Review: George Wright Golf Course (Part 1)

We finish off our trip to Boston with the only golf course that was actually in Boston. And it's quite a place too; in fact, George Wright is the main reason why we chose Boston for the trip.

It's not flashy or particularly scenic, but George Wright has some incredible golf nonetheless.

On the surface, George Wright sounds like several golf courses I've played before. It's a Donald Ross municipal golf course, just like Shennecossett, Triggs Memorial, and Mark Twain. Playing here completed the set of Northeastern Donald Ross munies, but that's not the only reason why we came. Fact is, this is generally considered to be one of the best municipal courses in the country, which is a welcome return to form after some difficult times. 

Built during the Great Depression, George Wright was quite the engineering project as it was blasted and carved from granite. It cost a million dollars to build, making it one of the most expensive golf courses ever built at that time. Even among such strong neighbors as the Country Club, George Wright was very well received when it opened. But then comes a familiar story. Decades of mismanagement resulted in a severely degraded golf course by the turn of the century. Things changed in the early 2000s, and new leadership began the slow process of restoring the course. It wasn't a quick project, and I'm pretty sure work is still ongoing. But it's been enough to transform George Wright back into the golf course it deserves to be. 

Like many Donald Ross courses, George Wright does not get off to a very exciting start. The first hole is just under 400 yards and traverses flat terrain. There's a pair of fairway bunkers to the right and the lone greenside bunker is also right, so if you're going to miss, left is the way to go. There is a small mound short left of the green, so it's not such an easy shot, but it's better than right. The green is gentle as well, sloped slightly from back right to front left.

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is a fairly short par 4, but not driveable. There's a bit of strategy at play here, as the green is best approached from the right side. But there's a fairway bunker over there, as well as a few overhanging trees. I'm not normally a fan of using trees as a hazard, but I'm okay with it in this case, since they're not very obtrusive, and there's room to go underneath them. Worse case scenario, you have to hit a running shot that just carries up to to the ridge the green sits on. If you play save and go left, you'll have to negotiate a slightly awkward second shot over the corner of a deep bunker. 

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is where things really kick off. After two par 4s playing over fairly flat land, standing on the third tee is a bit of a shock to the system, and a sign of things to come. This par 5 is 530 yards and uphill for most of its length. The fairway isn't very wide, but the sideslopes will funnel slightly wayward tee shots back toward the center, so there is a little forgiveness. If you're really long, the green is reachable in two, but it's a tall order to hit a wood or long iron up a big hill to an elevated green protected in front by several bunkers. The more prudent strategy is to lay up and play the hole as a standard three-shotter.

The third hole.

Approaching the third green.

The third green.

The fourth hole is not a particularly long par 3 at 160 yards, but it's a distinctly unfriendly looking hole. The green is flanked by two bunkers on each side, three of which are quite deep. The green is shallow and has a sharp back to front tilt. Miss long by even a little, and you're left with a chip from a sharply downhill stance to a green that runs away. Good luck keeping that on the green. Oh, and there's a false front to the green as well, so shots that end up a little short will roll quite a way down the hill.

The fifth hole kicks off a three hole stretch of par 4s that represent the best George Wright has to offer. Not that the rest of the course is lacking, but the fifth, sixth, and seventh are especially strong. This hole is 425 yards and plays over extremely rolling terrain. While it's possible to hit driver, you have to negotiate tall trees and a narrow fairway that slopes away. It's better to lay up at the dogleg and the top of the hill. Of course, that leaves a nearly 200 yards second shot. At least the approach is downhill. The green is set in a punchbowl, so shots will gather in so long as they actually hit the green. Approaches hit right will bounce back, but left and long are not good options. Something to note that's difficult to see in the pictures: In the right center of the green there's a small depression, about 10 inches deep and 10-15 feet across. I've never seen anything quite like it, and it's the sort of small detail that elevates George Wright above a lot of other golf courses.

Plenty of decisions to make on the fifth tee.

The fifth green is obscured somewhat by a small ridge.

The fifth green, inside a punchbowl.

Another view of the fifth green.

The sixth hole is both simple and incredibly not simple. Subtle is perhaps the best word to describe. Unlike the previous and upcoming hole, the sixth does not have the advantage of rugged topography. It's essentially a straight and nearly flat 385 yard hole, but the fairway isn't quite where you'd expect it to be. It starts out to the right and swings well to the left, in essence conjuring a dogleg while not being a dogleg. The ideal line on the drive is down the left side, flirting with O.B., bunkers, and trees. Go out right and you risk being blocked out by more trees, and the side of the hill from the previous hole will obscure the view of the green. The green is perched in a saddle between two hills, and subtly drops in the front and at the back. There's a single bunker guarding the green left; the bunker short right is actually 20-30 yards short, a neat bit of visual trickery. The fact that this hole can stand up with the other two despite being nearly flat is a superb design feat, and if I had to pick the best hole at George Wright, I think I'd go with this one.

The sixth hole.

Approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is just over 430 yards, but it is downhill the whole way. You have a couple of options on the tee: Either you lay up with a wood or long iron at the top of the slope and leave yourself a mid to long iron into a green you can see, or hit driver down the hill and have your view of the green blocked by a rise in the fairway. If you're comfortable with semiblind shots, as I am, it's a pretty easy decision, but not everyone is so inclined. The green is open to run-up shots, so if you do lay back you can still get at the hole quite easily. The natural contours will guide the ball toward the flag, especially if it's on the right side. There's a big dropoff right and long of the green, so I wouldn't advise missing it in those places. This is my least favorite of the three par 4s in this stretch, but it's still a really good hole.

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole isn't much longer than the fourth hole, playing just under 170 yards, but this one is uphill. There are bunkers short right and short and left, and once again shots that are on line but don't make the green will likely roll back down. I didn't get it in the picture, but there's a big dropoff to the left that surely makes hole locations on the left side a bit more interesting.

The eighth hole.

The ninth hole is admittedly a bit of a letdown after the last few holes, but it is something a lot of Golden Age courses lack: A truly long par 4. At 450 yards, even long hitters will probably need more than a wedge to get to the green, especially when you factor in the narrowness of the fairway once you get over the top of the hill. It's not unreasonable, but it's definitely not generous, and missing right in particular can easily lead to a lost golf ball. A fairway wood may be the more prudent play if accuracy isn't your strong point. The green is guarded by the hole's solitary bunker short and right.

The ninth hole.

A long approach into the ninth green.

The ninth green.

That's it for this week, next week we'll check out the back nine.