A quick news round-up now that things are humming along in the Bay State:

ICYMI… Rory McIlroy sings Journey after winning Zurich Classic in New Orleans on Sunday.

Like many adventures these days, it started with a text message. Jameson texted me about possibly heading to Nantucket to play Miacomet.

It would be a day trip.

Why now? Well, the off-season price for Miacomet is quite low.

$70 before May 1. So we were working on a tight schedule because on May 1, the rate jumps to $145. After May 23, it’s even higher - $245.

My only experience with Miacomet was walking it in 2021 when I caddied in the U.S. Mid-Am. That’s how good this course is. It was the cohost with Sankaty Head for the Mid-Am.

I remembered it being awesome, but my memory was disjointed because fog crushed our playing schedule. Between starting on the tenth hole, playing two holes before it got dark, and returning to finish the following morning, Miacomet was a blur in my memory. I could conjure up little memories, but nothing more than dashes of bunkers and small stretches of holes.

After our trips, it’s firmly imprinted on my memory.

Our ferry from Hyannis on Thursday morning was at 8:15 am so we could catch our 10 am tee time.

If you’ve ever driven to Cape Cod, you play the stupid game to figure out how much time it’s really going to take. You never know when The Cracken will swallow up the Sagamore Bridge and halt traffic. Even on a Thursday morning in April, the fear exists. Missing the ferry is not an option, so we hit the road from Boston at 5:30 am and I don’t think Jameson needed the brake pedal for the entire drive. We arrived early and found a spot to grab breakfast.

Big shoutout to Old Kings Coffeehouse on Main St. in Hyannis. Delicious breakfast burrito and coffee. I was immediately jealous of Jameson’s donut purchase. Pro move.

Riding the ferry on a Thursday in April was different than a summer Friday. On the way to and from the island, many of the people on the ferry were heading over to work a shift. Work boots and paint-crusted pants outnumbered Patagonia vests and pastels.

It’s an easy cab ride from the ferry landing to Miacomet—maybe 15 minutes—and taxis are aplenty.

The round-trip ferry ticket was $60, and the taxi round-trip was $54 dollars.

Remember, you’re on Nantucket. Things are going to be a touch pricey.

That’s why the off-season price at Miacomet is delicious. I’d go so far as to say even the $145 shoulder season price is worth it.

The course was predictably quiet for a blustery, chilly morning, aside from a few hearty locals. The jovial staff apologized for the northeastern wind, but Jameson and I were unbothered as we rummaged through our bags for tees and balls and tried to make our bodies forget about the long pre-dawn journey with a few quick stretches. We chose the one-up tees that measured about 6,300 yards. We weren’t super interested in 6,900 yards of brisk Miacomet.

It’s immediately clear that Miacomet is built for windy weather. It’s open, allowing crosswinds to blow balls off course but not under trees. Bunkers line some of the holes to keep balls from going too far afield; however, out-of-bounds lurks on a handful of holes, including down the right side of the first hole.

If you would like to loosen up before the round, there is a range and good putting green. Jameson and I skipped the range and instead decided to aim as far left as possible - away from the out-of-bounds down the right - and allow the left-to-right wind to push the ball back into the middle of the fairway.

We were off.

The opening two holes run adjacent to each other. The out-and-back allows players to familiarize themselves with the wind’s direction. The first three greens are also a wonderful introduction to what can be expected throughout the round.

The first green is slightly raised above the fairway and protected by a deep bunker on the left. The second green’s defense is completely different. A mound runs across the front, with a wild pot bunker sitting in front of it, which probably catches a lot of poor shots from the fairway bunkers. Players have to fly the ball onto the green, and the visual perception is skewed by the mounding. Then, the long par-3 third hole has a yawning opening in the front where players could, hypothetically, slap a clunky long iron through and leave a birdie putt. Deep bunkers on both sides protect the big, sloped green.

The day we played, the greens were sandy after being punched, but they still rolled true. We certainly didn’t get the full experience, as leaving the ball above the hole wasn’t too penal. When they are running fast, being out of position creates all sorts of problems because the bunkers are deep and there’s a lot of short grass.

The routing is a bit odd. The first example is the walk from the second green to the third tee. Players have to walk across the parking lot to play holes 3-9, which are tucked into a small parcel of land.

Of that group of holes, I think the short par-4 sixth and the par-3 8th were my favorites. The sixth is a solid risk-reward hole. A couple of bunkers guard the direct line to the green, and more bunkers await shots that are hit too far and roll through the fairway. The safe option is to play out to the left and have a wedge shot into the sloped green with even more sand awaiting poor shots. It’s a great hole given it also comes following back-to-back par fives, so players might be feeling the need to make up for a bogey or could be feeling good and want to keep the momentum.

The 8th is just plain tough. A big green is forgiving, which is fair given the length of the hole. Anything around the green is a good result, and more players can putt from multiple spots because of the short grass.

Once you make the turn, holes 10-14 slap, as the kids say. The rhythm of the round shifts after leaving the small piece of land that houses holes 3-9. There’s a bit more space, but the holes are more exposed to the wind.

The northeastern wind had us playing hole Nos. 10, 13, 14, and 15 into its teeth. But it was nice to have it at our back on the home stretch.

Hole 10 is a challenge right off the bat. Bunkers dot both sides of the fairway and then the green is protected by more deep bunkers. The greens on the back are far more interesting than the front. Holes like 10, 12, 14, and 15 have greens protected by bunkers, but then other holes have no bunkers, like the 13th, which was one of my favorite greens on the course and one of my favorite holes.

The par-3 15th generates this odd sensation, as it’s the first approach since the second hole where a player has to hit over something to safely hit the green. A bunker runs along the front of the green, which threw Jameson and I for a loop. Add in the wind and how small the green appears to be, and it’s a tricky shot. The green is actually huge.

The closing stretch is strong, but I couldn't get past the long walks between 15 and 16 and then from 16 to 17. Someone could easily lose their way given how long the walks are. The holes are very good, though. Which makes up for my gripe. 16 offers an engaging uphill approach shot to a wickedly sloped green. Another green that players should play to the front. Long is death.

17 and 18 each have fairway bunkers lurking in the lay-up zone. 17 is a sturdy par 4; it might be my least favorite tee shot. Trees block the required line and left misses to end up in bunkers or fescue. A pair of bunkers about 80 yards short of the green messes with perception, and they can also mess with someone’s score.

The coolest feature on 18, which is a rather straightforward par 5, is this small collection area to the left of the green. I ended up having to hit my third shot through it and failed. The slope of the collection area is steep, almost like a wall. So players have to be very committed to hitting it over the wall or hitting it firm and running through it. I’d imagine that collection area has been the reason money has changed hands on Miacomet’s deck more than once over the years.

Walking off Miacomet leaves you feeling tired but ready for another spin around the place. We were wind-whipped and delighted. There’s a world where you could hit the weather jackpot in April, rent a house with some friends, and play a couple of rounds at Miacomet before the rate jumps up on May 1. Nantucket off-season in general is pretty great. The town felt quiet as we drove through, but it still had a bit of life to it.

I don’t think Sconset, the nine-hole public course on the island, opens until later in the spring. I will have to make another trip out to check that one off… oh and those private spots, too…

In all seriousness, if you have the chance to play Miacomet, especially in the off-season or shoulder season, do it. It’s superb and one of the best, if not the best, public courses in the state.