In our lists of shortest and longest holes at public golf courses in Massachusetts, we’ve looked at everything from short and scenic par 3s to gargantuan par 5s. However, short par 4s often make you lick your chops, as they provide opportunity to add a circle (maybe two) to the scorecard that is fodder during post-round activities.
The phrase “risk-reward” is a common refrain when describing these holes. Though we live in an era of technology that allows for greater distance and forgiveness, these holes also allow the option of simplifying things. A well-aimed shot will often leave a wedge into the green, which anybody who watches high-level golf will tell you is an optimal recipe for success. Then again, it’s also fun to give it a rip and see if you can drive the green, especially amidst a close and competitive match.
As usual, our results yielded courses from every corner of the state.
Editor’s Note: To create a consistent standard for our list, we measured from the back tees at each daily-fee public course. Holes on executive courses and those with a total length under 5,500 for 18 holes from the back tees are not included on this list.
Located in Plymouth County, Ridder Farm is located on a former dairy farm that straddles the border between the towns of East Bridgewater and Whitman. It’s a relatively flat and short layout with wide fairways on the front nine, while the back tightens and lengthens considerably. The par 4 seventh is much more of the former. Playing from the southeast corner of the property, the seventh features a key-shaped fairway and a green guarded on each side by two large bunkers.
Pro Tip: This hole sets up nicely for anybody who can drive it about 250 yards down the middle. The trees are rather deep into the rough, so even if you miss wide, there should be room for forgiveness. Either way, the key here is hitting a shot that can split the gap between the bunkers to reach the back-to-front putting surface.
Architect: Henry Holhman (Front 9 – 1959) / Geoffrey Cornish (Back 9 – 1965).
Local Attraction: Bostonian Barber Shop. As featured in The Massachusetts Golfer, Bostonian Barber Shop is one of the most popular and trending barber shops in the region. Its flagship Whitman location features a golf simulator, which you can pay to play during your visit. Read More >
Tee times: ridder-farm-golf-club.book.teeitup.com
Central Massachusetts is known for its rolling hills, and the 9-hole layout at Westborough Country Club is no exception. The first hole, a par 5, plays straight into the hillside, a 60-foot elevation gain from tee to green and a sign of things to come throughout the round. The second hole also provides a scoring opportunity with a short par 4. However, danger lurks throughout, with the right side rough slanted down toward the woods and a well-pitched green that punishes shots that are long.
Pro Tip: Driving the green is possible on this hole; however, the rough to the right slopes down into the woods. Your best bet is a long iron or hybrid off the tee, which should still give you a wedge into the green. Keep it below the hole, as the stone wall behind the hole comes into play and is OB for anybody long.
Architect: Walter Howe (1921) / Bill Spence (1935).
Local Attraction: Apex Entertainment. Located just down the road in Marlborough off I-495 at Route 20, Apex features 30 lanes of bowling (ten-pin and candlepin), a multi-level indoor electric go-kart track, and 70+ arcade games. You’ll also find a two-story Laser Tag arena, a 360-degree bumper car ride, indoor mini golf, and multi-sport simulators. Members of Youth on Course can also use the golf simulators as part of their membership.
Tee times: westboroughgolfclub.com/tee-times/public-tee-times/
Holden Hills is a public 18-hole course that will test your accuracy and course management. From the tips, the course measures out to be 6,088 yards, playing as a par 71. Hole 12 offers a unique challenge, being a short par 4 where water comes into play right before the green. While it plays as a 262-yard hole, it really plays even shorter as the hole is downhill. From the back tees, a tree on the left of the fairway can be a challenge if your shot tends to lean left. Keeping it short and straight is the way to succeed on Hole 12 at Holden Hills.
Pro Tip: There are a few options on how to play the 12th. The best way to play it is to go 160 yards off the tee to leave it 100 yards short of the green and play it safely and over the water hazard from there. Or you can go the risk-reward route and hit it 240 yards to a small landing area, which includes the green and some room around it. But be aware of the water hazard, which is sometimes surrounded by tall grass.
