Conference 7.286::golf

    
    1. Shaker Hills  (Ayer, MA) If the greens are back in shape. (Call first)
    2. Sky Meadow (Nashua, NH) Bring some Cash. 
    3. Crumpin Fox (Bernardstown, MA)
    4. Bretwood (Keene, NH)
    5. Wentworth By the Sea (Portsmouth, NH)
    6. CC of NH (Gardner, NH on Mt. Kearsarge)
    7. New Seabury (Blue course) Cape Cod
    
    	Just to name a few... Have Fun!
    
    	Ed

    Well, I'm not sure if the courses I'll list would make any kind of an
    "official best courses" list, but they're some of my favorites. Also
    note that 95% of the golf I've played in New England is in NH and VT,
    so I won't comment on the other 4 states. All the courses are public,
    as I don't have the right connections to get on the private ones.
    Keep in mind that I'm just an avarage hacker, no a great golfer. Things
    I take into consideration when rating a course are: general condition
    (which, of course, can vary by season), course layout, overall
    challenge, and scenery. There's also quite a few I've played but didn't
    bother listing. At the end of this list, I'll list others that I've
    never played but intend to play whenever I can.
    Oh yeah, there's a good chance that many of these will be more than 2.5
    hours from Boston.
    
    (listed in no particular order...)
    
    New Hampshire
    -------------
    Course Name		Location	Comments
    Beaver Meadow       Concord		Oldest public course in NH, I think
    The Shattuck	Jaffrey         Scenic, very difficult
    Bretwood		Keene           Island green on par-3 13th
    Perry Hollow	Moultonboro     9-hole, very hilly, difficult
    Hale's Location	Conway          9-hole, lot of hills, bunkers
    Jack-O-Lantern	Woodstock       scenic, fairly easy
    Souhegan Woods      Amherst         bunkers,bunkers,bunkers
    North Conway	North Conway    scenic, fairly flat
    
    Vermont
    -------
    St. Johnsbury	St. Johnsbury	Old f9, new b9, _very_ hilly
    Stowe		Stowe		scenic, hilly
    Equinox		Manchester	open, small greens
    Haystack		Dover		cut through the woods, hilly
    Williston		Williston	hilly but short (par 69?)
    Mt. Anthony		Bennington	open, hilly 
    Stratton		Bondville	scenic, open, hilly
    
    Maine
    -----
    Samoset		Camden		open, a few holes on ocean
    
    Courses I haven't played but have heard are very good
    -----------------------------------------------------
    Crumpin' Fox	Bernardston, MA
    Shaker Heights	Ayer(?), MA
    Far Corner		Boxford, MA
    Trull Brook		Tewksbury, MA
    several on Cape Cod
    Portsmouth		Greenland, NH
    Sky Meadow		Nashua, NH
    The Balsams		Dixville Notch, NH
    Basin Harbor	Vergennes, VT
    Killington		Sherburne, VT
    Crown Point		Springfield, VT
    Lake Morey		Fairlee, VT
    
    
    -Steve-

    
    thank you for the ideas.  here's my best-of N.E. list so far:
    
    Premier Courses:
    --------------------------------------
    Tallwood CC		Hebron		CT      (? not sure about this one)
    Richter Park GC	Danbury		CT
    Cape Cod CC		N. Falmouth	MA
    Cranberry Valley	Harwich		MA
    Ocean Edge GC	Brewster	MA
    The Captains GC	Brewster	MA
    Bethel Inn & CC	Bethel		ME	(not a day trip)
    Sable Oaks GC	S. Portland	ME
    Samoset Res GC	Rockport	ME	(not a day trip)
    CC of N.H.		N. Sutton	NH
    Sky Meadow		Nashua		NH
    Tory Pines		Francestown	NH
    Wentworth by-the-sea Portsmouth	NH
    
