Golf Club Atlas
GolfClubAtlas.com => Golf Course Architecture => Topic started by: Rick Sides on April 13, 2023, 04:33:21 PM
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Was fortunate enough to play an 80 degree day in mid April at Bass Rocks Golf Club in Gloucester Massachusetts . It is only about 6200 yards from the tips but is everything right about a golf course . Besides the fun views of the ocean, it had many fun holes that were not long . Fescue and large boulders protect some of the fairways and make sure you hit decent shots . The greens were fun but not over the top crazy . I dont know why courses insist on lengthening the course
my own course now is over 7300 yards with a par 3 of 275 and another of 260. Why cant more courses be built like Bass Rocks? Also makes me love to think what would pro tournament scores look like at a course that requires more thought and less brut strength ??? A fun day !
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Its got the same kind of charm as Aiken GC or Cape Arundel. I cant imagine getting tired of the golf course.
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Tim , it was a blast . Gets crazy watching so many golf courses pushing tees over 7000 yards when the average golfer has no business playing from the length . Slows down the game and take
away the fun
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To be fair, not every piece of land has that kind of character.
I have not really seen much of the course, just peeked in years ago on a visit to the area . . . interesting property!
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Tom, if you get a chance to go back if youre in the area, it well worth it. The rocks, burms, and native grass weave throughout the property and make it a great piece of land . Leeds did an amazing job
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Leeds was remarkable, especially considering the time period.
Bass Rocks is on my shortest list. Thanks for your post, Rick.
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Leeds was remarkable, especially considering the time period.
Bass Rocks is on my shortest list. Thanks for your post, Rick.
Leeds may well have been remarkable...
But his "smartest" achievement may have been designing either for clubs with limited funds or working in areas(new England) populated by people with minimal desire to spend lavish amounts on renovations.
;) ;D
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Leeds was remarkable, especially considering the time period.
Bass Rocks is on my shortest list. Thanks for your post, Rick.
Leeds may well have been remarkable...
But his "smartest" achievement may have been designing either for clubs with limited funds or working in areas(new England) populated by people with minimal desire to spend lavish amounts on renovations.
;) ;D
Jeff,
Let's not forget Palmetto. ;)
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Bass Rocks is a fun test of golf in a certainly old-world way. It's unique in that much of it pre-dates even Myopia as there is no earthwork on many of the holes, letting the rocks, stone walls, and surrounding native vegetation influence play. The mounding that exists seems right from the Victorian era. It's very refreshing for match play in a "golf was never meant to be fair" sort of way.
My first play here in HS (it was the furthest course from our school so it was almost a mythical journey) was just before the big changes, but we only played the front nine. In 2000 or so, they deleted several holes to insert a driving range next to the clubhouse and built f new ones in the middle of the property. They aren't offensive but are perhaps the three least interesting holes on the current course. I think they are the current 6-7-8-9. 6 used to dogleg hard left but there was a road and a home on the inside of the dogleg, and the second shot was completely blind. The range contained a few holes (original 12-13-14) before the final 4 in the meadow, with one hole ending 150 yards up the hill behind the range tee/parking lot...and the practice chipping green was the green for a downhill par three...tough to imagine with all the potential road crossings and logistics and balls flying every which-way, but it was played that way for 100+ years!
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Brad thanks for the post. I would love to see the old aerials
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Sounds like the original holes were even quirkier, if that's a word.
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Quirky is fun !
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Quirky is fun !
Indeed it is.
If you ever get to eastern PA let me heartily recommend the Quirk Duo of Galen Hall and Manor golf courses about 10 mins from each other west of Reading, PA.
It's a literal Quirkathon.
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Mike I heard of Galen not of Manor. Both are fun ?
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Any comparison/contrast with nearby Rockport Golf Club?
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Rockport is pretty much a back-and-forth affair laid out over what feels like an old pasture.
One hole has a gigantic rock, think a pyramid of granite maybe 20' tall, that affects play on one hole but that's the only memory of an individual feature that I have. I have only played it once maybe 15 years ago.
Rockport certainly wins out on the quirky gorgeous New England town comp over Gloucester, although Gloucester has its charm too. In terms of Rockport, I'd head downtown or find one of the numerous coastal walking trails before I played gave time for golf.