THE DREAM 18

18 holes. 18 different golf courses. The result? A fantasy course made up of the best holes in the area.

By Bob Albright

It’s the kind of fodder that can lead to hours of debate on rainy days in 19th holes from Amesbury to Gloucester when those are indeed the only holes that are playable.

The topic? What if you could take all the public courses here on the North Shore and surrounding areas and mix and match the holes to make one course. What if you could turn Rte. 95 into one big cart path and play in numerical order your own “Dream 18?” It’s a daunting proposition, no doubt, but it’s precisely what we here at North Shore Golf have done.

With plenty of input from local pros, players, and even a caddie or two, we compiled our own “Dream 18.” Eighteen tests of golf from 18 different public courses, with each sticking out in its own way. Needless to say, it wasn’t an easy task and any type of true consensus was difficult to come by.

What we finally arrived at by no means constitutes the 18 toughest holes on the North Shore – in fact we include three that rank as the easiest on their own respective courses. It’s not the longest of tracts either, coming in at a par-68 and just 5,781 yards.

But before you start thinking about carding that bogey-free round, keep in mind that “The Dream 18” is far from your run-of-the-mill Pitch and Putt. It features three par-5s and has five holes that are rated the No. 1 handicap at their respective courses.

Using pure “playability,” a broad term if there ever was one, as a guideline, what we came up with is a fantasy course that will test your ability and course management, while at the same time provide the type of scenic value that every golfer enjoys taking a peek at as he or she stands atop a tee box.

There’s a little bit of everything here. From the demanding tests of golf that scorecard-busters like the second at Olde Salem Greens and the 13th at Sagamore Springs certainly are, to the sweeping views that our opening (Amesbury Country Club) and closing holes (The Meadow at Peabody) provide. All mixed in with picturesque coastal courses like Essex’s Cape Ann GC and the quiet wooded beauty, Bradford Country Club.

So without further ado, let’s lace up the golf shoes, spend a few moments on the practice green and move on to the first tee box.

HOLE 1

AMESBURY GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB

381 yards, Par 4

While there was indeed plenty of debate surrounding many of the holes on this unique round of 18, most agreed that you would be hard-pressed to find an opening hole that rivaled the par-4 first at Amesbury Country Club for its scenic quality combined with its challenging features.

“It’s a classic New England snapshot,” notes course superintendent Mike Mellon, who grew up on the rolling course that his grandfather, Albion Mellon, bought back in 1961. Included in that purchase and sale agreement was an elevated opening tee complete with quite a vista.

“It’s a beautiful view, especially in the fall,” Mellon adds. “You can see Salisbury Beach on the horizon. It’s not a bad way to begin your round on a summer morning.”

The hole plays 381 yards and Mellon advises to hit it slightly to the right for the best position on a flat fairway that lies some 90 feet below the tee. Water is not an issue, but the green is guarded by three bunkers that will eat up a stroke or two in a hurry.

HOLE 2

OLDE SALEM GREENS

253 yards, Par 3

After successfully (hopefully) negotiating the opening hole in Amesbury, you’ll want to test the tread on your cart’s wheels and head all the way down to Salem.

That’s where you get to tackle one of the more demanding par-3’s you’re going to find on the North Shore, Olde Salem Green’s 253-yard second. It’s a monster of a hole that features a blind tee-shot with only a bulls eye posted on a large tree behind the green for golfers to set their sights on.

Perhaps no one knows the demanding downhill hole better than Harold Demeule, who shares the Salem Muni course record of 29.

“It’s one of those holes where you can stand down by the green waving the next group on all afternoon and never see anyone hit the green,” Demeule says of the hole, which ranks as the No. 1 handicap on the popular nine-hole course. “If you make a par there you feel pretty darn good about the balance of the rest of your day.”

Demeule prefers to use a driver on the hole and says a fade to the left is probably the best trajectory. Longer hitters will use irons and try to roll it off the hill and on to the sizable green.

Demeule does warn, however, that if you hit it too long and take the hill out of the equation, the ball can bury in the landing area just before the green.