    Championship-level courses:
    --------------------------------------
    Oak Ridge GC	Feeding Hills	MA
    Poquoy Brook CC	Lakeville	MA
    Triggs Mem GC	Providence	RI
    Richmond CC		Richmond	RI
    
    Might-be-great-but-don't-know-enough-about-em courses:
    --------------------------------------
    Braintree GC	S. Braintree	MA
    Juniper Hill GC	Northborough	MA
    Rehoboth CC		Rehoboth        MA
    George Wright GC	Hyde Park	MA
    Far Corner GC	W. Boxford	MA
    New Seabury (blue)	Mashpee		MA
    
    Other very good + good value courses:
    --------------------------------------
    Timberlin GC	Kensington	CT
    Bel Compo GC	Avon		CT
    Tunxis Plantation #2  Farmington	CT
    Hickory Hill GC	Methuen		MA
    Pembroke CC		Pembroke	MA
    Trull Brook GC	N. Tewksbury	MA
    Biddeford & Saco CC Saco		ME
    Amherst CC		Amherst		NH
    Bretwood GC		Keene		NH
    Jack O'Lantern Res	Woodstock	NH
    Exeter CC		N. Kingstown	RI
    

    
    re: Tory Pines
    
        Has anyone played Tory Pines?  I just called, and greens fees are
    	$22 weekday, with a 2-for-1 offer currently.  Hard to believe that
    	this could be in the 'Premier' category...   the review I saw said
    	'Ranked in the top 3 in New England for scenic views'.  Is it long
    	on views and short(er) on architecture?
    

    
    Tory (sp) Pines had a face lift done last year on the back nine which
    used to be the front 9. I played the course before and after the
    change. The changes included lengthening short par fours and replacing
    a few greens. Roland Stafford has a teaching school located at Tory
    Pines and I believe they have pushed the right buttons in order to get
    the questionable New England course ranking. The course is relatively
    easy (back nine tighter than front) with short sloping fairways and
    small Donald Ross greens. (This is a Donald Ross course). The course
    has seen three different owners in the last 10 years. The price for
    playing is definitely right. The scenic views are complemented by the "Old"
    Crotched Mountain Ski resort which is located across the street. 
    Great Clubhouse with a super bar! A decent little course that may be a
    bit over rated but very well liked with nice, service-minded employees.
    
    
    	ED
    
    PS. If you choose to play the course beware of the funny par five on
        the back nine. You'll know which one I'm talking about when you
        see the yardage. 

    Isn't the front 9 of Tory Pines a Donald Ross design?  Perhaps that
    influenced the rating.
    
    Haven't played there yet but I am planning on taking a 2-day Roland
    Stafford clinic being offered.
    

    I think you have a big omission in your list, which is Crumpin-Fox. 
    I think that it is easily the best public course in New England. It has
    the best greens, and is a Robert Trent Jones, Jr. design with many 
    spectacular holes.  It is also not much beyond two hours from Boston.  
    I highly recommend that you try to fit this one in.
    
     -Evan

    
    	See 778.*
    
    	Also, Westover (in Chicopee/Granby/South Hadley?) is pretty
    	decent.  Very tough!!
    
    	It's about 8 miles from Chicopee CC and also very reasonable
    	$$$wise.
    
    	

    
    re: -.1  Crumpin-Fox
    
    	"Magnificent Robert Trent Jones course.  Beutiful views and
    	 challenging from four different sets of tees.  Black 7007,
    	 Blue 6525, Gold 6096, Red 5432".
    
    	 Reader response:  4 stars (of a possible 5)
    	 Price range:	   4 stars (of a possible 5, 5 being most
    			   expensive)
    
    	I called to find out about the price.  It's $55 any day of the
    	week, with a $75 package that includes range balls, a cart, and
    	a $15 credit toward dinner in addition to the greens fee.  Not
    	a bad deal at all.
    
