Cochecho Country Club

Cochecho Country Club – Played July 2018

• Rankings: None of the four lists
• Location: 145 Gulf Road, Dover, New Hampshire
• Year: 1923
• Original Architect: Wayne Stiles
• Additional Work By: Phil Wogan, Ron Forse, Jim Nagle
• Course Access: Private
• Walking Rules: Carts Available

Score Card Information:

• Blue: 6,210 yards, Par 70, 70.0 Rating/123 Slope (Men’s), 76.7 Rating/138 Slope (Women’s)
• White: 5,959 yards, Par 70, 68.6 Rating/121 Slope (Men’s), 74.7 Rating/134 Slope (Women’s)
• Gold: 5,432 yards, Par 70, 66.8 Rating/115 Slope (Men’s), 72.4 Rating/129 Slope (Women’s)
• Green: 4,804 yards, Par 70, 64.0 Rating/109 Slope (Men’s), 69.1 Rating/122 Slope (Women’s)

Cochecho is always fun for me to play.  My uncle has been a member here for as long as I can remember.  Along with Candia Woods, this is the course I spent the most time playing during my summers in New Hampshire.

I usually try to play Cochecho once a year when I am back.  This past summer was no exception.  My uncle and I went out for one of our leisurely rounds in the afternoon.  As is his custom, he tried to get in my head about the course!

Traditionally I haven’t played well here.  He uses his course knowledge to make up for his other shortcomings :).  That wouldn’t be the case on this day.

I’ll give some brief history of Cochecho before we get into the tour.  The club dates back to 1910, when it was a six-hole course named Middle Brook.  The greens were guarded by fences to protect from grazing cattle.

As a side note, the name Cochecho means rapidly running water.

By 1921, the present property was purchased from a farming family.  The present clubhouse, seen below, was built after the second version was destroyed in a fire in 1929.  The original farmhouse sat where the current first tee now resides.

Back in the day, there were tennis courts where the current pool is and a croquet court where the putting green sits.  There were also bowling alleys and a separate lighted putting green.  Nowadays those amenities are gone, but the club is still left with a great 18 holes and active membership.

We tipped it out as usual since the course is just above 6,200 yards.  Let’s get Cochecho going.

Hole 1 – 323 yards – Par 4

The starting hole is short but tricky.  The fairway runs out on the right and bunkers guard the left.  A good drive up the left side of the fairway can clear all of this.  The approach plays to a partially blind green.

 

 

Hole 2 – 443 yards – Par 4

I think this is one of the toughest holes on the course.  O.B. lurks down the right side, but if you bail left there is heavy rough and a large tree.  A good drive is imperative.

The fairway bounds downward and then back up towards the severely pitched green.  Recovery shots from behind are nearly impossible.

 

 

Hole 3 – 139 yards – Par 3

This is birdie time.  The short-yardage combined with punch bowl traits make this a scoreable hole.  Don’t go long.  You’ll see that avoiding long is a theme at Cochecho.

 

Hole 4 – 282 yards – Par 4

By now you are starting to see that length is not much of a factor here.  But this course can get you in other ways.  If you are careless here an awkward pitch awaits you.  The best play here is 180-200 yards to leave a full shot to the green.

The slanted green will repel spinning wedges quickly.  This is another hole to avoid going long.

 

Hole 5 – 378 yards – Par 4

We’ve got our first true dogleg here and it will not be the last!  The hole goes almost 90 degrees right and straight uphill.  The common miss is in the rough through the fairway.

You cannot see the green on most approach shots.

You may not be able to see it here, but this green slopes severely from right to left.  It’s one of the hardest to putt on the course.

Hole 6 – 359 yards – Par 4

Accurate drivers can take advantage here.  With a helping wind, the second shot should be a short club.  Don’t go too far right or trees await.

 

We have another pitched green here with more right to left slope.  I four-putted in a junior tournament here once.  Then my Grammy got lunch for about 10 guys in the tourney and put it on my uncle’s tab!  Classic!  He and I still laugh about that story.

Hole 7 – 370 yards – Par 4

Precision is the game here.  This fairway is on the narrow side, but if you miss trees will affect the second shot.

The approach plays to an obscured green.  The ground slopes down toward the putting surface so you can land shots a bit short.  Yet again, don’t go long.

 

Hole 8 – 475 yards – Par 5

A good drive is crucial here, as you’ll want to make birdie on this short par five.  Out of bounds is on the right and trees are left.  The favored line is down the left side of the fairway.

You will most likely have a blind shot to the green.  Getting the line is important, but so is making sure you carry this pond that sits close to the green.  I’ve made anywhere from 4 to 8 here.

Hole 9 – 204 yards – Par 3

Nine is a brutal finish to this side.  The entrance road sits to the left and calls your name with a long club in your hand.  The green is heavily sloped from front to back to receive long shots.  Chipping is quite difficult.

 

Hole 10 – 355 yards – Par 4

The back nine starts you off slowly.  From an elevated tee you can bomb driver, but be careful as the O.B. on the right is close.

The approach shouldn’t be much more than a wedge to the slightly perched green.

Hole 11 – 433 yards – Par 4

Eleven is a tough hole.  It is a mirror image of five almost as it doglegs ninety degrees to the left.  It plays uphill all the way.  The common miss in the right rough complicates the second shot.

You can barely make out the red flag in the center of the photo below.

 

 

Hole 12 – 179 yards – Par 3

This hole sits back in a little amphitheater.  It doesn’t play the yardage due to the slope, but you won’t want to be in the bunkers short.

 

Hole 13 – 391 yards – Par 4

Talk about hitting out of a chute!  If you can play a fade this hole becomes much easier.  I’ve always been claustrophobic here trying to hit a draw.

The second shot goes right back up the hill and plays to a severely sloped green.

 

Hole 14 – 393 yards – Par 4

This may be the hardest hole.  It is tighter than it looks.  If you go to the right a bit the ball will run out into trees.  A slight draw to the top of the hill is the best play.  Easier said than done.

Your second shot plays way downhill.  As you can see, long is bad.  I usually play 10 yards short of the yardage to be safe.

 

 

Hole 15 – 158 yards – Par 3

Cochecho’s namesake river runs along the left of this hole.  The green is a generous target with two bunkers on the left.  A smooth swing with a mid-iron should do the trick.

 

 

Hole 16 – 498 yards – Par 5

The yardage is a tease here.  Due to the shape of the hole (dogleg left) and the green complex, it is difficult to get home in two.  The tree on the left is in play, but if you don’t carry it your ball can fall into a hazard.  The conservative play is up the middle.

 

The green is perched high above the fairway and doesn’t hold long shots well.  Late afternoon sun will also add a challenge.

 

Hole 17 – 396 yards – Par 4

This hole always seems to be my bugaboo.  That stupid pond on the left has gotten me plenty of times.  You don’t want to miss right though due to rough and some mounding.

The approach is a flat shot to a green fronted by a mound.  Your view is obscured by this feature.

 

Hole 18 – 434 yards – Par 4

While it is a short course, you’ve seen that there are some long holes.  Eighteen is a prime example.  With significant trees down the right, this tee shot calls for a fade.  Anything in the fairway though is great.

The long second shot plays to an elevated green with a pond on the front right.  No shame in missing left.

 

 

As I said, I’ve played this course many times since childhood.  It’s one of my favorites in New Hampshire.  Even though it is short, it has always been a challenge.  That is a good sign.

I’ve always enjoyed playing with my uncle here and having casual matches.  From the junior tournament story I mentioned to trying to break 80, Cochecho will always be a special place for me.