[Randy Van Sickle]

Just played Hyannisport today.  It has been about 6 years since I last played (our club has a reciprocal in the offseason), and it is a sporty course with some fun holes.  Unfortunately we were in the middle of our round and a fleet of carts appeared out of nowhere and took over the course.  Must have been some kind of outing that our home club was not told when we registered to play.  We had the course pretty much to ourselves until the 14th tee.

 The Ross aficionados can chime in here, but I do believe he remodeled the course and added 5 holes in 1936.

In any event, I thought I would post some pics of a few holes.

The par four 4th from the fairway:


The 4th looking back from the green:


The par five 16th tee (poor exposure):


The 16th fairway:


The 16th looking back from the green:



The par 3 17th:


The 17th green (If Ross designed this, I would not be surprised if he modeled it after RDGC 2nd hole, although it is a weak representation, but an exacting hole nonetheless):


Looking towards the back of the par four 18th tee:


The 18th tee:


The 18th fairway:


Looking back from the 18th green:


Hope you enjoy.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

What a beautiful day and great pictures as well.

[Geoffrey Childs]

Randy

Those pictures look great. The course looks to have good topography, width and a natural flow to it.

Thanks for sharing.  This is a great time of year to play given the few nice weather days left in the year.

[TEPaul]

We played three days of the Lesley Cup at Hyannisport in early October. To me the course was one of the most fun in my memory. I just love the place. You want to talk about some wind, firmish and fast greens when were were there----Man.

The course was a ball---just fun to play.

More than any course recently that one and this thread has inspired me to write a really in-depth report and analysis of this golf course, hole by hole and detail by detail (with a couple of recommendations).

I'll tell you one thing I realize from this thread----eg photographs sometimes don't represent holes very well.  

[Mike_Sweeney]

More than any course recently that one and this thread has inspired me to write a really in-depth report and analysis of this golf course, hole by hole and detail by detail (with a couple of recommendations).

Tom,

I will remind you but would love to see that.

[T_MacWood]

Hyannisport is a beautiful course. There are more than a few who consider superior to Eastward Ho!. The topography is not quite the same but it does fall nicely down the hill to the flatter holes around the marsh and back up.

Have they been able to determine who actually designed this course?

[TEPaul]

Tom MacWood:

Hyannisport, one of the earliest golf courses on Cape Cod, was founded in 1897 as the Hyannis Port Golf Club. The first "course" consisted of six holes and was located on the port side of the marsh.

The first putting green was placed well below where the present 18th green is located. The first tee was placed just below St Andrews Church at the time the Payson Farm (St Andrews Church is behind the clubhouse higher up the hill).

In 1902 wanting a more formal nine hole course the club hired Alex Findlay.

In 1936 the club hired Donald Ross to redesign the existing 18 hole course. I'm not sure how the club got from Findlay's original nine to 18 holes.

After preliminary routing plans were drawn relatively detailed plans were drawn up by Ross but the project floundered. Mr Frank Paine, a noted architect and builder of colonial buildings who was a founding member and president of the club for 25 years took over the project. Paine's skill in reshaping land gained from the construction of numerous houses allowed him to strictly adhere to Ross's plans and thereby made Hyannisport GC nominally a Donald Ross golf course.

[Randy Van Sickle]

You want to talk about some wind, firmish and fast greens when were were there----Man.
 

Tom -

Hyannisport has a long-standing reputation for having the firmest greens on all of Cape Cod.  When they get them rolling fast as well, watch out!

Couldn't agree with you more about the photography issue.  I am quite the amateur with respect to photography, but I rarely see photos that do justice to the rolling terrain of Hyannisport, Woods Hole, and Eastward Ho!  I think that is why it is such a great pleasure to visit one of these courses in person after reading about them and seeing photos.  Expectation are nearly always exceeded.  (Which is why you need to visit that other club on the elbow of Cape Cod that you missed when you saw Hyannisport and Oyster Harbors )

[TEPaul]

For me playing Hyannisport about 3-4 times in the beginning of October in the Lesley Cup was something of a new wrinkle. The golf course is on essentially a sand based site and even though it was remarkably firm and fast "through the green" the course was also surprisingly lush green in color. This is a combination I've basically never seen before! (It may've been somewhat unique even to Hyannisport because they do say they enjoy browning their course a bit to create speed on the entire course).

There's another interesting wrinkle about the course I'm not sure I've ever seen before. There is a tradition at Hyannisport that all the tidal marsh areas are played as "through the green". This produces what Hyannisport refers to as their traditonal "Marsh Shot".

When you first look at those massive tidal marshes that come into play on a few holes you think there is no way you could ever find your ball or even walk out in the marshes but in most cases you can.

Apparently members of Hyannisport GC wear with pride the indication of a marsh shot which is to return to the clubhouse with your clothes all spattered with mud.

How cool is that? Real GOLF, I'd call it.

I'm not too sure what some EPA bureaucrats would call it.  

There was another interesting wrinkle playing the course in early October. The greens were relatively deep green but were fairly firm and about as fast as Oakmont on a down day. That was the first time I've ever really seen it relatively difficult to stop downwind approaches from some areas and downwind putts on a golf course.  

One of the little blessing about playing the course for three days was one day was relatively calm but the other two days the wind blew like holy hell and luckily from two opposite directions which allowed us all to see two or perhaps three very different courses.  

