Course: Holyoke Country Club

Location: Holyoke, MA

Date Played: April 10, 2008

Played By: Jason

Overall Rating: 52

Friendliness of Staff: 6
There isn't too much to encounter for staff. Via was in the pro shop and he is a staple to golf history in Western Mass and has a great reputation. The only other staff member I saw was running the bar. Nothing special and don't expect to be wow'd by service, as there really isn't anyone to service you.

Facilities/Pro Shop: 5
The pro shop is moderately sized with minimal inventory. It's early in the year, so they may be waiting to stock up. One thing that I was impressed with was the size of the men's locker room. It's enormous! It's also very old and outdated, but at least they have a locker room. A bar that serves food and that's it for facilities. There is no practice green or range to get warmed up.

Quality/Value of Food/Snacks: 5
Unfortunately I did not have time to grab a bite to eat or a beer, but they did have a reasonable selection of pub fare at a reasonable price. Next trip back, I'll be sure to grab some and let you know how good it is.

Fairway Conditions: 5
Holyoke Country Club is located on the side of the Mt Tom range, so it's obvious that water runs down and through the course during the spring melting of snow. The course was very wet when we played and looked as though it would remain wet for most of the year, with a stream that runs through the middle of the course. Having played another course a few days earlier, I was expecting the fairways to be in better shape than they were, but it was still early in the season.

Greens Conditions: 4
The greens were in rough shape. They still hadn't recovered from the winter and hadn't regained their green color. There was a temporary green for one hole, as it looked like they lost the original green or were replacing it entirely.

Scenery: 6
It had been a few years since I last played here and couldn't quite remember how the scenery was. It can be a nice view, especially when the trees are in bloom. The highway is visible from the 4th green and 5th tee, so cars could distract you. There wasn't much else for flowers or work done to improve the view.

Difficulty of Course: 5
This is a fairly straight forward course and not overly tough. I only remember a couple of bunkers on the course. The second hole is a tough dog-leg right that requires you to keep your tee shot in the fairway. They have a huge tree in front of the green, so you may need to be creative on your second shot. The rest of the course plays fairly easy. It's a wide open design, so you can play from another fairway if you have an errant tee shot. It is only a 9 hole course, so if you are playing 18, you'll need to switch up the tees for the back.

Value Received: 4
It was $18 for 9 holes with a cart which isn't too bad. Not too much else to report as I didn't see any water on the course, nor ball washers or anything else to add to your experience. Just a cheap price to play.

Speed of Play/Design of Course: 6
They did a fine job laying out 9 holes on this piece of land. The holes make sense and play moves along. We finished our 9 holes in just under 2 hours, so it was a quick pace. I haven't played 18 here, so they need to be sure that they account for players wanting to go 18 when booking them. I'm not sure they take tee times though, as when I called, they just told me to show up. I would think a tournament here would be slow going.

19th Hole: 6
Like I said earlier, I didn't have a chance to enjoy the 19th hole today. But with beer flowing, food serving, and a TV for scores, what could be wrong?

There is not a beer cart on the course.

Comments:
I wouldn't count Holyoke as my favorite place to play, but I don't think it's the worst. Via is a staple to local golf and I've always heard great things about the lessons he does. I'd say this course is ideal for beginners since it is very open.