By MICHAEL RAUSCH
I can remember, clear as day, the first time I picked up a golf club and went to play on a real golf course. Like most kids I had played miniature golf, but this was the real thing, and I was quickly hooked.
At the age of 13, on an uncommonly warm day during February school vacation, my best friend called and asked if I wanted to join him and some other guys who were heading out for a round of golf at our hometown’s local municipal course. I said sure, and quickly assembled a bag of mismatched, rusty clubs and undoubtedly warped golf balls that I inherited after my grandfather (an avid golfer himself) died several years before.
The state of the equipment did not matter. I was out having fun with my friends and, to my delight, despite being a novice (mini golf aside) I was able to connect club with ball better than some of them. That day ignited a lifelong passion for the game.
As clearly as I remember that day, I can also recall nearly every golf course that I have played over the ensuing 50-plus years. In sort of a personal memory exercise, I recently assembled a list of all the courses I have played, everywhere from my hometown of Hamden, Connecticut, to California, Florida, Hawaii, South Carolina, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic; all totaled, 75 courses.
Having retired to Falmouth recently, the majority of my golf is now played on the Upper Cape. Although I still enjoy the occasional road trip down Cape to Olde Barnstable Fairgrounds in Marstons Mills, Cranberry Valley Golf Course in Harwich or The Captain’s Course in Brewster, few courses outshine the challenges posed by the 17 courses, by my count, that populate Falmouth, Sandwich, Bourne and Mashpee.
The following is a selection of 18 holes from Upper Cape courses I have played that, put together, would make a daunting round of golf for any level of player. Yardages are from the white tees.
Holly Ridge Golf Club
#1 Cape Cod Country Club, Falmouth
Par 4, 307 Yards
A challenging opening hole. From an elevated tee you hit into a wide fairway that is bordered on the left by a grove of trees. Hit into the trees and you are either lucky enough to get a ricochet back into the fairway, or faced with tree trouble on your approach to the green.
Speaking of your approach, your shot is to an elevated green with a trap to the right, overgrown and tall grass up front, and a road that bisects the course behind the hole. Hit short and your ball may get lost in the tall grass or roll back down the hill. Hit long and you could be on the other side of the road, faced with a delicate chip that could run off the front edge.
#2 Quashnet Valley, Mashpee
Par 3, 137 Yards
A relatively short par 3 that demands accuracy. The green is protected by traps on all sides. If you hit short, you will likely wind up in an abundance of vegetated overgrowth. Trees to the right will swallow up any slice, especially those that bounce off the nearby cart path, while a hook will land you in either a bunker or yet another grove of trees.
#3 Cape Cod Country Club, Falmouth
Par 5, 428 Yards
An admittedly short hole, the third hole at Cape Cod Country Club is not an easy par. Spray your tee shot to the left or right and you are searching, often hopelessly, through tall grass. A fairway bunker midway to the green has a steep bank that can land your ball right back in the sand, and an undulating green makes putting a challenge. I have been in perfect position off the tee, with a simple approach to the green, certain of a birdie, only to walk away with double bogey.
#4 Quashnet Valley, Mashpee
Par 4, 310 Yards
Another admittedly short hole, but quite challenging. A narrow fairway is bordered by a deep drop-off to the right, with trees blocking access to the green, or a steep bank to the left that leaves the ball well below your feet and often hidden in tall grass. A sliced or hooked tee shot offers little chance of reaching the green in two. Best not to go long to the back of the green. It is a slick green that will send an aggressive putt well past the hole, if not back off the green.
The Ridge Club, Sandwich
#5 The Ridge Club, Sandwich (private)
Par 4, 350 Yards
Tee off into a wide fairway, but be prepared for trouble ahead. A pond fronting the green has proven to be a watery grave for balls hit by any missed shot or anyone misjudging their distance. Similarly, a greenside bunker to the right will make salvaging par, or worse, a challenge.
#6 Quashnet Valley, Mashpee
Par 4, 420 Yards
A long par 4 that boasts a lot of time for anyone who tends to slice the ball (like me). The fairway slopes to the right and tends to send any fade or slice into a highly problematic grove of trees. Any attempt to hit through the trees and toward the green will likely prove disastrous, trust me.
The green is two-tiered, which can make for some fun putting contests among you and your playing partners.
#7 Quashnet Valley, Mashpee
Par 5, 488 Yards
A very scenic hole that can also be treacherous. Water on the left can come into play off the tee, but definitely factors into your approach shot to the green. A solid tee shot can put you in the “go-zone” for an attempt to reach the green in two, but an errant strike of the ball can doom it to sleep with the fishes.
#8 Falmouth Country Club, Falmouth
Par 5, 488 Yards
Nothing wrong with back-to-back par 5s. The 8th hole at Falmouth County Club offers a plethora of obstacles from tee to green. Slice and you are in the woods with little alternative but to punch out into the fairway. A little too much fade and you may wind up in a lengthy fairway bunker. A hook will land you in trees on the right, and heaven forbid you should get off too long a tee shot and land in a pond on the right or the tall grass bordering the water. Yes, it has happened to me. Just when you think you’ve hit the ideal shot, instead—disaster strikes!
