#1 at Ponkapoag Golf Club

This is a review of course 2 at Ponkapoag. There's no starter here on a Sunday afternoon, so there's a little negotiation to find the other people in your group if you're not bringing a full foursome.

The layout is interesting with the feel of golfing through a public park, including various shelters and people walking on paved paths for exercise. It's a nice feel.

Some tee boxes and greens were very good, but a few tee boxes were bare, dry-packed, rocky new england dirt. And some of the greens had dozens of 1/2" holes that I hoped were aeration holes gone wrong from a couple months back. This combined with bare spots made the greens very challenging.

Some holes are fun/challenging, like a downhill, dog-leg left where you have no idea where you're headed.

I'm told course 1 is much nicer which explains why so few people were playing here (on top of the 90+ degree weather). I'll have to try that one next time

This was my first time back at Ponky #1 after about 20 years. I played many times in the past as I grew up in the area. I had heard that the conditions had improved considerably after an extensive renovation after years of neglect. I can tell you that the conditions haven't improved much at all in 20 years. As long as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts owns Ponkapoag there is no hope that it will ever be an acceptable golf course(s). Ponky has been a patronage haven for politicians for years and it appears that this environment still exists. Investment must be made to cut down trees, clean up brush throughout the property and install cart paths. Only a private company can do all these things. The Commonwealth of Mass. will not. Contrast this course with the two owned by the City of Boston (George Wright and Franklin Park) and you will note that Boston gets it and Massachusetts doesn't .

Don't waste your money here. Until this becomes a real golf course. Go to the many other very good golf courses in Massachusetts.

This should even be used as a gold course. Maybe a dirt track for nascar. Donald Ross must be looking down and shaking his head at the condition of this course.

The condition of this course is an embarrassment. You can't even push a tee into the tee boxes which have almost no grass on them at all and the fairways are 90% dirty or hard pan. I will say other than being slow the greens were in good shape. Donald Ross is rolling over in his grave seeing how bad of a condition this course is in.