HOLE 3

ROCKPORT GOLF CLUB

353 yards, Par 4

Things don’t get any easier from there as we move further North to Rockport and another nine-hole course. “Quirky” is the word most often used to describe Rockport Country Club’s challenging 353-yard, par-4 third. It too is the No. 1 handicap hole on the course.

The winding dogleg left, which originally comprised two holes on the nearly 90-year-old tract, also features a blind tee shot. Head pro Steve Clayton suggests that golfers take dead aim at a rocky ledge 90 yards off the tee, which has a directional flag.

“It’s a demanding tee shot. You’ve got out of bounds on the right side and if you go too far left you’re blocked from the green on your second shot,” says the pro.

Clayton explains that a driver, if properly placed, can leave you with just a wedge to a green that doesn’t have any bunkers, but a heavily roughed slope in front. A 3-wood is a safer play, leaving golfers with about 130 yards to the hole.

“I like it because it forces you to put the ball in the right position,” says Clayton, who added that the wind coming off the nearby Atlantic is a factor as well, usually right in the golfer’s face on the tee. “You need to be in the right spot to attack the hole.”

A shallow green that is divided in half by a ridge further complicates matters, assuring that golfers who are lucky enough to scribble a four on this hole will feel like they’ve accomplished something.

HOLE 4

CRYSTAL SPRING COUNTRY CLUB

395 yards, Par 4

From the Atlantic, it’s time to head inland where another body of water poses an impressive backdrop for our fourth hole in Haverhill.

Crystal Lake is the centerpiece of the picturesque hole that is ranked as the most difficult at Crystal Spring CC, the nine-hole tract in Haverhill.

Brian Denney, a lifelong Haverhill resident who grew up playing the course, notes that while this 395-yard, dogleg par-4 is the most scenic on the course, it also can leave golfers with an equally pleasing number on their scorecard.

The key, he says, is a good shot off the tee, which sits at the top of the hill and plays down to a winding fairway with woods on both sides.

?It’s ranked No. 1 on the course, but I don’t think it is,? explains Denney, a 3-handicap. ?What it takes is basically two good placement shots. If you’re swinging the club good you can try to draw it around the corner, and if you do that, you’ve got an 8-iron or a 9-iron to the hole.

“But if you’re not confident with your tee shot then you’re looking at a 4-iron [off the tee] and probably a six after that to the green.”

The mid-sized green slopes from back to front.

“The best part of the hole is the scenery,” adds Denney. “I’ve seen some beautiful sunsets there. It’s a great place to be late in the day.”

HOLE 5

KELLEY GREENS BY THE SEA

213 yards, Par 3

A slightly larger body of water than Crystal Lake serves as the backdrop for our next hole, the 213-yard, par-3 at Kelley Greens by the Sea.

Wind is a factor on many golf holes, but there are windy holes and then there’s the fifth at Kelley Greens, which is surrounded by the Atlantic. It’s the toughest hole on the scenic 9-holer in Nahant.

“There’s a prevalent east wind that’s coming straight into your face,” says Mike Kairevitch, who has done a little bit of everything at the course for the past 30 years. “Depending on how strong it is I’ve seen guys hit everything from a driver to a 6-iron.”

Like most of the greens at the course, which is not lacking for water hazards, the fifth green is elevated and is the largest on the course. But with willows and a marsh running the length of the hole on the right, there’s plenty of trouble to get into before you get there.

HOLE 6

HICKORY HILL GOLF CLUB

513 yards, Par 5

From Nahant it’s time to head back up Rte. 95, all the way to Methuen where we’ll get our first chance to really ?grip it and rip it.?

At 513 yards, the dogleg-left sixth hole at Hickory Hill has hosted its share of long drive contests. The hole has also accounted for some seriously big numbers and is well worthy of its spot as the No. 1 stroke hole on the scenic tree-lined course.

“From a driving standpoint it’s wide open,” notes 80-year-old Director of Golf Frank Gibbins. “Whenever I have a tournament it’s the hole we use for the longest drive because you can spray it a bit.”