    	...anyway, the point is to go to the best, not the cheapest,
    	so it looks like I'll be adding it to my list.  Thank you for
    	the suggestion.
    
    		/jim 

    I'm a little surprised nobody has mentioned the North Course at Stow
    Acres, I havn't played there in a few years but I would suspect its
    as nice a public course as there is in Central Mass.,,,also Maplegate
    in Franklin Mass is very nice though a little pricey.....I would also
    second the votes on Trull Brook and Overlook.
    
    Dean
    

    
    re: Stow Acres (North)
    
    	I played the South course last year, which received a 5-star
    	rating as did the North course.
    
    	The playing conditions were so poor that I'm not considering it,
    	although it may have been a fluke.  What I remember is *plenty*
    	of rocks in the traps (I was genuinely concerned about damaging
    	my clubs), burnt grass (granted it was a dry summer), and 
    	inconsistent greens.  I've heard great things about Stow North,
    	but my experience with the South course is going to keep it off
    	my personal list for a while.
    
    

    
    re: Shaker Hills GC  (5-star rating)
    
    	$42 Mon-Thu, $47 Fri-Sun, price includes cart.
    
    	3 greens are currently "pretty ugly", and were over-seeded 
    	the first week in July.  No temporary greens, at least.
    
    re: Maplegate (2-star rating as of 1993)
    
    	odd.  I've also heard great things about this course; maybe the 
    	rating is no longer valid.

    Three I would add to the list: 	Plymouth CC
    					Foxboro CC
    					Norton CC
    
    All three are semi-private and allow public play at certain times.
    
    Dan

    
    Best of New England GC's, v1.1:
    
    Premier Courses:
    --------------------------------------
    Richter Park GC	Danbury		CT
    Cape Cod CC		N. Falmouth	MA
    Cranberry Valley	Harwich		MA
    Ocean Edge GC	Brewster	MA
    The Captains GC	Brewster	MA
    Bethel Inn & CC	Bethel		ME	(not a day trip)
    Sable Oaks GC	S. Portland	ME
    Samoset Res GC	Rockport	ME	(not a day trip)
    CC of N.H.		N. Sutton	NH
    Sky Meadow		Nashua		NH
    Wentworth by-the-sea Portsmouth	NH
    
    Championship-level courses:
    --------------------------------------
    Bel Campo CC	Avon		CT
    Crumpin-Fox Club	Bernardston	MA
    New Seabury (blue)	Mashpee		MA
    Oak Ridge GC	Feeding Hills	MA
    Shaker Hills	Harvard		MA	(3 greens in 'ugly' shape now)
    Poquoy Brook CC	Lakeville	MA
    The Balsams		Dixville Notch	NH	(not a day trip)
    Richmond CC		Richmond	RI
    Triggs Memorial GC	Providence	RI
    
    Might-be-great-but-don't-know-enough-about-em courses:
    --------------------------------------
    Braintree GC	S. Braintree	MA
    Chicopee Muni GC	Chicopee	MA
    Juniper Hill GC	Northborough	MA
    Rehoboth CC		Rehoboth        MA
    Far Corner GC	W. Boxford	MA
    Bretwood GC		Keene		NH
    
    Other very good + good value courses:
    --------------------------------------
    Timberlin GC	Kensington	CT
    Bel Compo GC	Avon		CT
    Tunxis Plantation #2  Farmington	CT
    Hickory Hill GC	Methuen		MA
    Pembroke CC		Pembroke	MA
    Trull Brook GC	N. Tewksbury	MA
    Biddeford & Saco CC Saco		ME
    Jack O'Lantern Res	Woodstock	NH
    Overlook CC		Hollis		NH
    Exeter CC		N. Kingstown	RI

    Highly Recommended by GOLF noters:
    --------------------------------------    
    Ballymeade 		Falmouth	MA
    Maplegate GC	Bellingham	MA
    Norton CC		Norton		MA
    Plymouth CC		Plymouth	MA
    Stow Acres (North)	Ayer		MA
    Shattuck Inn GC	Jaffrey		NH

