9 Courses to bring an out-of-town visitor...

Hey everyone,

Hope you’re all having a great week. I’ve been trying to take advantage of this fine weather and check some golf courses off on my quest. I’ve been to Nantucket and Central Mass to check off three more courses so far in the Bay State. Add in a trip to Lancaster CC in Pennsylvania, and it’s been a solid stretch of golf!

This post is aimed at helping folks find some places to bring visitors to play. If you’re a premium subscriber you’ll have access to the whole list, if you’re a free subscriber you’ll get a little taste of the options.

NOTE: The initial post had seven courses, but I added two courses that I have not played on the quest, but played before 2020.

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News and Notes:

• Westford’s Molly Smith is one of the best rookies in college golf. She’s playing in the NCAA Regionals this week for the University of Central Florida. It wraps up today and she is T14. Follow along here.

• Williams College won the NESCAC championship at Taconic GC last weekend. Sandwich, Mass native Emma Abramson finished in second place for the Ephs. They play in the National Championship in Kentucky.

• Tufts Men won the NESCAC and will play in the Men’s National Championship in Nevada.

• The Mass Four-Ball is at New Seabury on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Follow along here.

Courses to bring an out-of-town visitor

On our trip down to Miacomet a couple of weeks ago, my travel partner Jameson posed an interesting question: What three public courses would you bring someone who was visiting from outside Massachusetts?

We batted around ideas and I thought it would be worth blowing out the question and giving a few more than three choices. I also decided to break my rule about only suggesting courses that I’ve played since I started my quest and will suggest some that I played before 2020.

If you’re looking for a certain type of place, I have a tier system for all the courses I’ve played. Check it out here. It includes a map, too.

Some of this list is based on taste. Maybe your friend just wants to tee it up and have some beers at any old course, well then your options are pretty wide open, but maybe the visitor is a bit more discerning. Maybe you’d like to show this visitor a public course that represents the best of what the region has to offer. I also tried to pick places dotted around the state so people had some options to either drive and take a day trip or stay closer to home.

George Wright - Hyde Park, Mass.

This is a no-brainer for this list and a course that I have played with visitors. The wild land and rock outcropping give it a sense of place. The clubhouse and energy is pure Boston. The greens are usually in great shape. You could absolutely take someone to play Franklin Park, too. Another city municipal that should stun a visitor (in a good way), but it’s a bit more shaggy and rough around the edges. The greens aren’t as good as far as design and conditioning, too.

Taconic GC - Williamstown, Mass.

Listen, any list of places to play that I create is going to have Taconic on it. I love this course and I love the vibe. It is on the pricier side, $180 to walk. If you have connections to the college, there are some better rates. If you know a member, you can also get a nice discount, even if they can’t join you for the round. The golf course is one of the best in the state. It’s a great place to meet someone who might live in New York City or upstate New York. It’s only any hour from Albany.

D.W. Field - Brockton, Mass.

This is one of my favorite “new to me” courses I’ve played on the quest. What does “new to me” mean? It’s a course I had never played before starting my quest. The greens are superb (and have been in very good condition for a few years now). The course is simple and straight forward and my entire foursome walked off the 18 stunned at how much we enjoyed the course. Of course, the Muni feel at D.W. Field is also perfection.

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