Course 124: Cyprian Keyes
Bolyston, Mass.
Played: July 3, 2024
Yardage: 6,543/4,850
Tier: Regional Chain
Rating: 3
A “key” is defined as a low-lying island or reef. The golf that Cyprian Keyes requires often feels like island-hopping, as players hit from station to station throughout the round, navigating forced carries and narrow corridors.
It is a specific type of golf that can be quite polarizing.
The opening four holes set the tone with forced carries, trees guarding doglegs, and hazards creeping in from all sides. The walk to the fifth tee, along a boardwalk through a forest, brings players out into a bit more space to play with some rolling hills to navigate, too. That’s not to say it’s “open” because it’s not. But there is a slight push and pull as far as the tightness. There are more options to hit driver the deeper you get into the round.
The greens were excellent: big and sloped. A handful had distinct tiers that could make for quite a challenge. Little notches on the edges made pitching and chipping tough because many shots have to land on downslopes.
The standout holes were 8, 11, and 14.
8 and 14 both have a little breathing room off the tee, so players can hit driver. 8 has a downhill approach to a green that runs away from the player, making distance important but also generating a chance to hit a low recovery onto the green.
14 plays downhill to a fairway protected by a bunker on the right and water on the left. But it’s one of the few downhill tee shots on the course. The approach into 14 is long and uphill, but I loved the shortgrass around the green that made the green a little bigger.
11 is a diabolical par 3 with a challenging green. A massive slope on the front can kick balls down into the middle of the green or reject shots that are just a little off with a mid-iron. It’s like the cousin of a redan hole.
The one distraction is the routing. The course is surrounded by environmental areas, so there are some long walks. Playing the tips generates some walks backward to tee boxes.
CK is a tough test of golf that requires accuracy and patience. Certainly a litmus test of ball striking. I’m not sure I’d want to play there every day, but it’s exceptional value at $39 on weekdays to walk, $79 on weekends.
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