Dog-tracks, Goat-ranches, & Pasture Golf

[Andy Treen]

Though they may not display much architectural significance, they are however great examples of the games traditions, and incredibly fun.

Below are two of my favorites from the Cape and Islands.  My friends and I would regularly pair a quick and rustic nine holes with a round at one of the many neighboring greats: Oyster Harbors Club, Hyannisport Club, Eastward Ho! CC, Sankaty Head GC, or Nantucket GC.

Does anyone else share a passion for the best of the bad? 

Cotuit Highground CC – Cotuit, MA

There is an incredibly friendly atmosphere at Cotuit.  You’ll also find sculptures crafted from turf equipment in the clubhouse.


Hole #6 "Birdie Alley"


I love the local rules.

Old Siasconset Golf – Siasconset, Nantucket Island, MA

I’ve heard this described as the longest continually purposed clubhouse in the U.S.  – Does anyone else believe this or can discredit?




Hole #9 great finish!


"Observe Winter Rules"


Long par 3's!

Please share if there are any similar courses close to your heart.

Thanks.

Andy

[Jeffrey Stein]

Andy,

I have had some of the most enjoyable rounds of golf on some very simple/natural golf course presentations.  Two examples from Coast to Coast are Highland Links, in North Truro, MA and Sheep Ranch in Bandon, Oregon.

Both are inspiring and a throwback golf experience. Sorry I don't have any pictures right now, but definitely worth the journey for golfers who are looking to rough it, no pun intended.

[Jason Walker]

in keeping with the New England theme, Jamestown (RI) was a popular stop for a quick nine and beers on our way back to Newport from work. 

[Andy Treen]

Highland Links is a great spot!

[Paul Gray]

As an ignorant Brit I had rather assumed such places had either vanished or simply never existed on your side of the water. How nice to see that these charming, characterful places are still at large in your part of the World. Give me nine holes on one of these tracks over some nonsensical, over priced sweet shop golf course any day.

Show me more!   

[Jason Thurman]

Those look like exactly the kinds of "goat ranches" someone would expect a GCA'er to play. It must be tough slumming it on a poorly conditioned Doak 7 right on the ocean.

One of these days, I'll go out to the Bogie Busters (sic) golf course at Coal Ridge in Georgetown, KY and show you guys what a real dog track looks like. Honestly, it has about two or three of the most interesting holes I've ever played.

I still love playing these places though. I grew up on crappy daily fee courses, and I'll always hold a soft spot for them.

[Sean_A]

I seem to recall Sconset recently being acquired by the bank, but will still be open for play.  I think a management team now runs the place - same company for Miacomet.  Not bad courses, but the Nantucket green fees take some of the shine off. 

Ciao

[Thomas Dai]

Andy,

Great photos of Cotuit and Sconset. These seem the equivalent of the kind of courses I grew up playing on as a youngster. Unpretentious and fun.

Years ago in the UK lots of town/city parks used to have a muni type pitch-n-putt which was a great place for youngsters to hangout and learn and generally hack-it-around with their mates or parents or grannie & grandpa and the cousins etc. This kind of golf seems to have disappeared over the decades. A great shame as it was a terrific way to get youngsters involved in the game, it's how I started.

I was at Brora a while ago and they have built a few very short holes in an area above the river just behind the 1st tee and 18th green specifically for youngsters. Nothing complicated. Small greens and mats for tees. What a great thing to do.

How about this for a wonderful green location.

[Rich Goodale]

Thomas

Those practice holes at Brora have been there since 1981, when I first vsited that magical place.  What I haven't visited yet at Brora is their "Gleneagles" which I think is on the other side of the river and has been graced vis a vis gca.wingnuts.com participants only by the legendary Slag Bandoon.

Rich

PS--to get back on topic, the " courses" I played most in my early years were two 9-holers on the North Shore, Candlewood and Cape Ann, near where I spent a month every summer.  Dog tracks they were, but they were the only tracks I could play in those days.  I have learned later that John Updike used to played them regularly before he got tapped into the Rat and Bugle...

rfg

[Bill_McBride]

There's a web site, www.pastyregolf.com, which I found years ago while researching Painswick.  Yes it was featured in those days.  Nowadays Sean Arble's beloved Kington is featured!

[Lester George]

Scenic View Golf Course, Chilhowie, Virginia.  I would be willing to bet that nobody on this site has ever heard of it, much less played it.  Not even sure if it still exists.  A cult classic.

Lester

[Steve Wilson]

Hastings Golf Course (nle).  3 holes, sand greens, rocky fairway, total length 455 yards.  All the golf you wanted to play for no charge.   Established by the bosses (they weren't high enough ranking to be called executives) at Hope Natural Gas Co. as a place for them, the employees and anyone who wandered by to play.

Too rocky for a dog track, certainly not enough grass for a pasture, and probably not even grass for a goat ranch.   Dirt eating goats would have prospered there.

[Thomas Dai]

Rich,

Not doubting the prior use of this area for practice but I believe they got a grant or something like that in the last couple of years and updated the area. If you look at Bingmap vrs Googlemap as I just did to confirm my memories you can see things have changed somewhat. If its helps some youngsters get into the game it can't be bad.

Bill,

I'd be obliged if you could double-check the weblink www.pastyregolf.com as it doesn't seem to exist anymore - the message says 'it can't be found'. Sounds like an interesting one though.

All the best

[Bill_McBride]

Rich,

Not doubting the prior use of this area for practice but I believe they got a grant or something like that in the last couple of years and updated the area. If you look at Bingmap vrs Googlemap as I just did to confirm my memories you can see things have changed somewhat. If its helps some youngsters get into the game it can't be bad.

Bill,

I'd be obliged if you could double-check the weblink www.pastyregolf.com as it doesn't seem to exist anymore - the message says 'it can't be found'. Sounds like an interesting one though.

All the best

Sorry, a tyop, should have been www.pasturegolf.com.  Hate my fat fingers!

[Thomas Dai]

Bill,

Many Thanks. Brilliant find.

What a great site www.pasturegolf.com is.

All the best.

[Andy Treen]

Jason,

Likewise I have a softspot for the rustic dailyfee having grown up working and playing them in central Massachusetts.

The greatest example I know is Stowaway in Stow, MA, also listed on the Pasture Golf Societies' website.

Excited to see so many embrace the simple.

El Gringo,

Sconset was purchased by the Nantucket Land Bank last spring.  I'll have to find the article.  It's sale price was double that of Boston Golf Club.

- Andy

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