[Jason Way]

Had my annual buddies trip to out east earlier this month.  This year we played Myopia Hunt Club, Essex County Club, Whitinsville GC, Kittansett Club, and Wannamoisett CC. 


I put together a photo recap and posted it on my blog:  http://bit.ly/NEGreat18


With a little help and consultation from Jon Cavalier, the recap also includes a breakdown of my favorite 18 holes from the courses, by number.  They are:


#1 - Whitinsville - Par 5
#2 - Myopia - Par 5
#3 - Wannamoisett - Par 3
#4 - Myopia - Par 4
#5 - Kittansett - Par 4
#6 - Myopia - Par 4
#7 - Kittansett - Par 5
#8 - Essex County - Par 4
#9 - Myopia - Par 3
#10 - Wannamoisett - Par 4
#11 - Kittansett - Par 3
#12 - Wannamoisett - Par 3
#13 - Essex County - Par 4
#14 - Kittansett - Par 3
#15 - Essex County - Par 4
#16 - Myopia - Par 3
#17 - Essex County - Par 4
#18 - Essex County - Par 4

Given that we have so many GCAers who have played these courses and others in the area, I am interested to get your opinions.  Any misses on this list?  I kept it to the courses I played, but for those who have played around in the Boston / Providence area, any other holes (by number) on other courses that beat my selections?


Go ahead, let 'em fly.

[Dan_Callahan]

The 3rd and 12th at Kittansett are two of my favorite holes in New England, and they didn't even make your 18!

[Tom_Doak]

Jason:


Just now we are trying to do an eclectic 18 for Volume 3 of The Confidential Guide -- including not just New England but NY, Philadelphia, the Great Lakes, the Sand Hills, the Pacific Northwest, and Canada.  It's brutal!  So many great holes that must be omitted.


Off the top of my head, from New England you're missing the 7th or 14th at Ekwanok, the 10th or 14th at Metacomet, the 17th at Bald Peak, the 1st at Hooper, the 13th at Salem, and the 9th at Whitinsville.

[Ronald Montesano]

#1 at Whitinsville is fine, but it is not better than #9, which is a visual freak show of awesomeness.

[Jon Cavalier]

#1 at Whitinsville is fine, but it is not better than #9, which is a visual freak show of awesomeness.

Whittinsville's 9th is awesome:




...but it's not better than the 9th at Myopia Hunt Club, which may be the best par-3 in New England:

[Ronald Montesano]

I'll continue to play abogado del diablo and ask these questions:


How long is #9 at Myopia?


How wide/deep is the green?


How many pinnable locations are there on the 9th at Myopia?

[Jon Cavalier]

Jason:


Just now we are trying to do an eclectic 18 for Volume 3 of The Confidential Guide -- including not just New England but NY, Philadelphia, the Great Lakes, the Sand Hills, the Pacific Northwest, and Canada.  It's brutal!  So many great holes that must be omitted.


Off the top of my head, from New England you're missing the 7th or 14th at Ekwanok, the 10th or 14th at Metacomet, the 17th at Bald Peak, the 1st at Hooper, the 13th at Salem, and the 9th at Whitinsville.

I can't speak to the others, but with the possible exception of 11 at The Country Club, the 7that Ekwanok is the best par-5 I've played in New England:

[Jon Cavalier]

I'll continue to play abogado del diablo and ask these questions:


How long is #9 at Myopia?


How wide/deep is the green?


How many pinnable locations are there on the 9th at Myopia?

Ron:

It's about 135yds. The green is about 10 yards wide and maybe 25-30 yards long. The entire putting surface is pinable.

Jon

[Jason Way]

I can't even imagine trying to do that Tom.  If I had tried to do this just with the courses I have played on my 4 trips to Long Island and Boston, I think my head would explode.  I will gladly go see all of the holes you recommended though.


The choice between the 9th at Whitinsville and Myopia was the hardest on the list, for sure. 

[BCrosby]

Your pick of the 9th at Myopia is on the money. A PW shot to a narrow but deep green. (I'd guess there are many of pin positions, some of which alter the club you pull at the tee.) The bunkering is magnificent. It is an unforgettable hole. An iconic short par 3.


As remarkable as the 9th is today is that it was built circa 1900. In that regard, your pick of the 2nd at Myopia is interesting. It is one of the rare survivors from the era of Victorian golf design. 


Bob


Jason - Great website, btw.   

[Ronald Montesano]

Next up on my hack list...Yale.


Is it the union shop that did Yale in?


Cannot imagine that there are holes at Yale that wouldn't make this list.


Staying with the college thread...Taconic.

[Jon Cavalier]

Next up on my hack list...Yale.


