Cape Neddick Country Club in York, Maine
- Eric J. Mac Donald
- Oct 20, 2019
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 1, 2020
First built in 1922, Cape Neddick has some of the classic Donald Ross looks and feels you would expect. The course was redesigned in 1998-99 by Brian Silva, who had to resurrect 9 holes that were abandoned.
This year Cape Neddick faced a brutal winter. However, it bounced back nicely. The season started with temporary greens on numerous holes, but by August, the greens were resurrected and running right. Truth is, they were running a bit slower than their usual mid-season form after their comeback for the 2019 season.
This Ross/Silva combine to make this course easy to play without many blind shots from the tees or into the small greens. The length of the course will make it appear more straightforward to play too as length even from the back tees rarely adds too much difficulty to this course. The small greens and narrow fairways will keep a golfer from scoring low. The greens are usually the toughest part of the course because when the greens are running fast, slight undulations will take the ball offline and even move it off these small greens.
This is not a course that allows for recovery from wayward shots. There are many hazards, narrow fairways, and tiny greens, which brings double bogeys or worse into play.
Enjoy the many different holes here. They all have a different look to them. There are no mirrored holes. There does feel like there are some borrowed holes from other Donald Ross golf courses. The best example is the 18th hole at Cape Neddick feels very similar to the 16th hole at George Wright Golf Course in Hyde Park, MA. It is a great walk and layout. It is simple to find the next hole, and there are only a couple of long walks from a green to tee. The drive to the course is memorable as you cruise up the Maine coast with the waves crashing at the shore just below the road. The course also feels secluded from the seacoast, which adds to the ambiance of the course.
Conditions: Marred by the winter the conditions have vastly improved. Typically in a green state of lushness, the course is ready to play without any appalling conditions to maneuver around. Difficulty: The difficulty of this course lies in the size of their greens. Many of the greens feel like they are only 100 sq ft. Practice Green: Two practice greens are similar to the greens on the course in terms of look and feel. Value: The value is ok during the busy times of the year as it has a standard price of $65 /$75 on weekends with a cart. The early spring and after October 15th rate is outstanding at $45 to play 18 with a cart. Range: There is a full range with a grass hitting area for the public. Wear a hard-hat: It is a tight course, but there are not many places to worry about mishit shots flying at you.
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