    
    
    where'd the premier and championship destinctions come from?????
    
    they look a little skewed to me......
    

    
    re: where from?
    
    	they're somewhat arbitrary distinctions based primarily on the
    	descriptions in the n.e. golf guide.  there's a section in the
    	beginning of the book that attempts to separate off some of the
    	5-star courses (but not all) for special mention.  these go
    	into the premier category in my list...  but take it with a
    	grain of salt, as always.
    
    	if you have played these courses and can compare them, by all
    	means do so!
    
    /jim
    

    
    
    Hi ,
    
    Just got off the phone with Tory Pines, the special is only 
    for Mon,Tues,Wed ($44 for 2 18 holes fees and 1 cart)
    
    
    I plyed this course last year about 6 times and I'd say for
    the 'middle of the road' palyer it's worth the ride. 
    I loved the views and some of the holes were layed out very nice.
    
    it was about 50minutes from Leominster?
    
    Bill

    re: Stow Acres.
    
        We play Stow every Thursday, and the course is in prretty good
        shape right now.  We played the South last week, and it was in
        very good condition.  They're hosting the 1995 "U.S. Public Links
        Championship" on the North Course next summr, and are prepping
        the course now, so (as of 2 weeks ago) it's in better shape than
        the South.  It always seems to make the list of 50 Best (100
        Best?) public courses in the U.S., so might be worth adding to
        your list.

        Also, I think that the new Butternut Farms course, next door,
        owned by one of the original Stow Acres developers, is worth
        adding.  It's challenging, and the holes along the river are
        really pretty.  No carts, too, so the grass isn't all pounded
        into oblivion by the carts.
        

                                Andy Ostrom

        Also, your list shows Stow Acres in Ayer, while it's in Stow,
        naturally...


                                   Andy

    
    
    	I had the same experience as .11.
    
    	From what I now understand they wanted to reseed the whole
    	course (with bent grass?) for the Publix next year. To do this 
    	they just did not water last year and the course burnt out.
    
    	While I can understand this, I did have a problem with them
    	charging us full rate (which is high enough anyway).
    
    	Oh...I have been there this year (to the bar only....after playing
    	Butternut), and the course looked to be in great shape.
    
    	I do not know if what I heard is true. Can anyone else confirm/deny
    	this?
    
    						Ed

        I do not know if they let it burn intentionally, but yes, they
        did reseed (I remember a poster last year explaining the
        process).  They've begun cutting the fairway short, and letting
        the rough grow -- the course is playing tough.

                                   Andy

    I have a couple of favorite courses I have played.
    
    Passaconaway in Litchfield (sp) New Hampshire is a links syle course,
    long ont he front 9, flat, with little or no trees.  The New Hampshire
    amature was played there this year.  It is very well kept, with plush
    fairways, terribly heavy rough (sometimes impossible to get a ball out
    of) and strategically placed sand.
    
    Another on I just spent a weekend at with some friends is Lake Morey in
    Lake Morey VT.  This is the home of the Vermount Amature.  The front 9
    is flat with plenty of trees, while the back 9 is hilly and also has
    plenty of trees (I know, i think I hit a good deal of them over the
    weekend).  Some very picturesque holes here.
    
    Just thought I'd lend my two cents.
    
    Ray
    

    
    	Today's Globe says call the Mass Office of Travel and Tourism
    	at (800) 227-mass for a FREE 80-page color guide to more than
    	200 public and semi-private Mass courses.
    
    	It's called "Bay State Fairways".
    
    	Tom
    

        Just got home from playing Stow Acres.  The South course is
        certainly begining to see the stress of the hot weather, and the
        greens are bumpy.  It look like they need to water more.  I don't
        know how the North course is now.

