The fun in this golfing quest comes from visiting new places in Massachusetts (and even crossing borders on the course. Wentworth Hills Country Club in Plainville, MA (and some of Rhode Island) was the 19th new course this summer. The course is one of those places I’d love another crack at. Some local knowledge, especially off some tees, is helpful getting around this short, narrow, classically New England course. Trees line a lot of the holes, and small water hazards poke out in some tricky places. The greens are rather small, too. If you’re hitting the ball well, this is a place you could score. I had a Jekyll and Hyde round, and some holes ate my lunch. The third hole (first picture) is the toughest on the course and a good looking one, too. It gives the player an idea of what’s to come. Every tee shot has lingering hazards, some force your hand and others allow you to take a risk with driver or 3-wood. The 8th and 17th holes are adjacent par threes that are pretty solid with water coming into play on both. Holes 14, 15, and 16 cross into Rhode Island. Not sure if the course has a name for this little loop, but it’s kind of cool that it’s made up of a par 4, par 5, and par 3. They had received a lot of rain, so the course was soft and the greens were rather slow. That was probably the biggest disappointment because the greens did have a bit of character, if they were rolling a bit faster they could have been a solid test. Instead, the test was in guessing and hoping. While I lost 20 bucks because of some bad putting down the stretch, if I lived down in Plainville, MA, this is a place I’d return to. It’s a good deal: 42 bucks to walk on a Friday afternoon. It’s got some good holes, opportunities to score, and hit every club in the bag.
THE FACTS
Date: September 4
Tee TIme: 1:15pm
Playing Partner: Dan, Sean, and Mike
Tees: Gold Tees (6200 yards)
Game: 2-man match play close out (lost 1 down)
Score: 82
Birdie Count: 1 (25 total)