Springfield Country Club
Course Website
(Originally played by Ross, update by Jason August 16, 2008, updated by Jason August 10, 2011)
Our Rating: 80
Friendliness of Staff: 8
When you arrive you’re generally met by a couple of younger guys working the pro shop. They’re pretty friendly and usually help get your clubs to your cart. The pro is a very nice guy. I couldn’t say the same about the dining staff. I had the opportunity to eat in the restaurant one evening and they seemed a bit annoyed by us, almost as if they were better than we were, but the dining manager was a very nice guy.
Update: The pro is an extremely nice guy. He was very easy to chat with and loaned us a their new binocular which tells you how far to the flag…and it helped us out a lot!
Facilities/Pro Shop: 9
Pro Shop is laid out nice with a good selection of merchandise you can buy. I did not see the prices but have to imagine it’s pretty steep. They have a very nice bag room for members and the guys working are diligent, from washing clubs to cleaning carts. Great restaurant with a nice deck overlooking the course. Nice banquet facility for weddings or meetings. Spacious locker rooms for changing and showering.
Update 8/10/11: The course also has a very large practice range to get loose on before heading out for your round. You will also find many members stopping by to work on their hitting after work, instead of just jumping on the course.
Quality/Value of Food/Snacks: 8
The food in the restaurant is amazing with two separate menus, one for fine dining and one for pub/grill style. Prices are expensive but worth the money for a nice meal. I did not see anywhere you could purchase snacks for the course but that doesn’t mean you can’t. They do have a huge ice machine with water and lemonade available to take on the course.
Fairway Conditions: 7
In general the fairways are pretty nice and green. They tend to hold more water than usual but several members said it has improved ten-fold over the last couple years due to work being done. No disease recognizable and there isn’t much damage. They supply 2 divot mix cans on your cart for divot repair on the course.
Update 8/10/11: It had rained the day before and it was easy to tell that the fairways are still holding the water. A few holes were soggy, so drainage must still be a battle on the course.
Greens Conditions: 8
Most greens have either tiers or bumps in them, making for difficult putting conditions but the greens themselves are in fairly good shape. They could use some better color as there were some patchy spots noticeable but nothing severe. Most of the greens are larger so be prepared to have some lengthy putts and difficult ones. On one of the holes I think I even saw the Grand Canyon and I needed a mortar to get to the hole. Overall in pretty good shape but need a little work.
Scenery: 8
There are some gorgeous holes on the course. The 6th hole particularly offers some great views with three levels to the fairway and a stream flowing alongside, against a nice backdrop with some nice houses up on the hill from the next tee box. I’m not crazy about the 1st and 10th hole, with the entrance road driving directly in front of the tee boxes, but that’s more of a design thing. When I played recently, we were on the 17th hole and the Blue Angels flew overhead which made for a nice addition. The 2nd hole is a partial island par three that’s deceiving in length. Nice backdrop and great hole.
Update 8/10/11: They have a new superintendent here and he’s done quite a bit of tree removal to help improve air flow to many of the greens, but it is quite a noticable difference from the last time I had played here.
Difficulty of Course: 8
Some holes are very easy and some holes are very hard. Good mix of challenging and easier holes to play. Not a long course to play and for longer, accurate players you can post a low round. Putting is the greatest challenge on this course. Lots of hills, undulations and multi-tiered greens all over the course. You can be on the green in regulation but if you’re putter isn’t on, you’re not going to score very well. There also isn’t a heck of a lot of trouble to get into, even with an errant tee shot.
Value Received: 8
As a guest of a member it costs $75 to play 18 holes with a cart, which for a nice private course isn’t too expensive. If you were playing this course either on the Cape or in another state it would definitely cost $100 or more. The carts are equipped with divot cans. The food is delicious but expensive. If you want a nice meal and can get in with a member, take advantage of it.
Speed of Play/Design of Course: 7
Speed of play isn’t too much of a problem because most people are decent golfers. If you’re a member at a nice course, chances are you’re okay at golf. The layout overall is nice with beautiful houses perfectly placed and located all over the course. This particular category rating takes a hit from me because the road you drive in on runs directly in front of the clubhouse and the tee boxes for #1 and #10. Very poor decision and probably should be addressed at some point. Imagine getting ready to tee off and here comes a car in front of you…no thanks.
19th Hole: 9
I did not get the opportunity to either eat or have a few beers in their tavern but it’s beautiful. It’s not your typical 19th hole. Full pub menu for eating. The bar is very nice and opens at 11:00 for consumption purposes! I cannot comment on their beer selection, but for overall setting and how it looks I was impressed.
Bonus: 0
No beer cart on the course.
Comments:
Great course to play if you can hook up with a member or have a friend you can ask to take you out. Affordable at only $75 to play as a guest and the food is amazing. Highly recommend eating lunch or dinner there and grabbing a few brewskies! Bring your putter if you intend on scoring well. I did notice that while most people I encountered were nice, the crowd in the restaurant was a bit stuffy.
Update: Not much I can add to the rating. I enjoyed my day on the course and am appreciative to Dan Grenier and Dr. Malladi for allowing me tag along. Great day!
Update 8/10/11: I had a fun time on the course today. There was only two of us and we flew through 18 holes in just over 3 hours. I had a blast and played one of my better rounds in a long time. With the exception of 5 putts pushed to the right lip, it was a great day!
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