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Subscribers to Golfing Magazine’s award-winning Course Play Stimulus Program, where they receive access to some of the best golf courses in New England and beyond for a small “service” or cart fee, are in for a treat when they head to the northern Catskills of New York State to visit three of our member courses, Sunny Hill (two courses) and Blackhead Mountain. Both are resort courses.

At Sunny Hill (www. SunnyHill.com) in Greenville they will find two courses, the Thunderhart Golf Course, a championship 18-hole golf course, and an 18-hole “executive” layout, the latter making for a fun and quick play if you also want to chill out for the day and enjoy all the resort has to offer.

Thunderhart Golf Course is set in the scenic Catskill Basin, and has 11 ponds and 15 sand traps to navigate around and over. The 6,482- yard course plays to a par of 72. The front nine provides a traditional golf experience. The back nine was created in the Parkland style, which has each hole cut through forest. Acquired in 2007 by the Nicholsen family, owners of Sunny Hill Resort and Golf Course, Thunderhart has been transformed into one of the region’s premier golf complexes

Sunny Hill is an all-inclusive resort where guests are treated like family. It’s a tradition that goes back nearly 100 years when the resort first welcomed guests to vacation in the Catskill Mountains.

Sunny Hill Resort offers several properties for larger groups and/or families, including lodging where rooms can be adjoined. The Homestead suites each sleep six and can be rented together to allow for groups of up to 12 to vacation together. The Edmonton Combo allows for rooms to be connected to accommodate up to four, and the building features a separate lounge area with tables and chairs for game nights, group activities or family gatherings. There are also smaller family accommodations and rooms. There are dining options and a day spa at the resort. The adventures found on Sunny Hill Resort’s 600 acres can transform a visit into a dream getaway. After golf you can lounge on a picnic blanket for family movies and concerts under the stars, or drop a line into Lake Loree and catch a lunker bass.

Nearby Blackhead Mountain Resort (www.BlackheadMtn.com) in Round Top features a course designed by USGA architect Nicholas Psiahas. An original nine holes were opened in 1990, and a second nine holes were added in 1999. This is one of the best 18-hole, par-72 championship courses in the region. The layout was carved into the natural terrain of the beautiful and majestic Blackhead Mountains of the Northern Catskills. It offers not only stunning scenery, but offers a tremendous playing challenge as well. There are water hazards, bunkers, doglegs and two-tiered greens that complicate your round.

Because of the extreme amount of care placed into the maintenance of the course by USGA Superintendent Edward Maassmann and his staff, the layout has the reputation of always being beautifully manicured and in great condition.

At the cozy Blackhead Mountain resort there are 22 rooms that can accommodate small to mid-size groups for overnight stays. There is dining and a fitness facility on the premises. The resort can customize packages to suit your needs and requirements. www.GreatNorthernCatskills.com.

Heritage Country Club in Charlton, Massachusetts 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.

Heritage CC has joined Golfing Magazine’s growing list of courses you can play when you subscribe to our magazine. You get a complimentary round of golf with a small service fee charged when you arrive to take care of a motorized cart for the round.

The 18-hole course at Heritage Country Club features 6,335 yards from the longest tees and a par of 71. The course rating is 69.3 and it has a slope rating of 118. The layout was designed by Donald Hoenig, with the track opening for play in 1964. Shane Bayer manages the course as General Manager.

There are 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 200yard 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.

The fifth hole is a beast of a par-five, playing around 600 yards and it’s a true three-shot hole to get the putting surface. Number eight is a par-four of around 300 yards where birdie awaits before moving on to the monstrous 490-yard parfour ninth. The ninth can also be played as a parfive, which makes sense for most golfers. The back side also starts off tough, with two par-fours of around 400 yards sandwiched around another long par-five of about 600 yards. The 305yard par-four 14th is a birdie hole and then it is on to a demanding finish that includes another parfive that measures almost 600 yards from the back tees. Better bring a great long game when you play here and tee off from the tips. The wise option the first visit may be playing from one tee up, which will put the total yardage to around 6,000, shortening some of those long par-fives.

Afamily-owned and operated, a semi-private country club in Holyoke, Massachusetts, Wyckoff Country Club is an 18-hole, par 69, 6100-yard championship golf course built on the beautiful rolling property at the base of Mount Tom.

