Course 62 in my quest brought me to Bass River in Yarmouth. As soon as you arrive, the quaint, simple nature of the course is apparent. A wind-cracked yellow clubhouse and the small practice green on the edge of the Bass River are delightful. ⠀
This 1914 Donald Ross redesign (1900 original design) has a lot of Ross magic: a gentle handshake opener, blind tee shots, creative use of elevation, scoreable par 5s, and solid green complexes.
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The course’s middle section of land is rather flat and open, but exposed to the wind. There's plenty of ways to navigate these holes via shared fairways. ⠀
Holes 3,4,7, 11, and 12 run up and down that part of the property. The 11th is a very cool short par 4 that sits in the middle of a few holes, the green just floating in the open space. ⠀
The second hole will grab your attention. A blind uphill tee shot out of a narrow shoot provides the payoff of a splendid downhill second shot to a green that, while below the golfer, has a false front. A fabulous hole, and probably the best on the course. From the raised fairway if feels like you're looking down on the 4th at Concord and the 7th at Plymouth. ⠀
The stretch of holes 13-18 are probably the strongest on the course. 12 brings you back toward the river and the clubhouse, and 13 heads out to a new spot on the property with a tee shot up to a plateau. The dogleg left 14th has a great green tucked way back on the edge of the property. It's an unnerving second shot as the player can only see the top of the flag due to a little drop in the land. ⠀
Bass River has a rare chance to really capture the water views, which are rare at most Cape courses. Holes 15, 16, and 17 play toward and/or along the river, but the trees block out the views. It would be a phenomenal closing stretch with the water behind the 15th green and then running down the left of 16 and 17. Sadly, the trees are too dense and the water only really appears behind the 17th green and then becomes part of the scenery on the par 3 18th. ⠀
Bass River has a nice balance of open holes and holes that wind through the trees. I really enjoyed it.⠀
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