Course 65 in my quest was Swanson Meadows in Billerica. I’ve joked that in order to play all the golf courses in Massachusetts that I have to play ALL of them. Great, good, and bad.
I had never heard of Swanson Meadows before Thursday, and now I know why. Tucked behind an industrial park and surrounded by new housing, Swanson is a par 32 of little interest. I arrived for my 10:15 tee time and was paired up with a father and two sons. New to the game and lovely people. They told me their tee time was 9:45, which meant the times were 30 minutes behind. I was grateful to not have to wait, but it was also clear the started paid no attention to times or honoring them. If you showed up and paid, they’d get you out on the course.
The place was jam packed, and given the tight nature of the course, golf balls were everywhere.
We played 9 holes in 2.5 hours. The only hole that was relatively interesting was the 7th. A par three over water. The second hole, a par four with water guarding the green was another hole that stood out.
The course was in bad shape. Bunkers were bare dirt with grass sprouting through it. Tee boxes were barely mowed. The greens were the best part. Slow, but at least puttable.
I heard from a player in the group behind ours (as we killed time on a tee box) that the course had been in real bad shape and that they’re slowly trying to get it back into shape, probably because golf is booming right now.
This is not a course I would recommend to anyone. As a par 32, it should be friendly for new golfers, but it’s not. There’s water and tight/blind driving holes on a consistent basis.
I wouldn’t be surprised that when I’m done with this quest that Swanson Meadows won’t exist anymore, and instead it will be a housing development.
I’m all for public golf, but this place had no soul or energy. Go play CC of Billerica if you’re in the area and want to support a club with a bit of character and energy.