BostonGolfTraveler

This course is layed out fine with several par 3’s that are almost all challenging. You can’t miss the greens on most holes or you end up in jail. The greens themselves and the tee boxes on the threes and short par fours where folks would hit irons were pretty beat up. Fairways were in good shape as rough was thick. I can’t believe that we played in a tournament that took over five hours and we say the cart girl one time. That’s fun in 90 degree weather.

There is no doubt that this and the Jones course are two of the best public courses in the state if not in all of New England. The course is always in great shape, the staff if phenomenal and the practice area is top notch. If you’re coming to the Boston area and can only play one course make it a Pinehills course.

Fazio did a nice job with this piece of land, the layout will keep you interested no matter your handicap. I was surprised by how wide most of the fairways were though as I was told what a tough course this is. Don’t get me wrong it is tough with a lot of forced carries, out of bounds and water hazards throughout. But from the tee box there weren’t too many holes where you were shaking in your boots. As for the conditions, a few of the tee boxes were a little chewed up and the greens were extremely slow. I understand they had punched them a week or two before, so that may be why they were slow. I might be in the minority here but I enjoyed playing the Jones course more than this one. Also, like at a different course we played earlier this week, the staff was good and bad. The gentleman in the pro shop was fantastic and very helpful as was the starter but two employees sitting in carts in the parking lot didn’t want anything to do with us and were not helpful at all when we were asking them about going to the Jones course to hit range balls. It was like we were putting them out by asking them this one simple question. Anyway, I would recommend this course to anyone looking for a round of golf on Hilton Head Island but if I had my choice I would play the Jones course first

Though we played this course on a very wet morning it was an enjoyable round of golf. The layout really kept us interested in the round with several dogs legs, some forced carries and some very hard greens. The gentleman in the pro shop could not have been nicer but I will say the car guy didn’t seem to want to be there. Even after a night of rain though I will say that it was still hard to hold the greens. The tee boxes and fairways were in excellent condition, even after soaking rain all day the day before. I would recommend this course as one of your stops maybe on a second trip to Hilton Head Island after you play the big boy courses on the island.

We always enjoy playing this course, like to get there at least once a year. As per usual the staff was great and we love the layout. A couple of issues this time though were that the tee boxes were in rough shape and some of them were as hard as rocks, not good on Par 3’s. Also the greens were very inconsistent, some went from slow to slower. I don’t know if they need to punch them or not but it would help. It was still a great day on the course as the layout of Shaker Hills never disappoints

This is the second time I have played this course in the last three or four years and in a good way nothing is changed in a bad way nothing is changed. The good part is the layout, with several elevation changes, fairly tight fairways and interesting routing makes for a fun round of golf. Condition wise, the course was in great shape on the tee boxes us to the fairways to the greens. The only real negative on the chorus is it they still haven’t made the bunkers any better. As with the first time I played this course there are several rocks and pebbles in every bunker which really takes away from it being one of the best courses in the state which it really should be. In the end, it’s worth the drive from Eastern Massachusetts to play this course

One of the top layouts I have played in the state of Massachusetts. Donald Ross really took a tight piece of land and created a challenging course. the usual subtle breaks in all Ross greens are truly on display here. Fairly tight treelined fairways make for accuracy off the tees and knowing where to put the ball on the greens is paramount. Great staff in the pro shop.

This original home of the Orlando PGA tour stop has a fantastic layout but condition wise it needs some love. The tee boxes were a little thin on grass as were the fairways but I will say that the greens were tremendous. The staff, inside and out, were top notch including an excellent starter. It’s always a great time when you have the opportunity to play a course that once had tournaments won by Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Julius Boros. I would recommend this course if you want to play a classic course in the Orlando area.

A solid course but it may not be what you're thinking when you hear private course. This course is pretty much a muni in the excellent condition. The amenities are not there but the layout was solid with some weird holes like #2, a par 5 where you either hit your tee shot 170 yards to lay up or you have the carry 250 over the hazard. They do have several tees to fit everyone's game which is nice and the fairways were spectacular plus the greens were lightning fast. We played it off of GolfNow and it was certainly worth the $55 with cart that we played. Beware though, there are a few holes where you'll ask yourself " where the heck does this hole go" off the tee.

I thought it was funny that before playing this course I said to my playing partner "boy I haven't played here in 20+ years and the only thing I remember is that this course is tough", and I was not wrong. We played it from 6400 yards and for anyone over a 15 handicap this course will be just too tough. Almost every tee shot is coming out of the chute, even the dog legs are tough because you have to hit the ball 200+ yards just to get to most corners and the greens were lightning fast, some of the fastest I've ever played. Also a few of the fairways were tilted all the way from tee to green and some were slanted towards OB staked. Add 50° weather and winds And I made for Very tough day on the course. I would like them in this course to anyone who is a sub 10 handicap because maybe you'll enjoy it

For a few years back in the 90s Blue Hill was the home to an LPGA tour stop. The course is private so you'll have to become a member, know a member or play in a tournament to get on. It is a Proto typical New England course with tree-lined fairways, elevation changes and bunkers everywhere. The tee boxes, fairways and greens were all in excellent condition on this day. This is a course you should play if you get the opportunity to because not only did it host the LPGA it also hosted a major championship in the 1956 PGA championship won by Jack Burke.

