Waverly Oaks photo tour

[Pete Lavallee]

Before a recent trip back to the Bay State I asked the Tree House which new layout in the Plymouth area they would recommend. The almost unanimous decision was Waverly Oaks. Plymouth has become a hotbed of golf in Mass. With Pinehill, Atlantic and the new ultra private Old Sandwich. This Brian Silva course did not disappoint, with many challenging features reminiscent of those formerly reserved for private courses. For your $70.00 you get a cart, range balls, and holes with names. It’s 7114 from the blacks, 73.5 with aslope of 130.

Prelude #1 339 yard par 4
A nice opener, gently easing into the round


Plateau #2 427 yard par 4
The way the upslope meets the green is really well done, any shot that comes up short will roll all the way back down the hill


Fade #3 234 yard par 3


Dare #4 529 yard par 5
The best line is directly over the right hand bunker


Which leaves this shot into the green


Saddle #5 531 yard par 5
Back to back par 5’s? You bet, when you get to try this shot


Draw #6 445 yard par 4
An attractive driving hole, the tee shot should be drawn off the far bunker


Here’s the shot into the green


Down #7 434 yard par 4


Carry #8 207 yard par 3
A very nice one shotter


Double Trouble #9 369 yard par 4
The golfer can lay up short of the water with an iron leaving about 150 yards in, or hit driver in the narrow gap between the bunker leaving only 100 yards in


Plymouth Bay #10 421 yard par 4


Don’t Be Right #11 391 yard par 4


Valley #12 329 yard par 4
Here’s Silva’s risk reward short par 4. The green slopes away from the golfer at the back. It’s the start of a really great run of holes


Bernie’s Revenge #13 537 yard par 5
I don’t know who Bernie is, but I love this hole. The trap in the middle of the fairway is 340 yards from the black tee


The tier in the green is really steep, I’ll bet every golfer tries putting up and down it regardless of the day’s pin position


Raynor #14  184 yard par 3
You  may have noticed that many off the steep faced bunkers are reminiscent of Raynor’s style. This isn’t a Redan or Biarritz. It doesn’t have a Strath bunker so it can’t be an Eden either. Could it be a tribute to the Short?


Perhaps this bunker behind the green provides a clue


Punch Bowl #15 474 yard par 4


Here’s a shot from behind this great punch bowl green


Eternity #16 636 yard par 5
Plymouth High School in the background


Here's the green


Black Hole #17 251 yard par 3
This tee shot puckers your you-know-what!


This unwary golfer has found a bad place to try and square the match from; surely he’ll now be subsidizing the author’s post round libations


Coliseum #18 376 yard par 4
The closer is a bit anticlimactic

[John Foley]

Pete,

Great pics.

I liked the Raynor hole, didn't see the bunker behind the green till we walked off, pretty sneaky.

Punchbowl green is awesome, the front slope is absolutley huge.

How great are those long par 3's!

My only problem w/ the place is #9 is just a bad hole. I think we played it 5I/8I. Don't know how you could have chnged the routing to gett the green to be at the base/right hand side of the hill, but all the way at the top just doesn't work.

More great work from Brian Silva.

Did you see Pinehills?

[Pete Lavallee]

John,

I agree that #9 is awkward; my buddy layed up with an iron but instead of choosing a 5 he chose a 3 and went into the pond. I bunted a driver into the opening by the trap and had a short iron on. A simple 2 putt secured the front nine, so for now I like it. The Punch bowl green is awsome, the picture doesn't adequately show how steeply sloped it is in front.

I haven't seen Pinehill yet, maybe on the next trip home.

[SPDB]

What in the wide wide world of sports is that tree doing in between the greenside bunker and the green?

[Jerry Kluger]

Just curious, is there a bailout area to the left of 17, and explain the bunker behind the tree behind #16.  Really looks great and a course to be played over and over.

[Pete Lavallee]

SPDB,

The tree blocks the unsightly view of the cart path ascending the hill.

Jerry,
Anything short and left on 17 ends up in that bunker, that's exactly how my buddy got there.
We did try some shots from the bunker behind the tree behind the 16th green, it was quite a fun shot. The hole is severely downhill and the green slopes toward the back so if someone is coming into it with a low hot one you could end up there; the tree trunk is very unlikely to block your way to the pin, as the canopy is out of play if you're in the bunker.

