Our day today started in Mystic, Connecticut. A small town made famous in 1988 by the film starring Julia Roberts, Mystic Pizza. For those that know the movie, yes it is a real pizza shop in town.
Mystic is an old whaling village, and has great history, and even a drawbridge.
It was also a day where the mode of transport to, and from the golf course, was far different to normal. We took a water taxi from Noanck, to our course for the day, the very exclusive, Fisher's Island Club.
You arrive at the dock alongside the 17th hole, move to the awaiting golf carts, and then head to the clubhouse.
Fishers Island is a 1926 Seth Raynor design. As such, it is full of excellent template holes — Redan, Biarritz, Eden, Short, Knoll, Cape, Road and Double Plateau are all present, and arguments can be made for several templates as the best in class. Fishers Island remains largely unchanged from Raynor’s day.
Raynor however, never got to see the course open for play. He died of exhaustion and pneumonia, 6 months before the course opened. Perhaps the 30 or so projects he was working on at the time took their toll.
Above is the view of the par four 4th hole, The Punchbowl. It is more an Alps / Punchbowl combination. A blind approach is played with the large Fisher's Island flagpole situated behind the green as an aiming reference, and the position of the pin is indicated on the board at the tee.
You can see the board (black with a white cross) in the shot above.
The punchbowl green is one of the more substantial I have seen, with the walls up to five feet high in places. The green also has a ridge run across the middle, making putting very challenging. It is a truly special hole.
As you walk off the green, ring the bell so that the players behind know that it is clear for them to hit their approach shots.
The par three 5th, is a Biarritz. It is also a stunning rendition of the template hole.
Short is probably the best miss here, and even then, you still encounter working your way through the biarritz.
The tee shot at the par 5th 6th. A blind tee shot over the crest of the hill, leads you down the embankment toward the green.
This also reveals some of the more extreme undulations on the property.
Next is the par four 7th hole. This takes you to the furthest East portion of the course, nearly to the tip of the island. It also provides an infinity type green, and a thought that is you are even a little long, you are in the Long Island Sound. It is nearly true.
The par three 11th hole, is the Eden hole. A beautiful par three, with the sound as it's backdrop.
The uphill par four 12th features a reverse redan green, one that is more substantial that the redan green of the par three 2nd hole.
The approach into the par four 13th.
Jeff Faure prepares to tee off on the par four 14th. Yes, that is the green just near his head. A very difficult hole for the average golfer, as it requires negotiation of water from the tee, and then a long carry across water on the approach.
This is the carry faced on the approach shot.
Yes there is a fairway there somewhere on the par five 15th hole, and once you get to the top of the rise, it is actually quite wide.
Just some of the spectacular views you are afforded all the way around this course.
Marilyn Cookes gets ready to fire at the green on the beautiful par three 16th hole.
The views just to the right side of the par four 18th hole.
Sue Hovell plays her approach into the par four 18th.
Fisher's Island is a Raynor masterpiece, and fully deserves the accolades that it gets. It is a course that allows you to appreciate it more and you sit and contemplate, and certainly as you look through the photographs.
Bernard Cassell was our winner today.
Off to Boston!
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