EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS MUST PLAYS
Head to Eastern Massachusetts And Enjoy these Fine Layouts By JOHN TORSIELLO
E
astern Massachusetts offers a plethora of great daily fee golf courses. Here are some you can enjoy this summer and
fall. Thanks to Golfing Magazine’s fabulous “Free Golf ” subscription offer you’ll get a complimentary, or greatly discounted, round on the following layouts. Check out the details of this offer in this issue, call 860-563-1633, or visit www.FreeGolf.net to sign up. There is lots of time to enjoy all the courses on our list. New to our line-up this year is Heritage Country Club (www.HeritageCountryClub. com) in Charlton has long been a favorite of locals and those golfers who like to throw their sticks in the trunk and drive a bit to play a real good course. Heritage offers private club conditions and amenities at affordable rates. There is a mix of holes at Heritage CC that will keep you entertained through your entire round. Some of the fairways are rather tight, so accuracy is called for off the tee to get you involved in the hole from the tee box.
The layout starts off in stern fashion, with a pair of fairly long par-fours followed by a 200-yard par-three where par is a good score indeed. The fourth is a 452-yard par-five that is reachable in two shots for long hitters. Crystal Lake Golf Club (www. CrystalLake-Golf.com) in Haverhill, located only 35 minutes from downtown Boston. The course offers some of the finest rolling bent grass greens in the area, lush wide fairways, light rough, manicured bunkers, rolling treelined terrain, and a well-thought out design by Geoffrey Cornish. Crystal Lake provides a fun, yet challenging round of golf that will be played under four and half hours on weekends. Every club in your bag will be used and a memorable golf experience is guaranteed. Acquired by Sterling Golf Management in 2018, Crystal Lake Golf Club continues to provide guests and members with a unique golf experience. Close to “Beantown” you will find Newton Commonwealth Golf Course (www.SterlingGolf.com), an exceptionally groomed course that was opened in 1907
Crystal Lake Golf Club 22
Golfing Magazine • New England Edition
and redesigned in 1920 by Donald Ross. The layout offers a short but challenging round of golf, featuring quick greens and relatively narrow fairways. Course management is essential, as many a big hitter has discovered, with water and sand bunkers scattered about. The sixth hole, a 276yard par-four, can be reached by the longest of hitters, but a narrow fairway slopes severely from left to right, and the hole features the most difficult green on the course. There is no such thing as a “straight putt” on the multisloped and undulating green. Norwood Country Club (www. SterlingGolf.com) is a decidedly fun and interesting layout to play for players of all skills. Designed by Sam Mitchell, built by Frank Simoni and opened in 1975, Norwood Country Club is one of the best kept golf secrets in the area. A par-71, 5,630-yard layout, the track has fairly flat terrain with medium size, wellmanicured greens. The course features a number of short par-fours and reachable-intwo par-fives, but don’t let its overall short