[SPDB]

SPDB,

The tree blocks the unsightly view of the cart path ascending the hill.

Tell that to the guy whose ball has squirted through the green and come to rest in the bunker.  

If that was really the purpose (which I doubt highly), than why:
 1. couldn't they have planted the tree behind the bunker but still in front of the path?
 2. didn't they plant numerous trees to hide the many unsightly views of cart paths that appear throughout your pictures?

[Pete Lavallee]

SPDB,

We wise ass New Englanders should learn to use emoticons so you'll know we were yanking your chain.  We did try some shots from that back bunker to the pin you see pictured and the tree was a non-issue, you'll have to trust me on that one. The tree surely was there before the bunker was built, I think it looks kind of cool myself. I suspect we'll hear the same opinion from Redanman though!

[SPDB]

Pete -
I don't know if emoticons would help.

Fondly,
Crusty Current New Englander (although originally a New Yorker, to whom emoticons will alway be helpful)

[Mike_Sweeney]

Pete,

Thanks for posting these. Mr. Moore and I played Brian Silva's Redtail (MA) this summer and we both like it. Can anybody compare the two, and if you had 10 rounds to be split between the two, how does it split?

Thanks

[Chris_Clouser]

I must have woke up in a sour mood today because I see several things I don't like about the course.  I will not comment on the playability of the course, but just on the visual aspects as that is all I can get out of the pictures.

1) There are so many opportunities to open up sightlines on that course, that were blocked by what look like new trees that were planted.  Why is that?  From my count it would be about 100 trees and you could have a much more visually impressive course.
2)  Cartpaths are every where.  I know that is to be expected to a degree, but man could they have hidden them a little better.

I agree on that tree on 16.  EGADS!!

Also that cartpath on 7 that runs between the bunker and the fairway.  

Otherwise it looks like the architecture is really nice.  I do love the look of that punchbowl.  

[Cliff Hamm]

Mike

Played both Red Tail and Waverly Oaks about 2 years ago.  Loved Waverly and thought Red Tail was not as good.  My memories of Waverly Oaks are also much clearer, which is always one way of rating a course in one's head based on memorability.  Remember Waverly as a course where big numbers are not likely (wide driving areas) but strategic.  I can't really be more specific but overall thought Waverly to be a bit easier but more enjoyable.  If I had 10 rounds would play 7 at Waverly and 3 at Red Tail.

Cliff

[Martin Del Vecchio]

Cliff, it all depends on the conditions at Red Tail.  They have had terrible problems with their greens.  I didn't get there this year, but I have heard good and bad.

Assuming equal conditions, and assuming that I lived equidistant to both, I would play Red Tail 7 times and Waverly Oaks 3 times.

And there is a bail-out to the left of #17 green; you just can't be too short.  A fabulous, fun hole to play.

[Dan Kelly]

What in the wide wide world of sports is that tree doing in between the greenside bunker and the green?

Sometimes it's blocking an approach headed for the back bunker.

Sometimes it's impeding a recovery from the back bunker to the green.

Always, it's saying: "Don't mess with me, baby!"

I like that tree.

[Kenny Lee Puckett]

Does the tree pull one's eye and attention away from the High School on the hill?

Just asking?

Also, does the bunker left of the cart path actually save errant hooks from a lost ball fate?

Course looks nice.  I wonder if there is enough bail out area to the left of that long uphill par 3.  I can't judge it from the photo.

JWK

[Cliff Hamm]

Does the tree pull one's eye and attention away from the High School on the hill?


JWK

If it were me and I was 17 no doubt your comment would be true.  When I played Waverly Oaks couldn't help but think sitting in class I wouldn't exactly be attending to the lesson.

Cliff

[Dan_Callahan]

I played Waverly Oaks on Saturday in absolutely perfect weather. The course conditions were spectacular. This might be the best public course in New England. And it closes on October 31. The facility is as good as it gets, with nice range, practice green, and absolutely amazing clubhouse.

These photos are great, but I disagree that 18 was anticlimactic. Visually, it was one of my favorite holes on the course. The steady climb to a skyline green was outstanding. And the way the bunkers and fescue frame the fairway reminded me a little bit of Shinnecock.

