Historic Cape Cod Country Club On The Verge Of Becoming A Solar Farm.

In today’s day and age, it is exceedingly rare to find an almost untouched, golf course from the “Golden Age” of golf course architecture, especially one that is public. Cape Cod Country Club in East Falmouth, Massachusetts is one of those rare exceptions, and it is on the verge of disappearing.

The Cape Cod Country Club is coming up on its 100 year anniversary, but it may not see that celebration come, as it is on the brink of being sold to be used as a solar farm. Friel Golf Management, who owns and operates golf facilities across New England has put the golf course up for sale and it appears to be headed toward a future as a solar farm.

Friel Golf Management has agreed in principal to lease the property to Amp Energy. Amp Energy is committed to converting the historic golf course into the largest photovoltaic array in Massachusetts. The solar array would cover 57 acres according to a Cape Cod Commission report from September 11, 2025.

Cape Cod Country Club was designed and built by Devereux Emmet and Alfred Tull. Emmet, one of golf’s “Golden Age” architects designed venerable courses like Congressional Country Club and Garden City Golf Club among many others.

Over the years it has had a few owners. In 1957, it became Clauson’s Inn and Golf Course, named after its new owner from Brookline, Massachusetts, Harvey Clauson Sr. While operating the golf course, Clauson even hosted a match in 1960 between Arnold Palmer and Billy Casper, in front of about 2,000 fans.

Current ownership, the Friel family purchased the Cape Cod Country Club in 1985 and have run it to this day. At a Falmouth Planning Board meeting in 2021, reported on in the Cape Cod Times, David Friel stated, “it has become apparent…that the golf course industry is contracting, not only in the United States but especially on the Cape. The expansion of golf courses on the Cape over the past decade or two and the reduction in the number of golfers nationwide has forced me, from a financial viability standpoint, to consider otherland use options for the Cape Cod Country Club.”

Friel’s comments however, do not match reality. Since 2020, golf has shown exponential growth. According to National Golf Foundation, there are about 4 million more Americans playing golf today than in 2020, as golf play has surged post-covid. In 2024, there were a record 545 million rounds played nationally, surpassing the previous record from the year before that was 531 million. So the data would bear out that this is nothing more than a money grab for Friel Golf Management, much like their sale of the Green Mountain Golf Club to Target Corporation for $120 million in 2023. While Friel Golf Management stands to profit, it is a big loss for both the community and the country as a whole as these classic golf courses are very hard to come by.

In September, the Cape Cod Commission voted 14-1 in favor of moving forward with the proposed plan, seemingly putting another nail in the coffin of the Cape Cod Country Club. With all seemingly lost, there are many out there trying to keep the Cape Cod Country Club from being lost to the ages.

Baystate Golf has been attempting to get the story of Cape Cod Country Club out through social media and the story has caught the attention of Fried Egg Golf, one of the preeminent industry leaders in golf course architecture and news. This combination has been trying to champion the cause of saving the Cape Cod Country Club. A petition has been started which has garnered over 3,300 signatures to date.

At stake in this fight is an affordable location for residents of Cape Cod to play the game we all love, and the possibility of another “Golden Age” golf course lost to time.

Mike is a founding member of Break80 Golf and a contributing golf and sports writer for Forbes with PGA Tour and LIV Golf media credentials. He can be found on social media platforms @short_sided_golf