                                   Andy

    
    well, I'm checking in after my first week of playing some of the
    courses on the list:
    
    	Sky Meadow	- great.  Knew this already, but it was even better
    			  than last time because wind came into play.  What
    			  a great course!  Has just about all a golfer 
    			  could want (except the opportunity to score well)
    			  Greens were _fast_ and in great shape.
    
    	Wentworth by the sea - a beauty, with undulating fairways, ocean
    			  water holes, multi-level greens, and interesting
    			  challenges like large rock formations in a pair
    			  of fairways.  Greens are a mix of difficulty, but
    			  all are well maintained.
    
	Trull Brook	- A really nice course.  Good architecture and 
    			  some nice views, too.  Trull Brook itself adds
    			  a lot of character to the course.  Interesting
    			  right-angle doglegs, and good use of the hilly
    			  terrain.  Greens were in good shape, and the 
    			  traps were in good shape as well ;)   Mostly
    			  open, though a few holes have narrow fairways.
    
    	The Captains	- maintained like a private club.  bunkers are
    			  particularly menacing (due to placement rather
    			  than their number).  Greens are a mix of easy
    			  and more difficult, with several multi-level
    			  greens.  Moderately hilly.  Slow play.
    
    	Cape Cod CC	- A nice course worth playing, but may not be worth 
    			  the drive from Boston if CCCC is your only
    			  destination (IMO).  It's a good value and
    			  in pretty good shape.  Hard to lose many balls
    			  here, though I did try.  Greens are relatively
    			  easy, some rolling, many flat.  Several elevated
    			  greens that are challenging.
    
    

    Jim,
    
    Take a swing out to Campbell's Scotish Highlands in Salem/Pelham.  Just
    opened this year, but is fast becoming a gem.  Greens are in great
    shape, a few fairways could be fuller.  Interesting layout.  All but
    2-3 holes were quite nice.  Friendly people.  Very nice clubhouse. 
    Water on a few holes.  A couple of interesting doglegs.  Mostly open,
    but very hilly.  Some nasty rough in places.  Got to play this one from
    the blues (which is of good length).  It plays much shorter from the
    whites.  Most holes demand an accurate tee shot.   A number of
    risk/reward holes.  Rustic setting around a working farm.  Reasonable
    green fees ($26 on weekends).  Course is not yet rated by USGA.
    
    Bob
    

    
    Has anyone played the Marlboro Country Club Course lately. I'm
    supposed to play there later this month and I'm wondering what
    I should expect. Is it tough?
    
    Paul
    

    
    
    I played there a week ago or so? It was in great shape
    and is fairly tough! most holes are some type of dogleg.
    
    most of the par 3's are either long or tough!
    
    you'll have a good time!
    
    Bill

    Re -1,
    
    	Did you play Marlboro in some kind of tournament a week or so ago?
    Last year the public could play after 8:00 on Thursday and Friday. This
    year the local paper said they switched to Monday and Tuesday. I
    called the clubhouse and was told that the public can not play anymore,
    they are totally private. On Monday's and Tuesday's they will rent it
    out for tournaments. Has anybody played on a Monday or Tuesday, not
    involved in a tournament/charity event?
    
    Thanks,
    
    Ron

    RE: Marlboro.
    
    It is totally private year.  I play there often with a DECcie
    member, and will be in a member/guest this Thurs.  The course is in
    good shape, and one of the more difficult.  The rating from the Blues
    is 71.5 (par 71 course).  The slope is 128.  The greens are like glass,
    and if you are a questionable putter, you will be blown away.  
    
    My experience there is always 3-4 strokes more then my handicap.  If
    you can get on, I would highly recommend it.
    
    P.S.  they had a little trouble last week when some kid did some
    anti-semetic work on the 14th green.  They caught the culprit.  Not
    sure if the green has been repaired yet.
    
    TG

    Today's Boston Globe (25-August) has an in depth article on the best
    20 public courses in Massachusetts ...
                                          Jim