Massachusetts GD Rankings

[Patrick_Mucci_Jr]

For those familiar with golf in MA, where would Belmont fit in ?

[DTaylor18]

I have not personally played Belmont, but I spoke with my Pro a few weeks ago about it.  He said it's outstanding, one of hte best Ross courses in the area.  He put it in the same class as Concord and Winchester, both of which I've played and loved.

[Mike_Sweeney]

Any thoughts on WORCESTER CC, sounds like a below the radar Ross. Haven't played it, is it any good?

[DTaylor18]

Mike, I have to admit that I have not played Worcester either, but i was playing with someone at my club who had just played it, along with Charles River & Brae Burn, and he said Worcester was his favorite, felt it was an underated Ross course.  Sorry, i don't have mroe than that, but people in MA all say wonderful things about it.

Dan

[michael_j_fay]

I have played extensively in Massachusetts and cannot believe the ratings that were posted. Here is my list:

Salem CC
Taconic GC
Charles River
The Country Club (but only in the Open configuration)
Essex County Club
Wyantenuck
The Orchards
Sankaty Head
Worcester Country Club
Brae Burn
Myopia Hunt Club
Oyster Harbors
Eastward Ho
Kittansett
Longmeadow
Whitinsville

Frankly, the inclusion of the International, if it is the new Fazio course may have some merit, New Seabury is a joke and a bad one.

I probably would have inclused Wianno and Hyannisport but my list is already Ross top heavy.

[michael_j_fay]

Pat:

Belmont is a very good golf course that was unfortunately broken up due to road construction. The remaining Ross holes on the course are wonderful and challenging. The three or four replaced holes are jerry-rigged and not in tune with the originals.

As for Worcester, it is a sleeper and a marvelous design. Tough piece of property.

Whitinsville is the best nine-hole course in the States.

[Michael_Stachowicz]

Just a quick note to second Whitinsville's nomination to the best nine holer in the state.   A terrific course with alot of strategy and interesting terrain.

Belmont is a good course, with alot of elevation change.  I think it could be better with the recovery of some lost options due to tree planting.

[Martin Del Vecchio]

I just played Oyster Harbors yesterday for the first time.

The course is not very long (6700 yards), does not have major elevation changes, has wide fairways, and lacks meaningful fairway bunkers (if you can fly it 220 or so).

Given all of that, I just loved the course, mostly because of the greens and the bunkers around the greens.  They weren't very fast yesterday, but they were still quite challenging because of all of the ridges, humps, and other contours.  This is definitely a course where hitting the green isn't enough; if you're on the wrong side of a hump, you are in trouble.

And missing a green always meant an interesting chip, or a tough sand shot to an elevated green.  After a while, I ended up putting most of the time, since chipping required much more precise control than it does at most courses.  Usually you can land your chip several feet short or long of your target and still be OK; at Oyster Harbors, hitting or missing a ridge by a foot makes a huge difference.

The greens should be much faster next week for the tournament; the pro shop guy said that they were going to double-cut them and double-roll them.

The only other Donald Ross course I have played is Essex (four years ago), which I liked.  But I like Oyster Harbors much more; am I just not remembering Essex well enough?

[Matt_Ward]

intermurph:

Yes -- you are!

[Martin Del Vecchio]

intermurph:

Yes -- you are!

Are you saying:
1) Yes, you are remembering Essex well, or
2) Yes, you are not remembering Essex well

[Matt_Ward]

intermurph:

I mean YOU are simply forgetting the qualities of Essex.

It's a bit beyond Oyster Harbors and I do like OH too.  

[Martin Del Vecchio]

OK, I'll have to take your word for it for another month.  I'm playing a qualifier at Essex for the MA Amateur championship.  

I do recall that Essex has more in the way of elevation changes, which I am a sucker for.

The championship itself is being held at THECountry Club.

[Chick_Evans]

intermurph
Take Matt's view with a grain of salt....you lost him when you commented on the greens.

Matt
You forgot to add 'in my opinion', that way we don't confuse your opinion with the truths sent down from God.

[Matt_Ward]

Chick:

Everything I say is "my opinion" and you know what -- you forgot to add that to your humble  contribution.

P.S. If you think Oyster Harbors is a better overall coruse than Essex County please articulate it because if I'm missing something I'd like to get it straight from the horse's mouth. By the way the greens at Essex County aren't exactly chop liver and they do provide a healthy assortment of chips and pitch possibilities no less than Oyster Harbors.

[RDecker]

A Mass. course that seems to be overlooked and I've not heard much about is Tedesco C.C.  It's hosting the MGA's
100th Open championship this year and that would seem to suggest that it may be a quality track.  I've never heard much and am curious what others think.  Also the Ranch is a good course and shouldn't be shunned simply because its new and no one knows much about Damian Pascuzzo.

[Brad Tufts]

RDecker,

     Tedesco CC is my home course, and is indeed hosting the Mass. Open this summer.  It is the MGA's 100th year this year, as well as Tedesco's centennial.  The course has suffered a good deal of winter damage, and the entire course has yet to open fully as the grounds crew is working feverishly on it.  As for the course itself, I wrote a piece on it under My Home Course, although the pics are not that good.  It is probably in the second tier of Boston-area courses, below many of the Ross and Flynn classics that have been mentioned.  However, it still provides a stern test for the state's best players, as the greens are lightning, and 15-18 are par 4s averaging about 425.

[Martin Del Vecchio]

I played both New Seabury and Oyster Harbors again this week, in brilliant sunshine, warm temperatures, and relatively little wind.

I liked New Seabury a little better this time, but I still don't consider it top 10 public-access in Massachusetts.

I still like Oyster Harbors, and had what I think is a classic Donald Ross moment on #2.  I was 235 from the green, with a slight breeze in my face.  I hit a 3-wood, which I can fly about 235 to 240.  The pin was behind the right front bunker, but I aimed well left, because I'd rather be chipping up the hill on the green than blasting out of the sand.

Anyway, I pushed it, right at the bunker, and started cursing myself as I watched my ball track the sand like a smart bomb. Except that it didn't splash; it miraculously cleared the bunker.  I must have killed that ball!

Of course, when I got to the green, I noticed that there was a solid 20 yards between the bunker and the green, and my ball sat right in the middle.  And I had just played the course a week ago!

He got me again!