Olde Barnstable Fairgrounds Golf Course — Local services in Barnstable

I played Olde Barnstable in mid May 2023. The course was in good condition, with the greens having recovered from the spring aeration already. A few tee boxes and greens had some rough patches but overall conditioning is acceptable for the greens fee.

The course design is … good, but it could be better. It’s very playable, with landing areas wider than it would seem from Google Maps. There’s a good mix of easy and hard holes, and you can’t just hit driver on every hole. Where the layout lacks a bit is in the par 3s (they’re all long and kinda similar, except for #2), and some of the par 4s that blend in with each other due to the flat terrain and overall back-and-forth layout. The green complexes are fair and somewhat challenging if you miss in the wrong spot. The best holes are #5, a tough mid length par 4 that demands an accurate tee shot, #8, a risk/reward short par 4, and #18, a long par 5 with the tree in the fairway guarding approaches to the green. It’s not a particularly long course, but it’s long enough for most amateurs to be challenged from the back tees.

The amenities are great. The putting green is excellent, and there’s a full driving range and small short game area. The staff was very nice.

Is it worth a trip to play this course? Probably not, but if you’re on the cape and looking for a well priced, very good golf experience, Olde Barnstable is a...

Update..late Oct/ Nov ..they stopped maintaining the course. Greens are uncut/real shaggy and full of ball marks... some holes it's like putting on a tee box. The rough around several greens is dirt and several fairways need aeration/seeding. No leaf blowing which led to nearly a 5 hr round...other courses had a leaf blower constantly clearing each hole during the day. Feels like a restaurant at closing time where everyone wants to go home. Other Cape courses are far better choices for Fall golf..Cranberry, Bayberry, Dennis Pines, Captains much better maintained. The staff is still top notch and extremely accommodating.....too bad the town skimps on resources.

May- Sept ...Old Barney is a great golf tract especially from the blue tees. The staff is very accommodating and the grounds crew does an incredible job maintaining the course. Definitely a course you should put on...

In response to Ms. Gebhardt's review of Olde Barnstable Golf Course, she was looking to play a public golf course in July, which is in the height of the season and always booked solid. She expected to get a nine hole rate, which is unrealistic on a busy summer day. As a member for the past 6 years and having been a member of Yarmouth Golf for over 40 years prior to that, she needs to understand this is the norm for public golf on Cape Cod in season. The next time she only wants to play 9 holes, I suggest she play later in the day when the rates drop. The staff does a wonderful job of getting groups out on time and moving. She has to understand that there are a lot of newer and less experienced players out on the course at this time that do not understand about pace of...