Wycoff CC has an interesting mix of holes; a number of short par--fours that can be attacked with a lusty drive and a shortiron or wedge to the putting surface, only two par-fives, one of which, the 478-yard 13th, can also yield birdie to long hitters that can reach the green in two, two par-fours that play over 400 yards from the tips, and several strong parthrees (there are five short holes in all on the layout). The 18th is perhaps the most difficult par-three and a cool way to finish a round. It’s a whopping 229 yards from the tips.

The course begins with a 301-yard-par four that can get your day off to a nice start. Then it’s on to one of those long par-fours, 401-yards from the tips, followed by a very good, 531-yard par-five that is a three-shot hole to get the green for all but the longest hitters.

The toughest hole on the front side is the 421-yard par-four sixth where par is never a given, even for the best players. The front side ends with two par-trees of modest length sandwiched around a 389-yard par-four.

The back side has a mix of short and medium-length par-fours, in addition to a 478-yard par-five at the 14th. The 16th is another tough parthree, playing 213 yards from the back markers, followed by a 345-yard parfour and then the closing par-three hole. You will be called upon to hit pretty much every club in your bag at Wycoff. If your driver and fairway woods and hybrids are on fire, you can score low here. But nothing is a given at this track. While only around 6,000 yards from the tips, the layout has plenty of bite, especially if you get wayward on your tee shots and approaches.

Wycoff Country Club is accessible to our subscribers this year as part of our Course Play Stimulus Program. It is certainly worth a visit.

Wycoff Country Club

Holyoke, Ma. 413-536-3602

The Whitney Family originally established the property on which Whitney Farms Golf Club in Monroe, Ct. now sits as a farm with rare race horse breeding stables. A dairy farm existed on this land as well.

The land was purchased in the mid-1970’s by Chris Bargas, Sr. and after a three-year design project, Whitney Farms opened as a public course in 1982. During this time, over three hundred homes were added to form a desirable golf community.

In the process of re-designing the land, the architects took advantage of the ponds, scenic views and natural wildlife in its overall routing. The 18-hole course was designed by Hal Purdy and built by Bargas, Sr. Yardages range from 5,480 yards to 6,714 yards, with slope levels of 127 to 134.

The layout starts in stern fashion, with three holes that will test you immediately. The first is a 426 yard par-four, the second another parfour measuring over 400 yards, and the third a 526 yard par-five. After letting up a bit, the front nine again rears its head with four difficult holes to end the outward journey. There are two par-fives that play over or around 500 yards and a pair of par-trees that play 200 yards or longer. The back nine is a bit less severe with shorter par-fours where birdie awaits. But you’ll also encounter two par-fives that play over 560 yards from the tips, and the final hole is a brutal, 442-yard par-four that can make or break a round. Whitney Farms has been recognized for its value and has received top marks for its condition by Golf Digest, Connecticut Magazine, Connecticut Post and Connecticut Golf Magazine. Stop by the Sand Trap Grille and Bar for a bit to eat and libations after your round. The Grille has a relaxed, Scottish pub feel to it, which only enhances your visit to this very fine upper Fairfield County club.

Originally a nine-hole private golf club, purchased by the town of Watertown in 1975, a second nine holes were added in 1980 to make Crestbrook Park Golf Course one of the best daily fee tracts in the Greater Waterbury, Ct. area.

Crestbrook, always in good condition, features fast sloping greens and has four sets of tees for all levels of play. It is complete with a full service pro shop and a five-acre practice facility.

The course, which plays almost 7,000 yards from the tips and features a number of elevation changes, has an interesting mix of holes, from par-fives that demand thoughtful tee and approach shots to beefy par-threes, like the 228-yard seventh where the tee shot must clear a pond to reach the putting surface. The sixth hole is another beautiful design. The par-five plays 527 yards from the back tees and the drive must come close to a small stream that dissects the fairway, which will leave you with a legitimate shot to hit the green in two.

Jan Wivestad, PGA, offers group and private lessons, both indoor and outdoor, and oversees the leagues that operate out of Crestbrook every day, including the men, women, junior and special golf programs. From apparel for men and women, bags, clubs, all brands of golf balls to shoes and training aids, the pro shop offers a very wide variety of choices for any golfer. In addition to the course, players and non-golfers can enjoy the newly renovated Sunset Grille at Crestbrook Park, which offers “family dining with a view.” There’s an 85-seat dining room and outdoor deck with a majestic view of Merriman Pond, as well as an intimate 55-seat private dining room on the lower level with an outdoor patio. It’s a great place to hang out with friends and enjoy liquid refreshments and some well crafted dishes after a round on the challenging 18-hole championship track.

Visit www.CrestbrookPark.com.

