Shining Rock Golf Club, Northbridge, MA

Don't even attempt to walk this course. The course is challenging having been built on ledge on the side of a hill. The greens have a lot of slope and run on the fast side, but the speed seems to change from hole to hole. The course is well maintained with the exception of a few of the tees. The actual layout of the course is not well thought out--there are some very long, and sometimes reverse, green to tee drives, a result of shoehorning 18 in between houses. Great staff, fair price for the quality. LONG par 3s and Short par 4s make it a shot maker's haven. You can actually keep the big stick in the bag and score well as long as you can pitch, chip, and putt. Accuracy over distance is the key here since off fairway drives are penalized (often no recovery).

Shining Rock has a very unique layout, that is equal parts interesting and frustrating. It was designed by Howard Maurer who has designed a number of courses in Massachusetts like the Weathervane Golf Course in Weymouth, MA.

The course features bent grass fairways and it well maintained. Greens are fast, and the course plays well even after wet weather. Bunkers are fluffy and also well looked after.

This golf course design has some bizarre features. For example, you’ll find long Par 3 holes (#5 is 245 yards) and short Par 4 holes. Hole #4 is the signature hole where you hit over a canyon about 150 yards onto a very small green. The overall design of the course just doesn’t flow very well. The course does offer plenty of variety, though, with a nice mix of Par 3,4 and 5 holes (although they don't always play true to their par determination.)

The course was built into a hillside, so it has a mountain feel. This also means there are walls of rock that make it almost impossible to recover balls that fall over the edge. In that way, it can be a very frustrating course, even for experienced golfers. A few of the holes have large rock ledges and doglegs to the right. The challenges designed into this course don’t always make sense.

This course offers plenty of variety. Use your irons on the blinds holes, and be prepared to club down on certain holes (like Hole #1 where you are playing downhill.) Because this course is hilly and rocky, I don’t recommend walking it (figuring out your course strategy alone will easily tire you out.)

The staff at Shining Rock are excellent. Very friendly and attentive folks. They will also happily share tips for playing the course if you ask. The clubhouse serves delicious pub-style food. I’d recommend trying the scallops (fried or seared.) It can get a bit noisy, but that’s all part of the fun.

Pace of play is SLOW at this course. I’m talking 5+ hours for 18 holes. There is a lack of rangers and pace of play is not well controlled. So, if you come to play at Shining Rock, be prepared for a LONG day. Another weird feature of this course is the lack of a driving range and putting green. It seems like a huge oversight for a course at this level. Especially when you’re paying $50 (weekend) to $80 (weekend) for a round.

Shining Rock is challenging but fair. It rewards the golfer that can aim well and choose their clubs correctly. It’s a slightly strange course because of it’s design, but still quite scenic. The clubhouse and the staff create a warm and welcoming atmosphere both before a round and on the 19th hole.