15. Greenock Country Club

Location: Lee (2:06 W of Boston, 0:15 S of Pittsfield).

Architect: Donald Ross, 1927.

Yardage: 3080 (blue) / 2843 (red).

Weekend Rates (9 holes): $25. Cart + $18.

Best Deal: $15 (weekday).

Tranquility abounds on the isolated 2nd tee.

Greenock Country Club flies well below the radar, even where it is located in far Western Massachusetts. The epitome of a small-town club, Greenock sports nine holes laid out on a plateau a few hundred yards west of Main Street in Lee. The "hidden gem" feeling you get from playing Greenock emerges as a result of its laid-back country setting, affordable greens fees, and wonderful Donald Ross design. Pine tree removal around green complexes over the course of the last decade has opened up airflow and resulted in excellent conditions: the greens play firm and putt like private club surfaces, swift and true.

Greenock lacks length, checking in at 3080 yards from the tips, but it maximizes the small acreage it occupies as adjacent holes swing gently next to each other in harmony. For example, the 1st and 8th holes both play from near the clubhouse (I actually started my round on the 8th, as the 1st tee was busy!), parallel each other down into a valley, bend slightly left up a sharp hill, and end with gathering greens so close to one other that they share a greenside bunker. Do the holes look and feel repetitive? Yes. Is that a problem? Not for me - they are both gorgeous and use the high points of the terrain beautifully. In fact, the 8th can serve as a sort of redemption hole for messing up the similar 1st! One of my favorite holes at Greenock is the 168-yard 2nd hole. It plays in an isolated pocket of woods to a green protected by a single bunker left and framed by a gorgeous lonesome pine. A simple hole, and easy on the eyes. After the #1 handicap 3rd hole, a long dogleg right, the 4th hole is a chance to pick up a stroke. The 4th measures 307 yards on the scorecard, but can be shortened as it doglegs severly right. An easy way to play the hole is long iron, turn right, short iron, but where's the fun in that? I aimed over the trees guarding the corner of the dogleg and let it fly at the hidden target. The drive's result is pictured below.

How do you miss a 3-footer for eagle?!?

And yes, I missed the kick in for a two. Moving on. The 5th may be the most beautiful hole on Greenock, which is a high compliment given the expansive views of the Berkshire Mountains all over the course. The lengthy 441-yard par four is the third straight dogleg right as it ripples down a hill, culminating with a pitched green just beyond a natural pond grabbing shots missed short left. The pain of a bogey, or any score, on Greenock's fifth is alleviated by the magnificence of the setting. The 6th hole is the only par five on the course, but at a mere 465 yards is another good birdie opportunity. Drives down the right side of this dogleg left, even those in the rough, have a marked advantage to go for the green in two. The 7th is a quintessential New England par three, dropping 184 yards to a green protected by four bunkers, one placed well short of the putting surface to wreak havoc on depth perception.

A simple drive, but an exacting approach at the 8th.

The 8th and 9th holes are par fours that go out and back from the clubhouse. The 8th hole, like the 1st, has its punchbowl green perched high above the fairway, but the 8th's upslope is pinched by two large bunkers. Pity the player who underclubs up the hill and gets caught 20 yards short of the green.

Greenock Country Club almost makes me wish I grew up in tiny Lee, Massachusetts. I would have loved learning to play golf with my dad on two-hole loops like 8-9 at dusk, or three-hole loops like 1-6-7 on a Sunday evening, or fitting in a quick 5 to 7 holes after school with high school friends. But I'm glad to have eventually discovered Greenock; its location is ideal for breaking up the long drive from Boston to my childhood home of Rochester, NY. I'd encourage any lone golfers traveling down the Mass Pike to hop off at exit 2, navigate the mile up the hill to Greenock, and lose yourself for a couple hours in the splendor of the Berkshire foothills.

Greenock takes full advantage of its small acreage.

Course Rating: 6 stars out of 10

Bang for your $15 bucks: 9 stars out of 10