The Cape Club

I have golfed maybe 1 dozen times at
Ballymeade over the last few years, often bringing along new golfers,
some of whom returned. I had golfed there in the early spring this year,
at which time the driving range was being redone and the course itself
was in not great shape, which I attributed to a long New England winter.
So this past weekend, Saturday, I booked a foursome that included two
golfers new to Ballymeade. They read up about it being a premier Cape
course (from your site). But were we surprised. The parking lot was
largely empty, which we found odd given that it was Labor Day weekend
and the weather was great. We soon found out why. Your course has just
tumbled down hill in the past months, to be frank and honest. Right from
the start the tee boxes were in terrible shape, with ruts, uneveness
everywhere, and lots of crab grass that had grown on many if not most of
them. The fairways particularly on the front nine were mediocre, looking
almost like some major tournament had been played on them recently. But
the biggest disappointment was the greens. They were just awful,
specially on the front. Bear spots, holes, burnt or just dead grass, and
poorly mowed too. We had played the day before at Cape Cod and that
course is just in far superior shape, and for less money.

i played this course because i had a coupon. I am glad i did i have a coupon because my friends paid $80 on a weekend for what i thought was not even close to worth the money. The new management sucks. The staff was super friendly but there was no ranger on the course and the back nine took 3 1/2 hours. Also no beverage cart and empty water jugs. The greens on the front were burnt out and had a lot of spike marks. The back nine greens were a little better. Very fast greens. The tees were spotty on some holes but not enough to stick in my head as a complaint. Every course has some. (for $80 i would like to think not though) There were some quirky holes as mentioned in the previous review. 1st hole has a cart path running through the middle of the fairway (which while on the 2nd tee i saw someone hit it and end up on the 17th tee box. The 4th hole does require a large carry over water from any tee with little to no room to land. There is room to the right of the water but you cant see it b/c of trees overgrown. Also room to the left and long but you need a perfect draw for that. #9 is a great hole except they need to cut the long grass fronting the pond so you can see the putting surface . #10 is annoyingly uphill into the wind at all times. #13 is a severe dog leg layup like #4. #17 is another good hole. i do not know what the previous review was thinking. The course is a challenge. Play the correct club off the tee and hit it straight. Also play with someone who knows the course well. Bally Meade has some great holes with trees lining them all. I guess if the greens were not burnt and spiked up or it was cheaper. i would come back.