Falmouth Country Club

Address: 630 Carriage Shop Rd, East Falmouth, MA 02536

Proposals to establish a municipal golf course in Falmouth had failed in the past, but the availability of Falmouth Country Club in the heart of East Falmouth suggested new possibilities. Not only would the town’s purchase of the 177-acre property create a municipal course, but nearby open space could serve as a site for a wastewater treatment plant, which has long been planned for the densely developed areas around the coastal ponds south of the golf course.

In the spring of 2004, Town Meeting approved the acquisition of 238 acres, which included the golf course on Carriage Shop Road and several abutting parcels: 12 undeveloped acres at the end of Timothy Bourne Cartway, and the 48-acre Degnan property, the potential site for wastewater treatment. Funding for the $15.8 million purchase came from the Land Bank, federal nitrogen mitigation funds, future golf course revenues, and a $3 million contribution from The 300 Committee. Acquisition of Falmouth Country Club and the 71-acre Allen parcel to the north on Carriage Shop, a total of 309 acres, mirrored The 300 Committee’s original goal of preserving 300 acres for the town’s tricentennial celebration in 1986.

A conservation restriction was placed on the golf course acreage in 2007, preventing future development on the greens and fairways.