#73 - Essex County Club - A View Unchanged for 100 Years
From the 18th green at Hudson National, The Quest drove 220 miles northeast to Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA, arriving late into the night at a hotel nearby Essex County Club. The next day we pulled into the parking lot at Essex, which sits directly behind the 18th green. The small green is separated from the fairway by a stream while the rest of the hole is hidden from sight, aside from a set of stairs leading up to the top of the hill. Yet what awaited us was more than we could even imagine.
Essex County Club was our second of nine Donald Ross designs on the top 100 list (Oak Hill). Ross worked on his design as the head pro of the course in the early 1900’s and his quaint yellow house sits behind the 15th tee. The course underwent a restoration led by Tom Doak in 2008, and has continued to gain recognition, jumping in the rankings to #73 from #91. Each par-3 on the course is unique and requires a different club and shot type. The two par-5’s are a mix of long and uphill (the 3rd hole features “the oldest green in continuous use in America”) to short and reachable. The remaining par-4s have a strong variety that force every type of shot to be utilized.
As the course winds its way through the plot of land, it slowly builds to an increasingly interesting crescendo. Quite literally, the 17th hole climbs directly uphill, with a mostly blind tee shot setting up an entirely blind approach. Our host, David, noted that the local tradition is whoever loses the 16th hole must carry the bags up the 17th hole. Finally, we made our way to the 18th tee box.
It may be cliche, but if a picture is worth a thousand words, the 18th hole at Essex in late October is worth a million. As we walked to the elevated tee, the hole revealed itself in dramatic fashion. One hundred feet below, the S-shaped fairway curled through the valley of two steep slopes. After a slight drizzle earlier in the round, the descending sun poked through the blanket of clouds, illuminating the classic brick clubhouse and setting the multicolored leaves ablaze in light. There was truly something spiritual about this scene that can best be described as feeling like you are inside a painting. We striped booming drives into the upper segment of the S and our approaches carried the stream and found the small, circular green. Our spirits were high as we made net pars all around, and no blood was spilled on a back and forth match. As of now, the 18th at Essex stands out as my favorite closing hole, but with 91 more 18th holes left to play, there is plenty of time for that to change.
Thanks for reading and following along with The Quest. If you have not already done so, please take some time to donate (one time) or pledge (per course) to the cause.
