Let's Review: Butter Brook Golf Club

The Skinny

Two distinctly different nines that are well-maintained and put a premium on accuracy, but brace for 15 MPH winds and a bit of a slower round than you would like.

The Course

The first nine holes feel like an elevated muni. One step below pristine conditions, greens run true, the pace of play leaves something to be desired, and a lot of holes feel like they are on top of each other. They also include something that I find underrated but others may find a tad gimmicky - three par 3s, three par 4s, three par 5s. You really forget just how much fun it is to have another par 5 where you lie four 220 yards out and another par 3 where you have 185 yards to clear a bunker. 

After the 11th hole, you have a short cart ride that seems like it should have been a four hour plane ride. The entire vibe of the course shifts on 12 to a dessert feel. After being on top of the group in front of you for the first eleven holes, the course feels wider and there is an increase in waste area with a decrease in the number of trees that makes you feel like you’re in Scottsdale. It’s a welcome change; not because the front is inferior, but because it feels like an entirely new style of golf is required to succeed. 

Maybe this is a little nit-picky, but I wish the course would offer a blue/black combo. The blues are 6200 with a 70.4 course rating, and the blacks were 6810 with a 73.4 course rating. We played the tips (lets goooo) and I couldn’t shake the imposter syndrome the whole time. A 6500 yard combo would be perfect for this course to put a premium on accuracy.

The Price

At the most peak times (Saturday/Sunday morning), the round is $125 including a cart. Seeing triple digits immediately pop up on your credit card bill is never fun, but for the quality of the course, the price is not a factor when deciding to play here.

Signature Hole

The par 4 fourth features a dogleg left and a three tiered uphill green that has a 40 yard false front with woods lining the right of the green and bunkers down the left side. Take a little too much club on your approach, hit it onto the next tee box, and hold your breath as you tell your boys you are going to floppers camp to try and land this coming back.

Grabbing a Bite

Fully operational grill with a large menu. Food is good enough where you can plan on eating here before or after your round. The buffalo chicken panini, albeit small, delivered nicely. 

Nice to Know

Mat range that you have to pay for plus fully loaded carts and a cart girl roaming around makes this experience about what you can expect from any higher-quality muni. 

I know nothing about weather, but I did not think 45 minutes northwest of Boston was going to be so dramatically impacted by wind. There have been at least 15 MPH gusts both times I played. There is only one body of water on the course, so I doubt that’s the reason, but nevertheless the wind caught me off guard. 

Pace of play is a bit of a problem. Both times I’ve played here has been creeping on a five hour round. It has never seemed to be because of the quality of golfer on the course, so maybe the course just sneaks out an extra tee time or two.

How many sleeves: 2-3.

Wind, water, and woods are never a good combination when you are trying to go low. Anticipate a few slices into the trees and at least 2 water balls on 15 and 16 on the back.