Old Sandwich Golf Club

Old Sandwich Golf Club – Played July 2018

• Rankings: Golf Digest #68, Golf Magazine #46
• Location: 247 Old Sandwich Road, Plymouth, Massachusetts
• Year: 2004
• Architects: Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw
• Course Access: Private
• Walking Rules: Carts & Caddies Available

Score Card Information:

• Back: 6,908 yards, Par 71, 74.1 Rating/139 Slope
• Composite: 6,636 yards, Par 71, 72.7 Rating/135 Slope
• Middle: 6,415 yards, Par 71, 72.3 Rating/133 Slope
• Intermediate: 6,050 yards, Par 71, 70.8 Rating/130 Slope
• Front: 5,400 yards, Par 71, 72.4 Rating/130 Slope

What’s in a name?  Old Sandwich Golf Club is certainly an interesting name for a golf course.  But don’t let the name influence your opinion of the place.  It is as delightful as a freshly made deli selection.  Sorry for the food humor!

To avoid getting into too much detail of the name, I will direct you over to my buddy Steve’s site at Golf Tripper for more explanation.  Check it out here.  I particularly liked the nugget that Old Sandwich Road is the oldest continually operated unpaved road in the US.

Anyway, I was heading down to the beginning part of the Cape to play this track because of some fortuitous Instagram connections.  Luckily, I had gotten to know John through IG and he had graciously got me in touch with a member of Old Sandwich Golf Club.

I was really excited to play another Coore & Crenshaw course as well as get to meet some new golf friends!  After getting to the club, I got set up in the locker room by the awesome staff.  I know I compliment staffs a lot, but the guys at OS were outstanding.  Very attentive, but also laid back.  I really felt at home.  It didn’t hurt that they let me use Bobby Orr’s locker for the day!  Any big time hockey fan will know that name.

Once I changed shoes I headed out to the range to meet John, our member host, and one of their friends who would be joining us.  I could tell right away that we were going to have fun because of their easygoing nature.  After hitting a few balls to work out the kinks from the car ride we took a ride and walk over to the first tee to meet our caddies.

As you make your way to the first tee you walk over a cool natural bridge through the pond you can see in the photo below.  You also get a glimpse of this house, known as Talcott House from 1928.  Brian, our host, gave me the detailed story about it, but unfortunately I couldn’t take notes.  It belonged to the previous owners of the land and has been turned into some great lodging for members to use.  It is a cool spot.

After meeting our caddies and checking out the tee situation, we decided to play the middle tees.  All yardages are from those markers.  Here we go!

Hole 1 – 507 yards – Par 5

The opening tee shot does not appear difficult, but the fairway runs out on the left half.  The best line is at the bunkers in the distance.

 

Eventually, you crest the hill and are faced with this approach shot.  I caught some Donald Ross vibes with this turtleback green.

See what I mean?

 

Hole 2 – 387 yards – Par 4

This is no pushover despite being under 400 yards.  The tee shot is fairly easy with the exception of the bunkers in the middle of the fairway.  A true challenge awaits as the hole curves right and plays uphill to the tucked green seen below.

 

The green is a relatively large target, but any shots coming up short are going to roll a long way back.

Hole 3 – 409 yards – Par 4

Hopefully, you are warmed up with the driver because you need a good one here.  Long and in the fairway is the goal.

The second shot plays to an infinity green with a bunker to the left.  Running shots play nicely with the open front.

 

Hole 4 – 209 yards – Par 3

While this hole is long on the card, you catch a nice break with the elevated tee.  That boost should cut at least a club off the yardage.  Don’t miss in the bunkers to the right!

There’s my buddy John, on his way to draining another 40-footer probably!

Hole 5 – 307 yards – Par 4

This is one of my favorite holes on the course.  It begs the long hitter to go for the all or nothing shot to the green, which is to the left over the ravine.  Shorter hitters have ample room to the right but could be blocked out by the hill in the fairway.  Options baby!

From the top of the hill in the fairway, you are no more than 80-100 yards from the green but do not go long.  If you are not precise you will have a rolling putt over the plentiful green contours.

Hole 6 – 534 yards – Par 5

The tee shot here plays uphill to a blind landing area.  Be aware that the hole moves to the left so you want to shade your shot that way.

 

The green sits way above the bottom portion of the fairway.  As we’ve seen before, short shots will roll back quite a bit.  You also need to control the spin.

 

 

This view from behind the green shows the sloping that isn’t as visible from the fairway.

