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Jeffery R. Bertch
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Jeffery R. Bertch
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Jeffery R. Bertch
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Jeffery R. Bertch
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Jeffery R. Bertch
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Jeffery R. Bertch
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Jeffery R. Bertch
Overview
Essex County Club is considered the first great Donald Ross design and perhaps his most intriguing. He wasn’t the original architect, but he served as its professional from 1909 to 1913 (until his design business became so lucrative he no longer needed the pro job) and lived on site, so he was able to tweak many holes. Ultimately, he returned to do a substantial remodeling in 1917. Unusual holes are the order of the day, from the flat opening nine with fuzzy chocolate drops covered in tall fescue grasses to the blind shots, both uphill and downhill, on the back nine. The par-3 11th, with its green resembling the deck of a sinking ship, and the downhill par-4 18th, shaped like an S around small hills, are special. The club insists its third green, created in 1893 and preserved by Ross in his remodel, is the oldest green in continuous existence in America.
About
Awards
Ranking history:
100 Greatest: Ranked since 2017.
2023-'24 ranking: 78th.
Previous ranking: 79th.
Highest ranking: No. 73, 2019-'20.
Best in State: Ranked third, 2019-'20. Ranked fifth, 2011-'14, 2021-'22. Ranked sixth, 2015-'18. Ranked inside the top 10, 1987-'91, 2009. Ranked inside the top 15, 2001, 2005-'07.
Current ranking: Fourth
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“Essex is a classic New England track on the North Shore of Boston. I played in the fall while the leaves were changing and it was a magical day. The course routing makes use of some great rock outcroppings and big native trees. It looks completely natural and is a great walk."
Read More2024
Review
“Go play this old school gem whenever you get the chance."
Read More2024
Review
“What a golf club! Best conditions of any course I have played in a decade. The fact that Donald Ross lived on site should tell you that this is a classic, quintessential Ross design. Do not pass up to the opportunity to visit this club (or its locker room)! Essex has a great variety of long and short holes, with excellent greens & surrounds that require you to think through the shot and control your golf ball. There are amazing views of clubhouse throughout property, which is historic and magnificent. The course has several blind(ish) shots, reminding you of the time period in which it was built. Fescue, mounds, waste areas, bunkers and rock outcroppings everywhere! Conditions continue to improve throughout the years with better drainage, a massive tree removal project and awesome true and fast putting surfaces."
Read More2024
Review
“Essex County Club for this author is the best golf course in Massachusetts. It serves as a historical marker for the roots of the women's game, provided the springboard for the design careers of Donald Ross and Wayne Stiles, was one of the first courses where mechanized earthmoving equipment was used, and is the best design from (at least) the earlier half of Donald Ross's portfolio. Sympathetic restoration in the last decade has Essex playing as good as its early days, and a day at Essex is one of the country's most coveted invitations."
Read More2023
Review
“Built on rugged and rocky terrain like its neighbor Myopia Hunt, Essex County Club was Donald Ross' home for a bit and is one of his best designs. The course is expertly routed with 18 unique, strategic holes providing great shot options. A lot of discussion surrounds the back 9 at Essex which is fantastic and memorable, especially the 10th, 11th, 17th, and 18th, but I was equally impressed with stretch of front 9 from 4-8. The 5th hole is a short par 5 with a blind teeshot and wonderfully placed hazard, forcing the golfer to make a decision on their second shot. This creek continues diagonally on the 6th hole, a short dogleg right par 4 with plenty of options for the golfer on this teeshot. The long par 4 8th might be the most difficult hole on the course with a blind uphill teeshot to a fairway that features wild land movement. This is one of the best courses in New England and easily top 100 in the US."
Read More2023
Review
“Just amazing. Old-world Boston vibes from the very moment you turn onto the entrance road."
Read More2023
Review
“Classic Donald Ross design where he was the pro and lived for a few years. Front nine is terrific but the back nine is truly special. #18 tee box provides a great look at the entire property and is one truly unique finishing hole. The staff was welcoming. Do not turn down an invitation to play here."
Read More2023
Review
“A unique layout on a beautiful piece of land. It is hard to find a better variety of holes. The rock formations and colorful fescue grasses really add to the club's scenic value and make for an extremely enjoyable walk. Most of the attention at Essex is given to the back nine (and for good reason), but in my opinion the 1st hole is one of the best openers I have played. Really old school clubhouse and locker room really adds to the charm."
Read More2022
Review
“A rejuvenating experience."
Read More2022
Review
“Essex offers nearly outstanding shot options with a great variety of risk reward trade-offs on both the tee (#2, 6, 10, & 13) and the approach (#5, 7, and 8). Fun is outstanding for both the scratch golfer and the higher handicap with options of play available on almost all holes. The course is fair and scorable for a scratch golfer, but provides nearly excellent challenge. Essex’s layout design is nearly outstanding, with the Par 3s being outstanding, the Par 4’s mixing great length, direction and strategy, and the two Par 5s playing in different directions and very differently. Donald Ross’s stamp is all over Essex and his design strategy makes the course particularly distinctive. Essex boasts some of Massachusetts’s most bold topography and the course uses it to its upmost benefit making the course aesthetics nearly outstanding, particularly the rock cropping to the left of #1. Essex had nearly outstanding conditioning, which allowed the player to experience Ross’s intent on the holes and green complexes. Essex is a classic New England Club with a nearly outstanding character. "
Read More2022
Readers
Collection of reviews from our readers
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