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Jon Cavalier

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Myopia Hunt Club - A Photo Tour
« on: October 17, 2014, 01:23:37 PM »
I recently had the pleasure of playing an early morning round at the one-of-a-kind Myopia Hunt Club outside Boston.  To put it mildly, it was well worth the drive up from Philly (smooth sailing when you leave at 1am).  While the search function does reveal some prior posts about Myopia and some scattered photos, I thought a full tour might be appreciated.
 
Suffice it to say that I loved Myopia.  There is a vibe emanating from certain of these old clubs that I find quite appealing, and Myopia, like Garden City, has it in spades.  The building that houses the bar and dining areas was built in 1772.  The course is virtually unchanged from 19th century origins, save for a bit of added length.  It's an incredible place.  I hope that you get a sense of that in these photos.  Enjoy.
 

The Entrance
You know when you arrive at Myopia that you are in for a special day.  As you make your way down the long entrance drive, you pass polo fields and horse barns and other areas that reveal that, unlike many other clubs of its ilk, Myopia still maintains strong ties to its equestrian roots.  And then there's that outstanding logo.

 
Like Yeamans Hall, Myopia's entrance road lets you know right away what kind of experience you're in for.  Horse barns are to your left as you drive in.  No parking, please.


Horses are not the only creatures roaming the grounds at Myopia.




That said, there are plenty of horses.  The 18th fairway is in the background, bordering the grounds.



The Scorecard
In fitting with the overall theme of the club, even the scorecard looks old.

 

 
The Clubhouse


This view from behind the 18th green shows the wraparound clubhouse/locker room building, along with the putting green.

 
No bartender - serve yourself.

 
Signage

 
I can honestly say this is the first advertisement for a sled dog race I've seen at a golf course.


Weathervane

 
Locker Room & Showers
For me, Myopia's locker room facilities rank right up there with Garden City, Merion and National Golf Links (I've never played the course, but I've been in the locker rooms - that was sheer torture).  Myopia's facilities have a more modern feel, but they're still very unique.




Hole 1 - "First" - 276 yards - Par 4
Myopia opens softly, with a short, uphill par 4 with a blind but wide fairway.  The small green is easily reachable for some, but it can be treacherous, with its severe right to left slope.

 
The angle that most wedge approach shots will see into the first green reveals the necessity of avoiding the miss right.

 
The view from the first green - wow.

 
 
Hole 2 - "Lookout" - 488 yards - Par 5
A very unique half par hole, the elevated tee allows a full view of the all the interesting obstacles presented by the hole.  The first in a three hole stretch of great golf.

 
The second shot is blind to the green, as is the crossbunker between the two mounds.  The flag in the background is on the 7th green.  The 2nd green is sunken below.

 
The green and bunker are revealed.  This hole reminded me a bit of Emmet's 4th at St. George's on Long Island.

 
The 2nd from behind shows the recessed nature of the green.

 
 
Hole 3 - "Brae" - 252 yards - Par 3
A monster par 3 reminiscent of the 8th at Oakmont, only short doesn't work well here.  In truth, the third of three half-par holes to open the round.  Anything long is dead.

 
A small green for such a long par 3.

 
 
Hole 4 - "Miles River" - 385 yards - Par 4
A fantastic and beautiful par 4, and one of the most widely recognized holes at Myopia.

 
Beautiful bunkering.  The photo does not reveal just how much the green slopes from back right to front left.  I was told that this green has less pinnable area than even the tiny green on 9.

 
From behind the green.

 
 
Hole 5 - "Lone Tree" - 417 yards - Par 4
Tough par 4 divided by a stream.

 
Approach on 5.

 
Reverse view on 5.

 
 
Hole 6 - "Brook" - 255 yards - Par 4
Another brilliant short par 4.  By this point, the player knows he's playing a course meant for match play.  This hole is driveable, with the caveat that the green slopes from front to back.

 
Reverse view.

 
 
Hole 7 - "Myopia" - 401 yards - Par 4
The course's namesake provides a capsule view of what you'll find at quirky Myopia.  Good luck finding a level lie in this fairway.

 
Approach view on 7 from the top of the hill.

 
Reverse view showing elevation change and sideslope.


This panoramic view of the 7th hole, taken from the 4th fairway, gives a good idea of the challenge of the slope in the approach on 7, and shows the many background elements that add to the experience at Myopia.

