The hardest golf courses in Manchester, Massachusetts
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Manchester, Massachusetts, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 23 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers South Hamilton, Ipswich, Georgetown, Boxford, Haverhill and 4 more nearby towns.
Ipswich Country Club
Ipswich, MA, USASlope rating 140, 75.2 course rating, Gold tees, 7,023 yds
PrivateRobert Trent Jones Sr.
- Driving range
- Parkland
- Strategic
The at Turner Hill
The Golf Club at Turner Hill
Ipswich, MA, USASlope rating 138, 75.1 course rating, Championship tees, 7,036 yds
PrivateDr. Michael Hurdzan & Dana Fry
- 5.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 4.0Scenery
- 4.0Facilities
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Fast greens
Winchester Country Club
Winchester, MA, USASlope rating 137, 73.5 course rating, Blue tees, 6,832 yds
PrivateDonald Ross & Stephen Kay
- 5.0Conditions
- 4.5Layout
- 4.0Scenery
- 4.0Facilities
- Driving range
- Restaurant
- Bar
Andover Country Club
Andover, MA, USASlope rating 136, 72.6 course rating, Blue tees, 6,639 yds
PublicW. H. Pipe Follett
- 4.0Conditions
- NRLayout
- NRValue
- NRScenery
- NRFacilities
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Essex County Club
Manchester, MA, USASlope rating 136, 72.5 course rating, Blue tees, 6,555 yds
PrivateDonald Ross
- 4.6Conditions
- 5.0Layout
- 4.2Scenery
- 4.5Facilities
If this isn't the most fun Donald Ross course to play, I don't know what is. One of the great members clubs in America. Quirk in every good way possible. The back may be the best 9 in Massachusetts (saying a lot).
Written by
@Urannimal
- Must play
- Pristine
- Fast greens
Salem Country Club
Peabody, MA, USA
Slope rating 135, 74.1 course rating, Gold tees, 6,916 yds
Myopia Hunt Club
South Hamilton, MA, USA
Slope rating 135, 73.2 course rating, Back tees, 6,560 yds
Indian Ridge Country Club
Andover, MA, USA
Slope rating 133, 72.1 course rating, Championship tees, 6,501 yds
Cohasset Golf Club
Cohasset, MA, USA
Slope rating 133, 71.1 course rating, Championship tees, 6,268 yds
Renaissance Golf Club
Haverhill, MA, USA
Slope rating 131, 74.9 course rating, Black tees, 7,031 yds
Bradford Country Club
Bradford, MA, USA
Slope rating 131, 71.1 course rating, Black tees, 6,142 yds
Black Swan Country Club
Georgetown, MA, USA
Slope rating 130, 72.9 course rating, Black tees, 6,803 yds
(Fox/Herron) Far Corner Golf Club
Boxford, MA, USA
Slope rating 130, 72.9 course rating, Blue tees, 6,711 yds
Kernwood Country Club
Salem, MA, USA
Slope rating 130, 72.1 course rating, Blue tees, 6,402 yds
Tedesco Country Club
Marblehead, MA, USA
Slope rating 129, 72.1 course rating, Black tees, 6,448 yds
Haverhill Country Club
Haverhill, MA, USA
Slope rating 129, 70.6 course rating, Championship tees, 6,393 yds
Merrimack Valley Golf Club
Methuen, MA, USA
Slope rating 129, 70.1 course rating, Black tees, 6,012 yds
Sagamore Spring Golf Club
Lynnfield, MA, USA
Slope rating 125, 69.1 course rating, Black tees, 5,972 yds
Hatherly Country Club
North Scituate, MA, USA
Slope rating 124, 70.5 course rating, Blue tees, 6,185 yds
Gannon Municipal Golf Club
Lynn, MA, USA
Slope rating 123, 70.2 course rating, Blue tees, 6,110 yds
Country Club of Billerica
Billerica, MA, USA
Slope rating 123, 67.9 course rating, Blue tees, 5,798 yds
Hillview Golf Course
North Reading, MA, USA
Slope rating 120, 67.4 course rating, Blue tees, 5,773 yds
Mount Hood Golf Course
Melrose, MA, USA
Slope rating 117, 67.1 course rating, Blue tees, 5,633 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Manchester, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
Ipswich Country Club is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Manchester, Massachusetts at Slope 140 (75.2 course rating · Gold tees · 7,023 yds). 23 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Manchester, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Manchester, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 4:16 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