Hole 7 – 365 yards – Par 4

Most great courses don’t have or designate a signature hole.  Old Sandwich Golf Club is the same way.  If they were to have one though, this would likely be it.  The tee shot is benign enough and doesn’t necessarily require driver, but in the fairway is a must.

Here is the best part.  The “island” green is surrounded by sand and has a turtle back shape.  I swear C&C channeled some Ross here in New England.

The semi-buried walking boards were a nice touch!

 

Hole 8 – 349 yards – Par 4

The tee shot here opens you up to a mildly elevating hole that bends to the right.  Driver is not needed, but make sure to not miss left.

Below is the view of the approach shot.

And here is the massive green.

Hole 9 – 113 yards – Par 3

Anyone who has seen a Coore & Crenshaw course knows that the pair loves short par threes.  The front nine ends with just such a hole.  The slightly plateaued green is surrounded by sand and has a pretty large false front.

Hole 10 – 485 yards – Par 5

I missed the photo of the tee shot here, but below is the general landing area.  It plays downhill from the tee, but you want to make sure to avoid this cross bunker.  You have more distance down the left side and it is very reachable from there.

The few small bunkers in the fairway below can snag shots to make for a difficult escape.

 

Hole 11 – 217 yards – Par 3

From the short one-shot hole to a long one!  Misses can tend to be wide with a big club in your hand so focus hard.  The green is open in the front to accommodate some errors off the tee.

 

Hole 12 – 408 yards – Par 4

There’s no sugarcoating that you need a solid drive on this hole.  The fairway is pretty wide, but trees are just off to the right.  If you can fit a draw into this fairway you will be sitting pretty.

 

The green is a large target, which is a help when you are hitting a long club into it.

Hole 13 – 531 yards – Par 5

Lucky number 13 is another one of my favorite holes.  Most people won’t be able to get home in two.  The fairway angles downhill, but don’t go too far offline or you will have a tricky recovery.

 

The hole continues to slope down to the green.  I enjoyed the framing off the putting surface by the bunkers.

The green has a definitive false front and plenty of short grass on the hill in front of it.  Too much spin can bite and leave you with a testy half wedge in the valley.

 

Hole 14 – 351 yards – Par 4

There’s John again, ready to hit ANOTHER fairway.  Check him out on Instagram at jwjava.

This tilted fairway begs for a cut as anything running too hard left will run out of room.  If you can place your cut on the left side of the fairway you are rewarded by a great angle to the raised green.

 

 

Hole 15 – 157 yards – Par 3

This can be a treacherous hole if you miss with your direction.  The bunkers are deep and some sit well below the green.  Once you are on the putting surface, a make is no easy proposition.  This short hole packs some punch.

 

 

Hole 16 – 460 yards – Par 4

I’ll get to the hole description in a second, but the funniest thing happened on this tee.  Our host, as I was teeing it up, got crapped on by a bird mid-sentence.  It got him in three spots and we all cracked up, him included.  He said the bird must have had something rough for lunch it got him so good!  It’s one of the most memorable things I’ve seen on a course, but thank goodness for dry cleaning.

After that, you’re faced with one of the hardest holes on the course.  The fairway is very elevated but plays wider than it appears.  Hit it solid or else!

I was happy to see the approach play downhill.  You can bounce one onto this green quite nicely since it sits down in a bowl.

 

Hole 17 – 191 yards – Par 3

The final par three is a brute.  I would imagine, at this distant, that the front bunker gets a lot of play.  Overall the green is quite a large target for longer shots.  You can be faced with some lengthy putts.

 

In the photo below you can see the expansiveness of the green.  With multiple tiers, speed control can be a challenge.

Hole 18 – 458 yards – Par 4

The final hole is an examination.  The fairway is ample, but I can assure you that the trees on the left are in play.

A good drive leaves you with the downhill approach see below.  Short is the only desirable miss with heft bunkers on either side.

Below is a closer look at the green and its surrounds.

Hole 19 – Par 3

Old Sandwich has adopted the “bye hole” concept that some clubs around the country have as well.  This hole plays from 105-150 yards or so to settle up bets or for giggles.  We had a caddie closest to the pin competition.  Don’t go long!

I can honestly say that the golf course at Old Sandwich was a treat.  Even better, the company I had this day truly enriched the experience.  In traveling to play golf you never know what you are going to get.  It could be a solo round, three blowhards, or some other varaint.  But on this day, I got five great guys (including our caddies) that made for a phenomenal walk around a great club.  For that, I am very thankful!