 
 
Hole 8 - "Prairie" - 473 yards - Par 5
The hole begins with a drive over a small rise to a blind landing area.

 
The second shot is obscured by an Alps-like rise in the fairway that obscures the green.  The very top of the flag is visible here.

 
Like the 4th, the bunkerless 8th green is built with severe slope from high right to low left.  Anything to the right of this pin can easily be putted all the way off the green.

 
 
Hole 9 - "Pond" - 136 yards - Par 3
One of the best short par 3s in golf.

 
The green is a mere 9 paces wide at the middle, and the creative bunkering results some interesting recovery shots on misses.

 
 
Hole 10 - "Alps" - 404 yards - Par 4
The "alps" here are carried off the tee.  The blind tee shot makes for an uncomfortable drive, since anything missed right ...

 
... ends up in a really bad spot.  Note that the landing area is wider that it would seem from the tee, but the price for missing is quite high.

 
The 10th also has some great contour and bunkering around the green.  One of my favorite holes on the course.

 
Reverse view, showing the wonderful green complex.

 
 
Hole 11 - "Road" - 349 yards - Par 4
An uphill par 4 with trouble down both sides.  The tee is to the left of this photo, which shows the gorgeous red fescue that abounds at Myopia.  Any left to right tee shot here is in danger of running off the canted fairway.

 
Green view.  Another great use of a cross bunker.  Like 11, there's room between the bunker and the green to bounce one on, but you also won't get away with a skulled runner here.  Along with 4 and 8, 11 is one of the most sloped greens on the course.

 
 
Hole 12 - "Valley" - 451 yards - Par 4
A picturesque tee shot back down into the valley, the 12th runs parallel to the 8th and 7th holes.  The red fescue frames the hole beautifully.  Another half-par hole.

 
The view of the green on 12 shows the danger of missing right.

 
This view back toward the 12th tee reveals the rugged nature of the terrain at Myopia.

 
 
Hole 13 - "Hill" - 358 yards - Par 4
Playing back through the valley of the 2nd hole, the 13th requires proper placement of the tee shot to have a reasonably playable angle into the elevated green.

 
The approach on 13.  Straight up the ridgeline.

 
Green view.  Anything short will roll back off the front of the green, ending up as far as 30 feet from the putting surface.  But you really don't want to be long here.  Hit it or else.

 
 
Hole 14 - "Ridge" - 393 yards - Par 4

 
Green view.

 
 
Hole 15 - "Long" - 529 yards - Par 5
The slight rise in the fairway hides the fairway bunkers up the right side.

 
Likewise, the bunkers fronting the green are hidden from view on the second shot.

 
Green view.

 
 
Hole 16 - "Paddock" - 192 yards - Par 3
A gorgeous par 3 with the clubhouse as a backdrop.  Once again, many of the greenside bunkers are hidden from view.  The 18th green is seen behind.

 
The view from behind the 16th green, with the first fairway in the background.

 
This view from a different angle behind the 16th green better shows the great bunkering on this hole.  The pro shop is just out of view to the right.



Hole 17 - "West" - 394 yards - Par 4
The green is not in view from the tee, nor is the bunkering on the right of the fairway.

 
Green view.

 
 
Hole 18 - "Home" - 400 yards - Par 4
Great courses have great closers, and Myopia is no exception.  The 18th here reminded me a little of the finishing hole at Oakmont.  A ridge runs the entire length of the right side of the hole.  Horses run the left.

 
Double bunkering fronts the green on the right.

 
Bunker guards the greenside and runs from front left to back right.

 
The view back down the 18th - beautiful.

 
Hope you enjoyed the tour.
« Last Edit: April 06, 2015, 07:13:08 PM by Jon Cavalier »
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Matt Frey, PGA

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #1 on: October 17, 2014, 01:38:36 PM »
Myopia looks like an exceptional place with old world charm and an amazing course. Thanks for sharing.

jeffwarne

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #2 on: October 17, 2014, 01:39:22 PM »
Looks like the Swinley Forest of America. Exceptional tour, Jon, and a great resource to have on the site. Much appreciated...

