Golfadelphia

6,226 yards, 125 Slope from the Blues

It was like a dream. The sun stayed a little low even though it was around Noon and as I pulled off the main highway, charming seaside cottages greeted me at every glance. Yet no people. The water glistened with dancing sunshine as the roads twisted and climbed. I reached the club and went up the drive, to an empty lot. In fact, not even a car. Perhaps the cars were parked elsewhere, I said to myself as I walked to the clubhouse and tried the door. Locked. I walked around and saw the pro shop, which was locked and shuttered. A group of golfers appeared out of no where and before I knew it, faded away in the fairways. Alone amidst the dignified clubhouse, the First fairway beckoning and the wind, breathing in and breathing out. And so it went for a while until I began wondering if I was invisible, or was in fact dreaming up this entire sequence. My host finally appeared.

There are parts of the coast that seem to empty as winter approaches. Most will chase the sun and its warmth, leaving whence they came until the sun leads the there again. The early winter is that peaceful twilight dream at times. A space where the summer with all its energy and promise has finally passed, yet the beauty remains in a fading maturity. Until, one day, the grey cold and darkness prevails.

Such was the scene at Misquamicut as I walked its surging fairways and stole views of Block Island Sound. There was a post-apocalyptic peaceful feeling to the round in the best way possible. All the beauty of the area felt unperturbed and left alone, as if I was coming upon this Donald Ross design as its first player in some time. The design is quite remarkable in how it uses the hills for the front nine, then moves to the lower coastal land for the back. While it is generally known for its Ross pedigree, four of the greats appear on their score card; Willie Park, Tom Bendelow, Seth Raynor and Donald Ross. The design history gets complex as one delves into one source or another, with many of them conflicting. Sifting through it all, Park was commissioned in 1895 to construct nine holes, then Willie Anderson (the club’s first golf professional) added nine holes in 1896. Bendelow then re-designed all 18 holes in 1901, adding the first holes near East Beach (the current back nine). Raynor was retained to re-design five of the holes (the Third through Fifth, Seventh and Eighth) in 1912-13. Apparently, the club wanted Raynor to perform additional work but tried to contact him as “William” or “Bill” Raynor, which was his nickname. They were unable to reach him with this misnomer. Walter Travis submitted a master routing for a re-design project, which the club decided against as well. They went on to hire Ross in 1923 when additional land was acquired, who re-designed a lot of the course (the Sixth, Twelfth through Seventeenth). Geoffrey Cornish did some minor renovation work in the 1980’s, Forse some restorative work in the 1990’s and Bruce Hepner a bunker restoration project in 2015. As signified on the score card, the course is collaborative of these architects. Park’s work at the Second remains, Bendelow remains at the First, Ninth through Eleventh and Eighteenth, Raynor’s work remains as noted above and Ross imparted his own work while coordinating it all into a cohesive classic monument.

The round starts off with a bang and immediately throws the golfer into the scrum. Wild movement in the hills as the fairways rise and fall while greens and mounds are sharply cut into hills and ridges. Most of the course runs exposed to the elements as wind comes off the sound and swirls through those hills and lowlands. This leaves the structure of play haphazard if the golfer doesn’t have purpose. The golfer must look to the land and how it will respond to the ball on its slopes and contours. He must also look to those elements and the mood they’re in, as to how the ball will be influenced in that way. The greens have some troublesome sides and banks that will dispense with approaches disagreeable with the run of the land and of course, there are a good amount of blind shots that must be managed. This leads to a pleasurably strategic round in a spritely seaside setting with remarkable shaping and mounding, all of which exudes an early classic charm.

The course allowed itself to be studied and adored during its last few weeks of the season. As I climbed one towering mound or another and rolled my putts about the greens watching them move unpredictably as the background was all sun, water and green, I realized that yes, it was all in fact a dream.

The First is a 382 yard par 4 (from the Blues). We tee off paces from the rear patio and while the green is straight out before us, it is difficult to see with the fabulous rise and fall of the fairway swales. Knowing where these swales will take the ball on the unseen other side is advantageous; I can only impart that the short right side before the green falls off tremendously, so approach coming in from that side should be hearty, well into the green. Too far left and your ball may drift out of bounds; there’s really no reason to go over there, especially when the right side is open open open. I love the excitement the fairway shaping instills right out of the gate, I couldn’t wait to see how the other seventeen holes compared.

