Oyster Harbors, Peninsula, Hyannisport
Report on Ross Course Renovations...
Contributed By Dr. Andrew Jay
Ross courses 57, 58 & 59 --
Oyster Harbours Club
Spring is well underway and the project to play all the Ross courses is Back in action. In a stunning coast-to coast 10 day run, I enjoyed three pieces of the Master's Handiwork and saw what restoration architect Ron Forse has been up to.Oyster Harbors Club is located on an exclusive island community on Cape Cod.This course is impeccably maintained. It was built in 1927 as the course for a resort hotel. That hotel has long since burned down. The island has morphed into an enclave for the affluent, but the symbolic windmill at the island's bridge entrance remains.
While the course has been tweaked through the years, it has the Ross feel.Mr. Forse is credited for helping the club restore the green complexes and I liked his work.
The exceptional feature on this course is the fairway bunkering. The hazards appear to be true to the Ross spirit, at the inside corner's of doglegs and in many cases the medial edge lying along the ideal line of play.At 6500 from the middle tees and 6700 from the back the par 72 course has a suitable variety of holes of different lengths and well-protected greens with relatively benign contours. Unfortunately, the course does not leverage its island location as only 1 hole has a water view. And there is remarkably little water on the course with ponds on two holes that really don't factor into play.
If invited to play OHC, accept the invitation. Its conditioning greens and fairway bunkering make it worth the trip. But of the four Ross courses I have played on the Cape it is my least favorite as the sometimes-featureless terrain led me to a feeling of ennui in the back nine.
Peninsula Golf & Country Club
Two days later, I was hitting balls in San Mateo, CA at the Peninsula Club. Ross traveled here in 1922 to design the only course he built west of the Rockies. For his work her received twice his usual $2000 fee for two weeks work. For perspective at the time a car could be purchased for a few
Hundred dollars so DR had to be living well. A local contractor completed construction and the routing was altered through the years as the club expanded its clubhouse and shifted the front and back 9s. The clubhouse expansion has since eliminated a par 3 with the green placed for ideal viewing in front of the clubhouse.
The San Mateo course is a short drive from San Francisco airport and is situated up on the side of the mountain affording frequent views out over the Bay. The mountainside site makes for an invigorating walk with several significant climbs. I was heartened to see many older members eschewing carts and the winding concrete path for carrying. While the course is only
6200 from the middle tees, I suspect that many healthy (and wimpy) players opt out of the strenuous walk for carts.
Recently Ron Forse completed a reworking of the course that has solved a severe drainage problem and restored the layout of holes to the original plans as close as possible. This appears to be a great success as the course has the Ross look and feel.
The uneven terrain and excellent routing makes for an invigorating round as one is hitting up, down across valleys, and along the contours. The lie is rarely level and every hole presented a fresh challenge. Two noteworthy examples. The 170-yard 4th hole plays across a valley with an old style bridge across it. This hole is reminiscent of ones at older East Coast courses such as Charles River and Brae Burn. The 500-yard 18th hole includes a hefty 50-foot elevation change to on the approach to a green that is well protected with sand. This wonderful finishing hole serves as a terrific capstone to a great piece of architecture. If you are interested in learning more about this course. Brad Klein's excellent book “Discovering Doanld Ross” discusses both its construction and recent renovation.
Hyannisport Club
A week later, I was back on the Cape for a charity tournament at the beautiful Hyannisport Club. Ross was called in to redesign the course in 1936 rerouting the existing 18 to capitalize on new land acquired to expand the course. Even with the expansion par is 71 and the course is 6277 from
the back tees.Interestingly Ross is only present in the routing. Apparently there was a dispute about finances and the green complexes were constructed according to the design of a member. The routing is Ross-like in that there are short walks between greens and tees and drive landing areas are situated such
That the excellent drive is rewarded with a better approach.
My favorite hole was the sweeping 400-yard par four 7th hole that curved around a bay of marshland. A drive that is left off the tee is destined for the marshes and gone. Drive to the right makes the second shot home longer. And a short drive leaves one with a healthy second shot across the marsh/water to a green that is nestled against the marsh. What was pulse quickening on a warm sunny day at low tide must be terrifying when the wind whips in off of Nantucket Sound.While Hyannisport could have benefited from more land, I still really enjoyed this course. 15 holes overlook the water, with it coming into play on several occasions. As a very walkable course, it would be great to enjoy on a summer afternoon or to make as a regular trek with a group of friends
in retirement.More courses are on the way. The Donald Ross Society is meeting in mid-August at the Sagamore in upstate New York. Hope to see you there!
-- Andy