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Date: 4/12/2022
LUDLOW/BELCHERTOWN– Between the fresh cut grass, the sound of a driver hitting the ball and golf carts driving by, golf season has officially arrived in Western Massachusetts. With warmer and sunnier days ahead, Reminder Publishing reached out to local golf courses to discuss the current season and expectations for the year.
Cold Spring Country Club 330 Chauncey Walker St., Belchertown
Cold Spring Country Club Golf Professional David Wright said the course opened for the season on March 24. Due to fluctuating weather, Wright said participation has been “up and down” but he is hoping for a good season. “It’s in good shape and we’re ready to go,” he said.
Wright added that golf grew in popularity over the past couple of years as a direct result of COVID-19.
“I’m hoping things continue the way they’ve been going. COVID [-19]’s been actually really good for golf. It’s an activity you can do outside, and people have started to pick the game up again so I’m hoping that continues and the numbers continue to grow,” he said.
As a semi-private course, Wright said golfers are not required to have a membership to play. Cold Spring still offers a variety of different memberships with a full single adult membership costing $1,700, which includes unlimited golf seven days a week. They also offer a family membership, which includes two full memberships and two junior memberships for a total of $2,500. The club also offers discounted rates for seniors, military and younger players.
While Cold Spring offers tournaments for members and guests alike, Wright said no tournaments were scheduled as of April 7.
Every year Wright said the goal is to stay open through the fall.
“Weather permitting our goal is always to get to Nov. 1, but the last two years we have closed the first week of December, it all depends on the weather,” he said.
For more information and to purchase a membership, interested golfers can look online at https://www.coldspringcc.com/.
Ludlow Country Club 1 Tony Lema Dr., Ludlow
Despite cold conditions its first day of operation this season on April 6, Ludlow Country Club Golf Professional Michael Bechard said people still showed up to play.
“We had maybe 20 golfers yesterday, it wasn’t really wet – it was raw. The rain stopped by 9 a.m. but it was definitely a raw day, not too many people came out,” he said.
Bechard said he is looking forward to the season.
“The golf course has been in tremendous condition the last few years, our membership is up quite a bit over the last few years, obviously COVID [-19] changed a lot of things. We are just looking to repeat [what] last year was like – which we were very busy – and just hoping the course is in good shape and everybody comes out and plays,” he said.
As a private club, golfers are required to become members with the club. Bechard said a full membership costs $2,600 while seniors 65 years of age and older, younger adults between 21 and 30 years of age and active military, police or fire can sign up at a reduced rate of $1,850 for Monday through Friday sessions for the whole season.
Bechard added that throughout the season, Ludlow Country Club offers a variety of tournaments.
“We have our Monday outings and we have roughly about 10 to 12 outside outings a year, mainly on Mondays but we do one Friday and one Sunday. Some of our tournaments in the club, like our member-guest and Walter Martowski two-ball, those are very large tournaments, the rest of them are generally large but some of them are super large,” he said.
Depending on the weather, Bechard said the course is open through at least the Sunday following Thanksgiving.
Prospective golfers can find more information online at https://www.ludlowcountryclub.com/.
Mill Valley Golf Links declined to comment, and Westover Municipal Golf Course did not return a request for comment by press time.