OnlyLayingUp

Red Tail GC was a bit of a puzzle. Before I go into any criticisms, I definitely want to first highlight the course's strengths. The design and layout was fun and interesting, providing variety that also used the Western MA environment well. The greens were in near-perfect condition. There were multiple unique and memorable holes that provided a high risk - high reward challenge, while also creating safer options.
That being said, paying over 100$/person certainly raised our expectations of the course's amenities and condition. The fairways were in extremely rough shape, likely due to the lack of rain recently. Deformed and dead stretches of grass were frequent, greatly impacting lies and the appearance. It would often take away from our ability to appreciate the course. The pace of play was abysmal, and significantly disappointing for a highly rated course. We waited 15-20 minutes on each hole due to backups in groups ahead of us, and did not encounter any rangers or staff that were monitoring the progress. Similar to the fairways, the tee boxes were nearly all beaten up to death, demonstrating a frustrating theme of poor maintenance and devotion to course ettiequte.
All in all, we enjoyed ourselves and shot well, however certainly left with a sour taste due to the unavoidable downsides. Until the maintenance improves, we likely won't be returning. I would not recommend spending as much as we did, however hopefully this was a rare experience for Red Tail GC.