Willowdale Golf Club

Willowdale has been around forever. It has not changed that much, except I would say for the course conditions which keep on getting better. The greens may not be the fastest around, but they always roll consistently. The rough is not thick and the bunkers and hazards are not perilously in play, but the tree lines can get you. The holes on the front 9 along the salt marsh are very picturesque. The par 3 5th hole is right on the marsh and usually into the wind. A full 200 yard shot may be required to hit the green. The back 9 is more generic, but the 10th hole is a long, tough par 4, that features an elevated, 2 tiered green. There are tons of locals that are members and they are quite friendly. In the summer, many tourists come up from the beach to play, and usually not all that quickly. There are many parallel holes, on this throwback styled course, but there are not usually that many shots hit from the wrong fairway. The staff is friendly, but they never have a starter or a ranger on duty, which makes for some chaos and slowdowns. It also causes many impatient golfers to leave the first tee and go sneak off the 10th, often causing back ups of multiple groups. I especially enjoy this course in the spring and fall when there is less play. The relatively new 19th hole is fairly generic and the food is just average. The folks who run Willowdale do try their best, but they do not have the type of members who spend large amounts of money at the course. I would recommend driving 3 miles to Ken's for fried clams, lobsters and beer as an alternative 19th hole. Willowdale is often dismissed for being an old, forgotten course. I would say you should go enjoy it just for those very reasons.