#9 Cape Cod Country Club, Falmouth
Par 3, 141 Yards
Allow me a moment to gloat a bit. The 9th hole at Cape Cod County Club is a personal favorite, as it is where, after 48 years of playing golf, I finally made the ever-elusive hole-in-one. No small feat given the dangers that come with this relatively short hole. A tributary from Coonamessett Pond runs in front of the tee. Once over that, there are bunkers galore fronting the green. Don’t pull or hook your tee shot or you could wind up on the banks of the pond well below the hole, and with plenty of trees blocking your shot to the green.
#10 Falmouth Country Club, Falmouth
Par 5, 483 Yards
Falmouth Country Club’s signature hole. Easily reached in 3, but with plenty of jeopardy off the tee. The fairway slopes to the left and can send a long, but inaccurately placed tee shot deep into the woods. Similarly, hit too long off the tee and you could land in tall grass or the water of a pond that is guarded by a mother osprey keeping close watch on golfers from atop her perch overlooking the water.
Best advice is to hit short of the pond to stay in the fairway, and launch your second shot toward the green (although I have had the misfortune of putting my second shot in the water).
Cape Cod Country Club Golfers
#11 Cape Club of Falmouth, Falmouth
Par 3, 92 Yards
Head to the farthest back tee, which is elevated, to enjoy a spectacular view of Buzzards Bay. A deceptively difficult hole, it was made a little less daunting recently with the build-up of an area to the right of the green, which previously featured a precipitous drop-off. Bunkers surround the green, so be sure to bring your sand game.
#12 Cape Cod Country Club, Falmouth
Par 3, 220 Yards
One of the longest par 3s among the Upper Cape’s golf courses, and what I call my version of Augusta National’s “Amen Corner.” Its length isn’t the only obstacle to be overcome. Waste bunkers and tall grass swallow up any errant pull or hook to the left, and a pair of bunkers greet any sliced shots that come up short on the right. My 3-wood usually gets me on the door floor off the tee.
#13 Cape Cod Country Club, Falmouth
Par 5, 440 Yards
Okay, so I asked you to allow me to gloat about the 9th at Cape Cod Country Club. Again, I beg your indulgence on the 13th. An admittedly short par 5, but a hole that is loaded with trouble. A solid tee shot will entice you to go for the green in 2, as you dream of birdie. Your approach shot is to an elevated green which, if you don’t reach it, a steep hill will reject your ball, sometimes into high grass to the right. A bunker guards the green on the left.
During one round years ago, I badly hooked my tee shot into woods on the left that miraculously didn’t hit a single tree, landing in a waste area. I flushed an 8-iron to the green that landed about two feet from the flagstick and sank the putt for an eagle, one of the few I have made and can count on one hand. (That’s it, no more gloating.)
#14 Cape Cod Country Club, Falmouth
Par 4, 341 Yards
The finish to my Amen Corner and one of the most-frustrating holes ever devised. It is dubbed “the volcano hole,” as you hit to a postage-stamp-size green that sits atop a small hill that features all kinds of jeopardy. The dwarfish green calls for the most-precise of approach shots. Some golfers opt to hit a low, boring shot that runs up onto the green, but beware the lack of room behind the green if your shot goes long.
#15 Brookside Golf Club, Bourne
Par 4, 351 Yards
Like so many of the holes on this list, short but treacherous. A straightaway hole, a good shot off the tee will give you a clear shot to the green. However, water protects a relatively shallow green. During a round with several friends, we all found ourselves within wedge shot distance of the green, and every one of us landed our ball in the water!
#16 Falmouth Country Club, Falmouth
Par 4, 355 Yards
I love the 16th at Falmouth Country Club because it is a tremendous driving hole. Tee it up, and launch your ball into a wide-open and welcoming fairway. A couple of bunkers and tall rough surround the green. Word of caution: keep your approach to the green on the short side. A severely sloped green, you do not want to be above the hole when putting.
#17 Woods Hole Golf Club, Falmouth (private)
Par 3, 123 Yards
One of the most-scenic holes, if not the most-scenic hole, on the Upper Cape. From an elevated tee you look out over Buzzards Bay and a boat-dotted harbor. Several bunkers guard the green, which like all the greens at Woods Hole Golf Club are lightning fast. Just revel in the beauty of Cape Cod before moving on to the next hole.
#18 Quashnet Valley, Mashpee
Par 5, 480 Yards
A superb finishing hole, the 18th at Quashnet Valley is a great risk-reward hole. A severe dogleg right, shots off the tee can be deceptive as to whether your ball is lost or in play. Many times, my slice has led me to believe there is no hope of finding my ball, only to find it hugging the right side of the fairway.
Having found the fairway, golfers have to choose whether to go for the green in 2, which is protected by a stream cutting across roughly 50 yards in front, or play it safe and lay up for a short wedge shot. My go-for-it days are over, so a tee shot, 7 iron and wedge usually bring my round to a satisfying conclusion.
Admittedly, this compilation does not include some of the Upper Cape’s finest golf courses, some that I have played, some that I have not. My own count has the Upper Cape home to a total of 16 golf courses, so with less than half of that represented here, this scorecard is just a small sampling of the wealth of golf that players can find across Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee and Sandwich.