A new era at Stow Acres CC

+ News, Notes, and weekly favorites

Author

Sean Melia
October 03, 2025

Hey Everyone,

A quiet week without any golf. Now that it’s October, the slow descent into winter has begun. Golf requires a slightly different mindset and rules.

Now, here are my October rules…

  • Pack layers

  • Enjoy the round

  • Find some foliage

  • Take advantage of shoulder season rates

  • Be grateful for every nice day

  • Accept losing golf balls in the leaves or because of the glare

  • Have fun

I hope you find some time to play golf this weekend, it looks quite lovely.

News and Notes

Pro Golf

🔨 Michael Thorbjornson shot 67 (-5) and sits in T5 after the opening round of the Sanderson Farms Championship. Live Scoring

🌽 Davis Chatfield became the 16th player in Korn Ferry history to shoot 59 in the first round of the Compliance Solutions Championship… There are just two events left on the schedule. Top 20 on the points list earns a PGA Tour Card… Davis Chatfield sits in 3rd place after today’s round. Live Scoring.

🌐 The LPGA Tour is in Hawaii because… why not… Megan Khang, Alexa Pano and Brittany Altomare are all in the field. Live Scoring for the LOTTE Championship.

The upcoming LPGA schedule is absolutely bonkers.

  • LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei | Oct 1 – 4 | USA (Hawaii)

  • Buick LPGA Shanghai | Oct 9 – 12 | China

  • BMW Ladies Championship | Oct 16 – 19 | Republic of Korea

  • Hanwha LifePlus International Crown | Oct 23 – 26 | Republic of Korea

  • Maybank Championship | Oct 30 – Nov 2 | Malaysia

  • TOTO Japan Classic | Nov 6 – 9 | Japan

  • The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican | Nov 13 – 16 | Florida

  • CME Group Tour Championship | Nov 20 – 23 | Florida

College Golf

Over the fall, I will be updating college results on a dedicated Division 1 schedule and results page in addition to recapping some weekly results here.

If you appreciate this coverage of college golf, you can support my work by upgrading to a paid membership or snapping up some merch in the Bay State Golf Shop.

🐴 UConn won the UConn Invitational at GreatHorse by three shots over Boston College. BC’s Markus Lam claimed the individual title after shooting 70-67-75 (-4). Bradley Sawka also shot 4-under par, but Lam birdied the second layoff hole to earn the win. Results

There were a slew of Massachusetts golfers in the field:

  • John Scully (Holy Cross) - 11

  • Colin Spencer (UConn) - 13

  • Aidan O’Donovan (URI) - 15

  • Matthew Oliveira (UConn) - 19

  • Matthew Costello (UConn) - 23

  • Max McColgan (St. John’s) - 30

  • Tyler Bruneau (URI) - 38

  • Tripp Hollister (Bryant) - 41

  • Brendan Zinck (Merrimack)  - 51

  • Will Spring (Providence) - 51

  • Matt Williams (Holy Cross) - 56

  • Evan Buddenhagen (Providence) - 70

  • JR Robinson (Merrimack) - 75

🐺 Joey Lenane (Dedham, Mass.) finished T11 in the Bryan Bros. Collegiate. He shot 73-66-69 (-5). His 66 was tied the lowest of his career at NC State.

⚓️ Ryan Downes (Longmeadow, Mass.) helped Vanderbilt earn a four-way tie in the Ben Hogan Invitational. He finished T48 individually. Ben James (Milford, Conn.) tied for the win but lost in a five-way playoff. The Virginia senior is leading the PGA Tour University race. It would be incredible if two New England players win PGA Tour U in three years. Michael Thorbjornsen won in 2023.

⛳️ In the Sacred Heart Fall Classic, the Merrimack women placed second, and the Boston University women finished third. BU’s Amy Han won the individual title. Siena’s Mackenzie Whitney (Westminster, Mass.) finished T33.

Amateur Golf

🇺🇸 Four Massachusetts women will play in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur this week at the Dunes Course at Monterey Peninsula C.C. Pebble Beach is not a bad place to spend a week in October. Shannon Johnson, Alexis Florio, Chelsea Curtis, and Tara Joy-Connelly will tee it up. In addition, former podcast guest Maria Cianchette is in the field. Listen to her episode here.

🏆️ Brendan Hester won the Mass. Senior Amateur at Worcester CC, which felt a bit like a homecoming for the local golfer. He shot 71-70 (+1) to hold off Dean Godak. MassGolf Recap

🏌️‍♂️ Matt Parziale made the deepest run in last week’s Crump Cup at Pine Valley. He reached the final match in the Second Flight at Pine Valley before losing to Mark Costanza. Nick Maccario also made the Second Flight and lost in the first round. Five-time Rhode Island State Amateur champion Bobby Leopold reached the quarterfinal of the Second Flight. Former professional and Alabama grad, Bobby Wyatt, won the Championship Flight.

