— January 30, 2026 —
What is the makeup of a competitive golf club in Massachusetts? It often depends on who you ask. Some point to championship trophies. Others to the course itself.
Still, one method to gauge a club’s roster strength is by examining the average Handicap Index® of its membership. Setting aside reputation, architectural flair, and historic legacies, the numbers reveal a wide-ranging mix, from new-age private standouts to municipal classics that have aged remarkably well.
Using GHIN data from the past year, we analyzed men’s and women’s Handicap Indexes across the state to identify the clubs that collectively field some of the strongest playing rosters in Massachusetts. As always with statewide data, there are clubs with outstanding and elite talent that don’t appear here. But when taken in aggregate, these averages offer a snapshot of where competitive depth has clustered in recent years.
Also, every course presents a unique level of difficulty, and its members post scores from all over. However, Handicap Indexes account for these variables. Thanks to the World Handicap System, each score is adjusted using Course and Slope Ratings established by the Mass Golf Course Rating team, ensuring a level playing field across all layouts. Unsure how that course rating process works? You’re in luck as we’ve documented it in a video series with Tom Giffin, Mass Golf’s Manager of Course Rating & Services.
As for our lists, we featured the top five clubs by average index, then widened the scope to include averages from both public and private courses throughout the Commonwealth.
Clubs With Lowest Average Handicap Indexes In Massachusetts
1. Old Sandwich Golf Club (Plymouth, MA)
Avg. Index: 9.41 (8.86 men; 21.95 women)
Old Sandwich’s lay-of-the-land course design by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore is a very good test, full of classic concepts. (Patrick Koenig)
2. Boston Golf Club (Hingham, MA)
Avg. Index: 10.38 (9.35 men; 18.31 women)
With a membership that includes multiple Mass Golf champions, an LPGA standout in Megan Khang, and even a Winter Olympian in NHL defenseman Noah Hanifin, Boston Golf Club’s place near the top of the rankings feels inevitable. Gil Hanse’s design stretches across 300 rugged acres, where elevation shifts, exposed ledge, and dense forest frame a demanding layout that continues to be regarded as one of the region’s true modern classics.
3. Westover Golf Course (Granby, MA)
Avg. Index: 11.34 (11.07 men; 15.71 women)
With helicopters and other aircraft regularly passing overhead, Westover never lets golfers forget its military neighbor. Opened as a nine-hole course in 1947 and expanded to 18 holes a decade later, this municipal layout pairs a proud service history with classic New England golf. Taking on a course that winds through pine and hardwood along narrow, doglegged fairways, strong play here tends to travel well.
Aside from the aircraft soaring overhead, Westover offers a peaceful public layout in Western Massachusetts. (Mass Golf)
4. Orchards Golf Club (South Hadley, MA)
Avg. Index: 11.68 (10.46 men; 18.34 women)
Orchards by far has the deepest championship resume on this list, having hosted the U.S. Women’s Open (2004) and U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur (1987). In the book The American Private Golf Club Guide, author Daniel Wexler has this to say about The Orchards: “For those curious as to why vintage [Donald] Ross designs hold such a charm for the connoisseur, The Orchards delivers, both in style and substance, as purely as just about anything in Massachusetts.”
Orchards was crafted in 1922 from 160 acres of sloping wooded terrain by the legendary Donald Ross. (Mass Golf)
5. Crestview Country Club (Agawam, MA)
Avg. Index: 12.03 (11.75 men; 18.40 women)
A third Western Massachusetts course rounds out the top five, this one set in the Pioneer Valley along the Massachusetts–Connecticut border. A former host of the Friendly’s Classic from 1995–98, the club saw two-time major champion Dottie Pepper claim one of her 17 LPGA victories here in 1996, and its strategic nature still shows today, with a layout full of doglegs, highlighted by the double-dogleg par-5 12th that measures 492 yards from the tips.