The Second is a 433 yard par 4. Staying on the permitter of the property, the tee shot is to an uphill fairway that crests downhill to parts unknown. After cresting, the fairway moves down before turning left to the left at the bottom. Staying on that right side off the tee is important in order to have a look at the green on the approach. Knowing when the golfer is out of position can make a difference here, as there is room before the green to set up an easier shot in if the approach line from the tee shot is no good.  

The Third is a 228 yard par 3. A longer par 3 with yet another obscured view off the tee. The mounding moves downhill but then back up to the green, so it’s not likely the ball will run up to the green. Rather getting it there means it will likely fall back a little while once again, we see plenty of room to miss short of the green for those feel it best to rely on the short game.

The Fourth is a 272 yard par 4. A long par 3 to a short par 4, with about a difference of 50 yards. We essentially turn around and tee off just to the left of the hole prior. Once again, it’s tough to track exactly where the tee shot lands because of the ripples and mounds but surely experience out here assists with that. There are options off the tee and driver may be too much depending on the golfer’s length. With the right to left movement of the green, approaches from the right side will be much tougher to control yet those with restraint will see this hole as something the iron and wedge can take care of.

The Fifth is a 424 yard par 4. Having thoroughly explored this corner of the property, we tee off on the hill and start an out and back. Bunkers line the right side while out of bounds is on the left. The green is welcoming at the front yet tightens considerably at the rear, so a run on or even an approach that lands short or at front is advisable. 

The Sixth is a 194 yard par 3. Another long par 3 but with this one, there is no acceptable miss short except some scant room on the left. Bunkers line the left and rear sides of the green to further hem in the tee shot, which essentially needs to reach the green or the miss off the deep right will be a tough one. It’s a great green site. 

The Seventh is a 522 yard par 5. Switching back, the fairway moves uphill and to the left. The bunkers that lined the Fifth on the right line this hole in the same way as well. The bunkers are below grade and with the terrain and elements, very much feels like the links. It’s about plotting the shots and managing the misses, then executing about the movement of the greens. 

The Eighth is a 165 yard par 3. At first I thought this may be a volcano green because of Ross but then realized it is one of Raynor’s holes, so it’s almost set up like a Short, yet instead of bunkers, there is deep rough and the sides are more severe at various spots, instead of being equal in depth all the way around. It’s a wonderful looking green and indeed, the golfer must be warmed by now and will either hit the green or try for redemption with a much needed astute short game. 

The Ninth is a 359 yard par 4. We move past the clubhouse on the left. The tee shot is once again into rumples and undulations, making it tough to discern what will become of the ball once it lands. The fairway is at the base of a couple hills, which gives it a ravine feeling as it begins to narrow between the hillsides above. This also clues us in that our accuracy will need to be on for the approach. The green hides a bit off to the right, perched on a ledge and is wide yet shallow. The fall off is fairly tough on all sides except the rear. Hitting the green at the Eighth and here felt like accomplishment enough, as I could tell the misery brought upon those who did not. 

The front nine uses the hilly terrain nicely and the greens fluctuate between cliffhanging suspense and gently flowing. I would rank them 1, 9, 8, 6, 5, 2, 3, 4, 7.

The back nine starts with the 381 yard par 4 Tenth. Now on the other side of the clubhouse, we head towards the water from the hills. The tee shot is to a double fairway of sorts, with most of the room to the right. The tee shot is blind and the mounding is strong leading down to the fairway, so there are shots that may end up rolling away from the green on both the first and second. Remarkable tee shots will have enough down the hill to move past the ridge, which then all runs towards the green, and be left with a shorter shot in. The green falls off the front and right rear while bunkers are left and front rear. It’s one of my favorite holes of the course.

The Eleventh is a 335 yard par 4. The view is introduced to us at the Tenth but the tee shot here gives us a nice look at the water along with the low lands on which most of the back nine is placed. The elevated tee shot must bound over Ocean View Highway and avoid Maschaug Pond on the right. It’s an awkward angle to set up for, even more so if you hit a right to left ball. The green is protected by mounds left and right in front of the green, leaving a little room between them and obscuring the view of the green. The mounds are interesting, as they may suggest a stronger approach is needed to clear them and hit the green, introducing some depth perception issues. The Eighth through Eleventh is a great stretch of holes on some of the more undulating land on the course that yields tremendously exciting golf.  