Designed to bring world class golf to Western Massachusetts, Cold Spring Country Club, is an 18-hole semi-private course located about midway between Springfield and Worcester in scenic Belchertown, Ma. Designed by Mary Armstrong, completed in 2010 and opened for play in 2012, Cold Spring Country Club is an up-and-coming par 71 golf course, with its 6,521 yards set on rolling hills that boast of breathtaking vistas in nearly every direction. Each hole has up to 5 sets of tees, enabling golfers of all levels to play an exciting mix of six par 3s, seven par 4s and five par 5s.

It all starts with a tough 216-yard parthree. From the highest tee box on the course, enjoy a complete panoramic view of Central Massachusetts facing south. Normally you will need one less club because of the steep drop, but watch the wind here. If constant prevailing winds are in player’s face it will require one or two more clubs. The trees on either side of the tee box will keep players honest, by making them hit down the chute. But there’s lots of wide open room the rest of the way.

The par-five 495-yard seventh hole plays right to left off the tee and with a good tee shot a player can get home in two. The best shot is a driver with a big draw to a large landing area. Just beware of the bunkers on the right side. How well you score depends on your 3rd shot into the green. You will need to pick which side of the green to shoot for-choose right or left depending on the placement of the pin. There are unique double approaches created by a large “bump” that protects the center of the green. The 18th is a nice finisher, a 386-yard par-four that plays quite a bit longer. There is plenty of room off the tee with fairway bunkers on the left. If you play from the back tees you must hit a good drive, with the tee shot taking you over Roaring Brook, and your second shot is severely uphill to a very well-bunkered green with a false front.

Since 1960, Crystal Lake Golf Club in Haverhill, Ma. has been one of the premiere public golf courses in the Merrimack Valley, 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 tree-lined terrain, and a well-thought out design by Geoffrey Cornish of Cornish Golf Designs. 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.

The club is also known as one of the best priced courses for the value in New England, with a caring staff, and a proactive membership program, including a “fun” tournament event calendar.

Acquired by Sterling Golf Management in 2018, Crystal Lake Golf Club continues to provide guests and members with a unique and affordable golf experience.

Situated near Crystal Lake, the course features a multitude of challenging yet approachable holes for all types of players. Take the fifth for instance. The par-five plays around 500 yards from the tips and bends ever so softly to the right, which makes going for the green in two shots risky.

The 18th is a very reachable-in-two 448-yard par five where birdie, or perhaps even an eagle, can really bring your round to a delightful conclusion.

The 27-hole Stanley Golf Course in New Britain, Ct. has long been considered one of the premier daily fee facilities in the state. With three distinct nines to select from and some of the best conditions in the Greater Hartford area, Stanley has a dedicated following among the state’s golfers.

Some modifications were made a few years back to the course, with several new or reshaped holes created and some shifting of the nines, which made the course even more interesting and a tad more challenging.

The White Nine is a friendly track that has a nice mix of holes. The first hole, a 510-yard par-five, is a straight forward test and the green is reachable in two for big hitters. The second hole plays 442 yards from the back tees and par is well defended by the hole’s length and bunkers that guard the putting surface. The 330-yard par-four sixth hole and 123yard par-three seventh conspire to offer wonderful back-to-back birdie opportunities. The Red Course is also mostly friendly, with a few toughies, like the 424 yard par-four sixth, which presents perhaps the meanest challenge. The Red Nine’s seventh hole, a 508-yard par-five, is a strong design and doglegs from left to right. There is water about halfway to the green that must be avoided off the tee.

The Blue Course is a very fair, tough routing that has two strong par-fives and one of the most demanding par-fours at the club, the 434yard seventh that has a pond guarding the right side of the green. The Red, in fact has its own Amen Corner, with the sixth hole, a short, 331-yard par-four that doglegs sharply left near the approach to the green, the aforementioned seventh, the 147-yard par-three eighth that has water guarding the green, and the 461-yard ninth, which can be reached in two shots with a strong drive that sets up a hard draw with a fairway wood to a green that sits a bit to the left.

The Hunter Golf Club in Meriden, Ct. offers a wellrounded test of golf, with great views of surrounding trap rock ridges and Castle Craig in Meriden’s Hubbard Park, which can be seen while playing the fifth hole.

The course has in the past been named the number seven public golf course in the state by Golfing Magazine, and has been named a top 10 course by Connecticut Magazine. The track played host to the 2001 Connecticut Women’s State Amateur, as well as the Senior New England Public Links Championship, and the yearly City Championship for Meriden residents.

