Eastward Ho! Country Club, MA, USA
(formerly Chatham Country Club)

Playing golf at Eastward Ho! is a distinctive experience, unlike any other in the United States.

In the United States, Herbert Fowler's name is often absent in the discussion of the all-time great architects. Such is not the case when a similar discussion is held in the U.K.

For almost two years, he stalked on horseback the vast property some 700 feet above sea level on the North Downs. Finally, the first course at Walton Heath Golf Club opened in May, 1904, and was immediately recognized as a great design. Whereas the construction of Woking and Sunningdale predated the acceptance of the Haskell ball, Walton Heath was specifically built with it in mind. In fact, the course was so good that James Braid signed on to be Walton Heath's first professional four months before the course opened. And Braid remained there until his death 46 years later. To this day, the exposed Old Course at Walton Heath is the benchmark upon which all other heath courses should be judged.

While Walton Heath is recognized as his masterpiece, Fowler produced other exceptional courses. His re-design of Westward Ho!  had critics proclaiming it the equal of any links. In fact, when Westward Ho! re-opened in 1908, one could argue that Fowler was the man most responsible for the finest inland and finest links course in the world! 

Golf course architecture was halted by World War I but by 1920, Fowler was at it again on both sides of the Atlantic. In England, he was focused on the completion of the East Course at Saunton, near his beloved Westward Ho!. Set through inspiring sand dunes, the course has many admirers. In fact, when asked to consider if an ideal course already existed in the British Isles, Wethered and Simpson wrote in 1929 that 'we would definitely give our vote for Saunton in North Devon.'

In the United States, Fowler was busy with several projects in California including work for the Los Angeles Country Club. His sole east coast project was on Cape Cod near the town of Chatham. Ironically, according to Tom MacWood, the founding members of the club consulted with Willie Park Jr. of Sunningdale Old fame several years before regarding the suitability of the terrain for a golf course. Park gave it an enthusiastic response claiming it could be 'equal to, if not better than, any course this side or the other' of the Atlantic. However, in 1921 when it came time to build the course, the club board selected Fowler as opposed to Park.

As was his want, Fowler requested a horse to cover the property and apparently, the horse was borrowed from the Myopia Hunt Club. Unlike Walton Heath which has an out and back routing, the two nines at Chatham loop out and back from each side of the clubhouse, which is located in the middle of a glacial moraine.

As for Fowler's design beliefs, he summarized them best when he remarked, 'God builds golf links and the less man meddles the better for all concerned.' This minimalist approach is evident in all his designs - the teeing areas are simple affairs, there are no superfluous bunkers, the greens are frequently extensions of the fairways, and there is never any 'framing' of the greens.

While cross bunkers, heather and gorse form the challenge at the comparatively flat Walton Heath, Fowler used the rolling topography at Eastward Ho! to keep the golfer off guard. Similar to Westward Ho!, the golfer continually faces the timeless dilemma of links golf: controlling the trajectory of his shot from an awkward stance.

Given the rolling topography created from the sand, rock and debris left behind from a receding glacier,
Howler didn't need to create a lot of man-made contrivances to challenge the golfer.
This is the view from the third tee.

Holes to Note

4th hole, 170 yards; When Fowler laid out his first course at Walton Heath, he first sought ideal locations to place his one shot holes and then radiated other holes from them. Thus, it comes as no surprise that Eastward Ho! enjoys an exceptional set of one shotters. Indeed, taken as a group, the authors can't think of a single course in the U.K. that offers a clearly superior set.

The green complex for the one shot fourth with its sharp drop off to the right.

The back to front tilt of the fourth green is evident from looking at the relative position of the two golfers.

6th hole, 405 yards; As the photograph below demonstrates, this is one of golf's more unique holes. In fact, it is so unique that the golfer can only marvel at how Fowler even found it. Certainly, in the early days of golf course architecture when the architect spent just a day or two staking out a course on site, this hole would not have been found. Such are the virtues of Fowler, his horse, and taking the time to do it right!

The tee ball on the sixth plays over the brow of the hill on the left and into a valley before the golfer
heads for the green to the right with his approach.

7th hole, 175 yards; Apart from the challenge of hitting a shot up a sharp incline without letting it balloon into the wind, the key to the seventh is keeping the ball below the hole. Similar with the next green which is also elevated, this one slopes sharply from back to front. The golfer who finds himself with a downwind, downhill putt on either the seventh or eighth green is likely to be chipping from in front of the green for his next shot.

Looking across the sixth green at the seventh hole, with its teeing area lower right along the shoreline
and its green well up the bluff.

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