[Rich Goodale]

Anybody know of the place?


I have a chance to play there this Sunday with old friends of the Harvard Business School Old Boys Rugby Club.  I do not care about the architectural pedigree of the place (Stiles and Van Cleek), but I'd love to get some hints as to how to best play the course, given that it is a US/Rest of the World smack down event and I can play for either side, given my 50/50 Scotland/Florida residence.


Any ideas would be very much appreciated!


Rich

[Tim Martin]

Hop the fence and play The Country Club. Your welcome.

[SL_Solow]

I had multiple plays in the mid 70's. It appears there have been some changes but if you want some input, pm me.  An old fashioned lay of the land golf course with a fair amount of quirk, it was a welcome respite from law school and a relatively short drive from Cambridge.

[PCCraig]

Yep. It shares a property line with the 11th hole at The Country Club. Its a pretty fun old course over rocky terrain that is usually in pretty rough shape, but fun to play. The summer I lived in Boston was a drought and Putterham was always a bright yellow and played rock hard firm and fast. Not sure it even has fairway irrigation?

[Rich Goodale]

Thanks Tim, Sol and Pat


My HBSOBRG pals confirm that the place is a very average venue but a great place to meet together.  My great grandfather was member at THE CC but he is long dead.  Maybe I'll jump over the fence..........
Rich

[Cob Carlson]

The course is bog like...it will be VERY wet. Some cool, quirky holes and green complexes. Nice rock out-croppings. Terrific new driving range. Good food in the luncheon room. You'll be fine...but if you can sneak in a round at one of the two Boston munis only a few miles away...do so!

[Amol Yajnik]

The course is bog like...it will be VERY wet. Some cool, quirky holes and green complexes. Nice rock out-croppings. Terrific new driving range. Good food in the luncheon room. You'll be fine...but if you can sneak in a round at one of the two Boston munis only a few miles away...do so!

This course is just a couple of miles away from me.  Since they put in the driving range, they have been able to make some marginal improvements to the drainage so it's not as bad as it used to be.  There are a number of holes where less than driver off of the tee is the play, at least for me.  1 is FW/hybrid, 2 is hybrid, 4 is a long iron, 9 is FW to draw it around the corner, 10 is hybrid, 11 is a long iron, 13 is FW to clear the first creek and stay short of the 2nd creek, 16 is hybrid.  Do not try to cut the corner on 14 (long par 4), you will be blocked by trees on the right, even if you go through the fairway on the left you will have a shot into the green.  15 is the only par 5 on the back but has a green that is extremely sloped from back to front, stay below the hole at all costs.  The majority of the greens are on the smaller side, aiming for the middle instead of going at pins is a sensible strategy.  PM me if you want more information.

[Rich Goodale]

Thanks for the info, Amol.  Fortunately I am playing a very friendly game, mostly with fellow ancient rugby players none of whom (including me) would remember where to hit the ball if you stood behind us and told us the best lines and then stepped aside, and even if we remembered your fine thoughts we would be very lucky to follow through with these thoughts.  The good thing of getting old is that regardless how far you go off line, you will rarely lose your ball as you can't carry it as far as you used to do.  I play most of my golf these days with ex scratch players now in their 60s and 70s, and just about all of them hit driver/rescue club to 400 yard holes.  Golf is still lots of fun and a great challenge, but the days where 400 yards were a persimmon driver and a bladed 8 iron to an elevated green are over.  Sigh...........

[Ronald Montesano]

Played it when I was a kid. Loved it. Hope you have fun.


It's border with TCC is the reported inspiration for Rick Reilly's Ponkapoag/Mayflower border in The Missing Links.

[Dan_Callahan]

About the best thing you can say about Putterham is that the burgers in the clubhouse are excellent.

[Rich Goodale]

I was told that the 2nd nine was better than the first, but I played with a guy who needed to get out early to meet his wife for an Opera at 3pm , and the course was like a peat bog and my knee was wonky, so we retired at the 19th hole 10 holes early.  Massively great staff, and a course that is pretty mediocre, despite the fact that it abuts THE COUNTRY CLUB.  I'll happily play next year with my HBS Old Guys, if selected.


rfg

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