Hardest Public Golf Courses in Massachusetts

The hardest public golf course in Massachusetts is Crumpin-Fox Club in Bernardston, with a slope of 147 and a course rating of 75.1 from the BLACK tees (7,023 yards). It is a semi-private course that sells public tee times. Semi-private clubs limit public tee times to certain days or hours, so call ahead. Next are Norton Country Club (slope 143) and The Ranch Golf Club (slope 142).

5 hardest public courses in Massachusetts, by slope

Every course here has had its public access checked against a named source.

Rank	Course	City	Access	Slope	Course rating	Tee	Yards	Access checked
1	Crumpin-Fox Club	Bernardston	Semi-private	147	75.1	BLACK	7,023	Nov 2026 source
2	Norton Country Club	Norton	Public	143	73.2	GOLD	6,561	Nov 2026 source
3	The Ranch Golf Club	Southwick	Public	142	74.9	BLACK	7,131	Nov 2026 source
4	Granite Links Golf Club	Quincy	Semi-private	141	73.0	BLACK	6,735	Nov 2026 source
5	Blackstone National Golf Club	Sutton	Public	139	74.6	BLACK	6,909	Nov 2026 source

How this list is built

Each course is ranked by the highest slope rating from its men's tees. Women's ratings are used only where a course publishes no men's rating. Only regulation 18-hole courses are included; nine-hole courses are left out.

Only courses whose public access Stymie has checked against the club's own site or another named source are listed, and private clubs are left out. That is why this list differs from the hardest golf courses in Massachusetts, which ranks every rated course.

Courses are checked in order from the highest slope down, and the list stops at the first course whose public access has not been checked yet, so nothing here skips over an unchecked course. Courses that were checked and could not be confirmed as open to the public are left out. 315 golf courses in Massachusetts have a slope rating on file, and Stymie has checked access for 64 of them so far.

Semi-private courses limit public tee times. Call ahead before you plan a round.

Massachusetts public course FAQ

What is the hardest public golf course in Massachusetts?

Of the Massachusetts courses Stymie has checked for public access, Crumpin-Fox Club in Bernardston has the highest slope rating: 147 from the BLACK tees, with a course rating of 75.1. Norton Country Club is next at 143. Courses are checked from the highest slope down, so no unchecked course ranks above the ones listed.

Can anyone play Crumpin-Fox Club?

Yes. Crumpin-Fox Club is a semi-private course that sells public tee times. Semi-private clubs limit public tee times to certain days or hours, so call ahead. Stymie checked its access in Nov 2026 against foretee.com. Tee-time policies change, so confirm with the course before you go.

How is difficulty measured?

By slope rating, which measures how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer. It runs from 55 to 155, and 113 is standard difficulty. Each course is ranked by the highest slope from its men's tees, and only regulation 18-hole courses are included. Course rating, the score a scratch golfer is expected to shoot, is shown alongside.

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