Wentworth By The Sea Country Club – Played July 2016
- Rankings: None of the four lists
- Location: 60 Wentworth Road, Rye, New Hampshire
- Year: 1897
- Original Architect: George Wright
- Additional Work By: Donald Ross, Geoffrey Cornish, Bill Robinson, Alex Findlay, & Brian Silva
- Course Access: Private
- Walking Rules: Carts Available
Score Card Information:
- Blue: 6,306 yards, Par 70, 69.2 Rating/127 Slope
- White: 6,006 yards, Par 70, 68.9 Rating/126 Slope
- Gold: 5,440 yards, Par 70, 66.3 Rating/117 Slope
- Red: 5,055 yards, Par 70, 67.1 Rating/116 Slope
The first course on the New England jaunt was Wentworth By The Sea Country Club. The course website didn’t have a great deal of history on it, but I played this course back when I was 16 and I really wanted another go of it. Luckily, we could get on through a network of private clubs our home course is apart of.
As you can see from the course details a lot of work has been done to this course by many architects. You can’t really tell as it all fits together very well with the best holes being along the water. Let’s get started!
I went ahead and played from the tips. All yardages will reflect that.
Hole 1 – 573 yards – Par 5
Hopefully, you are hitting your driver well on the range because you will need a good one off the first tee. The fairway is narrow with rough hemming in, but there is also plenty of mounding out there as well.
The approach plays to a green with a narrow bunker on the left side. You are able to run the ball up at all other parts of the green.
Hole 2 – 156 yards – Par 3
I didn’t like the view here with the plants blocking your view. Unless it is meant to be a blind shot I think you should be able to see the green. I hope it was just a temporary maintenance issue.
Here is the unobstructed view.
The green is seen below. In the next picture, you can see the connection of this green to the twelfth green. I love old courses when they have double greens.
Hole 3 – 174 yards – Par 3
One of the fun parts of old courses is that they can be quirky. Wentworth is no exception. With this hole, we have back to back par threes and the front nine par is 34. Pretty cool. The shot here is straightforward with only the bunker right really in play.
Hole 4 – 407 yards – Par 4
It’s good to have a yardage book for this hole. You can go further left than you think, but I didn’t realize that. The green is well to the left in the first photo. In the next one you can see the fairway landing area up the right.
The green is set hard to the water with a bunker guarding the other side. Precision is key here or you will be scrambling.
Here is a look at the bay and then the green.
Hole 5 – 376 yards – Par 4
The tee shot here plays to a narrow fairway with the rock outcropping on the right. The green is not very large.
Hole 6 – 381 yards – Par 4
We got a visitor on this tee box. This is not zoomed in at all. This guy was just a few feet off the cart path.
The tee box here is raised up and plays to an uphill fairway with some great looking undulations.
The green is guarded by a solitary bunker and depending on how far you hit your drive it can be partially blind.
Hole 7 – 351 yards – Par 4
This one doesn’t necessarily require driver. There is trouble on both sides so accuracy is needed.
The green is in a pretty setting with the bunkers and natural rock wall behind.
Hole 8 – 366 yards – Par 4
This hole is very tight off the tee. Your best line is just to the right of the far bunker. Take driver if you dare.
The smallish green has some great contouring on its right side as you can see below.
It is also in a nice setting near the bay.
Hole 9 – 221 yards – Par 3
The front side closes with a difficult hole. The carry is mostly over water even though there is some grass short of the green. There is also a bailout area to the right of the putting surface.
Hole 10 – 322 yards – Par 4
This is a tough hole if you move it left to right. You need a draw here and more than likely not with a driver. You can definitely run out of room all along the right side.
Hole 11 – 567 yards – Par 5
This is the first par five we have had since the opening hole. It is a mystery if you are playing for the first time because you can’t see much. You want to keep it just inside the right treeline.
A look at the blind second shot with crazy fairway mounding.
The green continues the trend of interesting contouring. I thought this was a very intriguing hole start to finish.
Hole 12 – 168 yards – Par 3
Sometimes these old school tracks can seem a bit squeezed in. This was a spot where I felt a little of that, but it still remains playable. This one is all out in front of you.
Remember that this is the green that is shared with number two. It is off to the left with the blue flag.
Hole 13 – 516 yards – Par 5
I imagine this hole can elicit mixed reactions. Due to the narrowness, I hit a long iron off the tee. There isn’t much room to maneuver here. Taking a shorter club keeps you accurate, but also avoids flirting with the huge slopes in the fairway.
Once you crest the hill there is more sloping in the fairway.
Hole 14 – 403 yards – Par 4
This begins a stretch a three holes along the water. I think it is the best group of holes on the course. It’s tough to see here, but the line is more evident when you are standing on the tee.
The rock outcropping in the middle of the fairway is a unique feature on this hole.
Hole 15 – 195 yards – Par 3
This hole looks like you can’t see anything. That is slightly true, but I promise there is a green out there. The second photo gives you a better look.
Hole 16 – 520 yards – Par 5
This is my favorite hole. It gives you plenty of options. You can take multiple clubs depending on how far right you want to go. I just love the setting along the water.
This is a view of the namesake Wentworth Hotel.
The look of the second shot is seen below. Notice the waste bunker, this runs the entire length of the hole once you get over the water.
The green has a second tier at the back of it to challenge you, but overall it is a big target.
I liked the view back toward the tee and wanted to share it with you.
Hole 17 – 215 yards – Par 3
After we get past 16, I think that Wentworth ends on a bit of a lull. That’s not to say the holes are bad, but they just don’t match up compared to the prior three. This one is a long par three that plays uphill. The green is quite wide.
Hole 18 – 395 yards – Par 4
The tee shot is downhill to a blind fairway. A good line is at the peak of the roof on the left side. Depending on the wind here you may not need driver.
The approach shot is rife with danger because there is nowhere to miss. The distance needs to be right, plain and simple.
You can see below what I mean about the distance. The green is very shallow.
I find Wentworth to be very fun. It won’t beat you up unless the wind is howling. You can make some birdies and the course is usually in decent shape. If you find a way to get on take the opportunity. New Hampshire has a lot of great golf and you’re missing out if you skip it.