Crestview Country Club in Western Mass was a stop on the LPGA Tour in the 1990s. (Contributed)
NEXT SEVEN COURSES (WITH PUBLIC TEE TIMES)
Wyckoff Country Club (Holyoke, MA)
Avg. Index: 12.06 (11.80 men; 24.37 women)
Nestled at the base of Mount Tom in Holyoke, Wyckoff dates back to 1898, under the previous moniker of Mount Tom Golf Course. Donald Ross designed a course on property in 1933, but with the construction of I-91, the course was redesigned and opened in 1968. However, the signature par-3 16th remains, playing to an elevated green from 213 yards from the tips.
Crumpin-Fox Club (Bernardston, MA)
Avg. Index: 12.11 (10.63 men; 21.95 women)
Crumpin-Fox, which takes its name from the area’s old Crump & Fox Soda Company, features several standout holes that weave through dense forest and lots of elevation change. The signature hole (No. 8) features an elevated tee shot to a fairway flanked entirely on the left by a lake. The golfer then has the option of laying up, leaving a mid- to long-iron shot to the green, or playing the heroic shot of trying to reach the green in two.
Since its opening in 1990, Crumpin-Fox has been a staple on the competitive golf scene, having hosted dozens of Mass Golf, New England Golf Association, and USGA events.
Waverly Oaks Golf Club (Plymouth, MA)
Avg. Index: 12.26 (11.67 men; 24.33 women)
Another Silva design from the late 90s, Waverly Oaks is carved through more than 240 acres of rolling New England hills and valleys. The course is framed by lush woodlands and towering oaks, featuring expansive fairways, bold greens, strategic bunkering. The par-3 17th, known as “The Black Hole,” presents one of the most intimidating shots on the course. Any tee shot that falls short of the bunkers, or drifts right, can quickly roll down the steep drop into the hazard below.
Chicopee Country Club (Chicopee, MA)
Avg. Index: 12.41 (12.04 men; 24.53 women)
With its rolling terrain, tree-lined fairways and fast, sloping greens, Chicopee is often considered one of the most popular public championship courses in Western Massachusetts. It is also a frequent host of Mass Golf qualifiers.
George Wright Golf Course (Hyde Park, MA)
Avg. Index: 12.48 (12.16 men; 20.94 women)
A heralded Donald Ross design built into this historic Boston neighborhood as part of the WPA in 1938, George Wright remains one of the most celebrated and demanding municipal courses in the country. Length, elevation change, and Ross’s unmistakable green complexes have made it a proving ground for elite public-course players for nearly a century. It also hosted 11 of the first 12 Amateur Public Links Championships. In 2028, the club will host both the Mass Amateur and Mass Women’s Amateur, just as it did in 2018.
George Wright Golf Course has the Boston skyline in the backdrop. (Mass Golf)
Tekoa Country Club (Westfield, MA)
Avg. Index: 12.53 (11.69 men; 19.24 women)
Set along the Westfield River, Tekoa Country Club is defined by elevation, exposure, and some stellar views at the edge of the Berkshires. Wind, uneven lies, and old-school greens all factor into play out here.
Wachusett Country Club (West Boylston, MA)
Avg. Index: 12.72 (12.34 men; 22.77 women)
Framed by sweeping views of Mount Wachusett and the Wachusett Reservoir, Wachusett Country Club is a classic Central Massachusetts test that makes full use of its natural setting. The course moves across rolling hills and sudden valleys, with a winding brook adding both beauty and bite to the layout. It’s a fitting venue for top-level local competition, including its role as co-host of the Worcester County Amateur with Kettle Brook Golf Club.
BONUS COURSE
Kettle Brook Golf Club (Paxton, MA)
Avg. Index: 12.08* (12.08 men)
Designed by Brian Silva and opened in 1999, Kettle Brook has long been a favorite in Central Massachusetts. The course balances muscle and finesse, closing the front nine with a brute 496-yard par 4, then turning playful on the back with the short par-4 13th, where a left-to-right sloping landing area can funnel the right tee shot onto the green. Take on the hole too aggressively, though, and a pulled drive brings the nearby barn and silo into play, with the course helpfully noting there’s no extra charge for a ricochet off either. The course also brings out the competitive spirit by co-hosting the Worcester County Amateur with Wachusett.
