Oak Hill CC (private)
Fitchburg, MA
Date Played: November 5, 2022
Yardages: 4,477 - 6,609
Wayne Stiles designed the front 9. It's open and forgiving. A smattering of tress and fescue separate holes and can be an issue for wayward drives, but there's rar
ely a chance of losing a ball. Most of the holes run back and fourth on the hilly land. Players can take advantage of the prevailing wind on some holes and battle it on others.
Oak Hill Rd. bisects the two nines, and the Donald Ross back nine is a different monster. The 10th hole is a classic Ross opener - a gentle handshake par 5. The
n Ross starts throwing haymakers. The back nine plays through narrow, tree-lined land. Holes 11, 12, 16, are all sweeping dogleg left holes.
Scoring is a priority on the front nine because the back is relentless.
416 yards is the shortest par 4 on the back from the blue tees. Wayward shots can be lost or go out of bounds on nearly every hole.
The greens throughout the course are outstanding. Ross put his magic touch on some of Stiles' greens and most of the front nine greens have been tweaked by Cornish, Silva, Robinson, and even Tom Doak (the 3rd green is a Doak design that has some wild, out of place features).
Holes Nos. 4, 6, 15, 17 were other standouts for me.
The fourth hole used to be a par 5, and it shows. It's a long hole that requires two big shots into a small-ish green that has two tiers.
Hole 6 provides a stunning view from the tee box before players tumble downhill toward a green with some funky slopes and a steep drop if you miss long.
The 15th is just a solid hole. The only two bunkers frame the opening of the green, but trees on both sides, and that pesky stream, force players to hit an accurate tee ball.
17 is a dramatic downhill shot over water and into the wind. The view from the tee box gives players a sneak peak at quite possibly the hardest closing hole I've seen so far.
Oak Hill packs a punch. The walk is lovely and the course, while tough, is one that I'd imagine reveals itself over time.