Plymouth CC (Ross) in mass.

[mark chalfant]

Is this a well preserved example of Ross' work.some nice movement in the terrain and/or nice greensites with contour ?
Are sea breezes felt or is PCC  inland. thanks for any help

[DTaylor18]

Mark, it is a fun course with some serious greens.  Considering all the great courses in the general area, it is not my favorite, but would put it in the hidden gem category.  The first three holes do not fit with the rest of the course, I doubt they are original Ross holes, but I could be wrong.  I don't know exactly how far the course is from the water, but I never saw the water form the course nor did I feel much wind.  I don't think it would not make your top 20 Ross list.

[Scott Coan]

The beauty of Plymouth is that you can actually play it as a nobody to the area, opposed to it's ultra-private cousins in Mass (Oyster Harbors, Charles River, Brae Burn, Essex, Winchester, Salem, ...)

Not on the water but less than a few miles away and will cop any wind thats around.  The area can get very windy in Spring/Fall.  Short (6200) with tiny greens.

From it's website:  http://www.geocities.com/plymouthcc/

Welcome to Plymouth Country Club, an 18 hole, par 69, championship golf course designed by the renowned Scottish architect Donald Ross in 1920, and again in 1929. The course sits on 200 rolling acres overlooking Cape Cod bay and scenic Plymouth harbor.

The entire course was sculptured using existing soil and extreme care was taken to preserve the wide variety of trees, native plants and hills. The course has remained essentially the same over the past 80 years, with subtle changes.

The opening holes are challenging but Ross designed the first three to be comparatively simple and non-punishing. However, four through nine are among the most challenging in the area, and our backside was designed for a tournament finish, giving the edge to the golfer making skillful approach shots.

Plymouth Country club was founded in 1908 and charted in 1909. The initial course was a nine hole layout with three holes located on the easterly side of Warren Avenue and the other six in the area of what is now Bay Colony Drive and our current first four holes. The clubhouse was a pavilion which sat on the bluffs overlooking Massachusetts Bay. In 1920, nine more holes were designed by the noted Scottish architect Donald Ross. In 1926, a new clubhouse was built in its present location and again Donald Ross laid out another nine holes which is our "back side" today.

[Tom_Doak]

Mark:

I whizzed around and had a look at Plymouth in early spring a few years back (but after TCG was published).  A really fine little course, great greens, several tantalizing holes for the single-digit handicapper if a bit short for the banger.

[Brad Tufts]

Plymouth CC is a very good Ross course, but upon careful examination has several faces.  About 12 holes are classic, interesting, Ross where the player wonders how he keeps bogeying every hole while keeping his ball in play, and the architecture critic marvels at the land on which Mr. Ross could work.  The other six however, are rolling, wide open, and for the most part uninteresting.  Standing alone, the more bland holes may be worth something, but not here when put against the better part of the course.

Holes in the better category: 4-13, 17, 18
Holes in the open category: 1-3, 14-16

In my opinion the routing for the annual Hornblower Tournament, starting with #4 is better, although it creates a finish at 3, the uphill, 210-yd par 3.

My favorite hole is #5 (#2 for the Tournament), the tee shot is played to the edge of a dropoff into a glacial valley, to a wild green with interesting slopes punctuating the green on three sides.

The course is a lesson on how the glacially-formed ridges and valleys of the Plymouth area (sandy base) can be used for great golf without the earthmoving so evident at courses like PineHills and Waverly Oaks.

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