Five Golf Clubs in Greater Boston Where the Pros Go To Play
Just in time for peak putting season, five of the area’s top golf experts dish on their favorite holes around.
Illustration by Jeannie Phan
The Pro: Jack Davis, Head Golf Professional, Essex County Club, Manchester-by-the-Sea
The Hole: 11th Hole, The Country Club, Brookline
What Makes it Great: There are a lot of beautiful golf holes around Boston, but few come close to the strategy you’ll need to ace this one. “You tee off from an elevated point, there are some water features that cross the fairways, then you hit up to a green on a hill, and along the way there are these rock outcroppings,” Davis says. “It’s an exciting hole.”
The Pro: Michael Bemis, Head Golf Professional, Myopia Hunt Club, South Hamilton
The Hole: 3rd Hole, the Kittansett Club, Marion
What Makes it Great: Most of the greens at this Plymouth County favorite boast water views, but it’s hard to get much closer to the dunes than the course’s third hole. It’s so close, in fact, that one wrong putt and your ball will end up in Buzzards Bay. “There are dunes to the right of the green as well as in front of the green, so you get the sense of playing an island green surrounded by sand,” Bemis says. “And when you’re done and you look back, you have a panoramic view of the water. It’s so tranquil and peaceful.”
The Pro: Jon Tamburro, Head Golf Professional, the Kittansett Club
The Hole: 14th Hole, Boston Golf Club, Hingham
What Makes it Great: Bay State golf courses are known for their interesting terrain and natural features, and nowhere is that more on display than at Boston Golf Club—the undulating greens from start to finish are a “joyful walk through the woods,” as Tamburro puts it. There are no lame holes on this course, but when you arrive at number 14, “everything sort of opens up” and the views speak for themselves. Combine that with a challenging green that slopes away from you, and you’re in for a real thrill.
The Pro: Boomer Erick, Director of Golf, Boston Golf Club
The Hole: 6th Hole, Myopia Hunt Club
What Makes it Great: As a par 4 of only 260 yards, this small(er) yet mighty hole offers a higher risk-reward ratio. With a tee that looks down onto the hole, an undulating green with a false front, and a stream you have to cross, it’s like “trying to hit your golf ball onto the back of a turtle,” Erick says. “There’s a lot of strategy to play this hole versus trying to hit bombs and simply drive the ball as far as you can.”
The Pro: Brendan Walsh, Director of Golf, The Country Club
The Hole: 8th Hole, Charles River Country Club, Newton
What Makes it Great: You’ll find rugged rock outcroppings and beautifully manicured grounds every step of the way along this historical club’s eighth hole, which goes downhill off the tee before going back uphill. A tight driving area with mounds on each side and a false front on the green mean that inexperienced golfers might feel a bit like Sisyphus trying to roll a boulder uphill, but “all players will see this hole as a challenge,” Walsh says.