Myopia over Swinley, by a mile.
and I rather enjoyed Swinley.
Why?
variety and quirk at Myopia far exceed that of Swinley
"Let's slow the damned greens down a bit, not take the character out of them." Tom Doak
"Take their focus off the grass and put it squarely on interesting golf." Don Mahaffey

Jon Wiggett

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #3 on: October 17, 2014, 01:46:50 PM »
Jon,

great photo tour. It is a shame that such courses are not as well known in the golfing world as other more photographed courses because it might help to open peoples imaginations up to what courses can also look like.

Jon

Robert Kimball

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #4 on: October 17, 2014, 01:47:04 PM »
Good God, what a cool place! I love everything about this post. The scorecard is the coolest. Does anyone know what the percentages mean? I would assume handicaps?

Great lesson in golf course architecture. Even though my chances of ever visiting are probably minimal, it's great to see these photos and imagine.

That 9th green!! Holy Smokes.  Anyone else on the Treehouse played there who can chime in on that hole or the course  in general.

Thanks, Rob

Mark McKeever

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #5 on: October 17, 2014, 01:55:50 PM »
Certainly one of the world's best. 
Best MGA showers - Bayonne

"Dude, he's a total d***"

Russ Arbuthnot

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #6 on: October 17, 2014, 01:58:36 PM »
Fantastic! Thank you for the tour, Jon.

The red fescue frames the holes beautifully. The mounding, the bunkering, the blind shots...wow. Speechless.

K. Krahenbuhl

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #7 on: October 17, 2014, 02:00:08 PM »
That 9th green!! Holy Smokes.  Anyone else on the Treehouse played there who can chime in on that hole or the course  in general.

Tee ball is always a little more difficult considering the lemonade/ginger snap sugar rush that accompanies the shot.

Places like this remain low key because of their desires to do so.  Threads like this never last long.

David_Tepper

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #8 on: October 17, 2014, 02:02:41 PM »
Jon C. -

A wonderful tour. Thank you.

With due respect to Sean Arble, I don't think I have ever seen a photo tour here that makes me want to play a course more than this one.

The colors of the fall foliage and fescue are remarkable. Did you enhance/saturate the colors of your pics at all or is that how the course really looked?

DT    
« Last Edit: October 17, 2014, 02:04:28 PM by David_Tepper »

JLahrman

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #9 on: October 17, 2014, 02:06:11 PM »
What a fantastic place. You can just tell by looking at the clubhouse. There is nothing like a yellow house with white trim.
« Last Edit: July 08, 2019, 07:05:15 PM by JLahrman »

Brad Tufts

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #10 on: October 17, 2014, 02:07:31 PM »
I will add many more words when I have more time this evening, as I spent 2004 working at the Club, and have played ~75 rounds at MHC.

One thing to notice is that over the last several years, the club has done a FANTASTIC job of bringing back the edges of their wonderful golf course.  Where bunkers once languished several yards into the rough, they now jut into fairways.  Where trees pinched corridors, they are now meadows opening the course to views not seen since the 20s.

I would say that when playing firm and fast, which is the majority of the year these days, there is no better display of quirk and bouncing-golf ball fun among US Parkland courses.  And it was maybe the first great one we had back in the 1890s.

When playing at full firmness, it is not uncommon to watch a ball bounce and roll for 30 seconds after it seemingly comes to a stop!
So I jump ship in Hong Kong....

DPierson

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #11 on: October 17, 2014, 02:09:57 PM »
Myopia is a special place. Had the opportunity to play there a couple of years ago. The experience in like none other.

Jon Cavalier

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #12 on: October 17, 2014, 02:12:45 PM »
Jon C. -

A wonderful tour. Thank you.

With due respect to Sean Arble, I don't think I have ever seen a photo tour here that makes me want to play a course more than this one.

The colors of the fall foliage and fescue are remarkable. Did you enhance/saturate the colors of your pics at all or is that how the course really looked?

DT    

David:

I did not enhance the photos. I do set the camera up to give a slight bump in contrast when I'm shooting golf courses, but the pics are an accurate view of how the course and the trees looked that day.

Here's a side view of the 9th - these were the brightest trees I saw that day, and some of the most vibrant colors I've ever seen on a golf course.


It's really an incredible place in every respect.
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David_Tepper

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #13 on: October 17, 2014, 02:21:08 PM »
Jon C. -

Thanks for your reply. Those colors are just remarkable.

DT

Paul Gray

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #14 on: October 17, 2014, 02:21:45 PM »
Exceptional. Truly exceptional. Until now I had never heard of Myopia. What a treat. And the set up, as Brad has alluded to, looks spot on. Such a shame that lesser places just don't take note. I guess it takes a certain level of self assuredness to open a course up to play properly.

