Aerial of the Day #22 - 14 Feb 2002

[Scott_Burroughs]

I've never been to either Rhode Island (or MA, NH, and ME) or Wisconsin myself.

Providence was the clue.  I don't know about the other Sean refers to.  EDIT:  I get it now.  Ross: Pinehurst and this one.

East Providence, to be exact, home of Metacomet ("Introduced to Halley".  I know, I was reaching.), another Ross gem on a small piece of land, overlooking the bay.

The Indian name I thought Dan might have been referring to was Misquamicut.

[Anthony_Nysse]

This is such a shot in the dark from a achy friend of mine at MSU, but is it Wannamoisett Golf Club, a Ross design?

[SPDB]

Scott - the other clue I gave to Dan, was that Metacomet, Chief of the Wamponoag Indians was known by English settlers, as "King Phillip."

Metacomet launched a 13-year uprising which came to be called "King Philip's War." There were many raids and killings on both sides, and many towns were burned. When defeat seemed imminent, he retreated to his ancestral home at Mount Hope, where he was betrayed by an informer, shot in ambush, beheaded, and quartered. His head was displayed on a pole at Plymouth for 25 years.

[Dan Kelly]

I was thinking of Winnapaug. (Ross, 1922)

Seems as thought every course in Rhode Island has an Indian name -- so I guess that wasn't a very good clue.

But Halley Metacomet and Bonnie King Philip: beauties!

[ChipOat]

So where is Brad Klein to discuss Metacomet??

[GeoffreChilds]

Dick Cesana is our local expert on Metacomet.

It is one of the most compact routings I know of (less than 100 acres) but there is no claustrophobia.  Only Ross could find such a wonderful golf course this property.  

Metacomet is a course that put a smile on my face for 18 holes.  It is a joy to play.  Ross found many natural greensites many of them on high points on the property.  The four parallel holes(13-16) use rolling elevation changes in an ingenious way.  I think Doak calls #14 (448 yards) one of the best par 4's in New England and he is right.

There isn't enough room for a real 3 shot par 5 and perhaps that is a weakness, however, at 6372 yards Metacomet is as much fun per yard as you will find anywhere.

[SPDB]

Here is a link to a really, really good overhead shot of Metacomet. It's amazing to me how, given a tiny parcel of land, Ross can repeatedly produce terrific courses:

check it out.

http://www.skypic.com/ri/2-5337.jpg

[Brad Klein]

Metacomet is a 1920 Ross gem, squeezed onto 90 acres of land. The eighth hole, the short par-4 in the lower right area, is no Cape hole, as there's a massive cross bunker 220 yards out, beyond which is a deep (40-feet deep) crevice that can't be carried. So you lay up right and hit a short-iron in.

The unheralded superintendent at Metacomet is Paul Jamrog, who was the man responsible 1984-1995 for resurrecting The Orchards in nearby Mass. Ron Prichard did a good restoration of Metacomet, which undid a lot of damage done by a regional New England architect over the years. Now all they need is radical tree removal. But the place is amazingly improved over five years ago.

[Scott_Burroughs]

George and Brad,
    No wonder you both thought I was crazy about a certain hole not being a cape.  You both thought I was talking about #8, which is in the UPPER right corner.  I specifically said LOWER right corner, hole #2, which certainly look like a cape to me, wrapping around the water.

[GeoffreyChilds]

Scott

#8 is not a cape either.

1- its green is not protruding on three sides into water or pseudo-cape into sand

2- its a  short par five where the drive is played out to about where I put the number 2.  From there you have a nice shot at the green. Even mighty BillV would not cross the water and stay dry with a driver.

[BillV]

But I hit it to the right side of that first fairway.  

[Scott_Burroughs]

I've never claimed to be an expert.

By the strictest definition, there are only a handful of true cape holes (such as #17 at Congressional and the one at Hazeltine).  #14 at NGLA (in it's current form) isn't a true cape, same as #5 at Mid Ocean, which are considered some of the better pseudo-capes.  

#2 above has a pseudo-cape-like look, doglegging across the water, with water behind and far right.  I'll try to be more careful next time.