A sand trap on the right side of the fairway about 265 yards out swallows many an errant tee shot and even a straight drive leaves golfers with a second shot of well over 200 yards around the dogleg to a green that is surrounded by some “treacherous” bunkers, according to Gibbins.

“Even a pro would have trouble getting it on in two, and I haven’t seen too many do it,” notes Gibbins. “The green slopes from rear to front and has bunkers in the front and on the left and right. There’s a small path that leads between them and you can roll it up; that’s what I usually aim for.

“It’s a hole I’ve probably parred three or four times. For a weekend golfer like me it’s very tough. If I make a six, I feel like I birdied it.”

HOLE 7

CAPE ANN GOLF CLUB

189 yards, Par 3

We had to include at least one island green on the course and while the par-3 seventh at Cape Ann GC in Essex does have a narrow fairway that leads out to a green surrounded by the Essex River, it comes pretty close.

Except for an occasional greenhead, this par-3 has all that a golfer could ask for, beginning with a demanding, and recently lengthened, tee shot of 189 yards that will see golfers pull everything from a five-wood to a five iron, depending on what the wind is doing.

There’s a small landing area in front of the green that sits alone in Essex marshland. The green slopes right to left and a recently added bunker in front has made rolling the ball on a much dicier proposition. Get into the bunker on the right and you might as well add a couple strokes to your card.

Regardless of the score, with sightlines like the ones this hole provides - including Hog Island where parts of the movie “The Crucible” were filmed - it’s a hole that you don’t want to miss.

HOLE 8

ROWLEY COUNTRY CLUB

475 yards, Par 5

Mike Farrell, the former Director of Golf at Rowley Country Club, says patience is indeed a virtue when playing this 475-yard par-4 in Rowley, a testy par-36 nine-holer.

The hole features a blind tee shot from the top of a hill that requires golfers to lay up, usually with a mid to low iron. That leaves you safely on the fairway and well in front of a water hazard with your next shot going back uphill towards the green.

“It’s a hole where you don’t want to hit it too far off the tee,” notes Farrell, the new club pro at Mount Hood Golf Course. “It seems like every day I’m driving by there and you see golfers who have hit it too far.”

The math is simple. Three often goes into this par-4 much more evenly than two.

“Normally three short irons is the best way to attack it,” agrees Farrell, who added that a big, flat green awaits your approach shot on the hole.

HOLE 9

OULD NEWBURY GOLF CLUB

207 yards, Par 3

A lifelong resident of Newburyport, Jim Hilton grew up on the fairways at Ould Newbury and quickly gained an appreciation for the sprawling hickory tree that stands ominously in the fairway some 80 yards off the tee on the club’s ninth and final hole, a 207-yard par-3.

“It’s been there as long as I can remember and probably since the club opened in 1916,” says Hilton of the 70-foot-tall shot-blocker of a tree that has wreaked havoc with more than a few scorecards over the years. “It knocks down an awful lot of golf balls.”

The fact that the hole has rendered just six aces over the years – even with the likes of MGA Hall of Famer Charles Volpone taking dead aim at it regularly – speaks volumes about its difficulty level.

Longer hitters will go for the green with anywhere from a 3-iron to a driver, but many choose to lay up to the right of the tree and take aim at the smallish green from there. Either way, it serves as very enjoyable way to end a round of golf at Ould Newbury – or does it?

“I guess that all depends on where you are in the match heading into it,” Hilton adds with a chuckle.

HOLE 10

WENHAM COUNTRY CLUB

216 yards, Par 3

After stopping to refuel with a hot dog and a beverage of your choice, we make the turn and head out to ?The Dream 18’s? back nine.

The next stop is Wenham. Checking in at par-65 and with just one hole over 400 yards, the quick assumption is that you can leave your long irons in the bag when you tackle Wenham Country Club. But those who have stood on the tee box and stared up at the daunting 216-yard, uphill par-3 10th on the picturesque course will beg to differ.

It’s a hole that Champions’ Tour player Paul Parajeckas recently noted, “Could be a championship hole on any course.”

“I usually hit between a 2-iron and a 4-wood,” explains head pro Peter Collins. “I tell people the best play is a chip and putt because the penalty is severe if you miss it. You can go from a three to a six in a hurry.”

