This past June I decided, maybe in some quarantine haze, that I wanted to try to play every single course in Massachusetts. Public, Private, 9-hole, 18-hole, executive/par 3. If it has a tee and a hole with a flag in it, I want to play it.
I managed to get to 35 different courses from June-December. Here’s the top 10.
Read MoreThis past June I decided, maybe in some quarantine haze, that I wanted to try to play every single course in Massachusetts. Public, Private, 9-hole, 18-hole, executive/par 3. If it has a tee and a hole with a flag in it, I want to play it.
I managed to get to 35 different courses from June-December. Here's how they rank.
Read MoreThis past June I decided, maybe in some quarantine haze, that I wanted to try to play every single course in Massachusetts. Public, Private, 9-hole, 18-hole, executive/par 3. If it has a tee and a hole with a flag in it, I want to play it.
I managed to get to 35 different courses from June-December. Here's how they rank.
Read MoreThis past June I decided, maybe in some quarantine haze, that I wanted to try to play every single course in Massachusetts. Public, Private, 9-hole, 18-hole, executive/par 3. If it has a tee and a hole with a flag in it, I want to play it.
I managed to get to 35 different courses from June-December. Here's how they rank.
Read MoreI played Kettle Brook in Paxton on Saturday. It was cold and we chased the sun, finishing in the dark. It is the 31st course in my quest to play them all.
I really enjoyed the course. It has a bunch of interesting holes, the bunkering is great, and the greens were in excellent.
The course has three distinct sections.
Wayland CC is a small one. Short holes and a 6000 yard par 70. I played with a half set, which I recommend to everyone. Makes you think differently from tee to green. Nothing like trying to finesse a 5 iron because you don’t have a 6 iron.
Read MoreHad a great morning at Sandy Burr. It’s a delightful course and my 29th course in my quest to play every course in Massachusetts. The first of two rounds today. 36 on November 10. What a gift.
Sandy Burr course begins with two par 5s and only one par 4 in the opening 5 holes (but par can mean nothing on holes 1-5, too). Holes 6-8are quirky, working through some marshland and giving a bit of a target golf vibe.
This place throws some serious haymakers. The front nine has a bunch of elevation changes and some holes play along interesting ridge lines, especially the 7th hole. At first glance the course seems like a challenge off the tee. Bunkers and water and natural growth areas. But it’s truly the green complexes that perplex and make the course difficult. With an iron in hand, it’s easy to feel good about your target. But then when you arrive at the green, no matter where your ball is, you realize what you saw from the fairway is not reality. Brian Silva loves messing around with a player’s perspective using bunkering and ridges. He succeeds here.
Read MoreThe Stow Acres South Course was the 26th new course in my quest to play them all.
This place was THE PLACE to play when I was growing up. It had 36 holes and gained notoriety in 1995 when the North course hosted the US Public Links Champ.
I even remember playing a college match here, but only lasting a hole or two before snow accumulation became a problem.
Butterbrook is a course I’ve played more than any other in the last 10 years. I ran a golf camp here. I’ve had golf gatherings with friends here. I’ve played pairing roulette here. I’ve played some of my best rounds here. It was fitting to officially check it off the list as my 25 course this summer with two guys I grew up playing golf with.
The course is really solid. Another gem out in Boston’s metro west region.
Butternut Farm in Stow was number 24 on my list. This place is kinda bonkers. Tree-lined and extremely narrow basically all the way around the course. Sometimes it feels like a bowling ball might be a better object to use than a ball and club. Some holes make up for the tightness with massive greens, which sadly had been punched recently.
Read MoreBrookmeadow is in transition. A simple, straight forward golf course overall. The land is rather flat as you can see in the pictures, but they are in the middle of adding some intrigue with green side runoff areas, new bunkering, and added length.
Read MoreWabukeeka is ultimately a tale of two nines. The front winds through the flat, quieter part of the property. There’s a bit more length to the holes, but less intrigue. The highlight is the par 3 seventh, a hint of what lies ahead on the back nine.
Read MoreThe walk around WCC felt familiar, that north East Donald Ross vibe. But what felt different was the openness. You could see a lot of the course from various spots. Greens perched and fairways carved all around. But it didn’t have the feeling that you were sharing holes, it still felt like every hole was its own experience.
Read MoreThe 20th course in my quest to play every Mass course was West Bridgewater CC. It had been a couple weeks, and the wind and forced carries made some shots rather awkward.
The course is ultimately fine. It’s very flat with marshland and water on nearly every hole. The front nine highlights are the par 3 fourth hole, a cute little par 3. Holes 5,6,7 were three tough ones into the wind with water looming and a touch of visual tricky off the tee.
The back nine is probably the better side. Tree lined and a bit tougher overall. The par 3s are a bit “blah” but hole 11 was a good one from the back tees and 13 was a cool dogleg left among some big trees.
The price was right, we paid 52 bucks to walk. The pace was good, no long waits. We met two nice guys Jack and Jim (even though they were BC grads...).
This isn’t a place I’d push to return to. But I enjoyed the day and it got me excited to get back out and play more golf.
Date: September 19
Tee TIme: 9:10am
Playing Partner: Eliot, Jim, John
Tees: Gold Tees (6659 yards)
Game: No Game
Score: 82
Birdie Count: 0 (25 total)
Wentworth Hills is one of those places I’d love another crack at. Some local knowledge, especially off some tees, is helpful getting around this short, narrow, classically New England course. Trees line a lot of the holes, and small water hazards poke out in some tricky places. The greens are rather small, too. If you’re hitting the ball well, this is a place you could score. I had a Jekyll and Hyde round, and some holes ate my lunch.
Read MoreNahant Golf Club at Kelley Greens is a 9 hole par 30 course.
This course will not be memorable for any of the holes, but instead will stand out because of the setting, which is odd; the wind, which was plentiful, and the people I ran into. As my friend Deacon explained it to me: It’s a dive bar kind of course. Rough around the edges but just right if you’re looking for that kind of thing.
Brookline Golf Club aka Putterham aka Robert T. Lynch. A course of many names with some cool history and a rather well-known neighbor (who is hosting the 2022 US Open.) As a golf course, Putterham has some charm and interest, but it also has some rather drab spots that don’t hold up.
Read MoreWaverly Oaks was almost turned into “Hollywood East” in 2008. The property nearly became soundstage and production for movies. I am glad it wasn’t.
The Brian Silva design is wacky and fun and big. The course has quite a bit of elevation change and massive escarpments that seem to bisect the property and get in the way of your golf ball.
Had a late morning round with my buddy Paul out at Mt. Hood. Don’t let the scorecard fool you, this par 69 offers some challenge and interest. Rolling hills and big drops make this course trickier than the numbers on the card might make you think. There are plenty of holes to rip driver, but you could also bring a five iron, eighth, wedge, and putter and enjoy the round, too. I think that’s a good sign for a course.
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