Course:Veterans Memorial Golf Course

Location: Springfield, MA

Date Played: July 14, 2007

Played By: Ross

Overall Rating: 71

Friendliness of Staff: 7
There weren't a lot of staff members around, including no course ranger. The guy in the pro shop was very nice and welcoming to our group, as well as the waitress in the 19th hole. Nothing over the top but pretty friendly.

Facilities/Pro Shop: 6
Well the pro shop has come a long way from what it used to be years ago. It's bigger, with a decent selection of things you can purchase with a big counter in front. They have a putting green right in front of the clubhouse and next to the 7th tee box, but they do not have a driving range. There's really no room for it. As far as real facilities, there aren't alot and they're pretty much maxed out in terms of the location of the clubhouse, because it's right above the road. No banquet room, locker room etc. They do have a reasonably good 19th hole that I'll discuss later.

Quality/Value of Food/Snacks: 8
They actually have a pretty good menu and grille food. Hot dogs were great and they offer quite a good selection of other food. We got a pitcher of Steel Rail, which worked out to be about 4 tall beers, 4 hot dogs and 4 bags of chips and it was under $30, reasonably affordable.

Fairway Conditions: 7
Other than the 10th and 11th fairways, which are pretty bare in spots and need work, their fairways and tee boxes are in pretty good shape. One problem on this course, worth mentioning here, is their bunkers. You can't even call them bunkers because they're all dirt. The conditions of the fairways, and rough in general, have improved quite a bit over the past several years.

Greens Conditions: 8
This has to be by far the most improved part of the course. If we could give away an award for most improved course in the area, Veterans would be right up there because of how nice their greens have become. The greens are in good condition and don't have the real bad sand problem they used to have. For the most part they're green and in great shape. The only problem that you're gonna run into here and at most public, municipal courses is the divots that people don't fix. It drives us crazy. I found myself fixing multiple divots from other people the entire round. It sort of comes with the territory.

Scenery: 5
There are some decent views and some nice holes and in the fall this course can have a nice look to it. Overall, it's nothing spectacular and it does border South Branch Parkway and another main road which takes away from the feel of the course. One of the nicest holes on the entire course is probably the 18th, which is a longer par-3 over a pond. However, a number of years ago there used to be alot of trees around the back of the hole that protected it from ugly views and they have cut some of them down. From the tee box you can now see alot of cars in the backdrop and in our opinion they should have left it alone. They have put flowers around some of the hole sign posts that really add to the feel.

Difficulty of Course: 4
This course can play very easy if you hit the ball relatively straight. There are some holes where you can get into trouble but not a lot. There are at least four par-4's that are short and reachable if you get ahold of a drive, making for quite a few birdie putts and sure easy pars for average golfers. I personally had 8 birdie putts under 10 feet. For better golfers you can easily post a sub-80 round here if you're playing well. There's nothing real tough on this entire course, other than maybe the 11th hole which is a 400+ yard par-4. Even on that hole, with a decent drive down the middle it only leaves you with a 150-yard approach shot into the green. In total, the course only measures 5,900 yards from the whites and 6,400 from what they call their tips, the blue tees.

Value Received: 9
Well heck, for how improved this course is, the condition it's in and only costing $33 for 18 holes with a cart, it's definitely worth playing! Great value for what you receive. I mean you don't get a lot of intangibles, but you get a nice course for problably one of the cheapest prices around.

Speed of Play/Design of Course: 5
Well considering the course is built around a couple main roads, similar to Franconia, it's nothing to be desired. The design of the course is okay, with some elevated greens and tee boxes but the speed of play is not great. After about the 6th or 7th hole we pretty much waited on every shot. Not to mention we had some real bozos behind us hitting into us on several occasions. We'd putt out and no sooner would they be hitting their approach into us, once nearly taking us out in the process. If I wasn't with my father-in-law, enjoying the beautiful day it was, I would have very quickly had words with one of them. Expect that sort of thing when you play here and expect a longer round. They really need to have a ranger on the course.

19th Hole: 7
Actually, this 19th hole has really been decent since at least 8-10 years ago. They've always had good hot dogs and now they have a great selection of draught beer. There's plenty of room with spacious table seating, a big screen TV on the wall in great location for everyone to see, and even a deck of cards for a game of pitch after your round. These days, every course should keep several decks of cards handy for players finishing their rounds. That's a great intangible to offer.

There is a beer cart on the course. +5
Surprisingly, after about noon, there appeared a beer cart! While she only really offered a few soft drinks and Rolling Rock beer, she was there!

Comments:
We've played this course a lot in the past and kind of abandoned it for a couple years. It has improved quite a bit, changed management recently and it appears they made the right change. The condition the course is in has to certainly be close to the best I've ever seen it. For only $33 you'd be doing yourself a disservice not playing here. Be prepared to wait and deal with some frustrations, but it comes with the territory and is a great option close by. Something they definitely need to improve going forward is their BUNKERS! They're all dirt and you can basically putt out of them, which has to be one of the only courses around where you are able to do that. Bring in some sand and improve the look of your bunkers.