Cabot Cliffs
Day two of my trip sees me heading to the Cabot Cliffs course, but it is a totally different day to yesterday, it is raining like UK’s summer of 2013 and while I really wanted to warm up properly today – there is no range at the Links course only at the Cliffs – I have no intention of practicing in the rain, so I head to the first tee and promptly duck hook my ball into some very deep grass, I love the Mulligan philosophy so I hit another ball straight down the middle.
Unfortunately, because of the weather there is no video of the course, but like the Links the course opens with a par 5 giving you a chance to get off to a good start, I miss my birdie putt and the one for par on the way back!! My disappointment soon disappears when I stand on the 2nd tee, what a great hole this is played to a fairway below, it looks stunning mainly because of the natural dune that protects the green, what it also does is make you place your tee shot, because if you go straight down the middle you won’t be able to see the green, so depending on the flag position this will dictate the best position to be for your second shot.
The 4th brings up the first of 6 par 3 holes – Seve used to design his courses with six par 3s, six par 5s and 6 par 4s and the par 3s and 5s will deter what type of score you have – all of which are really stunning and the forth has a double green so where the pin is placed will again dictate how you play this hole.
I could wax lyrical about every hole on the course, particularly the 5th which is a par 4 hole; that doglegs left with large natural dunes protecting the green on the right. Arriving at the par 5 18th tee, my joy is tinged with sadness, the views are breath taking, it’s a well thought out hole that is both challenging yet rewarding;
Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw have done an amazing job with this course, but while my heart is leaping in delight my head is telling me it maybe a while before I tee it up here again. I know you will have those same mixed feelings, but being able to enjoy this wonderful stretch of golf at least once in my lifetime fills me with joy, even if do hate the thought of never returning to play here again.
   
Top The stunning 2nd hole. Above 5th green & 6th fairway. Aerial and tee shot view of the 16th
Above and Below: 5th fairway and 17th green and 18th fairway
| 