We had the chance to play this private course on Cape Cod during a tournament and what a treat it was. This was the best course we have payed in the state of Massachusetts which includes some pretty great courses like Woods Hole, Miacomet and The Golf Club of Cape Cod. The layout is really fantastic with several bunkers well places in the fairways and around the greens. The greens themselves had several subtle breaks and also a lot of false fronts everywhere. The condition was fantastic with manicured fairways and greens were quick. The folks at the course told me that they actually triple cut after Hurricane Jose dumped a lot of water on the course. The clubhouse was old school New England for sure. There were a few time when my friend and I looked at eachother on the course and said "what does this view remind you of" and it was amazing how often we said the views reminded us of Pinehurst #2 and Mid Pines. If you can play Oyster Harbors DO IT

We had the opportunity to play this course literally by ourselves. The date we chose to play the course happened to be during tropical storm Jose and there was no one else on the golf course. Other than the beauty of having a three hour round we also really enjoyed the layout of the course and the condition. With some slight elevation changes, tree-lined fairways and tricky rough around the greens this course made for a great challenge. If you hurry, you might be able to play this course as they have some rounds on golf now at this time. I spoke to the pro and the reason they're putting some teetimes on golf now is to increase exposure and possibly increase membership. He said the promotion is actually working and it's brought in some new members. As for the course, I really enjoyed the fairway which were in great shape, the greens were average speed and the long back nine made for a true challenge of golf. The course plays almost 6500 yards from the whites and 3300+ of that is on the back. Get out and play this course while you still can

Somehow I end up playing this course about once a year and the one thing I can tell you were playing at this year was the greens are the fastest I've seen them ever. The course was in good to very good condition and the layout is enjoyable especially for shorter hitters. There aren't a ton of holes where you have to take out the driver and use it. But be careful heading into the greens as they are firm and be very careful putting. On a sidenote I heard from a couple of members that the course is been sold, though it will be open next year after that the future is uncertain. I have heard that the owners are going to put condos on the first hole and the driving range so I presume they could find space to replace hole number one but I'm not sure they could replace the driving range which would effect my wanting to play there

Spring Valley, now called The Cape Club of Sharon, is a solid private course a few miles south of Boston. The course was in great shape and the greens actually help shots but were also fairly quick. The layout is interesting with several doglegs that force you to hit long irons to the corner and there is also a creek that meanders throughout the course and some lead to ponds that come into play. It's nice to play a New England course where you can hit the driver a few times without fear of spraying it into puckerbrush just off the fairways. I would highly recommend that if you can play this course with a member or in a tournament.

I played this course in a tournament, so obviously it's a little tough for me to grade pace of play but the course itself was solid. Designed by two of the more famous golf course architects in New England the layout does give you some interesting holes but nothing extremely memorable. You will face some doglegs where you'll be hitting irons and hybrids off the tee so make sure you know your distances to the corner so you don't hit it through the doglegs. The greens were surprisingly a little slow for summer but then again I had just come back from Hilton head where they were lightning fast. The rougher on the greens is thick so be prepared to bring a lofted wedge to pop it out of this thick rough as your ball will fall to the bottom. Certainly not the best course in the town of Plymouth but if you're in the area and looking to play a few rounds maybe add this to the two courses at Pinehills and Crosswinds

I must say that even though to the naked eye you don't readily see a ton of changes on the front side, Davis Love III did a great job redesigning the old Ocean Course. You really see changes on the back nine like the change of # 10 becoming a par 3 over water and 11 turned into a short par 4. The bunkering and the new green complexes are spectacular. I would highly recommend you put this course on your itinerary to Hilton Head.

Haven't played this course two years ago and sadly being very rushed because it was our last day of vacation I really didn't appreciate it as much as I did this time around. The layout is fantastic, and slowing down to enjoy it really made a difference on my second trip there. Be ready for a real test of golf because there are a lot of forced carries, hazards everywhere and quick undulating greens throughout. Right off the bat you face a tough par four with the first hole where you have to carry water and a front face to bunker to reach the fairway. There is also water down the left forcing you to play this tee shot smartly. As I said earlier there is a lot of trouble on this course so be mindful of your yardages because there are some doglegs where you will be hitting irons and hybrids off the tee and you certainly don't want to get them through the fairway. After two times playing there, by the way something I really do want traveling, I would highly recommend this course to anyone heading to Hilton Head Island. It is also a great first round or last round of your trip as it is on the way to or from the Savannah airport from the island

Hopkinton, the old Saddle Hill, was in very good shape, greens rolls true and were quick. Layout was interesting with a lot of position golf thrust upon you especially off of the tees. Some 4's and 5's had you hitting irons to doglegs and then you had to go in from there. I liked the course and it is obviously in much better shape than when it was Saddle Hill.

Ledgemont, in Seekonk, MA, right on the Rhode Island border is a hidden gem of a course. Built in the 1920's it has stood the test of time. The layout is a challenge for every level of golfer and the condition is spectacular. If you get a chance to play this private course do it.