The Orchards

[Tommy Williamsen]

I have a friend who is thinking of joining as a national member.  What are your experiences of the course and the club?  I have only heard good things about it and the value seems unbeatable.
initiation fee $750 and $1800 a year.

[Brad Klein]

Playing it tom'w for the first time in two years -- great Ross, simple, adjoining Mount Holyoke College campus, beautiful piece of land and very uncluttered, with a modest clubhouse. Hope it's in decent condition, as the management company has struggled with an underfunded club owing to modest dues. Place was in wonderful shape for 2004 Women's Open, by the way, and the players loved it.

[Randy Thompson]

I grew up about three miles from there and caddied a couple of times of there. Great track, good elevation changes, Crenshaw was there in the late 90's and absolutely loved it and the women's review after the open were all super positive. The area is absolutely gorgeous especially in Mid September to mid October. In my opinion a classic and a hidden gem, if he does join be sure he tries the Ludlow public golf course, which use to be the the militaries, air force, Westover Golf Course, another great design and bargin. Does anybody know who designed the original Westover?

[Pete Stankevich]

Played there about 2 weeks ago for the first time in about 4 years.
It was in pretty good shape, but way too many people not raking bunkers or fixing ball marks.
It's one of my favorite courses in New England and always fun to play.
Those prices are great, but only if your friend can get in enough golf to make $1800 worth it.

[Dan_Callahan]

The Orchards is very good when it is in decent shape. About 10 months before the Open the fairways were dirt. It was an incredible accomplishment getting it ready for play in such a shot period of time.

In my experience, the pace of play there is brutal and is the only reason I didn't join when I lived nearby.

I would skip Westover in favor of the Ledges in South Hadley. A low-budget muni ($22 on weekdays), the Ledges has a very good first 10 holes. A few holes on the back 9 are funky, but it is one of the best under-the-radar courses in Western Mass.

[Lloyd_Cole]

The Orchards is very good when it is in decent shape. About 10 months before the Open the fairways were dirt. It was an incredible accomplishment getting it ready for play in such a shot period of time.

In my experience, the pace of play there is brutal and is the only reason I didn't join when I lived nearby.

I would skip Westover in favor of the Ledges in South Hadley. A low-budget muni ($22 on weekdays), the Ledges has a very good first 10 holes. A few holes on the back 9 are funky, but it is one of the best under-the-radar courses in Western Mass.

Seconded regarding the Ledges. It's a great bargain and at $22 it's by far the best deal around here.
Dan, I think they swapped the nines. The tenth is a 5 par now. Is that how you remember it? If so, I quite enjoy the last ten, the par 3s are weak but the rest I have no trouble with.

[Dan_Callahan]

Lloyd, last time I played there (maybe two years ago), the opening hole was a dogleg left par 5. So the weak holes must now be on the front. The new 1st hole (which was the 10th when I played) is very good. I really dislike what must now be the 2nd—the very, very long and very, very narrow and very, very straight par 4. The next par 3, at about 100 yards, was terrible, with a tee box lacking grass. Affter that, there are some better holes. The driveable par 4 over water (now the 8th?) was interesting.

The other 9 is where the real interest lies for me. The 11th (dogleg left) is great, and I love the downhill par 4 that is off by itself under the water tower. Too bad it is such a long walk to get to it.

But for $22, it's really hard to complain. I also appreciated that the focus is on the course, not on the amenities (clubhouse is a double-wide).

[Lloyd_Cole]

Lloyd, last time I played there (maybe two years ago), the opening hole was a dogleg left par 5. So the weak holes must now be on the front. The new 1st hole (which was the 10th when I played) is very good. I really dislike what must now be the 2nd—the very, very long and very, very narrow and very, very straight par 4. The next par 3, at about 100 yards, was terrible, with a tee box lacking grass. Affter that, there are some better holes. The driveable par 4 over water (now the 8th?) was interesting.

The other 9 is where the real interest lies for me. The 11th (dogleg left) is great, and I love the downhill par 4 that is off by itself under the water tower. Too bad it is such a long walk to get to it.

But for $22, it's really hard to complain. I also appreciated that the focus is on the course, not on the amenities (clubhouse is a double-wide).

Dan
I walk and I really don't mind the disjointedness anymore, at $22, it's fine, and clearly there were protected areas that had to be routed around. That downhill 4 is 15. It's the highlight of the course - I can drive it with a 3 wood, but I'll never try if the round means anything. There are a lot of doubles and triples on that harmless little hole.
They are finally building a clubhouse, so we'll monitor rates.
I had a friend over from the UK a couple of years ago - we played Wahcona and The Ledges - he much prefered The Ledges.