Essex CC - Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts (Holes 1 - 18)

[Tyler Kearns]

I had the distinct pleasure of visiting Essex CC last spring and fondly remember an interesting golf course full of unique holes, features and old-world charm.  Thankfully, we had a wonderful day weather wise, and the golf course to ourselves (even our mandatory caddies didn't show!!).  Essex dates back to 1893, however, Donald Ross was called in to redesign the course after the advent of the Haskell ball had rendered it obsolete.  Ross incorporated two of the existing holes (No. 13 & 16) into his new plans which were realized between 1910-1917. Ross was able to supervise the construction owing to his position as head professional at the club between 1910-1913.  In fact, Ross lived in a house immediately adjacent to the 15th tee.



While the appearance of the golf course doesn't scream ROSS, the clever routing is typical Ross genius.  The property is irregular in shape and features a massive rock outcropping in the centre.  A few of the boldest holes are brave concoctions, although it seems clear that the rocky terrain deserves an assist.

The existing golf course is much the same as Ross left it after a final renovation in 1927, which moved the 17th green slightly downhill from its original location.  Finally, in 2002 Renaissance Design re-located the 14th green approximately 25 yards away from the property line to appease a litigious neighbour.  In comparing what I saw last year to a photo in Bradley Klein's wonderful "Discovering Donald Ross" it appears all efforts were made to recreate Ross' green in this new location.

I'm not terribly fond of being made to feel upon a stage on the first tee, but thankfully Ross allowed plenty of room in the landing zone to swing freely on No. 1 (Par 4 - 438 yds.).  I must admit, the carry from the forward tee over the swampy valley seems a little long and a tough way to start the round.



An interesting group of mounds protects the left side of the green, which sloped rather sharply from back-to-front.



At No. 2 (Par 4 - 338 yards) we see some Ross 'chocolate drop' mounds that are likely were the construction crew buried the many rocks blasted on site to create the golf course.



The second green features a spine running down its middle, and approach shots played from the right side of the fairway have the advantage of playing at it more perpendicularly.  Being above the hole here is definitely a miscue.



A series of waste bunkers await drives that bail right to avoid the creek that runs down the entire left side of the hole at No. 3 (Par 5 - 623 yards).



The third green is said to be the oldest in continuous use in the United States, dating back to the original golf course in 1893.  Note the thumbprint contour which makes for some interesting putts.



More to come.

[Mike Sweeney]

Fabulous.

Just when you think the disease is behind you, they suck you back in. Keep posting.

[Tyler Kearns]

There is no let-up at No. 4 (Par 3 - 233 yards) which plays to a wonderful green that mercifully, funnels balls towards its middle.



A steep false front rejects approaches played not quite far enough.



The 5th (Par 5 - 457 yards) is the first of 3 holes that occupy a parcel of land that juts out from the rest of the property, and while the tee shot plays over some interesting land, the approach must deal with a creek running on a diagonal in front of the green.



The creek and bunkering protecting approach shots into the green which is at grade and devoid of much contour.



No. 6 (Par 4 - 330 yards) is a masterful use of a diagonal creek to add plenty of interest to a drive over rather dull ground.  Reaching the fairway on the right hand side requires a carry of 210 yards, and to the left hand side 265 yards.  The long waste bunkers extending away from the green on each side of the fairway leave difficult recovery shots from awkward yardages to a crowned green.



More to come.

[Tim Martin]

The outward holes are really good but certainly on a much tamer piece of land than the inward nine. It is hard to imagine the contrast of the terrain until you get to 10 and see what develops. I don't want to get ahead of Tyler but I anxiously await the next three holes as the "quirk" whacks you in the face on 8 and gives you a taste of what lies ahead on the second nine. Ross got everything right with Essex as far as providing both variety and strategic options. Just a great golf course and an absolute blast to play.

[Tyler Kearns]

Tim,

Agreed, and the variety in bunkering is also remarkable, in terms of style, size, type etc.

TK

[Brad Tufts]

Great golf course...my favorite in Mass....I've played it about 50 times!

Some additional comments...

Hole 1:  Always plays longer than 430, and a mishit tee shot might have trouble making the carry.  Strangely, the left side seems to be the side where distance can be gained...shots to the right off the tee risk fescue/bunkers/3rd green.  The green slopes back to front but also very hard left to right, so good shots miss short right, and bail outs tend to miss left among the mounds, or past the pin.

Hole 2:  A good short par four that is drivable for some.  Going down the right does leave a second perpendicular to the green slopes, but not much room.  Because there is a false back edge as well as false front, the pinnable area is small, maybe about a 25' x 20' area.  Going left off the tee seems to give a better angle to the green in my experience, but no part of the fairway is much better than any other.

Hole 3:  One of the longest holes in Mass at 625.  The tough part here is that two shots must cover about 480-500 yards to get a view of the green for the third.  Usually to reach the upper plateau short of the green, one must thread a fairway wood second shot between the woods and a huge waste bunker (from which the green is still blind 150 yards away), a gap that is only about 20 yards wide.  The depression in the left half of the green is called the "Bathtub" and supposedly originates to when the green was built in the 1890s.