Coming out of the Lesley Cup matches last year at GCGC which was the Lesley Cup's Centennial (It all began at GCGC in 1905) a lot of Lesley players told me do not miss next year at Hyannisport because it is a different and very cool little golf course.

They certainly were right about that. For the "fun" factor Hyannisport has to be in the top ten in America.

[Randy Van Sickle]

Funny that you mention the marsh shot.  One of my friends who joined me yesterday told us about playing the qualifying round in the Cape Cod Amateur a few years back.  He hit into the marsh on the 4th, found his ball, and when he stepped back to line up his shot, one of his legs sank down into the Marsh up to his thigh.  He literally had to be pulled out of the marsh.

He also said it made for a cold rest of the round in 50-degree weather.  (True to the hearty New Englanders, the CC Amateur is held the last weekend of October every year.)

[TEPaul]

RandyVS;

During the alternate shot round my partner hit his drive long but into the marsh and I hit a beautiful shot out of the marsh on #4 right onto the green. In the process I think I decapitated an extremely rare Early Colonial American Stripped Headed Bullfrog. Do you think I'll have to spend the rest of my days in some Federal penitentary?  

[TEPaul]

By the way guys, a little trivia lesson in American golf.

Do you know why the formats (alternate shot (foursomes) and singles) of the Walker Cup and the Ryder Cup are as they are?

[Anthony Butler]

RandyVS;

During the alternate shot round my partner hit his drive long but into the marsh and I hit a beautiful shot out of the marsh on #4 right onto the green. In the process I think I decapitated an extremely rare Early Colonial American Stripped Headed Bullfrog. Do you think I'll have to spend the rest of my days in some Federal penitentary?  

Quite the reverse, Tom, I would think in the current political climate a job in the White House awaits you, administrating the "Clean Fairways Act" or something similar...

I used to holiday with the first wife's family down in Sandwich so spent a little time at HyannisPort. My first thought upon seeing the course was "poor man's NGLA". On closer inspection it is not really that...  Looking at the photos, and reading your report it struck me that any competent builder can follow a routing plan. Preserving the intended  shot values and interest around the greens is what requires the most expertise and onsite attention to detal.  

The setting is somewhat similar though... with a very good routing down into the marshlands, the tidal pond and up the surrounding hills.

Ted Kennedy hosted a private Deval Patrick fundraiser at the Kennedy compound a couple weekends ago, and I was looking forward to seeing the course, but a prior committment in NH kept me away. It doesn't surprise me to see the course this green in fall. The first time I saw HyannisPort was around this time of year and even greener as I recall. Many of the CC courses keep their color until Thanksgiving... Apart from the last couple of years, which have seen large snowdumps on the Cape, the area generally experiences much less fall/winter than Boston.

[T_MacWood]

Tom MacWood:

Hyannisport, one of the earliest golf courses on Cape Cod, was founded in 1897 as the Hyannis Port Golf Club. The first "course" consisted of six holes and was located on the port side of the marsh.

The first putting green was placed well below where the present 18th green is located. The first tee was placed just below St Andrews Church at the time the Payson Farm (St Andrews Church is behind the clubhouse higher up the hill).

In 1902 wanting a more formal nine hole course the club hired Alex Findlay.

In 1936 the club hired Donald Ross to redesign the existing 18 hole course. I'm not sure how the club got from Findlay's original nine to 18 holes.

After preliminary routing plans were drawn relatively detailed plans were drawn up by Ross but the project floundered. Mr Frank Paine, a noted architect and builder of colonial buildings who was a founding member and president of the club for 25 years took over the project. Paine's skill in reshaping land gained from the construction of numerous houses allowed him to strictly adhere to Ross's plans and thereby made Hyannisport GC nominally a Donald Ross golf course.

I've seen Findlay, Ross and Paines name associated with it but its always seemed a bit unclear as to who did what and when. I had no idea there was golf course there as early as 1897, from my understanding the present club was founded around 1908. I do know in 1916 it was an 18 hole course of a little over 5000 yards and by 1930 it was 5440 yards. 1936 seems like an odd date for Ross to be involved.

[TEPaul]

Tom MacW:

If you think the club's history is wrong, I'm sure they'd appreciate any corrections.  

[Anthony Butler]

Tom MacW:

If you think the club's history is wrong, I'm sure they'd appreciate any corrections.  

What were the years that Ross maintained an office in Providence as his New England base in the summer months??

[TEPaul]

Anthony:

This info can be found in Brad Klein's book on Ross but beginning in 1925 Ross and his family began spending the summers in Little Compton R.I. on a farm overlooking the sea by the name of Quaker Hill Farm. I do not know, however, if Ross and his family spent their summers there until the end of Ross's life in 1948.

I've always felt that most of the R.I Ross courses are remarkably good and it's probably little wonder why---he was right there in the summers.

Sakonnet G.C. is only two miles from Quaker Hill Farm, for instance.

[Martin Del Vecchio]

For me playing Hyannisport about 3-4 times in the beginning of October in the Lesley Cup was something of a new wrinkle. The golf course is on essentially a sand based site and even though it was remarkably firm and fast "through the green" the course was also surprisingly lush green in color. This is a combination I've basically never seen before! (It may've been somewhat unique even to Hyannisport because they do say they enjoy browning their course a bit to create speed on the entire course).

This might have something to do with the unbelievable amount of rain New England has received this year, particularly in the early summer.

[Ron Farris]

Dang - I thought this was Hyannis, Nebraska and a new golf course in the Sandhills

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