Manchester C.C. - Manchester, N.H.

[Jay Flemma]

I saw this great Ross course with rumbling terrain and terrific greens while I was doing a tour reading articles last month.  How come we never talk about this course?  It's a Ross that's been pretty much perfectly preserved with the exception of the ninth green.

http://jayflemma.thegolfspace.com/?p=1704

[Willie_Dow]

Yes Jay - Manchester C.C. is a truly memorable round.  My Dad was a long time member who stayed at the club while travelling through New Hampshire on business trips in the 1940's.  He would often mention how he longed for the view of the course from the big porch.

However, I haven't played there since graduation day from Dartmouth in 1951.  But that's another story !

Maybe I venture up there from Salters this summer to find that memory again.

[Jay Flemma]

Yes, the view from the veranda is terrific...you see 1, 9, 10, and 18. extend away from you and spread off into the distance...

[Mike Sweeney]

I saw this great Ross course with rumbling terrain and terrific greens while I was doing a tour reading articles last month.  How come we never talk about this course?  It's a Ross that's been pretty much perfectly preserved with the exception of the ninth green.

http://jayflemma.thegolfspace.com/?p=1704

Jay,

I have only seen a few holes from a walk around the clubhouse but I am guessing that MCC would be a candidate for the 100th Best Ross Course thread started years ago by JakaB. That is not a shot at MCC, but as a very local club they don't get much outside play from tourist such as myself, so I doubt if they really care (in the NH tradition) about what outsiders think. Bald Peak, which I have played, and Lake Sunapee, which I have not played, look more interesting to me as the terrain and backdrops are wilder.

[Sean Leary]

I played here in a college tournament with a couple of guys from Harvard that got baked during the round. Don't remember much, except one of the players hit an outhouse or something with a tee shot and the ball ended up behind the tee.

They thought it was hilarious while eating a bag of Cheetos...

[Brad Tufts]

Hi Jay,

I have played Manchester CC three times surrounding the New England Amateur in about 2002 or so...

I found it very fun, with many shots that played particularly "awkward" due to stance, placement of hazards, etc.  Not awkward in a bad way, but challenging.

I don't remember too much about the course, but I do remember the wild par five, the small downhill par three where like 10 members/year make a hole-in-one, and the 300 yard par 4 where you hit a long iron to the top of a hill, then over a gully to a volcano-type greensite...very neat.

After playing most of the NH favorites, I think its place at the top of the state's layouts is apt.  Lake Winnie gives it a run for its money though, but I give Manch CC the edge for history and the shot values over a smaller layout.  I put Manchester above the GC of New England and Portsmouth, but I have not played Baker Hill, which has gotten rave reviews...

-Brad

[Carl Nichols]

However, I haven't played there since graduation day from Dartmouth in 1951.  But that's another story !

Willie:
Do you get back to Hanover often?  Went up in 2007 and played the renovated/expanded Hanover CC, which is still fun to play.

[Sean Leary]

Hi Jay,

I have played Manchester CC three times surrounding the New England Amateur in about 2002 or so...

I found it very fun, with many shots that played particularly "awkward" due to stance, placement of hazards, etc.  Not awkward in a bad way, but challenging.

I don't remember too much about the course, but I do remember the wild par five, the small downhill par three where like 10 members/year make a hole-in-one, and the 300 yard par 4 where you hit a long iron to the top of a hill, then over a gully to a volcano-type greensite...very neat.

After playing most of the NH favorites, I think its place at the top of the state's layouts is apt.  Lake Winnie gives it a run for its money though, but I give Manch CC the edge for history and the shot values over a smaller layout.  I put Manchester above the GC of New England and Portsmouth, but I have not played Baker Hill, which has gotten rave reviews...

-Brad

Brad,

We need to get up and play Bald Peak on one of my trips home...

[Brad Tufts]

Agreed!

It's on my elite list of little historical courses that will be an absolute slam dunk for me when I finally get there....Bald Peak, Dorset, Prouts Neck, Woods Hole, Sankaty Head...etc.

Really, who turns down a 3-way?

[Willie_Dow]

Carl  Yes I get back to Hanover occasionally.  Perhaps again this summer, and tie it in with MCC.  It would be fun to play these courses with hickories.

I was prompted by your post to look up Ralph Barton who built the third nine to Dartmouth course in 1932.  I used to play that nine, crossing a rope bridge to get on and off the course.  I believe they use the land across the Etna road for a practice area, and incorporated some of the holes into the new eighteen.

[Jay Flemma]

Hi Jay,

I have played Manchester CC three times surrounding the New England Amateur in about 2002 or so...

I found it very fun, with many shots that played particularly "awkward" due to stance, placement of hazards, etc.  Not awkward in a bad way, but challenging.

I don't remember too much about the course, but I do remember the wild par five, the small downhill par three where like 10 members/year make a hole-in-one, and the 300 yard par 4 where you hit a long iron to the top of a hill, then over a gully to a volcano-type greensite...very neat.

After playing most of the NH favorites, I think its place at the top of the state's layouts is apt.  Lake Winnie gives it a run for its money though, but I give Manch CC the edge for history and the shot values over a smaller layout.  I put Manchester above the GC of New England and Portsmouth, but I have not played Baker Hill, which has gotten rave reviews...

-Brad

Hey Brad:  I liked the uneven lies too, and the green.  I can't say I remember seeing any outhouse, but there is a nice rustic feel to it, and I didn't see any holes that were weak or connective tissue, even if it's not Oakland Hills, it still looked like a super place to call home.

How did you do this season?

[Chris_Blakely]

Have you played Ross' Balsams Resort - Panorama Course.  That is hands down my favorite Ross in the NH / ME area.

Chris

[Jay Flemma]

Have you played Ross' Balsams Resort - Panorama Course.  That is hands down my favorite Ross in the NH / ME area.

Chris

I've yet to see that one.  Has anyone played it recently?  Could someone post some pics?

[Chris_Blakely]

Unfortunately, I did not take many pictures when I played.  I would love to see any photos that others have.

Chris