[Mark Steffey]

a new tee is planned on #5 back and towards the 4th green to lengthen that par 5.

i love the genius in the slope of the greens on the short 4s that have come up so far.  a player needs to be in the right position to hit an approach that holds the green.  if you play AT the green you are coming in a such a bad angle that it is nearly impossible to hold the green and have a shot at birdie.

like Brad mentioned as well, this is my favorite course in MA. 

[Tim Martin]

Great golf course...my favorite in Mass....I've played it about 50 times!

Some additional comments...

Hole 1:  Always plays longer than 430, and a mishit tee shot might have trouble making the carry.  Strangely, the left side seems to be the side where distance can be gained...shots to the right off the tee risk fescue/bunkers/3rd green.  The green slopes back to front but also very hard left to right, so good shots miss short right, and bail outs tend to miss left among the mounds, or past the pin.

Hole 2:  A good short par four that is drivable for some.  Going down the right does leave a second perpendicular to the green slopes, but not much room.  Because there is a false back edge as well as false front, the pinnable area is small, maybe about a 25' x 20' area.  Going left off the tee seems to give a better angle to the green in my experience, but no part of the fairway is much better than any other.

Hole 3:  One of the longest holes in Mass at 625.  The tough part here is that two shots must cover about 480-500 yards to get a view of the green for the third.  Usually to reach the upper plateau short of the green, one must thread a fairway wood second shot between the woods and a huge waste bunker (from which the green is still blind 150 yards away), a gap that is only about 20 yards wide.  The depression in the left half of the green is called the "Bathtub" and supposedly originates to when the green was built in the 1890s.

The "Bathtub" feature can wreak havoc even on shorter putts depending on where the pin is. That is definitely a stout par 5 and is only reachable for the gorillas.

[Tyler Kearns]

Brad,

Thanks for the additional information, you're 50 games at Essex certainly trump my 1.
That second green is quite pitched, to the front & back.  That spine rejected my partners shot which was good, but had too much backspin and made its way off the front edge.  I took a little off of a longer wedge to keep the spin off and managed to pull the shot off, but seeing my partner's ball react put some fear in my mind.

TK

[Tyler Kearns]

a new tee is planned on #5 back and towards the 4th green to lengthen that par 5.

i love the genius in the slope of the greens on the short 4s that have come up so far.  a player needs to be in the right position to hit an approach that holds the green.  if you play AT the green you are coming in a such a bad angle that it is nearly impossible to hold the green and have a shot at birdie.

like Brad mentioned as well, this is my favorite course in MA. 

Mark,

Are they planning to built the new tee right of #4 green?  I've attached an image below which would lengthen the hole to 506 yards.  While there is elevation there to make building a tee fairly simple, with No. 5 & 8 sharing a tee complex, safety could be a problem, or at best, waiting for another group to hit before playing could be irritating.



TK

[Joe Sponcia]

#3 green looks really great from both the fairway and greenside.  Thank you for taking the time to post.

[Mark Steffey]

Tyler,

yes.  the new tee will be up on the hill there, yes.
i would guess that as players leave the 4th green and walk up to hit on 5, they will be teeing off as guys are leaving the tee on 4 -  so there will not be too many times that people are putting on 4 and having guys hit near them (if not necessarily over the top of them).

i can't recall the exact yardage that they are trying to get (sorry), but i think it was more than 506y.

[Tyler Kearns]

Tyler,

yes.  the new tee will be up on the hill there, yes.
i would guess that as players leave the 4th green and walk up to hit on 5, they will be teeing off as guys are leaving the tee on 4 -  so there will not be too many times that people are putting on 4 and having guys hit near them (if not necessarily over the top of them).

i can't recall the exact yardage that they are trying to get (sorry), but i think it was more than 506y.

Mark,

I hadn't even thought of the perils of playing over #4 green.  Because #5 will still be reachable, could there not be a delay on the new #5 tee as players wait for the green to clear to have a go in 2, thereby creating the problem you mentioned.   

My original concern was playing towards golfers at the teeing grounds on #8, which is shared with the middle tees on #5.

TK

[Mark Steffey]

Mark,

I hadn't even thought of the perils of playing over #4 green.  Because #5 will still be reachable, could there not be a delay on the new #5 tee as players wait for the green to clear to have a go in 2, thereby creating the problem you mentioned.   

My original concern was playing towards golfers at the teeing grounds on #8, which is shared with the middle tees on #5.

TK

ah ok.  i supposed you are right.  though when i've played there when we got up to 8 tee and there were guys on 5 we stood and let them finish already before getting on the teebox.

with your overhead picture there the fear of a shank would be high!

[Sean Leary]

Almost everyone I know that has played both prefers Essex to Myopia. Look forward to playing it some day with a couple Canucks. 

[Brad Tufts]

Hole 4:  A great optical illusion that one needs to run the ball into this green.  Those aiming for the front right edge will watch their ball land and stop, staying short of the green.  The green will funnel shots toward the middle of the green, but only those that reach pin high.

