Abenaqui Country Club – Played July 2020
- Rankings: None of my four lists
- Location: 731 Central Road, Rye Beach, New Hampshire
- Year: 1903
- Original Architect: Arthur Fenn
- Additional Work By: Manny Francis, Geoffrey Cornish, Al Zikorus, & Bill Robinson
- Course Access: Private
- Walking Rules: Carts & Caddies Available
Score Card Information:
- Black: 6,639 yards, Par 72, 72.5 Rating/127 Slope
- Blue: 6,301 yards, Par 72, 71.0 Rating/122 Slope
- Combo: 5,946 yards, Par 72, 69.0 Rating/122 Slope
- Yellow: 5,644 yards, Par 72, 67.4 Rating/120 Slope
- Green: 5,279 yards, Par 72, 70.6 Rating/121 Slope
- Silver: 4,631 yards, Par 72, 67.2 Rating/115 Slope
Abenaqui Country Club dates back to the early 1900s. Located in Rye Beach, New Hampshire, it served as a summer getaway for people from St. Louis. Chicago, Cleveland, and Northeastern cities. As time went on though, the club suffered financial woes. In reading about the history, Dr. George Bottomley guided the club through the troubled waters for a couple of decades. Today, the club seems to be doing much better.
Some of the history was a little harder to find. The scorecard lists Alexander Findlay as an original architect but I couldn’t find that anywhere. I’m not sure of the specifics there.
Either way, I was happy to see Abenaqui Country Club again after a 15+ year gap. My last visit was for a New Hampshire junior golf tour event. Since that time they’ve reworked some of the holes, so it wasn’t fully a trip down memory lane.
Let’s get into the course tour. First, I got a photo of a portion of the clubhouse. The pro shop and locker rooms are in a building to the right of this.
Hole 1 – 376 yards – Par 4
I went ahead and played from the tips, so keep that in mind for the hole distances. You get a gentle start to the round with a mid-length par four with a generous fairway.
You can tell you’re near the ocean with the flatness. While the green looks pedestrian, there is a bit more slope than you can see in the photos.
Hole 2 – 475 yards – Par 5
You can get at this hole. A good drive could leave you with an iron into this green. With a pond and tree guarding the green you still need to be precise.
Hole 3 – 405 yards – Par 4
While the last hole may have been a birdie opportunity, this one provides plenty of challenge. Playing uphill all the way, I also caught a headwind.
Hole 4 – 152 yards – Par 3
A quintessential old-school par three here with the front bunker providing most of the defense.
Hole 5 – 560 yards – Par 5
After the fourth, you cross the road to play holes 5-12. Your start of this loop is a beast. You need accurate and long shots to avoid the pond and reach the green.
Hole 6 – 375 yards – Par 4
You can tell the course is older with some parallel holes but I don’t view that as a negative.
There is a whole back section of this green you cannot see from the fairway. If you get on the wrong side of the ridge your ball will run away from the flag.
Hole 7 – 430 yards – Par 4
You need a big drive from this elevated tee. If you accomplish that you should have a decent shot into the open green.
Hole 8 – 367 yards – Par 4
You want to play up the left side of this hole as trees on the right can block your approach shot. You’ll find an inviting approach shot from the fairway, birdies can definitely be had.
Hole 9 – 186 yards – Par 3
You are presented with a large green on this one-shot hole. Water lurks short of the green so make sure your strike is solid.
Hole 10 – 506 yards – Par 5
You’ve got a big fairway to hit on this one. The hole bends to the right and narrows up as you go along. Knowing a layup distance is important.
Hole 11 – 185 yards – Par 3
This green favors a fade if you’re trying to avoid the water. The green angles from left to right with some bailout area short and left.
Hole 12 – 418 yards – Par 4
Our last hole on the “across the street” section moves back uphill and requires two good shots to get home. I shot one out into the trees on the right and had a bit of trouble on the approach shot.
Hole 13 – 364 yards – Par 4
You have some obstacles to contend with here. The road borders the left side and trees on the right prevent a big draw. Once you get past this chute, the hole opens up to an interesting green with good contouring.
Hole 14 – 401 yards – Par 4
The slinging draw feels more at home on this tee shot. If you can negotiate your drive around the trees the approach is relatively benign.
Hole 15 – 301 yards – Par 4
Back to back dogleg lefts here, albeit this one is much shorter. I would say driver is probably not the play here.
Hole 16 – 155 yards – Par 3
A fun note on this hole, Dan Brown, of Da Vinci Code theme, has his estate in the trees to the left. Otherwise, this is a straight forward par three with a large green.
Hole 17 – 563 yards – Par 5
My playing partners explained to me that these last two holes had been reworked since the last time I had visited. It also occurred before they had joined. I don’t remember the original holes at all so this was all new for me.
This is a long par five that bends around the corner to the left. With a pond fronting the right side of the green second and third shots cannot tail right.
Hole 18 – 420 yards – Par 4
The final is a strong finish. The forced carry isn’t overly long but there is water to the left of the dogleg as well. The closer you can get to it the easier your second shot will be.
I got a lucky bounce and was in prime position. A wide-open green awaited me.
Abenaqui Country Club was as pleasant as I remembered. It provides plenty of challenge without being overly difficult for higher handicappers. Playing with the two lady members I was grouped with was an absolute delight. They welcomed me to their course and had great banter all day.