Patrick Koenig
Patrick Koenig
Patrick Koenig
Patrick Koenig
Patrick Koenig
Patrick Koenig
Patrick Koenig
Patrick Koenig
Patrick Koenig
Patrick Koenig
Salem Country Club
Salem Country Club
133 Forest St
Peabody, MA 01960-3998
United States
Overview
Salem was a mainstay on the Golf Digest ranking of America’s 100 Greatest Courses since the list’s inception in 1966, until falling off in 2005. Hoping to jolt the venerable Donald Ross-designed course into relevance, the club hired Eric Iverson to engage in a major, $3.5 million restoration of Ross’s bunkers that also included adjusting and adding tees, redefining fairway lines, increasing hole flexibility on the putting surfaces and taking down several hundred trees that had been choking many of the holes.
About
Awards
ranking history:
100 Greatest: Ranked for 36 years from 1969-2004. The course was also part of Golf Digest's original 200 Toughest Courses list from 1966-'68.
Highest ranking: 52nd, 1995-'96.
Best in State: Ranked inside the top 5, 1977-2005. Ranked sixth, 2011-'12. Ranked seventh, 2013-'14. Ranked eighth, 2019-'20. Ranked ninth, 2015-'18, 2023-'24. Ranked 10th, 2021-'22, 2025-'26. Ranked inside the top 10, 2007-'10.
Previous ranking: 9th.
2025-'26 ranking: 10th.
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
“Restored and refreshed Donald Ross Club in Peabody MA with some of the finest 18 consecutive greens sites I've had the privilege of playing. Not one hole out of place, forced etc. The entire course flows fantastic across a relatively varied and tumbling property. Firm and fast with rought that is tricky but not overwhelming made for a wonderful day. Greens 9 and 18 may be a bit too much for today's current green speeds with too much pitch back to front."
Read More2025
Review
“Salem Country Club is a challenging and often overlooked track in MA. It's overshadowed by some of the bigger names in the state (Essex, Myopia and The Country Club) but presents quite the test. The greens of 9 and 18 need attention. Having played the course multiple times - I find those greens in particular are borderline unfair and in some cases - "unpinnable." It's good to hear that there are future plans to address them. I would never turn an invite down to play there."
Read More2025
Review
“A truly engaging set of greens from start to finish."
Read More2025
Review
“Salem Country Club is a stern but fair test of golf that adds a significant dose of charm, beauty and character in the mix. The land is well suited for golf. Not too severe overall, but gentle rolling hills throughout provide interest. The green complexes shine. Greens like #1, #13, #16 and #17 are completely unique, full of interest, and worthy of awe. The lack of any housing visible throughout the course shifts focus towards the true aesthetic beauty of the golf course features themselves. Tee shots are tested with lines of charm, ideal shot shapes and landing areas. Approach shots are tested with risk/reward options towards devilish pin placement locations. Short game options abound. The original, untouched/unaltered Donald Ross course layout and greens over the course of history (which is rare as many other courses have been tinkered with to some extent) provide a compelling character score."
Read More2025
Review
“Salem Country Club is a stern but fair test of golf that adds a significant dose of charm, beauty and character in the mix. The land is well suited for golf. Not too severe overall, but gentle rolling hills throughout provide interest. The green complexes shine. Greens like #1, #13, #16 and #17 are completely unique, full of interest, and worthy of awe. The lack of any housing visible throughout the course shifts focus towards the true aesthetic beauty of the golf course features themselves. Tee shots are tested with lines of charm, ideal shot shapes and landing areas. Approach shots are tested with risk/reward options towards devilish pin placement locations. Short game options abound. The original, untouched/unaltered Donald Ross course layout and greens over the course of history (which is rare as many other courses have been tinkered with to some extent) provide a compelling character score."
Read More2025
Review
“Salem is a wonderful Donald Ross layout on Boston's north shore with a strong history of hosting USGA events, including a recent US Senior Open. The course sits on a large, hilly property around a central clubhouse and features excellent firm, fast conditions and speedy greens. The putting surfaces themselves are some of the most interesting and best Ross ever made, with strong variety and severe penalties for those who short side themselves. Standout holes include the epic risk/reward par 4 13th, a wonderful set of par threes, and strong closing stretch of stout par fours. This course sits just behind the Big 7 in Massachusetts and is a course you could gladly play every day."
Read More2025
Review
“one of the best set of greens in the USA"
Read More2025
Review
“Fantastic Donald Ross routing on the north shore of Massachusetts. Several standout holes on the course, with the drivable 13th a true highlight. Over time, the layout has become relatively short, which has made some of the green complexes less challenging approaching with a higher lofted club. The 18th hole, in my opinion, is a weak finisher, requiring a significant fade off of the tee to avoid the enlarged parking lot. Conditioning was exceptional."
Read More2024
Review
“Well-routed interesting golf course on great land for a golf course. A better test of shots that other Ross courses in my opinion as there are relatively fewer unfair drop-offs. Land forms are great. It's a rare combination of being a relatively stern test of golf, an interesting walk on varied terrain, and yet a surprisingly pleasant round of golf. Lots of subtle architectural features -- such as the location of the pond and green on 9 -- a drive in the fairway and the pond is not an issue, but a drive in the rough puts the pond in play."
Read More2024
Review
“Salem is a very nice traditional New England parkland layout that is especially beautiful in the fall. Trees separate the playing corridors but don’t encroach on greens or fairways and add pops of color throughout the round in October. Since the greens have been expanded to the edges of the original pads there are now additional options for players to consider playing away from pins if optimal positions off the tee are not found."
Read More2024