Hole 5:  A very short par five, and potential easy birdie, but the creek is such that ANY drawn shot to the green will likely find it, which causes many bail outs to the right.  A slightly crowned green that is one of the biggest on the course helps defend the hole.

Hole 6:  The question is really not what line to take, but "can I carry the creek in the narrow area where the carry is only 200-210?"  This approach becomes infinitely more difficult when laying up to the left, as you will have 150+.  Also a very subtle green that falls off along the edges, and this green always plays very firm, more than others.

[Brad Tufts]

Wow...hadn't heard about a new tee for #5.

While that seems to be a great idea, that new tee would be right in the firing area (although I've never seen a ball hit there) from #8 tee for lesser players, and a new tee there would negate waving players up from #4 tee, as the next group would be on the green when you are teeing off #5. 

I play in a very busy tournament or two each year at Essex, and #4 tee is always a big congestion point that can be alleviated with waving groups up.  A new back tee for #5 would negate that.

For everyday play it should work great.

[Tyler Kearns]

The short and downhill 7th (Par 3 - 140 yards) plays to a well contoured green, protected by narrow trench bunkers left and right, and an elbow of the creek front right.



The tee shot at No. 8 (Par 4 - 422 yards) needs to climb a 20 - 25 ft. rise which…



conceals a wildly undulating fairway with a turbo boost down the left hand side for those braving the out-of-bounds.



The 8th green features a crowned left side and an upper right plateau which may or may not be capable of a hole location?



The 9th (Par 4 - 429 yards) green is set at the edge of the steep embankment that had to be ascended from the 8th tee, and offers wonderful views of the front nine.  A set of parallel bunkers are benched into base of the green at right.



More to come.

[Mark Steffey]

Tyler,

no pictures of the collection of pot'ish fairway bunkers on the right side of 8 to catch balls afraid of the OB left?!?!?  those are nasty!

this is a great stretch of holes.  the greens on 7 and 8 are full of fun.

[Richard Hetzel]

What a great looking course, Ross courses (most of them anyway) never cease to amaze me. Just from those few pictures, I know I could be very well satisfied and happy playing there every day.

[Amol Yajnik]

I had the chance to play this course in 2012 in a one-day amateur tournament and have really wanted to get back there ever since.  It was a fascinating layout, even to me at that time when I wasn't very educated on the nuances of GCA.  If anyone wants a chance to play it, you can do it through the NE PGA Series, their tournament at Essex this year is on May 12: http://www.nepga.com/newenglandseries/

[Rob Curtiss]

I wish I lived in the New Englad area to take advantage of this...tons of great venues through that NE PGA series.

I have only played Salem CC in that area but loved it.

[Brad Tufts]

More comments:

Hole 7:  The wind tends to swirl here with the gap in the trees to the left, and it prevails left to right towards the front right corner of the green hard against the creek.  Also unique is the spine running from front to back, about a foot tall, that creates two tiny greens within a green.  On #7 you can see the brick building to the left, which is part of the town of Manchester's water system...part of the unique arrangement with the town where ECC perpetually leases a few acres of town land, in exchange for making the course available for "town golf," where town residents can purchase an "after 4PM on certain weekdays membership" for the season for a few hundred bucks.  I believe they also have a yearly tournament where they play 18.

Hole 8:  Blind drive, wild fairway.  Tyler mentions the best angle comes from the lower left part of the fairway off the tee, which is correct.  Even more unique than the fairway is the green.  The left side is where the pin will always be found (the right is too steep), but going for the pin is treacherous with anything more than a short iron because that side is so shallow.  The play is to use the bank on the right to stop an approach shot, and watch it roll left to the hole!  This is a tough but great green.

Hole 9:  An underrated driving hole, as a draw is really needed to gain distance off the tee.  This hole tends to play longer than 430, much like #1.  This is a fun green that tends to gather, with many subtle slopes.  Missing short is the only place to miss, as left is thick rough, right is bunker, and long is gone.

[Jon Wiggett]

Tyler,

absolutely corking looking course. Thanks for the tour which is great.

Jon

[ChipRoyce]

Sorry if this is repetitive... but I used to live in the downtown of Manchester, MA (never got used to the 'by-the-sea' part) not more than a 3 min walk from the course.

The 7th and 8th holes occupy land owned not by the club, but rather by the town itself.

As part of a deal between the 2 entities, 'Manchester Town Golf Club' was created. Any town resident (Homeowner or Renter) could pay an annual fee and would receive privileges at Essex County Club. I did the program for 2 years (2001-2002). At the time, the fee was a paltry $500 and you were allowed to play 9 holes after 5pm on Sunday thru Thursday evenings. Either the 1st or 10th tee was designated for town golf, members played the other 9.

It was a spectacular opportunity. That said, it was rumored, if you joined Town golf, you were not likely to ever be offered the opportunity to join. In 2002, the waiting list was rumored to be over 10 years, so wasn't likely to see that opportunity anyway.