Course 139: Hillview GC

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Hillview GC (North Reading, Mass.) is a walkable and playable course. It starts on a flat piece of land for the first five holes. Nothing special in that section of the course, aside from a few greens with some humps and bumps, namely the 2nd and 5th holes.

As the front nine progresses, the land becomes more interesting. Holes 6-9 are a nice mix, with two par 4s, a par 5, and a par 3. The approach into the 6th green is where the course feels like it starts to ramp up, as the tee shot requires players to pick the right line and distance to have a shot into that long, skinny green.

The 8th is a par five on Rolling Hills highlighted by a tough semi-blend tee shot. The ninth hole is diabolical and probably, truthfully, bad. It's 191 yards uphill to a tiny, sloped green. The land slopes to the right and two cart paths sit near the green, ready to reject shots that are just a bit off target.

The back nine is the better nine. It's only a par 33, with no par 5 and three par 3s. But the land is better, and even with the funky 11th and 12th holes, it's a more enjoyable set of holes. The final six alternate between par 4s (13, 15, 17) and par 3s (14,16,18). The 17th is a drivable, uphill par 4.

Is a closing par 3 ideal? Not really, but there are more of them in the state than one might think.

The set of greens is pretty good. There are some flat circles, but most greens have some good features. The 14th hole is a tough green to hit with a mid-iron off the tee, and the long downhill 16th has a cool ramp short of the green to allow players to run a ball onto the green from 200+ yards away.

Hillview GC is a par 69 that measures 5,700 yards from the tips, so players have all sorts of choices off the tees and opportunities to shoot a solid score. There aren't many doglegs that create yardage or prescribe a certain shot off the tee, which is a good thing.

The course has also seen some nice improvements. The back nine has some new bunkers and tee boxes and there were some spots where trees had been removed, too.

HGC is another example of a simple neighborhood golf course that is trending upward and is rather close to Boston.

Additional Thoughts:

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