The bunkers have primarily degraded with no meaningful maintenance being put into them. Indeed, on the par 5 fifteenth hole I found a greenside bunker and my ball plugged among a network on vines that were so embedded I could move them aside but not pull them out from the ground. There is a lack of sand and well as ruts in several of the bunkers. Overall, even if the bunkers were in good shape I felt the need for several more bunkers as well as a better strategic placement of the current ones.

The land movement results in several false fronts although the ball generally will not come back more than 20 yards save for perhaps the sixteenth which is one of the highest greens I have ever played. It also leads to having to hit tee shots that can land on the rises rather than have a blind approach shot. Longer hitters can easily carry these rises and can also be rewarded with as much as 75 more yards of roll-out on a dry day.

My two playing partners were terrific in describing the holes. I lamented with them the course condition. And I also questioned them as to why the city of Boston does not simply raise the current guest fees for non-Boston residents but residents of Massachusetts by 25%, and for non-residents of the state they should double, perhaps even triple. The proceeds from these increased dues would then be put back into the course. This is exactly what Chambers Bay and Torrey Pines do in terms of pricing. I am not saying that George Wright could ever be in the same category because both of those courses have stunning water views (although Torrey Pines South is a somewhat mundane course). Yet given the quality of golf in Massachusetts, if George Wright was kept in great condition with improvements, out-of-state residents in town to play some of the better private courses would likely come to play George Wright given the splendid greens and land features.

People criticize the first two holes which are flat. I think in total there are only four flat holes on the course along with the sixth and thirteenth. If money was invested into the course one could easily improve the opening hole by adding additional fairway bunkers and putting in an elevated green with better bunkering. For the short second hole, the raised green complex is already good but the tee could be pushed back another 40 yards. These two changes would make the beginning somewhat equivalent to the quality of the other holes despite the flat land.

The course kicks into gear on the par 5 fifth where one’s ball lands and the uphill begins. The hole is up all the way and despite that, the green is raised even higher with a substantial false front and sharp roll-off to the left and rear. The fronting bunkers have to be carried or one will have a blind shot.

The fourth hole is a par 3 played slightly up and across a valley to a well bunkered green that tilts strongly to the front. It is a beautiful par 3 and is a strong hole, although not the best par 3 on the course given the quality of the par 3’s.

Five is a magnificent sharp dogleg right par 4 with a heaving fairway. Bigger hitters who can carry the tree line down the right side might have less than 50 yards on this 426 yard hole as the fairway drops significantly at the turn down to the green. The trees are thick on this hole. The green itself is disappointing with little movement. I found this to be the hardest hole on the front nine although my playing partners felt the ninth had that honor.

Six is a mid-length par 4 with another raised green set off to the right. This green has another smaller false front and features a fair amount of subtle movement. The bunkers fronting the green frame it very nicely.

Seven plays downhill from an elevated tee shot. Bigger hitters can perhaps drive the green given the steepness of the terrain as one heads towards the green on this 384 yard par 4. There is a depression short of the green on the left that can collect balls as well as a mound on the left that one can play off of to kick their ball onto the green. While I was unaware of the mound, I pulled my third shot left and saw the ball kick right. I was rewarded with par saving putt of 14 inches.

Eight is a strong uphll par 3 of 167 yards, rising perhaps as much as 50 feet. We had a back flag (most of our flags were back on nearly every hole), making the hole play closer to 200 yards. My partners were surprised that I pulled a 5 metal but I hit the right side of the green finding another mound that kicked my ball left. Alas, I missed the 8 feet putt for birdie. They hit 5 irons and both were well short. The green has five fronting bunkers and is a visual delight from the tee.

Nine offers a blind tee shot as the hole goes downhill. The fairway tilts to the left so the right side needs to be favored on this 449 yard par 4. The land levels out about 130 yards from the green which is large and angled to the right with a right front bunker. The green is a good one with a noticeable slant that seemed to sometimes break and then not break. I liked the hole.

Ten is a sharp dogleg left playing slightly uphill from the tee. There are two bunkers on the inner corner. The fairway narrows at the turn although longer hitters will likely go over the trees in front of those bunkers. After the turn the fairway drops substantially down to the green with the land finally levelling out about 40 yards short of the green. There are no bunkers at this green which puzzled me. I did not make the corner on my tee shot, laid up but hit a good third to save par as this is another fairly flat green on the front half. I did like the hole despite the sharpness of the turn.

Eleven is a slight dogleg right with another blind tee shot. The land drops sharply to the hole as sharply as it does on the seventh. The hole has a raised false front of perhaps eight feet. The green has good contouring. There is greenside bunker but it is set off slightly to the right which made little sense to me. This green is fairly close to the fairway. I found this to be one of the weaker holes on the back nine.

You climb up to the tee box on twelve to play to the hole with the sharpest falloff on the course. If you hit left you will likely go down the hill and gain 50 yards and perhaps find flat land for the approach. Longer hitters can carry the drop off and even the tall grass on the other side. I did not quite carry the rise and was left with a 210 yard downhill approach shot which I missed to the left. There is an angled creek about 30-40 yards short of the green. This is another green that appears to be flat but is not with quite a bit of movement. The drop off from the high point is perhaps as much as 80 feet.

Thirteen is a flat hole but one of the more picturesque holes on the course. There is an early pond and stream that should not be in play. The fairway weaves its way on this 386 yard par 4 to another raised green with a single bunker on the front left. I would have liked to have seen a bunker at the rear. There are no fairway bunkers. The hole is beautifully framed by trees.

Fourteen is another uphill par 3 playing at 189 yards. With our back pin it was playing 211. There is a deep bunker on the front left to probably the most tilted back to front greens on the course. Miss short and one will likely roll back 20 yards although two of our balls plugged just short of the green due to the rain.

Fifteen is a weak par 5 of 507 yards dogleg right. It is another blind tee shot from an elevated tee. The longer hitters will carry the trees down the right side or at least hit to the top of the mound. The hole flattens out before ending in another elevated green. There are two fronting bunkers at the green where the vines are growing. This hole is definitely calling for more bunkers for the second shot.

Sixteen is a par 4 of only 346 yards playing closer to 400 such is the height of the green to the fairway. It rises as much as 75 feet. Anything hit short on a dry day should come down 40-50 yards. My ball stayed just off the front left, nearly still in its pitch mark. This green has a bank on its left side kicking balls to the right. I loved the hole despite the climb.

Seventeen, a par 3 of 167 yards plays downhill to a green surrounded by 4 bunkers. The rear of the green has a bank that should send a ball back onto the green unless the grass is saturated. You play down yet the green is elevated eight feet. It is the most picturesque and beautiful hole on the course.

Eighteen plays mainly level with a bunker set well off to the right that made little sense. There is a stream about 25 yards from the green that crosses the entirety of the fairway. The green is disappointing as it is flat with no bunkers.

In its current condition, I cannot recommend playing George Wright. The greens and tee boxes are fine although the greens showed an ample amount of unrepaired pitch marks from golfers who show no respect for the game. The fairways show wear, weeds, and different blends of grasses. The bunkers are poor. The course is beautifully routed over the hilly terrain but one feels or “senses” that the course could be so much more than it is. It is not an architectural marvel such as Yale or even Cape Arundel. I suspect it made the custodians list because they were looking for a municipal course “designed” by Donald Ross, or because it is low priced. But it is borderline to say it is good value for the money even if inexpensive.

However, perhaps the best praise I can give the course is that on many holes one has to make decisions as well as one will likely use most of the clubs in their bag at some point, rather than the 7-9 clubs they typically use on a golf course. In the right hands, this could be a top ten course in Massachusetts.