Review: Cape Arundel Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time to check out the back nine at Cape Arundel, go here if you haven't seen the front.

The tenth hole is 330 yards, and it doglegs significantly around a cluster of knobs and bumps. To the left is both an arm of the river and a small hidden pond that narrow the fairway. There's plenty of room right, but there's a bunker short and right of the green that makes approaching from that side much more difficult, plus the green is tilted from right to left. The green itself is especially bumpy and difficult to putt. The river also lurks just beyond the green, not exactly in play, but it's definitely something in the back of your mind. 

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green. It's not an inviting target.

The tenth green, with the river beyond.

The eleventh hole is about 5 yards longer than the tenth, but it plays very differently. There's a classic risk/reward aspect to the tee shot, as the more water you carry, the shorter the second shot. The fairway gets narrower as you go as well, as it gets squeezed between bunkers and a road out on the far side. Oh, plus the entrance road crosses the fairway right where you'd want to aim a driver. You don't want to go too far down the right, as a bunker short right of the green will complicate second shots. The green has a bit of a bowl aspect to it, get in that and shots will funnel toward the hole, miss it and they'll be repelled. This is a strong hole simply because blasting away with driver isn't the automatic choice off of the tee.

The eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green, with the entrance road crossing just before.

The eleventh hole.

The twelfth hole is 399 yards, falling just one yard shy of the 400 yard mark. But that still makes this the longest par 4 at Cape Arundel. The hole bends right around a pair of tall pines, but other some O.B. beyond the fairway to the left, there's not much in the way of trouble. Technically you can actually play down the eleventh fairway out to the right, as my brother and I did accidentally. Approaching the green is a slippery prospect though, since it slopes from front to back, and it's got a bit of the Pinehurst No. 2 style as well, as it falls away on all sides. 

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green. This is not the standard route.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is Cape Arundel's postcard hole. It's 170 yards and plays over the river, with more river left. It's an intimidating look, but there's a fair amount of space short and left to miss, so the shot isn't quite as tough as it looks. The green is precisely as difficult as it looks though, and it's one you absolutely don't want to miss long. Which is what I did. Actually, I managed to get my chip on, which was probably the best shot I hit all day, but then I proceeded to three putt, so the effort was rather in vain.

The thirteenth hole.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole crosses the Kennebunk River early on the tee shot for yet another one of Cape Arundel's not particularly interesting "long" par 4s. Just don't go left on the tee shot and keep it in the gap and you're fine. The green slopes from right to left and has two bunkers on each side. Other than the river crossing, this hole is kind of forgettable, in my opinion.

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green. This is not the correct fairway, however.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is 340 yards and features a bunkerless fairway. There's O.B. left, but it's not much of a threat when you have literally hundreds of yards of room to the right. You could use a driver, but I'd actually recommend against it, despite the abundance of space. Just right and short of the green is a small tree, which is the key to the hole. Now, if you use a long iron or fairway wood off of the tee, you'll be able to hit a full wedge or short iron into the green, and you'll be able to hit it that second shot high enough to render the tree irrelevant. But a driver would leave you with just a pitch, and that sort of shot is much more difficult to get up high enough. You could go down the left side with the driver, but with the O.B. lurking and the green being fairly big and relatively quiet, I'm not sure you gain any particular advantage by doing so.

The fifteenth hole.

The fifteenth green features an interesting hazard.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is the longest par 3 at Cape Arundel, playing 210 yards. There are no bunkers, which might make you think the hole is on the easier side. Well, that's not necessarily the case, though I admit any hole is tough when you miss it 50 yards right or 75 yards left. For once, I didn't have the absolute worst miss. The green is crowned, so it plays smaller than it looks. But all in all, despite the length, this isn't a very difficult hole if you hit a mildly competent tee shot.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is 360 yards, with the first 300 yards playing gently uphill up a ridge. At the top of the hill, a big bunker eats into the fairway, so if you're a long hitter, you may consider using a fairway wood or heading out to the right. After all, getting to the top of the hill means you'll have a clear view of the green. And what a green it is. It cascades down, following the slope of the hill, and it's right up against the river, so any shot that bounces or flies too far will go in. While a run-up shot is possible on most holes at Cape Arundel, it's absolutely the best play here. Flying the ball all the way to the flag is just asking for trouble. 

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green, bordering on the river.

The green falls significantly from front to back.

The eighteenth hole crosses back across the Kennebunk River for the final time. The tee shot is partially blind, and O.B. lurks left in the form of the clubhouse and parking lot. This is one final par 4 that's just under 400 yards, and it's just as straightforward from tee to green as the rest. The green isn't particularly noteworthy either, not by Cape Arundel standards anyway. So unfortunately, it's not a very exciting finish to the round, especially after how good the last hole was.

One more river crossing on the eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

Cape Arundel has two things going for it: great greens and an almost-idyllic setting. There are few trees and the course is intimately routed, so you can hit the ball basically anywhere and get away with it. As a golfer, I loved it. But when I look at the course with a critical eye, I have to admit that there are some big flaws with the course. Yes, we've got the reverse of my opinion on Butter Brook, which I respected critically but disliked as a golfer.

My first big issue is the lack of length. I understand that there's no room to expand the course, but Cape Arundel would benefit enormously from having a couple of challenging long par 4s. The "long" par 4s are the worst holes on the course because they're so easily overpowered. That segues into my second issue: the lack of challenge tee to green. Cape Arundel relies entirely on its greens to provide defense, and while the greens do an admirable job, it's just not enough in my opinion. I can't believe I'm advocating for more trouble on the tee, but this is a weird world sometimes. On so many of the par 4s, there's absolutely no reason not to blast away with the driver. Who cares if you go 50 yards or more offline if there's no punishment for it? Recovering from that far away should be possible, in my opinion, but it shouldn't be easy either. 

To be honest, this is more an indictment of golf in the modern era than of Cape Arundel itself. Giant drivers and super golf balls have rendered all of the course beyond the greens basically irrelevant. Anyone who can drive the ball more than 250 yards (which I understand is a minority of all golfers, but a minority that I'm in) can overpower Cape Arundel. Again, that's no guarantee of a good score, considering the complexity of the greens, but fully half the round is just not that interesting to the good golfer. 

If I'm seeming harsh, that's because of the steep price of the round. If it cost $40 or $50 to play, I could forgive the course's flaws. But it costs $115 in the summer to play Cape Arundel, which is way too much. So if you can get on for less than $50, than absolutely go and play the course. It's got some real strengths. But if you can't, I'd say skip it. It's not worth it at full price.