Course: Agawam Municipal Golf Course

Location: Feeding Hills, MA

Date Played: May 26 , 2008

Played By: Ross with Guest Critics Greg Giombetti &
Marc Sloope

Overall Rating: 69

Friendliness of Staff: 5
I don't think other than the guy in the pro shop checking us in and the bartender in their grill area that we came across one staff member the whole day. Certainly nobody helping you with your clubs or a course ranger which they need on some days. I guess lean would be a way to describe it. However, there very well may have been staff floating around but with everyone dressed in jean shorts and inappropriate golf attire we would have never known. As you'll see in the rest of our rating, with how much of a pleasant surprise this course was we think with a better overall experience they could really have something here.

Facilities/Pro Shop: 6
Their pro shop is tiny and pretty much limited in selection. Not really a big selection of merchandise other than balls, gloves and a few other items. They have a smaller putting green and some basics but nothing special about their facilities. They do have a grill area but it's pretty basic. I don't think people come here for the facilities. Their bathrooms are in need of some remodeling and it was very hot in there. It can get pretty hot in their clubhouse and they seemed to keep it air conditioned reasonably well.

Quality/Value of Food/Snacks: 7
They actually have pretty good grill food that's hidden behind their counter area in the bar. Your standard selection at reasonable prices, again pretty basic. Nothing to wow you and we'll reserve further comment for the 19th hole section.

Fairway Conditions: 8
Ross had played this course many times in the past but the last time was several years ago and from what he remembered it was a cow pasture. Needless to say he was very surprised and even impressed with how nice the actual course was. Their fairways were in great shape other than a few bare spots scattered around. Tee boxes were beautiful and the rough was challenging. We were all very happy with their fairways.

Greens Conditions: 10
This had to be the nicest attribute of the entire day. Starting with hole #1 we couldn't believe for a municipal course how incredible their greens were. They rolled true, were in almost mint condition, no bare spots other than some repair they were doing on one hole and they blew us away. The one thing we did realize for all you players, they tended to break about half as much as they appeared to when you read your line. Probably a combination of factors but man were they awesome! What a difference from years ago!

Scenery: 7
There were some decent views of the rolling hills and valleys due to some elevated tee boxes and greens. Once you get into the middle of the course it's pretty nice but the scenery doesn't blow you away, but you won't be totally let down either.

Difficulty of Course: 6
This course is actually fairly easy. There isn't much trouble other than woods and trees lining quite a few holes but you really have to spray it to get in trouble. What there is a lot of are deceiving shots and tee shots. It really helps to play this course either frequently or often enough where you're used to the shots to hit. There isn't a ton of water and the course is short. Plenty of holes to attack and score well on and for 10-handicappers you have a pretty good shot at breaking 80. To give you an idea, from the white tees it only measures 6,000 and their course rating is 67 with a slope of 110. We played the tips which I think measured about 6,300 or 6,400 and that was the max. You will certainly have an easier time if you're familiar with the course and as long as you're not spraying your tee shots you can score nicely here. Stronger winds could add a significant challenge and did on our day because of the amount of elevated tee shots that can effect your trajectory and distance. We can't tell you how many times all of us were going back and forth between clubs to hit on every hole.

Value Received: 9
Well from a golf only standpoint it doesn't get much better. I think it only cost us $33 apiece including cart and for how nice the course was it was a treat. This category could easily be a 10, but with the lack of staff to add to your day and mediocre facilities it nearly misses.

Speed of Play/Design of Course: 5
Well you know exactly what to expect at this course pretty quickly. To start with it's a municipal course and while that's a stereotype, it tends to fit quite a few courses. The golf attire at this course was a sight to see. There were guys wearing mesh shorts and a t-shirt with sneakers and a windbreaker. It was pretty bad. You can tell what you're in for as soon as you drive up. Terrible speed of play and there was no ranger to move play along. They really need to consider this because it can quite possibly take away from a great experience and day out on the course when it's painfully slow. They caliber of player here isn't that great so you can definitely expect a slower round unless they get this fixed. The layout is decent with some great elevation changes and views from tee boxes. However, the holes are pretty closed together so there's a lot of "fore" yelling and ducking and dodging when you're about to hit your shot. It's what you call a shooting gallery. Not to mention, similar to Ludlow Country Club, their first tee is directly in front of the clubhouse so you have to deal with a bunch of people that don't know golf etiquette that are hooting and hollering while you're trying to hit. The back tees are so close to the fence you almost hit it on your backswing. Not a great use of space. One of our pet peeves in golf is having a first tee box where all the traffic is.

19th Hole: 6
It's a good open design with plenty of seating and a bar area but get this, no draught beer! How do you have no draught beer at a golf course? Being a municipal course we're not sure what their regulations are but it would surprise us if they can't have draught lines. Their grill food as mentioned earlier is good but this 19th hole is pretty basic. They did have a deck of cards for us to use.

There is not a beer cart on the course.

Comments:
You can come to Agawam GC for one reason and that's golf! If it's pure golf you want you'll be very happy. If you're looking for more we suggest look elsewhere. Their course is really in great shape and we were very impressed with how this course has come along in the most recent years. We'll definitely be back when we just want to get out for a cheap, enjoyable round. Our opinion, if anyone is listening, is with some improved staff, a ranger speeding up play and some updating this course could really be something, but it is municipal so I'm sure funds will be limited. They also need to take a serious look at their website. They could probably find someone to re-do their site for very cheap in the community.