Is it the union shop that did Yale in?


Cannot imagine that there are holes at Yale that wouldn't make this list.


Staying with the college thread...Taconic.

Ron:

Definitely some Yale holes that would make the list for me. Nos. 8, 10 and 12 for sure. The 18th at Yale vs. the 18th at Essex would be an interesting matchup. And the Biarritz vs Bathtub clash between the 9ths would be a battle of the titans (although the 9th at Myopia would still get my vote - I love that hole).

Taconic is also terrific.

[Ronald Montesano]

As I sit here and ponder Taconic, I wonder if there are any standout holes that fit the "best of" level, or is Taconic a course where the sum of the parts, not the parts themselves, is where the greatness (or at least terrificness) lies. The course used to promote the 3rd hole as unique and wonderful; I've not played it since Gil Hanse and crew got their hands on it, so I don't know how the resto-reno impacted the golf course.


As with Yale, Ben Crenshaw's favorite (#4) and its immediate predecessors (#2 and #3) and #8...A question might be, is there a better collection of par-four holes in New England than the ones at Yale?



It's understandable why Tom Doak and Co. opt for the Eclectic approach versus the Best route. There are course on Cape Cod (Eastward Ho! springs to mind) with wonderful holes, courses in Maine and Connecticut with wonderful holes (there might even be one or two in Vermont!)

[Jason Way]

You touched on a good point Ron.  What I loved about this recent trip to the Boston area was that the courses were all quite different.  Scrolling the photos hole by hole, it is definitely an eclectic collection, and yet they are all great.

[Chris DeToro]

Those are definitely 5 of the best we have in the area, but there are a ton of great options for this exercise…here's a few notable holes:




4th at The Country Club
5th at Newport
11th at Newport
13th at Winchester

[Brad Tufts]

The first thing that came to mind is #16.  #16 at Essex may be my favorite hole on the course, while #16 at Myopia is the least fair hole on the course, despite being a nice photo op.

I've played Myopia about 50 times, and there is no good way, other than luck, to stop a ball on the 16th green!

[Steve Lapper]

Jason,


   Although your list is both sturdy and worthy, the exclusions of any holes from The Country Club, Eastward Ho, Boston GC, and Old Sandwich, Shelter Harbor, Charles River, Salem, Sankaty Head, and even the recently re-worked (by Hanse design) Vineyard GC all seriously delegitimize your thread's title.


  Maybe the best 18 of your ventures so far, but I'd go so far as to say that if holes were taken from your picks and included just the above mentioned courses, It would be very, very difficult to find multiple mentions from a single course. It would take hours of time (and thus fewer spent outside playing golf) to do a proper, balanced card all inclusive, however, a far better representation of New England's Greatest 18 would most certainly evolve.


  When Boston's MSA is fully examined, it's rich and deep vein of stellar golf courses rivals all but the NY-NJ-CT area. For pure quirk and old-school sporty design on smaller pieces of property, it may well outright own that title.


Cheers

[Blake Conant]

Jason,


   Although your list is both sturdy and worthy, the exclusions of any holes from The Country Club, Eastward Ho, Boston GC, and Old Sandwich, Shelter Harbor, Charles River, Salem, Sankaty Head, and even the recently re-worked (by Hanse design) Vineyard GC all seriously delegitimize your thread's title.


  Maybe the best 18 of your ventures so far, but I'd go so far as to say that if holes were taken from your picks and included just the above mentioned courses, It would be very, very difficult to find multiple mentions from a single course.

Gotta disagree, it'd be pretty easy to find multiple mentions from a single course.  Between your list and Jason's there's only 14 courses. 

[Jason Way]

   Although your list is both sturdy and worthy, the exclusions of any holes from The Country Club, Eastward Ho, Boston GC, and Old Sandwich, Shelter Harbor, Charles River, Salem, Sankaty Head, and even the recently re-worked (by Hanse design) Vineyard GC all seriously delegitimize your thread's title.

  Maybe the best 18 of your ventures so far, but I'd go so far as to say that if holes were taken from your picks and included just the above mentioned courses, It would be very, very difficult to find multiple mentions from a single course. It would take hours of time (and thus fewer spent outside playing golf) to do a proper, balanced card all inclusive, however, a far better representation of New England's Greatest 18 would most certainly evolve.

I briefly considered including holes from Boston GC, Old Sandwich, and The Country Club, which I played last year, but my head immediately started to hurt.  I stuck to the holes from my trip as they were the freshest in my mind, and it made the exercise reasonable - hence the title "Great 18" rather than "Best 18" or "Greatest 18".


It would be fun to try and create the Greatest 18 though, so I will page you when the first snow flies Steve.

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