The Captains Golf Course - Starboard Course
As any good captain knows, don’t hit the sides and you’ll be fine.
1000 Freemans Way, Brewster, MA 02631
508-896-1716
18 Holes, Par 72
Sister course of The Captains’ Port Course
Design
PAR
Some Cape Cod courses are restricted by lack of space, but Captains is on an impressive swath of land. There’s plenty of room to house two full-size, spacious courses: the Starboard Course and Port Course.
Whenever a property has two courses, there’s always a debate about which course is better. These courses share many similarities, but we liked Starboard a bit more than Port as it felt a bit more cohesive.
Starboard has some fun risk/reward short par 4s where you need to decide whether to go for it or lay-up.
There is no water on the course, so trees and some well-designed bunkers are your biggest enemies. The good news is that the area below the trees are largely clear, so balls are generally findable. Be prepared to punch out if your tee shots are wayward.
On quite a few holes, being long of the green is dead. So choose your approach clubs carefully.
Playability
BIRDIE
The lack of water and deep woods makes this a fairly playable course.
Don’t get us wrong, there are plenty of trees that come into play - including a couple in the middle of the fairway, but at least the ball is usually findable.
A nice touch is the presence of “family tees” which creates an option ~3000 yards shorter than the tips. A great step to growing the game!
There are a few longish distances between holes, but walking or riding are both perfectly viable options.
Views
BOGEY
As an interior course without much water, there are not a ton of dramatic views.
The views that you’ll get throughout are quintessential Cape Cod pines and sand.
Vibe
PAR
The two side-by-side courses sharing a clubhouse, practice green, and starting areas creates an energy with twice the normal amount of people milling around.
There are a number of nautical features located throughout the course - like boat cleats as tee markers, wooden moorings bordering some fairways, and each hole named after actual, real-life captains! While this could get cheesy, we think that they pull it off nicely, subtlety reminding you of the rich nautical tradition that exists here on Cape Cod.
Condition
PAR
Solid condition tee to green.
Firm, fast fairways can give you a few extra yards with some nice runout.
Greens were the highlight for us. While there wasn’t a ton of break, they tended to run really true.
Practice Areas
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Two large putting areas - one near the first tees and one located in front of the clubhouse welcoming you as you walk in from the parking lot.
While there is a driving range, unfortunately it is located down the street a bit. You have to drive there…
19th Hole
BIRDIE
Nice grab and go window to get a sandwich or a hot dog at the turn.
Full restaurant with large outside patio.
Logo
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We think the logo is good, but not great…
We’d like to see a more modern, fun spin on the captain/nautical motif as there’s lots to work with…
Memorability
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Sometimes courses are memorable for the wrong reasons. This isn’t one of them. Starboard is solid throughout.
We think you’ll remember the maritime tributes throughout the course that serve as a reminder that you are on Cape Cod and that your golf experience should be fun!
There are not a ton of wow moments, but we think the overall consistent conditions will leave you wanting to come back again.
We’ll remember thinking how The Captains Golf Course seems to be making some smart decisions about their future. In a world where many courses (including Cape Cod courses) are deciding whether to abandon golf to convert their land into solar farms, it was refreshing to see that Captains recently completed an installation of solar panels over the parking lot. Hopefully, more courses will follow their lead.
Join us on our quest to play all of the courses on Cape Cod. Here’s a handy reference of all of the public and private options. How many have you played? Which course (and logo) is your favorite?
Poster is 16 inches wide x 20 inches high.
(Frame not included, but shipping is!)
