BOLTON, Massachusetts – Golf historians and golf aficionados know that The International has iconic and deep historical roots in New England golf course folklore.
After its rocky, yet rich 125 year history, today, The International stands as New England’s only private 36-hole pure golf club, offering an experience unmatched in the region. Situated about 35 miles outside of Boston on 660 acres of picturesque rolling landscape, the course flaunts playing golf in a secluded, tranquil and tree-lined setting that is inspiring with a true New England feel.
This rare piece of real estate started in 1901 as the nine-hole Runaway Brook Golf Course. In 1953, it became Suprenant National Golf and Country Club, designed by Geoffrey Cornish with consultation by none other than Francis Ouimet and Paul Harney.
In its hey day, the golf course stretched out to an unimaginable 8,000 yards, the longest in the world at the time. International Telephone and Telegraph purchased the land in 1961, changing the club name to the International in 1967.
ITT hired Robert Trent Jones who was instructed to lengthen the course even further in 1972 to 8,300 yards. In the 70s and 80s The International hosted dozens of high-end, high profile golf events while promoting professional athletes and many celebrities on its membership roster. Once upon a time, The International was ‘the place’ to hang out and play golf and be seen even it you only golf casually, and it was notorious for its 600-yard par 5 and 250-yard par 3.
Escalante Golf, a boutique owner and operator of 24 luxury golf properties and private clubs in 16 states headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, purchased the club out of bankruptcy for $10 million in 2021.
Escalante had a vision to bring the 36-hole property back to its glory days and has been spending millions to meet that mission. The course website states a capital investment of $30 million and a major part of that goal is stressing a pure golf experience as a member. That means no pickleball courts, tennis courts, pool, bocce or other recreational opportunities, which goes against the grain of just about all marketing campaigns at conventional private golf clubs seeking new members. The one-time, non-refundable, new member initiation fee is about $75,000.
The Oaks course was originally designed by Tom Fazio in 2000 and Escalante hired Tripp Davis in 2021 to renovate it. He completed a masterful renovation to the course that included new bunkers, leveling tee boxes, and opening up view corridors. The Oaks course jumped into the spotlight in June 2022 by hosting a LIV Golf event won by Dustin Johnson in a playoff.
Opened in 2025, The Pines course is Escalante’s pride and joy after it contracted with the Coore and Crenshaw Golf Course Design Company in 2023 to re-design the course. The old layout has been blown up and is born again, shorter than its previous iteration, but in tune with exceptional land.
“It’s like an old jigsaw puzzle,” said golf architect Bill Coore, who helped redesign the course with partner and former professional golfer Ben Crenshaw. “This is New England, they’re used to a little quirky and they drive on these weird roads. You’ll see things out there on the course that will be different.”
The final result is there’s a splendid new golf course with an old school feel to it. The par 71 Pines course – known for decades as America’s longest course – now measures just over 7,000 yards from the tips opened last year to rave reviews from members and assorted golf media.
“We’re very proud to be associated with this,” Crenshaw said on a recent visit to the course. “The International is a great place and we’re happy to be here. It has a touch of old school and I think we did a fantastic job.”
The Pines’ new design holds a strong emphasis on beauty, strategy and playability but the one word most golfers who have played it say it is “hard.”
https://www.theinternational.com/