🏆️ Brendan McNeill and Matt Cowgill won the McKracken Cup at Charles River CC. A pretty strong field. Results

🏆️ Since 2000, Crumpin Fox and Greenfield CC have competed in the Franklin Cup. It’s a Ryder Cup event with 12 players from each club. Greenfield CC won this year’s Franklin Cup for only the second time at Crumpin Fox. It took an 8-4 singles tsunami to claim the trophy. This was the 26th edition, and Crumpin Fox leads 15-10-1. Thanks to follower Matt Bardsley for sharing this info.

Plugs

I put together a collection of nine-hole courses in various categories to explore in Massachusetts. A heavy dose of Cape Cod and North Shore. 👇️ 

A New Era at Stow Acres

It’s been known for a while now that Stow Acres was gearing up for some big changes at their 36-hole property.

A lot of those changes will settle into place this month.

First, the North Course, which has been a 17-hole course this season (sick!), will be a nine-hole course after Columbus Day Weekend.

The town of Stow bought 109 acres in 2023 with plans to turn it into housing.

About 32 acres of the North Course parcel will be developed into smaller single-family, village-style homes, designed to limit the impact on the environment and maximize affordability. The remaining acreage will be set aside for public conservation and recreation. The Town is negotiating a short-term lease to continue operation of nine holes of the North Course.

Stow-Ma.gov

If you are familiar with the North Course, they will be using the following holes for the nine-hole course:

10, 11/12, 13, 14, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9.

The second hole will play from the 11th tee box to the 12th green, which is why the routing was 17 holes this season.

The last four holes will likely be where housing is built in the coming years.

They are also in the process of finishing off a double-decker driving range that will be equipped with Trackman and heated bays for all-season use.

Photo of the new rnage from July 31

This is not being built on the old range’s plot. Instead, that range will be returned to nature. The new range on the tee box and fairway of the par-5 tenth hole on the South Course. That par five will be par four, and the front nine on the South has been rerouted this year.

In 2013, the possibility of land being sold was floated and (kind of) squashed in an article in the Stow Independent.

While Lankau was not intending to sell to anyone at the time, Planning Board Coordinator Karen Kelleher said on Mondaythat Lankau hoped the town could assist him with future planning considerations, one of which could include this option involving the town and development rights or working with him on zoning issues. If the town did purchase these rights, development of the property could be controlled and formed into a vision that is most compatible with the future plans for the town, said Kelleher.

For now, Kelleher is confident that Stow Acres is focused completely on golf and continuing to support a thriving golf business on the property. 

Stow Independent - Nancy Arsenault

Stow Acres was the place to play golf in the 1990s. It hosted the US Public Links Championship in 1995. Hosting any USGA National Championship is a significant achievement. That event no longer exists; it gave way to the U.S. Four-Ball.

The new driving range will be the focal point of the property

The course also hosted the Monday Qualifier for the PGA Tour’s Deutsche Bank Championship when it wasn’t a FedEx Cup event. Now that event is also gone.

Stow Acres CC has a rich history. It was one of the first black owned country clubs when Robert Hawkins purchased the land and built Mapledale Country Club.

It was at Mapledale that Hawkins rallied his peers to form the United Golfer’s Association (UGA) in 1926, Black golf’s response to the segregated PGA. Mapledale would serve as the playing grounds for the UGA’s first three Negro National Open Golf Championships (1926-1928), which crowned the nation’s first Black golf champions.

Perhaps it’s a sign of the times that nine holes on the North Course have been lost and a massive driving range has been added.

2026 marks the 100th anniversary of Mapledale and golf on the property.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Stow Acres.

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When I’m not golfing…

I’m reading…

🐒 Jane Goodall passed away this week. She was one of my favorite subjects/people to teach about when I was a teacher. An incredible person. Here’s one of many articles about her.

I’m listening to…

🇺🇸 This Ryder Cup Autopsy from No Laying Up was excellent. It’s so clear how outmatched the United States is when it comes to data and preparation.

I’m drinking…

🥤 Virgil’s Vanilla Cream soda is delicious.

I’m eating…

🇫🇷 We spent last weekend in and around Bristol, RI. We had brunch at Le Central in Bristol. I had the lemon ricotta crepes. Dynamite. Tiff had the Eggs Benedict which was served on latkes. Also dynamite.

🍯 I had a breakfast wrap and maple scone from Wild Honey in Westport

🥪 Made a grilled ham and cheese this week. We have (most of) a new kitchen! What a thrill.

🍜 RedWhite Boneless Ramen makes some good stuff.

I’m watching…

📺️ I watched more baseball this week than I had in the entire season.

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