The 17th is one of the most intimidating par 3s I've ever experienced that doesn't have any water in play. From the back tees, the climb to the green is incredible. The putting surface is almost completely blind, and it is hard to believe the scale of those front bunkers. There is plenty of room to bail out on the left, though. I could see the average golfer simply playing this as a short par 4.

If you are in the area, I highly recommend giving Waverly a play before it disappears.

[Cliff Hamm]

Dan....agreed. Why is it that the good publics (see Beechtree) are becoming NLE?  Too bad the movie folks didn't buy Pinehills, which I think is tremendously overrated.  I do believe Newport National is stronger, but that is subjective.

I am one of those that bails to the left on 17.  If you play a fade you can get on that way and an up and down is possible.  My main criticism of Waverly would be that I find the front to be stronger (not a fan of 9) than the back. Love 2.  Anything short just rolls down and if too aggressive your over (speaking of Shinnecock, somewhat  similar to 10?).  Also like the par 4 with a punch  bowl type green with mounding to the right (6 or so). 10 and especially 11 I think are a bit weak.  The holes on the back tend to blend a bit for me until 16, which  I think has a ridiculously narrow landing area on the drive with the cart path way too close.

Anyway, in the fun factor ratings (my personal favorite) Waverly ranks very high indeed.

[Tim Gerrish]

5 Red Tail 5 Waverly, until next year then 10 Red Tail!

Tree was there.

Plenty of bail out room left on 17 and you can even get to the green from that direction if you play the right shot.  Its a 3.5 par.

[Dan_Callahan]

Higher-end New England Publics

10 Waverly ... 0 Gillette Ridge

10 Waverly ... 0 Great River

8 Waverly ... 2 Sunday River

8 Waverly ... 2 Granite Links

8 Waverly ... 2 Oxford Green

7 Waverly ... 3 Atkinson

7 Waverly ... 3 Blackstone

7 Waverly ... 3 Crumpin Fox

7 Waverly ... 3 Old Marsh

7 Waverly ... 3 Butterbrook

7 Waverly ... 3 Green Mountain National

6 Waverly ... 4 Okemo

6 Waverly ... 4 Red Tail

6 Waverly ... 4 Ranch

5 Waverly ... 5 Belgrade

4 Waverly ... 6 Newport National

[Damon Groves]

Looks like a very good course and a good value. Looking forward to checking it out next time I am in that area.

[Michael Moore]

I just got back from my first trip to Waverly Oaks and I have to say that this is an extremely good course and probably the most visually exciting course that I have ever played.

I played from 7114 yards on a warm, dry day with a steady swirling 15 MPH wind gusting to 25 MPH. Yes, a perfect golf day, and it is a testament to Brian Silva's skill that the course is eminently playable at this length in this wind.

Not only are the holes framed just so, as can be seen by Pete's excellent tour, but the long views across the holes are like none I  have ever seen. The Waverly Oaks property is sort of indescribable. There are a great many severe portions, but the holes seem to go around them, and in the process create staggering views to the two or three other holes that are generally visible.

I truly loved the 5th, 6th, 8th(!), 12th(!), 13th and 16th(!) holes. I did not care for the forced carries on 9 and 17, nor for the reed-encircled pond fronting the 4th, nor for the catch basins (more later). Everything else was rock solid - the greens were sensational and the angles were likewise.

I walked the course, and got some funny looks. There were four grueling uphill walks from green to tee. Otherwise, not bad at all. Very walkable.

Now, if I am to say that I did not care for the catch basins at Waverly Oaks, this could be construed to mean that I did not care for any of the fairways or green surrounds, for these basins were everywhere. And I have to say that there is something annoying about piping your drive way down there and not being able to see it lying in the fairway because it is on the downslope of a catch basin. But, I am not a hater, and I am not an architect, and I have read defenses of this practice, so I guess I will just leave it at puzzlement as to why so many were needed on such presumably sandy soil.

As most are aware, Waverly Oaks is closing for good in November, as the property has been purchased by a film studio and will be used to make movies. I shed a tear as I walked up the 18th fairway, realizing that I had discovered this course too late, thinking about all the work, intellectual and manual, that went into this beautiful, dynamic course that was only around for eleven years.