HOLE 11

HILLVIEW GOLF CLUB

310 yards, Par 4

The narrow and unforgiving fairways that typify Hillview Country Club in North Reading brought some of the best high school golfers to their knees in last fall’s Division 3 North qualifier. North Reading junior Dan King was the exception, however. The 17-year-old was the Division 3 North medalist and after capturing the men’s club championship in his first try last summer at Hillview he is uniquely qualified to break down our 11th hole.

“You can birdie this hole, but if you’re not careful, you’ll easily walk away with a double [bogey],” warns King. “You can’t get up there on the tee and rip it. You have to play smart.”

The hole features an uphill dogleg and then a downhill shot to a green that has plenty of trouble around it.

“I usually play a 4-or-5-iron off the tee and try to play it to the top of the hill. Some people try to blast it over the trees to the right and get on, but that’s not a smart move. I’ve never seen anyone make it to the green [doing that].”

As far as the green goes, the good news is that it’s fairly large, but golfers will want to make sure they find it and not the large bunker in the front or the water on the right, as many of King’s peers found out last fall.

HOLE 12

BRADFORD COUNTRY CLUB

510 yards, Par 5

It’s not only the cover shot for this magazine, but the one which hangs prominently in head pro Mark Mangion’s office at Bradford Country Club. There’s certainly a lot to gaze at from the tee on this sprawling 510-yard par-5, the second toughest hole at the formidable course in Bradford, and our 12th hole.

“It’s very pretty, especially in the fall,” says Mangion, who enters his second-year as head pro. “If you stand behind the green and look back you get a panoramic view of all the colors. It’s really a pretty hole from tee to green.”

Golfers are best advised to remember and relish that simple pleasure as they reach into their bag for the extra balls often required to travel that distance.

“Bigger hitters will go for the green in two, and have about 250 left to the hole,” notes Mangion. “The tee shot is a positional shot. If you lay up on the left or right landing areas [on your next shot] you’ll have a wedge to the green.

“What I really like about the hole is that it gives you options. You can go for the green in two, but you can also lay up and still make a birdie.”

A good-sized green features bunkers on the left and a trap behind, but plenty of fairway up front.

HOLE 13

SAGAMORE SPRING

398 yards, Par 4

We now hop back on Rte. 95 and head down to Lynnfield where Sagamore Spring’s grueling 13th awaits.

The 398-yard slight dogleg right is the No. 1 stroke hole at Sagamore and may eat up those extra balls you found in the woods at Bradford. The call here is to shape your tee shot left-to-right toward a small boulder some 230 yards off the tee.

“A birdie on that hole definitely feels like an eagle,” says second-year head pro Steve Vaughn, who recommends a 3-wood off the tee, which leaves many about a 185-yard shot downhill to the green. It’s a second shot that can be anywhere from a 9-to-4-iron with the wind.

“Take a club less on your second shot because if you go long it leaves you with just about the toughest chip you can imagine. Hitting it long is absolute death.”

That’s because there’s a five-foot drop behind the green and you‘ll be chipping to a green that slopes away from you.

“I like it because you have to think,” says Vaughn. “The risk-reward is there with the driver, but you’ll probably have to hit one of your best drives of the day.”

HOLE 14

COLONIAL GOLF CLUB

169 yards, Par 3

With an eye towards not simply the most demanding, but most enjoyable 18 the area has to offer, we’ll stay in Lynnfield where the 14th at Colonial Golf Club starts a string of three holes that are all ranked as the easiest on their respective courses.

Playing between 150 and 169 yards from the whites and between 169 and 185 yards from the blues, this hole looks straightforward, but head pro Bob Jacobs begs to differ.

“The thing I like about the hole is that every time you play the course, because of weather, your club selection is different. One day you have to hit a 3-iron, the next you have to hit 7-iron,” reminds Jacobs, who adds that the winds on the wide-open hole can cause problems on your tee shot. “The wind usually seems to be right to left and against you and the best shot is to play a fade.”

Once you’ve successfully negotiated your tee shot, a green that slopes from right to left awaits you.

