole day and so, while Bonnie and Paul headed to Provincetown for some sightseeing, TOG and I continued on to South Yarmouth to play, at the recommendation of a cousin, the challenging Blue Rock Golf Course, one of the better par 3 courses I have ever played. Due to the shortness of the course and a sudden surge of testosterone, Gary and I played from the back tees at only 2,890 yards and were pleasantly surprised by the challenge and variety presented by this short course.

The holes range in length from 103 to 200 yards with one behemoth of 255 thrown in for good measure. The terrain is quite varied with some nice water features, tree-lined fairways and fast greens. I started off in fine style with four straight pars but was unable to get another on the first nine, finishing with a six over par 33. The ninth hole is a gem, a 170 yarder with a challenging elevated tee shot over a large pond to an elevated green surrounded by bunkers. What a beauty.

Hole ten was a mirror image — a 160-yard hole requiring a tee shot back over the pond to a large, undulating green. My ball ended up four feet past the pin for a relatively easy birdie. I had four more pars on the back for a solid three over par 33 and a very satisfying round on this enjoyable walk in the park. This is a great course for both beginners and seniors due to the shortness of the course and the unique challenges presented.

Tuesday found us at the nearby Hyannis Golf Course and this course was a revelation. This Geoffrey Cornish course had us from the first tee box. The short first hole, only 342 yards, presents the golfer with a severely sloping right to left fairway. The short second shot into the green is made difficult with the ball well above one’s feet. The second hole, a par four and the number one handicap hole, requires a blind drive over a large, tree-lined pond, with the undulating fairway beyond snaking upward to an elevated tee some 420 yards away. Gorgeous and challenging. And so it went as each successive hole, distinct and unique, brought appreciative comments from the four of us as we battled our way around this terrific layout. Surprisingly great elevation changes, interesting routing, great use of the natural terrain — we were all suitably impressed with this challenging and fun course.

We did have a chance to explore downtown Falmouth a couple of evenings, spending some quality time in the ice cream and chocolate shops where I sampled a wide variety of sweets, at the suggestion of my dentist who apparently still has some boat payments to make. We ate at two restaurants, the British Beer Company in particular being our favorite. And Bonnie as usual cooked up a storm for the four of us on three occasions to add to the week’s enjoyment.

Wednesday was travel day, as we decided to take the plunge and head over to Martha’s Vineyard for a go at the highly touted Farm Neck Golf Club. This necessitated a short ride to the ferry, a 45-minute ride across the bay and a scenic drive to the golf course. We had time for a nice lunch at the course before heading out for our highly anticipated round.

Considered one of the finer tracks in New England, this highly-rated and pricey ($100 a round, $150 in high season) Geoffrey Cornish course is a genteel stroll through a beautiful seaside environment. We played the white tees at only 5,859 yards and enjoyed the gorgeous weather and lovely views in this pastoral setting. Both Paul and I carded 42s on the front side. I had five pars but unfortunately a double and a triple bogey to mar an otherwise solid front nine. My enthusiasm was quickly squashed (as was Paul’s) on the back nine as all four of us went into a funk and spent the last two hours thrashing and flailing away trying to get the ball to the green. I never came near another par and blew up to a 50 on the back nine. Not pretty.

On Thursday, with scattered showers predicted, Bonnie and Paul opted for a day trip to Hyannis, a tour of the local brewery and a day off from golf. Gary and I surveyed the forecast, and despite a slight mist with the promise of more rain, we headed east a short distance to the Quashnet Valley Country Club. Glad we did. It turned out to be one of the more sublime golf experiences I have ever enjoyed.

The course was nearly deserted when we arrived and standing on the first tee, I could sense we were in for a wonderful day. The first hole is a 525 yards par five dogleg right and standing on the first tee felt like we had stumbled into some primordial world. The fairway wrapped around a large reed-lined pond to our right. In the distance, a forest of trees obscured the horizon. Past the pond, dead tree trunks were festooned with creepers and algae. I almost expected to hear the roar of some Jurassic monster in the distance. We felt like we were in our own little private world, with a pristine 18 holes awaiting us.

The second hole cemented my love affair with this course. At only 137 yards, this daunting little par three required a carry over a wide marsh to a small, elevated green. Heavy vegetation lined both sides of the fairway. What a beautiful little hole — my own private piece of heaven!

Each hole on the front side was an absolute gem, one of the best front nines I’ve played in New England. Great variety, often requiring blind shots from elevated tees to deceptively narrow fairways, this course had it all. We had some intermittent rain and were briefly held up by a foursome of women who kindly let us through on the fourth hole, but the rain only added to the Gothic feeling of the course and after playing through, we never saw another person the rest of the round.

The back nine, unfortunately, did not live up to the promise of the front nine. Several holes were lined with homes, though set back far enough as to not be overly intrusive. They layout was still terrific but the feeling of isolation we so enjoyed on the front was gone. Despite a couple of blowup holes, I had nine pars and shot a solid 85 on one of the more enjoyable rounds of golf I have ever played. Can’t wait to get back and try it again someday.

We were scheduled for one more round on Friday, but with more rain in the forecast, we decided to pack it in and head for home. Still, I had added five new courses to my list and I’ve now played 63 of the top 100 courses in New England. With Gary having recently purchased a new home in Falmouth, I look forward to joining him again in the future to explore some of the other challenging layouts in this hotbed of golf.

Well, one more golf trip to go before finally calling it a season. On Sunday, Alan and I begin our long drive down to Greensboro, Georgia for a greatly anticipated week’s stay at one of the premiere golf resorts in the east — Reynold’s Plantation. They have six courses onsite (plus one in development) and Alan and I will play a new course both on the way down in New Jersey and on the way back in Virginia. Betsy’s cousin Mike will be flying down to join us for five days of golf on a variety of courses at Reynold’s by big name architects like Tom Fazio, Bob Cupp, Rees Jones and Jack Nicklaus, all personal friends of mine. This promises to be one of the best collection of courses I’ve played in one stretch and will effectively sap my golf budget for the next year or so. Ah, the sacrifices I make.

Hope you are getting out playing in this best of all possible golf weather. Gotta love fall golf.