Eastward Ho!

Overview: Eastward Ho! occupies Nickerson's Neck in Chatham, Massachusetts, beside Pleasant Bay and the changing winds of Cape Cod. William Herbert Fowler's routing uses sandy ground, heather, open views and natural land convolutions to create a coastal links-style course that is strategic without being theatrical. The holes move through a peninsula-shaped property, where uneven lies and wind direction can change the best option from one day to the next.

History: Eastward Ho! was established in 1922 as the successor to Chatham Country Club, and the course officially opened for play on July 3 of that year. Fowler, known for work including Westward Ho! and Walton Heath, was asked to create an 18-hole championship links on the Pleasant Bay site. Construction continued through the early 1920s, and a 2004 renovation by Keith Foster restored many features that had softened over time.

Did You Know? The routing has an hourglass or figure-eight shape, with the clubhouse positioned at the waist of the property. That arrangement allows the holes to turn through different wind directions while repeatedly returning to the centre, an architectural solution that gives the course a strong sense of place without forcing a conventional out-and-back pattern.