Hey Everyone,

I’ll be at the Northeast Golf Show at the Gillette Stadium Fieldhouse all weekend. If you see me, please say hello!

If you’re interested in checking the show out, you can use a couple of promo codes for tickets online:

BSG = $5 off General Admission and $10 off Club Tickets

BSGVIP = $15 off the VIP package

Before we jump into the newsletter, I would like to start a list of courses that have announced opening dates as the weather warms and the snow melts.

If you know of a golf course that’s open or has announced a projected opening date, please send it to [email protected]

The Players Championship: Michael Thorbjornsen shot 74 (+2), and Keegan Bradley shot 77. There’s something going on with Keegan Bradley. Just a horrendous start to the season, and I have to wonder if the Ryder Cup is having a long-term impact. Live Scoring

MEN’S RESULTS

Peoples Championship: Providence is currently competing in Sea Island this weekend. Sascha Robinson (Plymouth, Mass.) is also competing for Florida A&M. Live Scoring

Surf Club Invitational: Boston College finished 4th. Rhode Island finished 7th, and UConn finished 8th. For Rhode Island, Aidan O’Donovan (Somerville, Mass.) finished 4th, and Tyler Bruneau (Concord, Mass.) finished 33rd. UConn’s Matt Costello finished T21. Results

Babygrande Donald Ross Collegiate: Georgetown brought three Massachusetts golfers to Mid Pines. CJ Winchenbaugh (Weston, Mass.) finished 44th, Carson Erick (Hingham, Mass.) finished 49th, and Alan Rose III (Weston, Mass.) finished 76th. The Hoyas finished 9th. Max McColgan (Lincoln, Mass.) finished 49th for St. John’s. His squad came in four shots better than Georgetown to take 8th place. Results

Sacred Heart Spring Break Classic: Merrimack finished T5, and Brendan Zinck (Melrose, Mass.) finished T21. The Warriors also had an individual champion; Rafli Sati (-3) who won by three shots. Also notching a T5 was Sacred Heart, and Hartford finished 9th. Results

Johnnie O Invitational: Joey Lenane finished T27 and helped NC State to a fifth-place finish. Results

Bandon Dunes: Emil Nielsen (Wellesley, Mass.) finished 57th while helping Santa Clara finish in 4th place. Results

WOMEN’S RESULTS

MSU SoCal Spring Invitational: Providence College finished 15th, and Olivia Arone (W. Newton, Mass) finished 78th. Results

Juli Inkster Invitational: Boston College finished 10th in a strong field at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. Results

Yale Invitational - West: Out at PGA West, Yale finished 10th. Results

Wofford: Quinnipiac finished 10th. Results

Le Moyne Orange Tree: Bryant finished second in the 18-hole event at Orange Tree GC.

Over the course of my quest, I have organized courses by restaurant. From the Dive Bar to the Michelin Star restaurant, all golf courses fit into one of the eight tiers I have created.

As I played more and more courses, I realized there was a glut of middle-tier courses that needed to be defined more clearly. The Regional Chain (think Appleby’s or The 99) and the Neighborhood Joint needed something in between them. The Tavern tier was born.

Here’s how I describe The Tavern in Bay State Golf: Volume 1

The tavern golf course is the one you find yourself coming back to because it feels right. It’s comfortable, familiar, and unpretentious, with a layout that flows naturally and asks you to play golf rather than solve puzzles. There may not be a signature hole you talk about for weeks afterward, but there also isn’t a hole you dread standing on. The conditions are dependable, the routing makes sense, and the experience is cohesive from start to finish. A tavern course is easy to recommend, works for almost any group, and delivers a satisfying round without needing to impress you — the kind of place where you settle in, enjoy yourself, and leave knowing you’d happily return.

A shameless plug for my digital book.

It includes 168 reviews of Massachusetts golf courses. Once you buy it, you are locked into getting updated volumes every year with new courses (and maybe some tweaking of the tier system!).

Annual subscribers to this newsletter receive this digital book for free.

Ok, here are three courses that are worth your time in 2026.

Rating: 4 (This place is sweet and I'd very much like to play here 3-6 times a year. I would be disappointed to not play it every year.)

Truthfully, this could move up to the next tier, and maybe it will in the future; it’s also the course with the highest rating among the public Tavern tier so far.

Considering some of the rates to play other courses in the area (Shaker Hills, Butter Brook, and Red Tail), $95 at peak price is superb. Yes, it’s still a little high to make it an every-day course (unless you want to join as a member), but the conditions and design make it a must visit in 2026.

What makes Wachusett CC stand out are the green complexes. They have a nice mix that offer different types of challenge. The longer holes allow for balls to roll up through openings. Some have fall-off areas, and the short par 4s and reachable par 5s have some bolder features to protect par.

The 12th is an excellent par 4 that runs across some rumpled land to a green with a wicked false front.

Rating: 3 (I would enjoy playing here 1-2 times a year, but I wouldn't be upset if I didn't get to play it every year.)

I have only played here once, but it left an impression because of the distinct back and front nines. The greens were also a highlight.

If the entire course played like the opening five holes, I don’t think it would be on this tier. Blissful Meadows takes a bit of time to warm up, and those opening holes were choked out by trees and odd tee shots. The last 12 holes are good, and in particular, the middle stretch of the course has the best golf holes on the property.

The front is flat, befitting the “meadows” in the name, as the land was used for farming. Hole 8 is the best on that side, mainly because of the challenging lay-up and the green complex.

The back is a rollicking good time. It’s brawny and makes its character known right at the start, as the par 5 10th hole banks upwards around some wetlands. 11 and 12 play down, around, and over some big land features, too.

The pair of par 3s on the back nine is one of the best duos in the state. Long and challenging, the 202-yard 13th plays over a silver mine, and the 182-yard 15th is almost like a reverse redan, but over a big gulch.

Rating: 3 (I would enjoy playing here 1-2 times a year, but I wouldn't be upset if I didn't get to play it every year.)

Crosswinds has 27 holes, and many consider it one of the best values in the state. It’s $95, and the cart is included if you’d like to use one. With Waverly Oaks ($110 - $125) and Pinehills ($140 - $175) asking for quite a bit more money, Crosswinds is a great option.

The three courses are all different enough. You’re going to have that Cape Cod vibe going around there with the short pines and winding fairways. There are a bunch of blind tee shots and some doglegs that require some precision. In the summer, it can get fast and firm, too. Making it a good challenge.

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