[Mike_Sweeney]

well you have come to the wrong place!!



The clubhouse will be replaced this winter.

[brad_miller]

Eastward Ho looks wonderful. The greens, browns (contrasts) and wideopen vistas really show off the movement of the land. How much work was done over the past years to open up all the vistas? Is this North Americas best (most fun, want to play all day) 6000 yarder?

[Tom_Doak]

Does the ball stay in those fairways?  How many times in 18 holes will you drive it well inside the fairway and wind up in the rough?

[Michael_Stachowicz]

Yes, you can keep the ball in the fairways, but you may not be able to keep them on the spot were you want it on the fairway.  At Eastward Ho! it is not enough to be in the fairway, you need to be in the correct spot in the fairway or a blind shot or a severely uneven lie may result.

[Mike_Sweeney]

Does the ball stay in those fairways?  How many times in 18 holes will you drive it well inside the fairway and wind up in the rough?

As mentioned before, I played with three wood, missed only 2 fairways all day due to the Sweeney slide to the right not the width of the fairways. The fairways are generous.

This picture of 17 only shows the par 5 landing area and green. It starts out super wide and narrows as you get closer.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Mike Sweeney,

Do you feel that firm & fast fairways are an asset or a liability in playing the golf course ?

Since this is a well established and well regarded golf course I'd have to assume that they present the golf course, when Mother Nature cooperates, in a predetermined way.

[Mike_Sweeney]

Patrick,

Geoffrey and Noel played it earlier in the summer and seemed to have the same impression as me, it was in phenominal shape.

It is a classic New England spot, low key very very friendly. Someone or some group was smart enought to hire an assistant Super from Shinnecock and let him do his job.

[T_MacWood]

Eastward Ho! has never looked better...I need to get back there ASAP. Thanks for the photos.

[Mike_Sweeney]

It is a shame to replace the clubhouse.

Beginning of the end, I say.  Welcome all the
nouveau riche and that's what you get.

Bill,

You are waaaaay off base.

[Mike_Sweeney]

Bill,

The club has a 20+ year waiting list. I played with two brothers, one a member for 30 years. The other is the President of a Ross course outside of Boston and it still took him 13 years to get in!! I just don't think they are letting in the hedge fund guys who are building tear downs out by Chatham Lighthouse!  

The clubhouse had a bunch of fire code provisions and handicap access issues (see your lawyer friends). They looked at a renovation, but the economincs made it unreasonable especially considering what they had to start with. It is not like they are tearing down The Orchards or Newport!!

The course was originally a resort, and the resort hotel burned down years and years ago.

[Brad Swanson]

Thanks for the great pictures, Mike.  It looks like you had a nice fun trip out on the cape.  I enjoy getting a look at the old, charming, clubs of the Northeast, even if it is only by photos.

Cheers,
Brad

[Mike Benham]

Interesting to note the natural fairways, following the contours of the land, offset by perfect square or rectangular tee boxes.  I suspect in the case of Eastward Ho, you are guaranteed of only 18 level lies during your round.

[Jordan Wall]

Mike,

I really like the pictures and the course looks really awesome.

How big is this new clubhouse going to be?

And a 20 year waiting list?!?
 
WOW

[T_MacWood]

I'm sorry to see the old clubhouse go too.

The course was not originally a resort. There was a hotel on that land at one point (where the 4th green is) - the Hotel Chatham. It was dismantled in 1910.

The current clubhouse was originally the home of Captain Nickerson, who I believe owned the land there....it was located where the parking lot is. In 1929 they moved the core of his old home to its present location closer to the bluff, moved another old cottage built in the 1700s to that location, connected them and then updated/refurbished the interior.

[Mike_Sweeney]

Tom Mac is correct, here is the history, and there is a very good course tour there too:

http://public.eastwardho.org/Default.aspx?p=DynamicModule&PageId=209139&ssid=50414&vnf=1&slink=true

[RJ_Daley]

Nice pics Mike.  It looks like one would have to take Anti-vert pills to keep your lunch down if you rode a cart upon it.  All the better arguement to hoof it and enjoy what appears to be a splendid walk.

[Eric Franzen]

Thanks for posting these.

The 18th looks like a magnificent finishing hole. Just love the bunkering.

20 year old waiting list... that is nothing compared to the 60 year you'll have to hang on for a membership at Stockholm GC. ( )

[Ryan Farrow]

Great pictures, thanks for posting.

[cary lichtenstein]

I saw the model for the clubhouse and it looked appropriate.

Keeping the ball in the fairway was not a problem, although the back side is harder than the front.

Pretty special place IMHO.

[George Pazin]

As great as Mike's photos are, I still think you need to see the contours in person to truly appreciate them. It looked more like a rollercoaster than a golf course! Kind of like the seeing the 10th or 12th greens at Oakmont in person.

The course strikes me as a true testimony to an architect's vision, as I believe most would have seen that land and said, no way. Or, at least, a lot of modern architects would see it and start envisioning a lot of earthmoving (not meant as a slight to you modern guys, more a reflection of reality ).

[Ryan Farrow]

George 10th and 12th greens? How about 10th and 12th fairways!!!

[noonan]

I like the down and back mowing pattern.....the checkerboard is too busy.

[Brad Swanson]

Jerry,
   The mowing pattern looks very similar to Shinnecock, which makes sense considering Eastward Ho's super used to work there.

Cheers,
Brad

[JESII]

MIke,

Would you say the fairways were mown at a higher lower or normal height? Would you recommend anything other than what they are doing as far as fairway height of cut goes? How is the rough maintained? Playable, or a real obstacle to getting your ball up around the green?

[SPDB]

the great thing about these fairways is that, yes, they will repel a lot of shots that hit the center off into the rough (the easiest example is #9). But so what? On #9 you must play down the tree line on the right to get a chance at holding the fairway or a level lie. On #14 you must play it to the hole or on the extreme right on your approach, or it will collect down to the left.

What other defenses should a <6400 yd course have?

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