Architect: William Mitchell (1957).
Local Attractions: Mount Wachusett & Wachusett Brewing. While ski season is months away, you can venture to the summit of Mount Wachusett and enjoy the scenic views from this 2,006-foot peak. On a clear day, the Boston skyline is easily visible to the east. Afterward, the Wachusett Brewery is the perfect place to kick back and enjoy a variety of craft beers, hard ciders, hard seltzers, and handcrafted cocktails.
Tee times: holdenhillsgolf.com/tee-times
The mid-Cape town of Yarmouth offers some of the best public golf on Cape Cod, with Bass River being a long-lasting gem popular with locals and tourists alike. Right off the jump, you get a shot at birdie with the shortest par 4 on the course. There is a long hazard running up the right side of the fairway and a small bunker protecting the left side. The green is elevated and small and slopes from left to right. It is drivable for many players who wish to risk it.
Pro Tip: “If you go long or slightly right, a big number comes into play. The best play is to hit 175-190 yards off the tee to leave a short wedge into the green. Hit to the left side as the fairway slopes left to right. Multiple lengths for the forward tees bring the same risk-rewards.” — Dennis Hoye, Head Golf Professional for Yarmouth Golf
Architect: Donald Ross (1914, first nine; 1922, second nine).
Local Attractions: Pirates Cove & Skull Island. Treat yourself to some ice cream and mini golf after your round at one of these two popular locations. Both feature beautifully landscaped courses with cascading waterfalls and family fun at every corner.
Coming Soon: The Mass Junior Amateur and Mass Girls’ Junior Amateur, both Powered by KOHR Golf, will take place at Bayberry Hills and Bass River during the first full week of August. It will be the first time the events will be held simultaneously using the same courses.
Tee times: yarmouthpublic.cps.golf
A municipal 36-hole facility in Canton, Ponkapoag is home to one of the shortest par 4s in the state. Ponkapoag No. 1, a par 72, plays at 6,742 from the back tees, while Ponkapoag No. 2 plays much shorter at 6,195 yards as a par 71. For golfers with mobility impairments, Ponkapoag does have specialized golf carts available (Paragolfer and SoloRider adaptive golf carts). On Course No. 2, you’ll find a short and straight 257-yard hole. If you can carry the ball to the green, you’ll be in position for an eagle at hole 5. Managing your shots around the green is important if you find yourself off the green with your drive, but even still, it will easily yield a birdie.
Pro Tip: Be careful going far right as you’ll end up in the fescue, but keeping it slightly to the right would put you in position to carry the bunker or set you up well for a second shot onto the green. The bunker covers the front from the middle to the left of the green. If you cannot carry the ball to the green, you’ll have to lay up or try to place it on the right side of the green, where the bunker does not protect. Anything right will contend with some trees.
Architect: Donald Ross (1932).
Local Attraction: TreeTop Adventures. After trying to avoid the trees, you can cruise around in them in this fun, multi-level, high ropes adventure course.
Tee Times: ponkapoag-golf-course-2.book.teeitup.com
Cold Spring Country Club is a par 71 golf course. Its 6,521 yards are set on rolling hills with breathtaking vistas in nearly every direction. Designed to bring world-class golf to Western Mass, well-groomed fairways and greens keep Cold Spring Country Club challenging yet friendly.
Pro Tip: The best shot is hit is one onto the green raised high above. But if you cannot do that, hitting it into the flat area of the fairway between bunkers is the ideal leave. A tee shot that gets close to, but not quite on the green is likely to roll back down the hill, leaving a difficult chip. This uphill approach shot is then played to a very wide, but shallow (depth) green. Enjoy the spectacular uphill view of the clubhouse in the background.
Architect: Mary Armstrong (2012).
