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The UpCountry Golf Guide 2020

CAROLINE BONNIVIER SNYDER — BENNINGTON BANNER Mount Anthony Country Club opened on Friday.

Please call ahead/check the website of the individual golf sites for the most up-to-date information and COVID-19 guidelines.

The golf course at Wyndhurst Manor and Club, formerly known as Cranwell Spa and Golf Resort, in Lenox. Eagle File Photo.

The Berkshires’ 18-hole courses

Bas Ridge Golf Course

LOCATION: 151 Plunkett Ave., Hinsdale, Mass.
TYPE: Public, with memberships available
PHONE: 413-655-2605
WEBSITE: basridge.com
PAR: 70
RANGE: No
COURSE DESCRIPTION: As the shortest regulation course in the county, this pretty layout is a favorite for recreational golfers — especially seniors — although there are plenty of holes that will challenge any level of player.

Skyline Country Club

LOCATION: 405 South Main St., Lanesborough, Mass.
TYPE: Public, with memberships available
PHONE: 413-445-5584
WEBSITE: skyline-cc.com
PAR: 71
RANGE: Yes
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The Lanesborough layout offers plenty of elevation changes to challenge golfers — playing with a member can really help first-time visitors — and features gorgeous views of Pontoosuc Lake from atop the course.

Taconic Golf Club

LOCATION: 19 Meacham St., Williamstown, Mass.
TYPE: Semi Private, with memberships available
PHONE: 413-458-3997
WEBSITE: taconicgolf.com
PAR: 71
RANGE: No
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Taconic, considered Wayne Stiles’ best work and recognized as one of the best courses in New England and top college courses in the nation, tests all facets of a golfer’s game while building to a spectacular climax with a string of great finishing holes.

Wahconah Country Club

LOCATION: 20 Orchard Road, Dalton, Mass.
TYPE: Semi Private, with memberships available
PHONE: 413-684-2864
WEBSITE: wahconahcc.com
PAR: 71
RANGE: Yes
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Wahconah, the site of the final competitive tournament round played by the legendary Bobby Jones, in 1948, is a beautiful layout and features some of the county’s most challenging holes. The terrace overlooking the par-5 18th green offers a perfect setting annually for Wahconah’s popular Little Brown Jug best-ball tournament.

Waubeeka Golf Links

LOCATION: 137 New Ashford Road, Williamstown, Mass.
TYPE: Public, with memberships available
PHONE: 413-458-8355
WEBSITE: waubeeka.com
PAR: 71
RANGE: Yes
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Waubeeka, blessed with spectacular views of Mount Greylock and also one of the county’s best-conditioned public layouts, received rave reviews from some of the state’s best amateur golfers when it hosted the Massachusetts Public Links Championship in 2016.

Wyndhurst Manor and Club

LOCATION: 55 Lee Road, Lenox, Mass.
TYPE: Resort, open to the public with memberships available
PHONE: 413-637-1364
WEBSITE: wyndhurstmanorandclub.com
PAR: 69 (men); 71 (women)
RANGE: Yes
COURSE DESCRIPTION: With narrow fairways and well-guarded greens, accuracy off the tee is far more important than distance. Some of the greens, especially on the back nine, slope dramatically from back to front. The course was built by Wayne Stiles and John Van Kleek in 1926.

The Berkshires’ nine-hole courses

General Electric Athletic Association, Pittsfield, Mass. Photo by Stephanie Zollshan.

Donnybrook Country Club

LOCATION: 775 Williamstown Road, Lanesborough, Mass.
TYPE: Open to public, with memberships available
PHONE: 413-499-7888
WEBSITE: donnybrookgolf.com
PAR: 36
RANGE: No
TEE TIME POLICY: Call the pro shop to set times
COURSE DESCRIPTION: A fun course with elevation changes and beautiful scenery — check out the view from the back tee on the par-5 fifth hole — that offers golfers no shortage of playing options with huge teeing areas on most of the holes.

Forest Park Country Club

LOCATION: 41 Forest Park Ave., Adams, Mass.
TYPE: Open to the public, with memberships available
PHONE: 413-743-3311
WEBSITE: fpccadams.square.site
PAR: 34
Range: No
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Located at the base of Mount Greylock and founded in 1900, the Forest Park layout — it’s an Alexander Lindley design — is a relatively short course with rolling fairways that create plenty of uneven lies and small greens that will test anyone’s chipping and putting ability.

General Electric Athletic Association

LOCATION: 303 Crane Ave., Pittsfield, Mass.
TYPE: Open to the public, with memberships available
PHONE: 413-443-5746
PAR: 36
RANGE: No
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The course, built in the 1930s for General Electric employees and executives, features some elevation changes — the steeply downhill second shot on the par-4 second hole is a prime example — and while all of the par 4s measure less than 400 yards, the 560-yard sixth hole is one of the county’s toughest par-5s.