Thanks for an outstanding tour.
In the places where golf cuts through pretension and elitism, it thrives and will continue to thrive because the simple virtues of the game and its attendant culture are allowed to be most apparent. - Tim Gavrich

Chris DeToro

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #15 on: October 17, 2014, 02:27:23 PM »
Amazing pictures and a great time to take them as the leaves have started to change colors here in New England. 

Jon Cavalier

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #16 on: October 17, 2014, 02:32:29 PM »
Exceptional. Truly exceptional. Until now I had never heard of Myopia. What a treat. And the set up, as Brad has alluded to, looks spot on. Such a shame that lesser places just don't take note. I guess it takes a certain level of self assuredness to open a course up to play properly.

Thanks for an outstanding tour.

Thank you for your comment. That you had never heard of this course makes me very happy that I put this post up.

I'm glad that you are all enjoying the tour.
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Thomas Dai

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #17 on: October 17, 2014, 02:47:13 PM »
WOW!

I knew from the records that a Club/course called Myopia Hunt had held the US Open a few times in the 1890's-early 1900's, and I'm assuming it's the same course, but what a place.

A quite exceptional photo-tour. By posting it Jon, I'm sure you will have brought a smile to the face of many a GCA-poster (plus lurkers). A big 'well done'.

atb

Phil McDade

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #18 on: October 17, 2014, 02:55:43 PM »
Jon:

Wonderful stuff; on the very short list of courses that -- given just one round to play, and the ability to go anywhere -- I'd consider. (Can't wait to hear what Brad has to say).

I've seen other photo threads of Myopia (including the NLE GCA profile...), and did not realize how much subtle blindness there is out there -- the 1st is famous, of course, but your photos depict a lot of blind-outcome tee shots and hidden greens -- a tremendous piece of routing by Leeds.
« Last Edit: October 17, 2014, 04:18:43 PM by Phil McDade »

Chris DeToro

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #19 on: October 17, 2014, 02:59:55 PM »
It doesn't look like much tinkering has been done at Myopia Hunt throughout the years--is this in fact the case? 

Scott McWethy

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #20 on: October 17, 2014, 03:06:52 PM »
Jon, thank you so much for posting such wonderful photos and commentary of a golf course that has intrigued me for some time.  I've seen some photos posted of this course, but nothing like what you've done here.  Does anyone know if the terrain of Myopia is similar to a course like Garden City?

Jon Cavalier

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #21 on: October 17, 2014, 03:07:24 PM »
It doesn't look like much tinkering has been done at Myopia Hunt throughout the years--is this in fact the case? 

In talking with the head pro, he told me that they've added a few hundred yards over the past 115 years, but otherwise, almost no changes have been made.
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Jon Cavalier

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #22 on: October 17, 2014, 03:09:26 PM »
Jon, thank you so much for posting such wonderful photos and commentary of a golf course that has intrigued me for some time.  I've seen some photos posted of this course, but nothing like what you've done here.  Does anyone know if the terrain of Myopia is similar to a course like Garden City?

Funny you should ask - http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,59549.0.html

Overall, the terrain is dissimilar - Myopia has a good deal of elevation change, Garden City is pancake flat.  But the general feel of the courses is, in my opinion, very much the same.
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Joe Hancock

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #23 on: October 17, 2014, 03:17:41 PM »
Very cool tour, Jon. Thanks for the effort.

I noticed a maintenance item that I will start another thread on as not to sidetrack this fine one. No worries, it's a positive observation!

Joe
" What the hell is the point of architecture and excellence in design if a "clever" set up trumps it all?" Peter Pallotta, June 21, 2016

"People aren't picking a side of the fairway off a tee because of a randomly internally contoured green ."  jeffwarne, February 24, 2017

Bill Crane

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Re: Myopia Hunt Club - Photo Tour
« Reply #24 on: October 17, 2014, 03:18:16 PM »
FYI  A photo tour of this course was posted just over two years ago - under a pseudonym.

My recollection is that there had been some photos of the course posted on GCA earlier or even a full review and the club requested that they be removed.

Hopefully they have changed their perception of the Treehouse and do not object.   You want to get invited back, and no repurcussions to your host!

Wm Flynnfan
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( s k a Wm Flynnfan }

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