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Fresh Pond Golf Course
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 5:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- No
10 reviews for Fresh Pond Golf Course
If you play this course with an "is what it is" type of mindset instead of expecting a Masters type of course, then you'll have a good time and get some birdies and bogies and call it a day.
First things last...it's a 9-hole public course, in the Cambridge/Belmont area and all things considered it was better than I expected.
I had preconceived notions of more rough patches than a bad relationship, more surly old dudes than a VFW hall, and more backups than the Expressway at rush hour.
Playing on a Saturday morning at 11am yielded none of this. The course is fairly well maintained for a public, yes there are old dudes who work there who could be construed as gruff if you expect them to blow sunshine up your rear (and if you expect that kind of treatment in New England, then you are in the wrong region), and $26 for 9 holes is kinda steep but reasonable considering it's basically in the city.
So, short story long, check this course out if you haven't already, you may be surprised. I'd go back. If you want to clock out of your domestical responsibilities for a few hours and hack some swings while busting balls with your buddies without breaking the bank, then this course is the right call.
The starter/ranger is incompetent and rude. Standard golf etiquette dictates that you let a single play through a foursome. We were yelled at for letting a single play through b/c our pairing had the last cart on the course and the ranger wanted to go home. This was on the 7th hole at 3:30 in the afternoon when the course is said to close at sunset. When we arrived at the clubhouse I needed to use the bathroom, only to find that the ladies' room was locked. I used the single bathroom; when he came in the clubhouse he banged on the door and told me he was locking up. I hurried and when I came out he said it was a good thing he heard me b/c I would've been locked in with no way out. The course itself is fine, but greens were littered with leaves and sticks (so don't play in the fall). Not worth $26 for 9 holes. Go to Woburn Country Club or Pine Meadows.
Good things:
-location
-price
-pro shop
Bad things:
-crowded
-short holes
Overall, this isn't a bad place. The course is in decent shape, though sometimes pretty wet. It's not particularly challenging, so that's good for me, but not for better golfers. It's worth checking out, I would say. It does get very crowded.
This is the slowest golf course I've ever played. Going at a busy time pretty much guarantees you will play 9 holes in 3 hours, whereas 2.5 hours is the slowest 9 I've ever experienced anywhere else.
This past week I went on a Tuesday night and after 80 minutes we had played 3 holes. I left at the point and complained to the manager who at least gave me a rain check. Sadly though he was confused as to why I was complaining, he didn't understand why they were so slow...so I don't anticipate this problem being fixed soon if mgmt doesn't think there is a problem.
I give it 2 stars just b/c it's close for Cambridge/Somerville/Watertown residents.
I've played here three times this summer. It's $26 on weekends which isn't bad for nine holes and it's a relatively non-threatening environment for a beginning golfer like myself. The course isn't great but it's convenient to city dwellers. In any event, I've pretty much sworn off going back since the starter (guy who checks people off at hole 1) and the ranger (guy who rides around, making sure everything's going smoothly on the course) have been ridiculously rude to us the last two outings.
Two weeks ago, the ranger yelled at my husband and me while we waited near the first hole for our friends to arrive from the golf shop. He later yelled at us at the beginning of hole 7 to hurry up...which meant that we ended up sitting around, waiting at hole 8 for the two groups in front of us.
Yesterday, the starter got angry with my friend for sitting silently on a bench at hole 1 and observing the groups in front of us tee off. He told him to go to the putting green or get off the course. Then, the starter proceeded to mismanage two insanely slow groups and slow up the entire process.
I don't appreciate being yelled at when I'm spending money and the staff itself is running the enterprise inefficiently.
People thought this was:
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Cambridge residents can play 9 holes on weekdays for $19!! (vs. $22 for non-res) It's a nice little course with some decent holes cut out. If you can get there on a weekday before 3pm, you'll get on the course in no time...lines typically start forming around 3...so get there early! If you want a weekend tee-time, call ahead but have your CC locked and loaded cuz it'll be necessary to fork over your digits and exp date to book your foursome. The pro-shop is very good, all sorts of brand name clubs, new and used. There are great bargains to be found here, I scored a $400 Taylor Made driver for $200 (on sale) and $125 Footjoy shoes for $90 (regular price!).
There are 3 par 3's, 4 par 4's, and 2 par 5's.
There are 3 holes where water hazards come into play (#1, #5, and #9).
Every hole has a sandtrap of some sort (all are greenside bunkers except #7 which has 2 fairway bunkers).
Since my friends are music nerds, er I mean gods, none really play golf (not stereotyping, they just don't play more than once in a decade). So I head out alone most of the time. Without fail, I get paired up with some really interesting locals who I have a great time with. Most of them are club members and retired, but are cool as hell and have great stories to tell.
This golf course has a beautiful walking trail that surrounds the course and the Fresh Pond, which is cool because you can actually see where our drinking water comes from. I don't actually play golf, but the course looks very golfy from the walking trail.
GREAT place to take your pets, and there are tons of dogs that run around off leash. The walkway is paved, and up until April, you and your pups can trollop all over the golf course without the fear of being hit by a stray ball. Just watch out for the Animal Control officers. From what I hear, they are a little ticket happy if your dog's not registered in Cambridge (which mine aren't, which is why we all wore camouflage outfits today). All in all, a lovely place to get in your 10,000 steps and work off the calories that you've eaten. AND the path is far enough away from the traffic, that you can pretend you yourself are Lewis or Clark, or even Pocohantus.
People thought this was:
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Fresh Pond Golf course is a 9 hole kind of dumpy place that will do the job if you live in the area and feel the need to get out there quickly. I went a few times last year and it's not awful but it's no where near the quality of some of the nicer courses in the area. I'm going to give it 3 stars for convenience and for being inexpensive.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
It's telling that the one good review of this place is from a non-golfer who, very insightfully said that it looks "golfy."
Here's a real review. This course is decent if you need a quick golf fix. It is VERY slow. The average player is terrible here, and the rangers don't appear to care that the pace is so slow. Don't plan on playing nine in less than two and a half hours. The greens are in decent shape for a muni course. The course itself is pretty easy and fairly short. I am not a long hitter by an means, but I don't usually have much trouble hitting a few greens in regulation. Not particularly scenic, but hey - it's in Cambridge, so what do you expect?
And, just one more nit to pick with "Vanilla P's" review. Pet owners - PLEASE be respectful of the golfers. I had some idiot who let his dog come right up to me and take my ball off of the tee when I was trying to tee off on the 8th hole. The owner didn't seem to care that I had paid a greens fee and was trying to play a game. Put your pet on a leash if you can't control it otherwise.
This is a very short 9 hole course located in Cambridge. The greens are like a carpet, extremely slow. Because of the proximity to the city it is usually very crowded and can take forever to get around. If you are any kind of golfer, it is worth the drive out of the city to a better course. Try Mt. Hood in Melrose for something close.
