PLYMOUTH, Massachusetts – Will Stearns’ disappointment with falling cranberry prices at the end of the 20th Century and his love affair with golf combined to create Southers Marsh Golf Club in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Stearns and architect Michael Hurdzan designed the par-61 layout around and through the 116 acres of working cranberry bogs. It opened on July 7, 2001, and the Stearns family and the Southers Marsh aficionados have just celebrated the first 25 years of an exceptional venue.
WHAT’S RED & GREEN & FUN ALL OVER?
New England GolfGuide, the definitive book to 610 New England Golf Courses you can play, wrote this: “It has 18 wonderful holes, and the nicest, most sincere group of owner managers you find anywhere. They care about the golfers, and they care about the course.” The GolfGuide has unabashedly claimed that Southers Marsh has been the “best golf value in Massachusetts for 17 consecutive years, 2005-2021.” Today, it is the No. 1 choice in the guide’s 3.5 stars category of very good/excellent courses.
Will Stearns, called ‘Big Will’ by his many friends, managed both his golf course and his cranberry business for the next 20 years until his death at age 71 in 2021. From the beginning, Big Will made sure that he preserved the habitat surrounding the holes and made sure that he fostered an easy balance between golf and nature, for which Southers Marsh has received numerous accolades. Then, his son Willie and the large Stearns immediate family have continued to build upon Big Will’s legacy and have continued to deliver that “fun” golfing experience.
That fun comes in the form of 11 par 3’s and seven par 4’s that wind among the bogs and present lovely vistas. The four sets of tees allow for great flexibility within golf abilities, but the back black tees at 4,111 yards are a real test. The course is in great shape right now with the fairways providing lush lies. The contoured greens are a treat to navigate as they putt true—if you can read them—and roll at 10 on the Stimpmeter.
LONGTIME MEMBER EXPLAINS THE APPEAL
Eric Fernandez, who has played at Southers Marsh since the beginning, has witnessed both the development of the facility and the enthusiasm of the players. Currently a club fitter and a golf instructor at Joe & Leigh’s Pine Oaks Golf Course and Performance Center in South Easton, Massachusetts, Eric shared his thoughts about what makes Southers Marsh a unique public course.
“I have loved Southers Marsh since day one,” said Fernandez, who lives in Plymouth area. “I have been fortunate enough to win seven Cranberry Jackets as club champion. I have competed against so many talented golfers and true gentlemen at Southers. To me, what makes this place so special is the Stearns family and the fun and inviting culture they have created for their guests and their staff.”
He added, “We are all Southers Brothers and Sisters because of the welcoming atmosphere. I have met so many of my closest friends here through our common love of golf and competition. I’m a better player and person as a result. I’ve played many superb golf courses, but Southers Marsh is my favorite because it’s home to me. Southers has embraced me and so many others with open arms that I’m proud to be part of the family.”
AMENITIES COMPLEMENT THE COURSE
Regardless of handicap, all the clubs in the bag have to be extracted and utilized. With the bogs in play on so many holes, errant shots often sleep with the cranberries and cannot be extracted to prevent damage to the developing crop. Errant shots can be minimized with the extensive practice range, which includes both hitting off the artificial turf mats and the new state-of-the art indoor Toptracer Range. The indoor facility is perfect in foul weather and for private lessons and also serves as a social meeting place and hosts a competitive league during the winter months.
How’s this for a perk? A round of golf at Southers Marsh takes around three hours, and players can walk or take electric carts. Tee times can be made on the website, the green fees and cart fees are reasonable, and the club offers a number of leagues in which you are eligible to participate, should you so desire. After the game, the full-service restaurant offers delicious refreshments, both comestibles and potables, that are delivered by a bevy of delightful waitresses.
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WILLE STEARNS REVEALS THE GENESIS BEHIND THE CREATION
Willie Stearns recently sent an email to all the golfers who call Southers Marsh home and provided a glimpse into the first 25 years. I have shortened his epistle, but I wanted to share some of his story because of his insight into what started as an optimistic vision and what has ended up as a outstanding success story:
On this day, July 7, 2021, 25 years ago, Big Will celebrated his 52nd birthday and Southers Marsh opened for the first time. Sixty-four lucky players were fortunate enough to find us and play that day as we tried to figure out what we were doing….
Two weeks prior to opening day—the morning of Sarah’s and my wedding—Big Will hit the ceremonial first tee shot as we played the course for the very first time. In my mind I was thinking that his shot would be an omen for how the experience of running the golf course would go. He laced a line drive from the back tee box that shattered the window of the pumphouse by the middle tee box. It was shockingly appropriate for how the first few years were going to go….
None of us had any experience running a golf course and we were learning on the fly. It was total chaos….
If I had the knowledge 26 years ago when we hatched this plan that I have now, Southers Marsh wouldn’t exist. Ignorance was our savior. We didn’t know how far over our heads we were in so we just battled one day at a time. And unbelievably, we are still here 25 years later….
Thank you to everyone who has played Southers Marsh. Thank you to our current staff of 85 and to all our former employees, with a special shout out to Mike Duffy, our chef for 15 years, and Tanya Bellew our clubhouse manager, who have worked and volunteered their time to make Southers Marsh the fun and special place it is.
Thank you to all our family members who are supportive while we work an unreasonable number of hours. And finally, a very special thank you to my mother, Nancy, who put up with my father’s great ideas and his flair for the dramatic.
Willie
