YARMOUTH, Mass – Inquiring minds want to know and so do I. So, on a recent visit to Cape Cod I booked a tee time at Bayberry Hills Golf Course to find out for myself why just about everyone puts it No. 1 on their list of must-play courses.
Bayberry Hills is easy to get to. Head over the Sagamore Bridge to Route 6 a/k/a the “Mid-Cape Highway” for about 20 miles to Exit 75 (Station Ave.) then to Old Town House Road and straight to the front gate.
Once you arrive, you’ll find a convenient and easily accessible bag drop next to the clubhouse with a large three-level parking area. On the walk to the Pro Shop you’ll see a spacious, grass driving range across from the parking lot. This is just the beginning of what Bayberry has in store for you.
Bayberry Hills Head Pro Dennis Hoye greeted us in the pro shop, which is located above a restaurant appropriately called “The Grill.”
“We have had a really good summer including a Mass Golf FourBall event with Hyannisport in April,” said Hoye, who was former head pro at Cranberry Valley. “Throughout the summer we do a lot of junior camps and clinics which I run with Jim Hallett, who is from the Cape and played on the PGA Tour for many years. Also, we hosted a USGA National Four Ball qualifier three weeks ago so you’ll find the course in great shape and as we move forward we will continue to host some major golf tournaments.”
Daily Green Fees fluctuate depending on the season and time of day. On the property is a large putting green near the clubhouse that’ll tune you up for what to expect on the spacious greens. Along with an in-cart GPS, which provides golfers with all the information they need to know, the course is also marked with 150-yard stakes that are measured to the center of the greens.
There are 27 holes at Bayberry Hills that are broken down into three 9-hole courses. The two 9-hole Wind (Red) and Sand (White) courses are Parkland Style courses and are located directly behind the clubhouse. These two courses were the original 18-hole course at Bayberry Hills. The other 9-hole course Links (Blue) is a Links Style Course that measures 3,120 yards from the Blue tees.
The Wind and Sand Courses’ tee areas have five sets of tees that play to distances measuring, Black 7172 yards 75.3/132, Blue 6523 yards 71.8/130, White 6087 yards 69.7/127, Green 5468 yards 66/110. (Women) White 6087 yards 75/135, Green 5468 yards 71/127, Red 5294 yards 70/124.
My round was played on the Red (Wind) and Blue (Links) courses from the White tees. My playing partners Tony, Kevin, and Steve were familiar with the course and offered some valuable tips throughout the round. The first nine holes are mostly set up to allow you to hit comfortably to the middle of each fairway giving you a number of opportunities to have a decent chance to land a well-placed approach shot on the green for a birdie putt.
The 4th hole is the Signature Hole requiring a long drive to the center of the fairway leaving a 160 to 175 yard approach shot over the water protecting the front of the green. This is a great risk/reward 336 yards Par 4 No. 1 handicap hole. Dennis Hoye said this hole was his favorite and I can see why!
The greens and fairways are in awesome shape and the course is fair but challenging. Recent renovations to the Red and White courses include contoured bunkering, new cart paths and take my word for it – Bayberry Hills is a top-notch municipal course, owned and operated by the town of Yarmouth.
The second nine (Links Course) was a different story. Coming from a Parkland Course environment into a links style layout is quite a shock to the golfer’s psyche. The property was once a town dump and has no trees. The open terrain features rolling fairways, some knee deep grass that swallows errant drives and will stimulate your frustration level. I found it difficult to readjust my vision to fairways that had no bordering that give a true sense of distance. My GPS said one thing, but my brain was having trouble believing it.
Bayberry Hills Golf Course is a true test of golf requiring using every club in your bag. I’ve played a lot of municipal course’s and give Bayberry Hills the best possible rating for a public course – a 5-star rating! Try it, you’ll like it!
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