Charles River Country Club

[Coral_Ridge]

This golf course near The Country Club in the Boston area is one I've never heard of, but was designed by Donald Ross.  Has it been overlooked all these years or is it just a lesser golf course from the great architect.  I have read some good reviews of the golf course while perusing other golf course web pages.

[JNC Lyon]

Check out the review in the Courses by Country section.  I've never played the course but I understand it to be a very solid Ross design.

[cary lichtenstein]

Jon:

I played it last year and it is truely a hidden gem with a low profile. I loved it. Excelllent topography

Cary

[Ed_Baker]

Jon,

CRCC is my home course and I also was the Green and Restoration Chairman and then President, so naturally, I'm biased, but I've hosted several GCA'ers through the years and everyone went home with a smile on their faces.

The greens are excellent vintage Ross and we have a very good routing.

We are in the final stages of Ron Prichards master plan which he authored in 1994, we just added some new championship tees ( per Prichards plan) which brings our length to just under 6700 yards from the tips playing to a championship par of 70, the members play the course at par 72.

It's a fun sporty golf course, but I'll let others comment more honestly, as I said, I'm biased.

[wsmorrison]

While one can have a blast playing with Ed Baker and David Miller on any golf course anywhere, it is a special day playing golf with them at their home course.  Just don't park your car along the 9th hole if I'm playing there that day    My new swing (courtesy of Paul Oglesby and Scott Nye) has finally rid me of the dreaded hook that I had a tendency to hit.  I had a bad shoulder at that time, so I mostly watched Tom Paul, Ed and Dave play while studying their golf course.  It is a very fine course and should be played while visiting Boston, especially if playing the nearby Country Club.  

Great topography with the holes fitting in to the landscape in interesting ways.  The greens are outstanding with one of the best kickers (as at Gulph Mills) that I've ever seen on a Ross green.  There is a nice dogleg par 3 (11th? with breastesies as I recall).  

It is a fine golf course (solid Doak 7+) that benefited from the right guys involved in their restoration process.  In my mind it is the Boston equivalent of Philadelphia's Rolling Green GC in terms of enjoyable difficulty and excellent topography for golf.

[Rich Goodale]

Jon

I had a smile on my face even though it pissed down with rain the whole way around and I was informed coming off the 18th green that I had failed to beat TE Paul's GCA Senior's record by at least 13 strokes.  After 5-10 Bud's in the clubhouse, my smile even grew.....

Rich

[michael j fay]

Charles River is no hidden gem. It is a GEM but well known to all Bay State golfers as well as most aficiandos in New England.

I really don't know why it doesn't get more discussion here but it could be that there are so many good golf venues (Ross and otherwise) in the area near Boston.

The greens at CRCC are as good as they get and the mix of the holes is superior. The routing remains one of my favorites in the area.

[michael j fay]

There is a sign above the bar in the 19th hole at CRCC that states:

A WOMAN CAN ONLY GET SO MAD.

You have to love the place.

[Dave_Miller]

Jon,

CRCC is my home course and I also was the Green and Restoration Chairman and then President, so naturally, I'm biased, but I've hosted several GCA'ers through the years and everyone went home with a smile on their faces.

The greens are excellent vintage Ross and we have a very good routing.

We are in the final stages of Ron Prichards master plan which he authored in 1994, we just added some new championship tees ( per Prichards plan) which brings our length to just under 6700 yards from the tips playing to a championship par of 70, the members play the course at par 72.

It's a fun sporty golf course, but I'll let others comment more honestly, as I said, I'm biased.

Jon:
In the interest of full disclosure Charles River is also my home course (along with Aronimink in Phila.) so I am also biased like Ed.  I served on Ed's Restoration Committee and Green Committee and am also a past Golf Chairman,VP and President.
Charles River is an outstanding golf course but does fly under the Radar.  As a Club we have never tried to brag about the course or try to get included in any lists.  We let the Course speak for itself.  In 1982 the USGA selected Charles River to be the second qualifying course when the US Amateur was played at Brookline.  We also hosted the 2003 USGA State Team Championship and the 2006 Massachusetts Open along with many other tournaments and championships over the years.
Ed and I have hosted many GCA'ers in the past several years and believe all have enjoyed the course.  
If you haven't played it you are missing a really good treat.  Plus if you're really lucky you get to hang with Ed in the Pub Room when you're finished.
Fairways and Greens,
Dave
PS and yes the sign is still over the bar in the Men's Grill.

[Sean_A]

Ed or Dave - do have pix of the 8th after some of the trees have come down?  This hole looks a cracker and it would be interesting to compare.


The 9th looks a wonderful hole as well.


But this shot of the 12th takes the cake.  The flow from the fairway to the green looks superb.  I would never have imagined Ross had a bunker with stairs - the guy never ceases to surprise me.  Are there any other bunkers with stairs in Ross courses?


I know I have said it before, but my idea of a parkland course is a Ross.

Ciao

[Ed_Baker]

Sean,
The best picture of CRCC #8 sans trees is on pg. 23 ( If memory serves) of the book "Golf Has Never Failed Me" authored by Ross' daughter and a ghost writer. I actually keep a copy in my locker and when fellow GCA'ers play the River for the first time I stand on the spot on the 8th tee where the photo was taken during construction in 1920 and I'll be damned if the entire hole is right in front of us without grass or trees, CRCC has many holes that are grassed over ledge and rock outcroppings, pretty cool actually.

[Dave_Miller]

Thanks Ed.  It looks like a massive difference in playability, but one still gets the sense of isolation the trees afford.  The left side of the green looks especially cool without the trees crowding in.  Isn't there a modern pic showing the hole today?

Ciao

Sean:
There probably is but I'll have to search around and see if we can find it. Many of the trees on the left from the tee to about the 150 marker were cut back or removed to expose the natural ledge and rock outcroppings that were there.  It is spectacular.
Best
Dave

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

I played in the USGA State team event at CRCC and was very impressed with the golf course.
A great mix of short and long holes for each of the respective par numbers and some marvelous green complexes.
I am not sure how "hidden" of a gem it really is, but it does fit the gem potion of the expression.
I would be very intersted to know what changes Pritchard has carried out since I was there...

[Coral_Ridge]

It is a pleasure to read about this golf course (and see photos) from people who know.  For me it is fun to learn about wonderful golf courses which don't get "all the press".   As I looked at my copy of "Discovering Donald Ross" by Brad Klein has two good pictures of the course as well as mention of Charles River on pages 168 and 169.

GCA does an excellent job of describing this golf course.  I am thankful that it was pointed out.  The Courses by Country section of this web site is fantastic.  Many Gems shown there are hidden to many of us, but come to the forefront when viewed at GCA.