Course: Wachusett Country Club

Location: West Boylston , MA

Date Played: April 19, 2008

Played By: Sloope

Overall Rating: 73

Friendliness of Staff: 6
The staff at Wachusett CC was fine. They treated us with respect and got us on the course with ease. They don't have a starter or ranger so that is one small area for improvement, but this didn't impact the experience.

Facilities/Pro Shop: 7
The facilities at Wachusett CC are good. They have a range across the street from the club that offers both grass and mats, depending on the conditions. Along with the range, they also offer 2 putting greens; one more for chipping further away from the club house, and the other right next to the club house that will allow you to warm up and get a feel for the greens before you play. That practice green offers a pretty real picture of what you will get on the course itself.
Wachusett CC also offers other great amenities. They have a nice pro shop that will provide you any last minute needs you may have, as well as other great amenities like Ross's Tavern, a banquet facility, and a shack that sits between the 11th tee and 12th green for mid round refreshments. The one draw back that I saw was that besides a couple sporadic vending machines (4th tee, 5th green, and shack between the 11th tee and 12th green) there is really no water available on the course, but with the vending machines and shack it didn't take away from the experience.

Quality/Value of Food/Snacks: 7
The quality and value of food at Wachusett is good. At the shack between the 11th tee and 12th green I was able to get a hotdog and vitamin water for 4 dollars, which I found to be a decent deal. Once back at the club house, Ross's tavern offers a great menu with excellent food choices. One member of our foursome even tried the clam chowder and gave it a big thumbs up.

Fairway Conditions: 7
The fairways at Wachusett are typically in good shape. This rating was done from a round in April and honestly, even though the course has only been open for a few weeks and the grass hadn't completely come back, the fairways were in excellent shape.

Greens Conditions: 8
The greens at Wachusett are always one of the best attributes. Again, we played in April, but the greens for the most part rolled true and fast, they were a bit bumpy at times, but mainly that was because of an early aeration that left a few greens a bit bumpy. This course and it's greens can provide you the full range of difficulty with pin placements. There are definitely some flat greens that are easy to putt, but the others can definitely provide some extremely tricky putting if you are not in the right place. Overall the greens are a great attribute that you will enjoy.

Scenery: 7
The scenery at Wachusett is one that I feel you can really enjoy. The use of elevation changes and being out in the Central Mass area will provide you a excellent views, and scenery of your typical New England course.

Difficulty of Course: 8
Another great attribute about this course is that it offers both hard and easy holes. From the back tees with 2 great shots, all four par 5's are reachable, but you have to be hitting the ball well. There are many par 4's that can stretch over 400 yards, forcing you to hit the ball where you want it to score. With the course playing at 6567 from the Blue Tee's you may ask why such a high rating for this category. Well that is mainly due to the par 4's. The par 4's on the front are fair, but as you approach the back 9, they get much more challenging. With both 8 & 9 stretching over, they start testing just how well you are playing. Then comes Wachusett's version of Amen Corner. With the 11th, the only option is a perfectly placed bomb off the tee. You can either hug the trees on the left, or hit a hard draw, but either way the tee shot on this hole is the only way you will come away from this hole without a bogey or worse. Then you face the 12th, another very difficult par 4 that requires another good tee shot in the middle. The hardest thing with this hole is the approach into the green. The green slopes hard from back right to front left, a missed shot here will result in a very difficult putt or chip, easily bringing bogey or worse into play. Finally 13, another difficult par 3 stretching right around 200 yards, to a small green that slopes from right to left. As I said, from the tips you can have your hands full with this course. However, moving on up to the whites will provide you with a great round that is a bit less challenging. Either way you will find that you can choose just how difficult you want to make this course and it will let you enjoy that experience.

Value Received: 8
Value wise you really can't beat Wachusett Country Club in Central Mass. Mid-season at Wachusett Country Club the most you will pay is $60, which is very reasonable for the area. When your looking for a good day without breaking the bank, Wachusett Country Club is the place to go.

Speed of Play/Design of Course: 7
Wachusett Country Club is a Donald Ross course, and design wise it is very nice. The holes offer a nice variety of doglegs, risk/reward opportunities, flat, uphill and downhill holes. Design wise I think you will find that it is fair and very nicely laid out. The only downside to Wachusett is that if you don't get out early, you can be forced with a longer round, that can almost push the 4.5 - 5 hour round. I believe that there are two main factors that can cause this; first is the value of the course. With it being a very reasonably priced course in Central Mass, many of the average weekend golfers love to play here. The second issue is, I believe, the way the course manages tee times. I believe they try to fill the course as many golfers as possible, causing a extremely full course with mid handicappers. These two issues are what I believe can cause those longer rounds on occasion here at Wachusett. However, with that being said, the group that I played in had 2 decent players 8-10 handicap's and then 2 players that pushed 30+ handicap, we tee'd off at 8 and were finishing out on 18 by 12:15. It made for a great day.

19th Hole: 8
Ross's tavern is excellent! They have a full range menu from steaks & chicken platters to your typical sandwiches. They offer a large area for sitting that will allow you to grab a couple of drinks and finish up your round with your friends. Ross's tavern is a full bar, they offer many liquors, and a great selection of beers. On tap they offer Bud / Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Lite, Sam Adam's Lager, Bass, Guiness, and Wachusett Country Ale. The selection of drinks, menu, and other amenities like ATM, TV's, and layout make this a great 19th hole.

There is not a beer cart on the course.

Comments:
This course gets my recommendation without a doubt. As I mentioned, the scenery, layout, conditions, 19th hole and all the other great things about this course make this an experience that you really want to try for yourself. In my opinion this is definitely one of the better course's in Central Mass and well worth a day trip to enjoy.