on April 21, 2017
April 20, 2017 By: Chris McDaniel – A round of golf at the Boston Golf Club in Hingham feels like a trip back in time.
With a clubhouse that resembles a log cabin in the woods and a tranquility that can be hard to find so close to Boston, BGC is a different kind of course.
“When you’re walking out here through these paths and you have your golf bag on your shoulder it’s almost like you should have a pair of hiking boots on too,” said BGC head golf pro Boomer Erick. “It’s a very, very different experience that it’s tough to describe.
“You don’t think that Old County Road and Cushing Street is right there.”
It’s easy to see why BGC has consistently been one of the top ranked courses in New England and the country since it opened in 2005.
BGC has consistently been ranked in Golf Digest’s top 100 courses since 2011, coming in at 82 this year. It’s also ranked No. 20 in Golfweek’s best modern courses and is No. 86 according to Golf Magazine’s top 100 courses
“There’s so many different types of trees and pines and everything, it’s just beautiful,” said Erick. “When people come up here, they feel like they’re in a very remote (area). (Then) when you stand on the 10th tee, you can see Boston.
“It’s pure golf. It has a rustic, elegant feel to it.”
Gil Hanse, who has recently become one of the most sought-after course designers, designed the course. Hanse designed the 2016 Olympic course in Rio de Janiero. Since BGC was Hanse’s first nationally rated course, he still remains actively involved in course changes, which have been minimal.
“He takes a lot of pride in it so he doesn’t want us to do too much on our own without consulting so he is readily available,” said Erick. “We don’t have room to lengthen (the course), the property is not big enough to do that. So what architects are doing now is making the greens a little bit more challenging.
“You can make any golf course tough, but there’s a difference between a good golf course and a hard golf course. This is just a really good golf course.”
With only a limited amount of land, BGC has changed the course difficulty by removing trees instead of lengthening the course.
“Our green complexes are our defense as well as the beauty,” said Erick.
BGC boasts a membership of over 200 members, who tally over 10,000 rounds of golf a year. The course does not have tee times.
“If you were to poll the membership, I guarantee if you were asking what’s your favorite hole you would get 15 or 16 different holes,” said Erick. “We don’t really have that one signature. We have some holes that photograph absolutely amazingly, but every hole is really unique and memorable.
“People are going to cancel their plans to play Boston Golf Club.”
BGC is accepting new membership applications through its website bostongolfclub.org.
“So many clubs in New England are very similar,” said Erick. “You show up and clubhouses are about the same. Golf courses are about the same. Services are about the same. This is something very, very unique.
“I haven’t seen anything else like this around here, or even in the country.”