Same As It Ever Was

Hickory Hill opened its fairways more than 30 years ago and, thankfully for North Shore golfers, not much has changed since

By Barry Scanlon

Sam Malone doesn’t tend bar. Cliff Clavin and Norm Peterson aren’t regulars. And, no, people don’t walk around singing the theme song from “Cheers.”

But one of the appeals of Hickory Hill Golf Course, an 18-hole public course just a couple of well-struck 3-woods from the New Hampshire border, is its friendly, welcoming atmosphere.

“I like a lot of things about it,” says Tom Zuppa, a 46-year-old Billerica resident who has played in a Monday afternoon league at the Methuen layout for five years. “I think the staff is welcoming and friendly. I’ve played a lot of places and it’s almost like you’re doing them a favor for playing there.

“The holes are challenging, but not impossible. I think it’s really a hidden little gem.”

Those comments are music to the ears of Eric Brox, the president/superintendent at Hickory Hill. The course has always been owned by the Brox family – Brox’s father, Raymond, opened the front nine on June 27, 1968, with the back nine following three months later – and the goal has always been to make public golfers feel at home.

Raymond is still involved. Eric and his brother, Peter Brox, manage the course on a day-by-day basis, and other members of the family are also affiliated with the course.

Asked what he’s most proud of, Eric Brox talks about Hickory’s “friendly atmosphere” and “great course conditions.”

“And the layout, too,” he adds. “I think that’s what [the public] likes about it.”

From the back tees, the par 71 course is 6,287 yards. The distance is shortened to 6,017 from the white tees. The women’s 5,397-yard layout is a par 73.

Hickory Hill is not a cookie-cutter layout. And length is not the paramount concern. The front nine is more open than the back. Players struggling off the tee can spray the ball around a bit and not be too badly penalized. Such inaccuracy is more damaging on the back nine, which can be two shots or so more difficult than the front for most high handicappers.

“That’s the uniqueness of it,” Zuppa says. “You really have to put the ball in the right places.”

Some of the more notable holes include No. 3, a 511-yard test of power and, to a great extent, thinking. The second shot is the key. Big hitters can take out a 3-wood and go for the elevated green in two. But danger awaits in the form of a pond. For those wanting to lay up, a giant trap covers most of the fairway.

For many, No. 6, a 513-yard monster, is Hickory Hill’s signature hole. It starts off innocently enough, with a large and inviting fairway. On the second shot, however, trees on the left provide the first shield. The prudent play is right.

Even after two well-struck shots, however, and even if you’ve covered more than 400 yards, the hole is protected by two bunkers. For those who dribble the ball toward the green - good luck. The bunkers are separated by only about 20 feet, making a high approach shot necessary.

Perhaps the most picturesque hole is No. 8, a 155-yard par-3 test featuring a small pond in front and trees behind much of the green. If you’re looking to show off to those looking out of the clubhouse, No. 9, a 348-yard par 4, offers a solid chance at birdie if the drive catches the fairway.

Whereas the front nine was once a giant open field, the back nine “was all cut out of trees,” Eric Brox points out. And it shows.

The 10th is a tree-lined par 5 that measures 489 yards from the white tees. But the last 200 or so yards are uphill, so it seems longer. An errant tee shot or fairway wood leads to a bogey - or worse.

“That’s a good, challenging hole,” Zuppa says with praise. “If I make par on 10, I know I’ve had a really good hole because it requires three very good shots.”

“No. 6 is the signature hole. It’s a great hole,” Eric Brox says. “But my personal favorites are four and 18. There are tougher courses out there, but I think we have a fair test of golf.”

Although both of the par 5s on the front nine are 500-plus yards, perhaps the toughest test for the medium-length hitter is the par-4 18th, a jewel of a hole that is all uphill - but downhill on many scorecards - after the tee shot.

Forget the 379 yards (from the white tees) it says on the scorecard. The hole plays longer - much longer. It’s one of Eric Brox’s favorite holes; anybody leaving with a par usually struts into the clubhouse, with his chin high and his smile wide.

Hickory Hill didn’t raise its green fees from 2003. Once again, it costs $40 to play 18 holes Monday-Thursday, $45 Friday-Sunday and on holidays.

“We’re trying to give the good quality here,” Eric Brox said.

The course was designed by Manny Francis, who at the time was the superintendent at Vesper Country Club in Tyngsboro, one of the top private courses in Massachusetts.

“Manny had great foresight,” Eric Brox says, explaining that outside of modifying a couple of holes around on the back nine for safety reasons, few changes have been made since its opening in 1968.

Zuppa said there is little change about the quality of Hickory Hill – from spring to fall, or year to year - and that’s one of the course’s strong points.

“When you play a lot of courses late in the season, they tend to be really chopped up. Hickory Hill does a very good job of keeping it playable through the fall,” he said.

Growing up in the family business, Brox said he wasn’t above doing any job at Hickory Hill, including cleaning the bathrooms. That hands-on approach attitude hasn’t changed since he became president.

If a tee box needs work, Brox - sometimes in an old t-shirt and jeans – is often on the spot.

“I can always clean my hands at the end of the day,” he adds with a laugh.