by ANTHONY PIOPPI
SOUTHBRIDGE, Massachusetts – Cohasse Country Club has quietly existed since July of 1918, when the first six holes opened. The other three soon followed.
While not on the radar of most golfers, the Donald Ross design in Southbridge, Mass., has always had enthusiastic fans. Its beguiling short two-shotters, four in all, give Cohasse flavor, the back-to-back par-3s, a Ross rarity, add to that, as well.
I was first introduced to Cohasse and to golf when I set foot on the course at the age of five or six. My grandmother, who was babysitting at the time, thought it would be the perfect place to take me and my younger brother.
Cohasse’s design helped spawn my interest in golf course architecture and nine-hole layouts. In 2006, my first book, ‘To the Nines‘, was published, the first book in the history of worldwide golf literature to be solely devoted to 9-hole designs. It was republished in 2015.
I also authored ‘The Finest Nines‘ — North America’s Best Nine-Hole Courses, which came out in 2018. I rank Cohasse as the eighth-best and have never regretted giving it such lofty status and neither has anyone who has played it on my advice. Some even dare to suggest it ranks up there with Whitinsville Golf Club, the Ross design 25 miles to the east of Cohasse, is considered by most, including me, to be the finest 9-holes in North America.
Now, the general golfing public can experience Cohasse.
In March, the membership sold the private course to Ken Uracius, owner of Stone and Lime Historical Restoration Services in North Brookfield, Mass., which restores historical structures, including work for the federal government, the State of Louisiana and Harvard University.
Uracius also owns the 9-hole Hardwick Crossing Country Club in Gilbertville, Mass., the former Dunroamin Country Club, which had gone fallow.
Cohasse had been mismanaged for a number of years, and it showed. The turf conditions were not anywhere near where they should be, but that was no surprise. Course maintenance was not a priority. One only had to take a gander inside the maintenance facility and see the age and condition of the equipment to reach that conclusion. Now, a new fleet calls the same building home. Superintendents were forbidden to perform the most basic and necessary of greens maintenance, hollow tine aeration. The putting surfaces suffered as a result. In addition, over time, the collars of the greens grew in, substantially reducing the size of the playable area.
Uracius has already made a sizable investment in the course and the original clubhouse, a former farmhouse that has a restaurant, tavern and offices. Superintendent Frank Kulig has been aggressive with overseeding, much-needed aeration, drainage, and the first steps to expanding green surfaces. In just four months, the improvements are stunning.
“We’ve made some great steps,” he said recently while the course hosted a Mass Golf event, understating his achievements.
Work is also planned for the building that houses the locker rooms and golf shop.
Greg Farland was hired as head golf professional. A fantastic move. He grew up in the town and learned the game at Cohasse, so it is not a surprise that he has a deep affection for the place. Farland’s close friend, Craig Walker, is often behind the pro shop counter. Another noteworthy addition.
Even with little publicity or marketing, the course is attracting golfers, as it should. Cohasse has the feel of a Golden Age creation, undergoing few alterations in its 107-year existence. The course has remained relatively the same since Ross associate Walter Hatch added 10 bunkers in 1927 and performed substantial work on four greens in 1930.
Anyone who has a modicum of understanding of golf course architecture will adore what Ross and Hatch left behind.
It opens with a stout par-4 that sets the tone, giving shorter hitters an option to hit their approach over a fairway bunker to a blind slope that will direct shots onto the green. Alternate lines of play abound throughout.
For the near future, there are no considerable design modifications planned. Kulig said a much-needed bunker renovation is on the way, as well as additional drainage.
Cohasse is centrally located, just a short distance from the Mass Pike and Interstate 84. The club is approximately 22 miles from Worcester, 42 miles from Springfield, 43 miles from Providence, and 44 miles from Hartford.
Walking rates vary from $34–$44 for nine holes and $44–$54 for eighteen holes, depending on the day and time. Riding rates range from $49–$59 for nine holes and $69–$79 for eighteen holes. Membership options are also available.
(Anthony Pioppi is a Connecticut-based golf writer, historian and archeologist. He is the author of five books, The Finest Nines, North America’s Best Nine-Hole Golf Courses, released in 2018; Shoreacres, The First 100 Years: 1916-2016 (2017); To the Nines (2005, reprinted 2016); The History of The Minikahda Club Golf Course (2013); and Haunted Golf with Chris Gonsalves (2009). Pioppi hosts the Renovation Report for Turfnet.com and has written for such publications as the USGA, Golf Course Architecture (U.K.), MassGolf, New Jersey Golf and McKellar magazine. He is the Executive Director of the Seth Raynor Society. Pioppi is a member of the St. Andrews Golf Club, Scotland. He can be reached at anthonypioppi@gmail.com)