HOLE 15

BEVERLY GOLF & TENNIS

140 yards, Par 3

Moving north up Rte. 128, we find another deceiving par-3 at Beverly Golf & Tennis. Universally known as the ?wedding cake hole? for its almost perfectly round green, the 140-yard, par-3 15th is not necessarily a piece of cake.

Just ask 12-time women’s club champion Mary Berman.

“It may look like sort of a benign hole. It sort of sits there and looks very simple,” says Berman of the downhill par-3, which is surrounded by bunkers. “If you get it in the bunker up front you can make a five in a hurry.”

Berman’s club of choice is an 11-wood for the hole, but warns that the wind can change things in a hurry.

“Par is a good score. We’ve put people on the tee in different contests and you can wait awhile till somebody makes a birdie.”

HOLE 16

FAR CORNER GOLF COURSE

320 yards, Par 4

One of the prettier holes on the sprawling tract in West Boxford, the 16th at Far Corner, stares tantalizingly back at golfers on Far Corner’s course card. It too is ranked 18th, but there is an awful lot of trouble to be found if you go looking for it.

“It really offers a little bit of everything,” says Director of Golf Bob Flynn of the 320-yard par-4 that requires a straight tee shot over a pond (190 yards away) with a second shot to an elevated and well-bunkered green.

“Most people will hit anywhere between a 2- to-4-iron, but a lot of people try a driver too.”

The risk-reward quotient of driving the slight dogleg right is a risky proposition, however, as the fairway narrows from 60 yards to just 20, putting a premium on straight drives. A smallish, two-tiered green features a far-left top shelf that has seen more than a few final round pin placements for the annual North Shore Amateur.

HOLE 17

GANNON GOLF CLUB

319 yards, Par 4

Just two holes to go and this 18 would not be complete without a trip to the Lynn Woods. At just 319 yards, the par-4 17th at the Gannon Golf Club seems worthy of its ranking as the 14th handicap hole on the well-played but well-preserved classic. But longtime head pro Mike Foster has seen countless rounds go awry at the hole just the same.

“I can remember a couple years back during our men’s club championship we had a guy who took a three-stroke lead into the 17th and came out tied. Yes, it’s the 14th stroke hole, but it’s one that will grab you.”

The hole places a premium on the tee shot and Foster is quick to note that most will play either a 2-iron or a 3-wood into a small landing area, although it’s not uncommon to see bigger hitters get on with a drive.

“It’s really a placement shot off the tee and most are left with between an 8-iron or a wedge into a green with a lot of slope. It’s one of those holes that everyone can play and it’s just as easy to make a three as it is a seven,” Foster adds.

HOLE 18

THE MEADOW AT PEABODY

420 yards, Par 4

With an elevated tee, which boasts a view of a good part of the North Shore, the 18th at The Meadow at Peabody is the perfect way to wrap up our fantasy round of golf.

Steve St. Amand, who captured the first club championship last year at the club, admits he’s still getting a handle on the challenging course, especially the 18th. Complete with a large hazard 250 yards off the tee, the finishing hole is indicative of the course, which requires golfers to keep their head in the round for the entire 18.

“Some people don’t like it because they see that elevated tee and they just want to bomb away and you really can’t,” says St. Amand, the only golfer to win three Mass Public links titles. “I like the variety it gives you. You can hit between a 3-iron and 4-wood and with the wind it’s like you’re playing a new hole each time out.”

The green is big enough that it can hold a long iron and it’s relatively flat, but St. Amand warns of a false front on the left, which will send your shot rolling back.

Added St. Amand, “I like it because you have to put two good swings together [to make par]. It’s a challenging course with some blind shots, but [architects] Silva and Cornish give you areas to hit to. You just have to learn where they are.”

In joining us on this ride around “The Dream 18,” we hope you’ve learned about a few different holes in the area to add to your play list this summer. As we said before, it’s by no means a definitive list, but if you can incorporate all 18 into one season at one time or another, you are to be congratulated.

Now it’s time to get on to the serious stuff: Bring on the nominations for the Top 19th holes on the North Shore.