The layout has one of the most challenging and perplexing opening holes you will find anywhere. It’s only 368 yards from the back tees, but a stream dissects the fairway a little over halfway to the green, so the dilemma is to take driver and risk hitting it short or right and into the water, or lay up and be left with a long approach to an elevated green.

The 10th hole is a demanding 587-yard par-five that bends to the left and has water hazards on the left side of the fairway and near the green, which makes the second shot and approach tricky.

Water again complicates matters on the 182-yard par-three 11th, with ponds flanking the putting surface. Choose your club for the tee shot wisely because if you wander even a bit left or right you will find trouble. The 513-yard par five 18th is a truly superb finishing hole. You will want to hit your drive as close as you can to a stream that runs across the fairway about two thirds of the way to the green. Then it’s a decision on whether to try for the putting surface in two shots or lay up and have a wedge for your third shot. The hole can make or break a round and decide a match.

The course plays 6,604 yards from the tips and has four sets of tees to meet the talent of any player.

Fox Hopyard Golf Club in East Haddam, Ct. offers a blend of challenging golf, first-class customer care and a setting that is difficult to beat. The course, designed by Roger Rulewich, is always in top condition, with large, fair greens, full and thick rough and cuts, and definition between the fairways/ rough and greens/fringe; always the sign of a well-maintained course.

There really isn’t a weak hole at Fox Hopyard. At almost 7,000 yards from the back markers, which carry a slope rating of 136, the par-71 course offers a test for even the best players. But five sets of tees allow the track to be enjoyed by golfers of all abilities.

The 506-yard fifth hole is classic risk versus reward. Big hitters can go for two with a lusty drive off another dramatically elevated tee box. But there is a stream that guards the front side of the green and danger left and right all the way.

The 18th is a solid finishing hole. At 551 yards it is best attacked in three shots, as a pond is to the right side of the hole from about 150 yards and hugs the putting surface. Miss the approach ever so slightly right and you are in the drink.

The club has a top-notch clubhouse and an outdoor pavilion that sits upon a rock outcropping where golfers or guests can relax and enjoy a drink and meal.

The Crumpin-Fox Club in Bernardston, Ma., near the Vermont bordcr, is a challenging test of golfing ability.

Many of the holes are tree-lined, and gorgeous in the with ample bunkering and enough water to create a few jangled nerves as the round proceeds. Some of the greens are elevated, further complicating proper club selection, especially when the breeze kicks up. The course blends perfectly with the stunning natural landscape that is this section of New England. The layout plays a little over 7,000 yards from the tips and has several of the best holes in the region.

The eighth is an amazing par-five and is certainly the most difficult hole on the course. The eighth starts from an elevated tee box and a lake plays a factor on the first, second and third shots, as it must be avoided and then cleared on any approach to a rather large green protected by bunkers. Make a five here, never mind a birdie, and you have done something special indeed.

The 14th hole is a par-five that measures 527 yards from the tips. It’s fairly narrow and guarded by trees on both sides of the fairway. The third shot is to a green that has water fronting its left side and bunkers short and long.

The par-five 18th at Blackstone National Golf Club in Sutton. Ma, is a favorite for anyone who has played it. The hole measures just 485 yards from the tips, but it’s loaded with all kinds of trouble if you wander.

The tee shot must be true to find a landing area protected by wetlands and woods. Big hitters can reach the putting surface in two shots after a strong drive, but the approach is uphill and there are a number of deep bunkers guarding the putting surface. The smart play is to lay up in front of the green and knock the ball onto the putting surface with a wedge.

The 18th is a solid finisher and just one indication of the thoughtful approach Rees Jones put into the layout. The course is tucked into the wooded countryside of the Blackstone Valley area of southeastern part of the Bay State.

One of the sweetest aspects of the track is that while it is challenging for the best players, Jones incorporated only a few forced carries, which makes it playable for mid- and even high-handicappers. Ample fairways allow a player to stay in the hole even after a less than perfect tee shot. There is bunkering guarding the rather large greens, so it is important to choose the proper club to find the target.

Blackstone National, which can stretch to almost 7,000 yards from the tips and plays to a par of 72, has some superb short holes that are also visually enticing. One of the most stunning par-threes on the layout is the 173-yard 11th, which demands a tee shot over a small pond. It shouldn’t be difficult to find the green. But any pulled tee shot may find the wet stuff.

Relax before or after your round on the new Heron’s Nest deck with lunch, dinner or your favorite 19th hole refreshments!