July 8, 2009
Perched atop the hills of Proprietor's Way in Dracut where the town founders walked off the original boundaries better than three centuries ago (1701), sits one of the great additions to the public golf scene in the Merrimack Valley - the Meadow Creek Golf Club.
Built from an old farm on the front nine and cut out of the woods on the back, Meadow Creek's architect and part-owner, Jeffrey Brem, borrowed from the ideas of three of the game's great architects, Donald Ross, A.W. Tillinghast, and Alister MacKenzie, to come up with a challenging and scenic course.
"Where our strength lies is in the terrain. That's what my forte is," Brem explained of the course which includes a harmony of open meadows and hilly, wooded terrain.
"I'm an engineer, not a golf course architect. I don't know a lot about agronomy or landscaping and because we were trying to fit 250 homes (which ultimately became 187 homes) into the design with so many wetlands and such a hilly terrain, the concept was to have every hole be a different hole and bring a different strategy. Eighteen different looks, 18 different approaches, and 18 unique holes."
With an array of distinctly different holes that can be played from four different tee boxes - red, white, blue or black - that vision has been accomplished.
Along the way, Brem infused his own unique skills and thoughts into the process, starting with a novel twist.
"I did the opposite of most golf courses," he explained. "I spent time making the holes easier to play because the terrain is quite challenging."
One of Brem's primary tasks was to avoid what he terms "penal golf" where water hazards block off and protect greens. In his opinion that strategy locks out a large proportion of the golfing clientele including beginning level players and the elderly.
That is not to say Brem completely eliminates the idea of carrying shots over hazards. Holes six and 11 each feature an elevated tee box from which golfers hit over a sizeable wetland hazard.
"To paraphrase what Alister (MacKenzie) said, the best holes are the ones that look the hardest, but when you get up to the green and putt for par you feel a sense of accomplishment," said Brem of the two holes he called "heroic" holes. "It looks so different from the tee, but in reality if you hit a decent tee shot off either hole, they are relatively easy."
A thinking man's course, MCGC record holder David Costa, who shot a 66 last July, said playing Meadow Creek is about placement golf and keeping track of where the impending trouble spots may be lurking because the greens can make or break your game.
"The greens are a big equalizer," said Costa, who enjoys 403-yard par-4 seventh because of its challenging nature and both the 384-yard 11th and the 365-yard 17th for their aesthetics. "You definitely have to think about the yardage going into the greens because there are challenges around every corner."
Costa moved to nearby Lowell from Kentucky four and a half years ago, but could not settle on a course until he found Meadow Creek. He notes that MCGC offers the perfect balance of service and quality, but still at a reasonable price.
"I kept looking and looking for a place to join, but I didn't find anything that was both reasonable membership dues-wise and that was also a nice track," explained Costa, who added that the staff of MCGC are the type of people you just want to hang out or have lunch with.
"I was very impressed with what the membership dues were here and the course absolutely blew me away. I've played numerous private and public courses in the area, but the condition here will blow your mind for a course that is open to the public."
In addition to being a beautiful course, Meadow Creek really takes care of the little details that in turn make you feel that you are playing a private track. Players are handed a beautiful scorecard with accurate, descriptive pictures of each hole before setting foot on the course and those details are further enhanced by a GPS system which can be found in all the carts. In addition, the cart paths, which hug the fairways throughout the course, have distances to the green listed on every speed bump.
Another nice touch is a small auxiliary putting green behind the first tee that allows golfers the chance to take a few extra strokes while waiting to tee off.
Innovation in membership iniatives is also clearly an aspect Meadow Creek has jumped to the forefront of on the North Shore. After attending a conference in New Orleans recently for the National Golf Course Owners Association, Brem came up with a unique idea to implement a new members' incentive program starting in the 2009 season.
Essentially the way the program works is that a player's membership functions as a debit card. If at the end of the year a player has not played enough to justify his season's membership cost, the remaining balance is transferred into the following year's dues. With the ability to also take public player tee times, Brem said it was a win/win situation for the club and its players.
"It's a value guarantee that you get your value," said Brem, who got the idea from a private course at the meeting which had implemented the plan for one of its members who got hurt during a season and could not play.
"It's a win-win for everyone because if a member does not play, being a public course we have other people playing," continued Brem, who said the first year program has hooked several new members. "You benefit because you get it for the following year, and we're all set because we have other tee times."
Striving to become one of the most impressive golf experiences in northern Massachusetts is what general manager Kevin Shepple says Meadow Creek is all about.
"We're trying to give you a private course experience at a public price," said Shepple, a 1987 UMass Lowell grad who has welcomed the River Hawks' golf team to Meadow Creek as their new home course.
"We have the picturesque, well-maintained conditions of a private country club and it's easy to get to. It's a great service, a great course, and hopefully a great club house."
Around the bend
Founded: Meadow Creek Golf Club, 2007
Architect: Jeffrey Brem (primary); George F. Sargent, Jr. (secondary)
Influences: Donald Ross, Alister MacKenzie, and A.W. Tillinghast
Par/Distance/Slope/PGA Rating: From the blacks, 71/6,501/134/72.7
Course Record: David Costa, 66, July 2008
Rates for 18: Weekdays $43 walking, $60 riding; Weekends $55 walking, $72 riding.
Driving Range: No.
Membership: Unlimited golf, $2,500
Number of rounds: 25,000 per year
Clubhouse: Targeted to open September 7, 2009.
Fun fact: One of the holes at MCGC is an old Native American hunting area and archeological site in which arrow heads and other artifacts were found. The club however, is keeping the specific hole a secret.