The Twelfth is a 169 yard par 3. The walk to the tee is along the isthmus between Maschaug and Little Maschaug Pond, out to the beach. The sea is very close behind and its waves lap against the shore as the tee shot carries the pond. There is lots of room center and rear of the green. The transition to the lowlands and its surrounding beach and bodies of water is now complete. We begin to roam about it.

The Thirteenth is a 431 yard par 4. The ponds aren’t done with us yet. The tee shot must carry an inland one and Little Maschaug Pond runs along the right side. Bunkers on the left, including one that comes in a little towards the center, move along that side. The green is of oblong descent and there’s lots of room in front to use but bunkers line the rear and right sides. Angles and wind here are primary, as the sides are guarded one way or another so while there’s width, it’s usually not as generous as it seems. 

The Fourteenth is a 435 yard par 4. The pond wraps around the rear of the tee and moves along the right side while the hole dog legs to the right around it. The bunker arrangement here is a good one, mainly after the turn, ensuring a more strategic placement on the approach and for those out of position off the tee. 

The Fifteenth is a 363 yard par 4. We start to think about heading in the direction of home and the tee shot is wide open except for the wind coming off the water and a couple large bunkers just before the green. There is more room between the bunkers and green than it looks, so it’s a false front of sorts. The green is also surrounded by bunkers except for the front. Indeed, the approach is an interesting one and anticipates the wind fortifying its defenses. 

The Sixteenth is a 391 yard par 4. The tee is tucked just off Ocean View Highway and there are a sea of reeds that must be carried to reach the fairway, which moves off of the Fifteenth green. As we have grown accustomed, the drive needs to arrange itself on the appropriate angle to the fairway while carrying the reeds and not moving to the far side of the fairway. The approach is to a well guarded green, a bunker for each side, but it’s a deep green and there’s enough square footage to work the shots in. 

The Seventeenth is a 525 yard par 5. The second par 5 is similar the one on the front nine in that it manages to stretch itself over the length of the land that most of the holes are situated on. The reeds come into play off the right while the pond we encountered on the Thirteenth tee is now in play on the left. The tee shot is off angle once again and the course asserts itself as one that is deceptively tough off the tee. The reeds and pond frame the fairway, which continues running at an angle to the green. A waste bunker is on the right, then a larger bunker lining the right side of the green make that entire side of the hole one to flirt with for the approach angle in without making the mistake of going in. 

The Eighteenth is a 215 yard par 3. Crossing back over the road and climbing the hill to the clubhouse, the long par 3 is very much uphill and even longer than it looks. The left side is better to avoid the bunkers and the final climb to the green will make the view that awaits all the more revitalizing. There is lots of green to work with as the putting green and short game area are all within the same area, with the clubhouse steps away. The par 3’s certainly challenge the long game acumen of the golfer, which is punctuated with this final hole.

The back nine starts off adventurously in the hills before coming down to the water, at which point an array of angles on strategic hazards challenge the golfer and allow the ground game to flourish until reaching the final hole back in the hills one last time. I would rank them 10, 11, 18, 16, 13, 14, 17, 12, 15.

Generally, Misquamicut features an eclectic array of design pedigree that emphasizes shaping and using the terrain boldly. The opening hole is noteworthy with the gigantic rumples of the first fairway while the Eighth through Tenth really showcase the dramatic shaping, at which point the course transitions to low lying coastal land and takes on another mellower form. It reminded me of Maidstone in that sense of transitions in setting about the coast while the drama in the shaping is done so well, ensuring the course is encased on a wealth of character. While Ross deserves his due for instilling links character in the flatter low lying holes and a comprehensive feel to the round, Bendelow’s work at the First, Eighteenth and the Ninth through Eleventh exemplified extraordinary use of land, while Raynor’s holes (and Park to some extent) fit within the middle of the range set at both sides of the spectrum by Ross and Bendelow. It’s a marvelous course with interest, beauty and strategy, yet another fine example of engaging and thrilling golf within a shorter stated yardage. Most importantly, Misquamicut has depth of character and identity, which won’t be encountered elsewhere, no matter how long the golfer searches. 

Clubhouse/Pro Shop: The clubhouse is grand and consistent with setting. It has a great balance of charm and stateliness.

Practice Area: There is a driving range, short game area and putting green on the grounds.