Fast, fun, and affordable—that’s what Squirrel Run Golf Club, a 2,800-yard jewel on the South Shore of Massachusetts, is known for. The Par-57 public course is synonymous with a “country club for the day” feel. On many holes, the driver will stay in the bag. Fifteen of the course’s 18 are Par-3s. Still, what the course lacks in distance, it more than makes up for with understated charm and deceptive rigor. Kind to the beginner, Squirrel Run features enough nuance and challenge to keep the experienced golfer on their toes. A perfect backdrop for corporate outings and casual get-togethers, the public course has all the amenities of a private club at a very affordable price.
Its location is one of its chief draws: 45 minutes south of Boston, an hour northeast of Providence, RI, and a half-hour from Cape Cod. Located in Plymouth, drive 11 minutes east and you’ll see Atlantic waves crash against the shoreline. Tucked away in a town that is literally the genesis of the state and the country, the course is just four miles away from Plymouth Rock, the much celebrated landing of the Pilgrims.
The course itself is a blanket of meticulous green spread out over a subtle sloping patch of land and sprinkled with bunkers, leafy pockets of windswept trees and water hazards that seem to challenge and entice simultaneously. The first hole, a 310-yard Par-4, requires an accurate drive if you want to walk away with a good score and a grin. Avoid the trees to the right on the difficult second shot. But the left of the fairway doesn’t offer anything more welcoming. Trees and a bunker await the stray shot. Try a five iron to the fairway’s middle and hope for the best, then a wedge or nine onto the green.
Be sure to take the breeze into account on the 131 yard Par-3 No. 2. The hole is straight-on from the tee box, but if you’re too short or too right you’ll be sure to splash down in the water hazard. The 122-yard Par-3 No. 6 can deceive novice and expert players alike. The boomerang-shaped green is hugged by a deep bunker to the front. No. 7 boasts one of the course’s biggest greens. The elevated tee overlooks the fairway. A ring of bunkers circles the green. A water hazard at the front of the green will swallow any tee shots that fall short.
After the 230-yard 9th, it’s a succession of short Par-3s on the back nine. No. 10 is a 120-yard Par-3 that prompts longer hitters to reach for the pitching wedge or nine iron. Beware of the wind, which can make this hole play longer than it looks. No. 11 is even shorter. At 109 yards, this hole is a practice in restraint. Try a lob wedge. No. 13 is the course’s signature hole. A 132-yard Par-3, the hole’s elevated tee overlooks a water hazard. The green slopes back to front, so plan accordingly. Anything to the left and you’re in trouble. The next hole is touted by management as one of the course’s toughest challenges. There are woods to the right and to the left is an out-of-bounds area, leaving you with no margin for error on this 192-yard Par-3.
The clubhouse is elegantly understated and can handle outings and functions. The dining room is open for lunch from March through December. In the warmer months, outdoor dining overlooking the course’s perennial garden and the first tee is available. The practice facility offers a bent grass chipping green with a green side bunker and a putting green. A PGA-certified golf pro is available for lessons at the course.
The 2,000-square-foot golf shop offers top of the line apparel, products and equipment. Depending on time of week and time of day, rates range from $20 to $30. Packages for groups are available.