The International Oaks
Bolton, Mass.
Played: June 27, 2024
Yardage: 6,944/5,243
Tier: Farm to Table
Rating: 3
A 2001 Tom Fazio design was reimagined by Trip Davis in 2021. New bunkering, excavated waste areas, and more yardage added visual and strategic intrigue along with increased challenge.
The Oaks is heavily wooded and hilly, creating great scenery and tough shots off tees and into greens. The round begins with some holes that allow players to settle into the round. The first three par-four holes (3, 5, 6) are all shorter than 400 yards. Holes 2 and 4 are par 3s.
Then, once players reach the 9th hole, the length on the scorecard starts to show up and long irons make quite a few appearances on approach shots. The ninth and tenth can eat your lunch, and then the 200-yard 11th is waiting to take your dessert.
The back nine is the stronger of nines.
The 15th hole is the best on the course. It looks different than the rest of the holes, but it doesn’t feel out of place. The second shot, framed by waste area to a green that’s perched on a hill and set back in the trees is awesome. The closing stretch in general is very good, 16 might be the weakest of those last four holes.
As is the case with courses like the Oaks, built in the late 1990s, there are many holes, especially on the front, where you hit off a high point down to a fairway and then back uphill.
However, as the round wears on, the tee shots and hole shapes change and have more variety.
There are five par 3s and five par 5s. The three par 3s on the back were very good. The two on the front were a little lackluster. The par 5s as a set are strong and all very different, a mix of reachable and three-shotters. The 8th and 12th were my favorite of the par 5s.
The greens as a set are strong and have short grass and collection areas that offer choices for chips, pitches, and putts. Approaches into them are tough and they have a lovely rumpled look.
Overall, The Oaks is a great challenge that is wider than it appears from the tee box with a variety of holes. It’s in excellent condition. As the entire club experiences its transformation with The Pines and new buildings/amenities, it’s going to be quite a destination in central Mass.
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