*(No women are listed on the GHIN roster.)
Kettle Brook serves as co-host of the Worcester County Amateur. (Mass Golf)
NEXT SEVEN PRIVATE COURSES
Indian Pond Country Club (Kingston, MA)
Avg. Index: 12.11 (11.44 men; 22.69 women)
Indian Pond features a scenic design by Damian Pascuzzo and Andy Staples. The layout is a secluded, Pine Valley-inspired routing with tree-lined corridors and strategic bunkering, while three holes interact dramatically with the titular pond. The club hosted the first two rounds of the 2024 Ouimet Memorial Tournament, the Mass Girls’ Junior (2022), and Mass Junior Amateur (2021), in addition to several qualifying and Member Day events.
Thorny Lea Golf Club (Brockton, MA)
Avg. Index: 12.63 (12.05 men; 20.34 women)
Located in the “City of Champions,” Thorny Lea Golf Club pairs a classic William Flynn design with a culture steeped in competition. Strategic bunkering, demanding green complexes, and subtle movement throughout the property have tested elite amateurs for generations, helping produce national champions like Matt Parziale and Shannon Johnson and reinforcing Thorny Lea’s standing as one of the state’s most formidable competitive clubs.
Ludlow Country Club (Ludlow, MA)
Avg. Index: 13.25 (11.64 men; 28.69 women)
Co-host of the Massachusetts Senior Four-Ball in 2025, Ludlow Country Club is one of the few courses in Massachusetts with a par 3 opener, which plays away from the deck of the clubhouse. The Donald Ross-designed course celebrated 100 years in 1921.
LeBaron Hills Country Club (Lakeville, MA)
Avg. Index: 13.31 (10.99 men; 28.10 women)
Set on 175 acres in the midst of woods and wetlands, LeBaron Hills mixes an open, scenic layout, with a high-level practice area that includes a 10-acre practice range, a 40-yard short game hole with a regulation green and bunker, and a 60,000-square-foot putting green.
With its well-designed fairways, dynamic greens, and breathtaking views, LeBaron Hills has been the stage for several championship events, including U.S. Open Local Qualifying. (David Colt, file)
Segregansett Country Club (Taunton, MA)
Avg. Index: 13.52 (12.05 men; 26.47 women)
Founded in the late 1890s, Segregansett Country Club is one of the state’s oldest organized clubs and features long, narrow fairways that make driving accuracy the biggest focus. Located on the busy Route 44, it is home to some of the most talented golfers from Southeastern Massachusetts and the Greater Providence area.
Renaissance (Haverhill, MA)
Avg. Index: 13.60 (11.14 men; 25.52 women)
True to its name, Renaissance is a modern revival of golf’s Golden Age, combining classic architectural features with fresh, strategic twists. Designed by acclaimed architect Brian Silva, this 18-hole championship layout debuted in 2003. Silva’s admiration for the greats, C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor, is evident in several of the hole templates scattered across the course, including the punchbowl 10th hole.
The punchbowl 10th at Renaissance is one of the risk/reward holes the layout offers. (David Colt)
TPC Boston (Norton, MA)
Avg. Index: 13.68 (11.75 men; 25.17 women)
Once a fixture on the PGA TOUR calendar and now a summer stop for the LPGA Tour, TPC Boston remains the state’s most visible stage for championship golf. The layout stretches to 7,261 yards and blends lush fairways, bentgrass greens, and deep bunkering to challenge the best players in the world.
About Mass Golf
Mass Golf is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to advancing golf in Massachusetts by building an engaged and inclusive community.
With a community made up of over 145,000 golf enthusiasts and over 360 member clubs, Mass Golf is one of the largest state golf associations in the country. Members enjoy the benefits of handicapping, engaging golf content, course rating and scoring services along with the opportunity to compete in an array of events for golfers of all ages and abilities.
At the forefront of junior development, Mass Golf is proud to offer programming to youth in the state through First Tee Massachusetts and subsidized rounds of golf by way of Youth on Course.