Local Attraction: Quabbin Reservoir. While Springfield is nearby with all it has to offer, Belchertown is also close to the Quabbin Reservoir. This state park features opportunities for fishing, hunting, biking, and other self-guided activities. Buried beneath this manmade body of water is the old Dugmar Golf Course, a 9-hole track built in the former town of Greenwich in the late 1920s. The town and course were reachable by train from Springfield, but neither the course nor town exist anymore.
Tee Times: coldspringcc.com/public-tee-times/
An 18-hole golf course tucked into a corner in North Reading, the Hillview Golf Course caters to both seasoned golfers and those just getting started. The tree-lined No. 17 hole on this course, a mere 241 yards, runs parallel to the 16th hole and perpendicular to the 18th, creating a challenge for the players’ aim. Despite the small margin of error, this hole is the perfect chance to aim straight down the middle for a scoring opportunity. The course refreshed both tees and drainage this past offseason.
Pro tip: The fairway is tight on the right and left sides, and there is a bunker in front of an uphill green, so it wouldn’t be wise to use the driver.
Architect: William F. Mitchell (1956).
Local Attraction: K1 Speed Indoor Go Karts. After you fulfill your need for golf, you can satisfy your need for speed and maybe settle your bets in a unique way. K1 offers family-friendly entertainment through electric go-karts on a professionally designed track and state-of-the-art safety barriers.
Tee times: Call ahead, 978-664-4435
The opening stretch at Pine Meadows opens with a rare combination of straight-ahead par 5s, which should call for most players to pull driver early. That should have you nice and warmed up by the time you reach the reachable 3rd, which is the shortest par 4 on our list. However, this is no straightaway shot. Playing slightly uphill from the tee, a set of trees and a small bunker guard the right front of the green, giving you pause as to exactly where to hit it off the tee. The hole sets up perfectly for the sort of power fade/slice that’s common nowadays, but going too far right may leave you blocked out for your second shot.
Pro Tip: If you’re not going for the green, stay to the left. You want to get it far up there so you can get a good look at the green. The green is sloped back to front, but if you hit it long, your chip will likely roll off the front.
Architect: Putney Green (1929).
Local Attraction: Minute Man National Historical Park. This historic area commemorates the opening battle of the American Revolution, which is brought to life as visitors explore the battlefields and structures associated with April 19, 1775, and witness the American revolutionary spirit through the writings of the Concord authors. For what it’s worth, Pine Meadows Golf Club used to be called Paul Revere Golf Club.
Tee Times: pinemeadowsgolfclub.com
Though its length is limited to about 5,300 yards for 18 holes, this list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Cape Cod’s oldest and perhaps most visually stunning golf course. Perched high along windswept bluffs overlooking the Atlantic next to the vintage Highland Light, Highland Links has seen more than 100 years of golf and is the oldest active links on Cape Cod. More significant than its age is Highland’s heritage; circumstances keep it a genuine links, as close to the Scottish tradition found anywhere in the eastern United States, with deep natural rough, Scotch broom, heath, and spectacular ocean views.
Pro Tip: Upon first glance at the scorecard, you might think Highland is offering up a par 3.5 to start the round. While it’s a welcoming opener in the sense that you can pretty much hit whatever club off the tee you fancy, this hole is no pushover. It sits high up on the dune scape, exposed to winds that can blow something fierce. The fairway is undulating, wayward drives can run off into dodgy lies, and the perched green makes for a small target. Threes can be had, sure, but so can fives and sixes—no shame in 4 on this shorty.
Architect: Willard Small, J. Henry McKinley, Henry Conklin (1892).
Local Attraction: Highland Light House. The property also features incredible views, a museum, and the history that comes with being the lighthouse, which was the first light sailors glimpsed when reaching this side of the Atlantic Ocean. If a museum tour and climbing to the top of a lighthouse doesn’t satisfy your Cape Cod golf adventures, there are plenty of nearby beaches to rest and get some rays after a round on the Links. Head of the Meadow, Corn Hill, Longnook, Ballston, and Coast Guard Beach, to name a few.
Tee Times: highlandlinkscapecod.com
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