Greenock Country Club

LOCATION: 220 W. Park St., Lee, Mass.
TYPE: Open to public, with memberships available
PHONE: 413-243-3323
WEBSITE: greenockcc.com
PAR: 35 (men); 37 (women)
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Greenock, designed by the legendary Donald Ross, offers traditional old-school charm while challenging golfers with elevation changes on approach shots and challenging putting surfaces.

Worthington Golf Club

LOCATION: 113 Ridge Road, Worthington, Mass.
TYPE: Open to public, with memberships available
PHONE: 413-238-4464
WEBSITE: worthingtongolfclub.com
PAR: 35
RANGE: Yes
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is home to the highest hole in Massachusetts, at an elevation of 1,700 feet.

Southern Vermont’s golf courses

Mount Anthony Country Club, Bennington, Vt. Photo by Caroline Bonnivier Snyder.

Bellows Falls Country Club

LOCATION: 12 Country Club Road, Bellows Falls, Vt.
TYPE: Nine-hole public course, with memberships available
PHONE: 802-463-9809
WEBSITE: bellowsfallscountryclub.com
PAR: 35 (men); 36 (women)
RANGE: No
COURSE DESCRIPTION: An excellent course for seniors and recreational golfers, with all of the par-4 holes measuring less than 400 yards.

Ekwanok Country Club

LOCATION: 3262 Main St., Manchester, Vt.
TYPE: Private
PHONE: 802-362-2220
WEBSITE: ekwanok.com
PAR: 70
RANGE: Yes
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This Walter Travis and John Duncan Dunn-designed course, dating to 1900, isn’t long, but it is very challenging, especially around and on the demanding putting surfaces. Named by Golf Digest as Vermont’s best course.

The Golf Club at Equinox

LOCATION: 108 Union St., Manchester Village, Vt.
TYPE: Resort, with memberships available
PHONE: 802-362-7870
WEBSITE: playequinox.com
PAR: 71
RANGE: Yes
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Equinox, ranked as a top-10 course in Vermont open to the public by several publications, mixes beautiful views with classic mountain golf, which means plenty of elevation changes and undulating greens.

Manchester Country Club

LOCATION: 229 Beech St., Manchester Village, Vt.
TYPE: Private
PHONE: 802-362-2233
WEBSITE: mccvt.com
PAR: 72
RANGE: Yes
TEE TIME POLICY: Guests at area inns can get starting times through the inns.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The course, designed by Geoffrey Cornish in 1967 and renovated by Cornish and Steve Durkee in 2003, will test all aspects of your game and features an especially strong set of par-3 holes.

Mount Anthony Country Club

LOCATION: 180 Country Club Drive, Bennington, Vt.
TYPE: Public, with memberships available
PHONE: 802-442-2617; pro shop: 802-447-7079
WEBSITE: mtanthonycc.com
PAR: 71
RANGE: Yes
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The course, established in 1897, recently has undergone a renovation under the guidance of A. John Harvey that takes advantage of the club’s location in the Green Mountains.

Stamford Valley Golf Course

LOCATION: 194 The Lane, Stamford, Vt.
TYPE: Nine-hole public course
PHONE: 802-691-9144
WEBSITE: stamfordvalleygolf.com
PAR: 36
RANGE: No
TEE TIME POLICY: Reservations are recommended, but not required. Times can be made seven days in advance by calling the pro shop.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: A short course that features several driveable par-4 holes for the longer hitters. A great walking course and a fun course for seniors.

Stratton Mountain

LOCATION: 5 Village Lodge Road, Stratton Mountain, Vt.
TYPE: 27-hole resort course, open to public with memberships available
PHONE: 800-787-2886
WEBSITE: stratton.com
PAR: 71
RANGE: Yes
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The 27-hole facility, which has hosted six LPGA tournaments, is a classic mountain course. It offers plenty of variety, with three distinct nines that are aptly named Lake, Mountain and Forest.

Brattleboro Country Club

LOCATION: 58 Senator Gannett Drive, 348 Upper Dummerston Road, Brattleboro, Vt.
TYPE: Public, with memberships available
PHONE: 802-257-7380
WEBSITE: brattleborocountryclub.com
PAR: 71
RANGE: Yes
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Brattleboro, winding around and through dense forests, is a challenging course with plenty of elevation changes to keep the golfer guessing.

Mount Snow Golf Course

LOCATION: Country Club Drive, West Dover, Vt.
TYPE: Public, with memberships available
PHONE: 802-464-4254WEBSITE: mountsnow.com/golf
PAR: 72
RANGE: Yes
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The two nines offer different experiences, with the front nine more open with scenic expanses, while the back nine winds through wooded terrain. The rolling fairways are relatively wide and the greens large. The course is 2,000 feet above sea level.

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Vermont Country has a hyperlocal focus on the Green Mountain lifestyle, its personalities, events, attractions and culture. The magazine appears six times a year, designed to complement the state and four-season living. VtCo magazine is a Southern Vermont publication of Vermont News & Media.

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