Review: Cape Cod Country Club (Part 1)

What would one of our vacations be without including a Devereux Emmet golf course? It's surprising just how prolific he was in the Northeast, considering so few have heard of him. This year, the Emmet course on tap is Cape Cod Country Club in East Falmouth. Designed in the late 1920s by Emmet and Alfred Tull, the course opened as the nine-hole Coonamessett Golf Course, which was part of a big resort centered on Coonamessett Pond. An additional nine holes came soon after. While Donald Ross has been claimed as the designer for the second nine, no evidence of his involvement has been found. In all likelihood, Alfred Tull designed the second nine. 

While the resort is no longer there as far as I can tell, the course is still alive and kicking, and doing quite well. So, what does an unrestored or unrenovated Devereux Emmet course look like? Let's find out.

The first hole is a short par 4 that, from tee to green, is a bit uphill. Obviously though that's not the whole story, as the tee shot is straight downhill. A long iron or fairway wood is all you need on the tee, unless you're really interested in a pitch shot from a steeply uphill lie or watching your golf ball roll backward for 50 yards. The second shot is blind and quite obviously sharply uphill. The green is protected by a bunker left and two right, and it's got a bit of a false front that you definitely don't want to mess with. With how brown much of the course was, I'm not convinced it wouldn't roll the whole way back down to the fairway.

The first hole.

The first green.

The second hole is a fairly long par 3 at 210 yards that plays over flat ground. The green is very well bunkered, with sand short, left, and right. The green itself isn't hugely difficult though, and it's open at the front, so this hole isn't really that difficult.

The second hole.

The second green.

The third hole is a big and wide par 5 that plays just under 500 yards. There's a big bunker on the left side with a ridge beyond it that you'll definitely want to avoid, as it makes going for the green in two impossible. There's also a pair of bunkers on the right a bit further up that's really only a concern for longer hitters. If you don't hit a good drive, a pair of cross bunkers about 100 yards from the green will threaten lay-ups. The green is well bunkered on both sides, but there's a bit of space in between so they're only really an issue if you're coming at the green from a long way away. It's a much more inviting target from wedge range. It's a fairly undulating green, but nothing extreme. This is an excellent birdie or eagle opportunity.

The third hole.

Approaching the third green.

The third green.

The fourth hole is a longer par 4 that moves into a more well-forested section of the property. Not that the hole is narrow, far from it. There's a bunker right that isn't really a big issue, and a bunker left of the fairway that is much more in play. The green has bunkers right and left, but much like the previous hole there's plenty of space in between to run a shot up.

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is slightly longer than the previous hole, and is the longest par 4 on the course at 430 yards. This hole is a bit narrower than the previous hole, but there are no fairway bunkers. The green is sort of domed and is best approached from the right side. There's a big bunker short left of the green that defends it quite well.

The fifth hole.

The fifth green.

After a bit of a climb, the sixth hole is a big double-dogleg par 5 curving around the big hill in between it and the previous hole. If you want to hit driver, you'll have to challenge that hill and the dense forest right. The fairway turns about 225 yards from the tee and going too far will result in being blocked out by more trees. While it can be annoying to use less than a driver on a par 5, I'm okay with it here because the option certainly exists to use driver if you can pull off a big fade around the dogleg. If you can do it, the green is reachable in two. A bunker and a small valley about 100 yards from the green give a little challenge if you lay up on the tee shot and second shot. The green is perched on the edge of the hill, so missing right or long at all will almost certainly result in a lost golf ball.

The sixth hole.

Approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is a short par 4 that's drivable if you're an especially long hitter. If not, you've got a couple of options. A massive valley runs perpendicular to the hole, starting about 175 yards from the tee. If you want a level stance and a view of the hole, you have to lay way back, using a long iron at most and leaving a full wedge or short iron. Alternatively, you can hit a wood or driver as far as you can and leave a blind half wedge up a big giant hill. And you won't want to leave that second shot short no matter where you're at. I'm not sure if it would roll the whole way back down, but that's probably not a risk you'll want to take. Three bunkers are scattered around the green, which has a notable false front. Like I said, you don't want to miss short here.

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh green. Probably don't want to be this far away though.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole starts off by crossing the valley encountered on the last hole, but this time it's right in front of the tee, and the tee shot is completely blind as the opposite side of the valley is 30 feet higher than the tee. From that point though, the hole plays downhill. It's a 420 yard par 4 that doglegs gently left, but it starts to turn a fair way back. A shot hit 250 yards down the right side of the fairway may end up blocked out by trees. Playing down the left is better. The main section of fairway stops about 275 yards from the tee and drops down a big slope toward the green. The green itself is well bunkered and sloped from right to left. This is the best hole on the front nine, in my opinion, and possibly the best on the course.

The eighth hole from the top of the hill.

Approaching the eighth green.

Looking back at the eighth hole.

The ninth hole is the shortest hole at Cape Cod, and it's definitely the easiest of the par 3s here. The green slopes from back to front with a bit of a false front if you're a little short. There are bunkers short and right, and if you go left, you can run into some shrubbery and trees bordering Coonamessett Pond. You'd have to hit a mighty hook in order to get to the water though. Even I couldn't quite make it, and believe me, I tried.

The ninth hole.

That's it for this week, next week we'll take a look at the back nine.