Beyond the course itself, the clubhouse environment is top-notch. The patio offers sweeping views of the property, making it the perfect spot for a post-round drink and lunch. The driving range and pro shop are fully equipped, and the entire vibe is both professional and welcoming. read more

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Great course! Great Staff! Great & close membership! Course is being sold however! Hopefully not much changes and new owners have some respect for tradition and don't "F" it all up! Not a lot of room now to improve except maybe speed of play. read more

the course is in good shape. many of pins are too difficult for a weekend round causing very slow play. I'm tired of 5+ hour rounds if I play there on the weekend. course does nothing to speed up play read more

One of the best meals we have ever had! Very flavorful, reasonably priced, great atmosphere outdoors on the patio with live music and very attentive service! We had steak tips and swordfish tacos. The only disappointment: Onion rings were all fried with very little onion. Can't wait to go back! Such an enjoyable experience! read more

Shining Rock Golf Club - Swordfish tacos - Golf Near Me - Northbridge, Massachusetts

I wish I can give it zero stars. This course used to be one of my favorites because of the layout and the challenge. I understand that courses need maintenance but when everything is COMPLETELY covered in sand, and you still charge $89 for greens fees?? Thats just not cool! Awful experience. I had some friends playing the next day and had to tell them to cancel right away. read more

Shining Rock Golf Club - Nicer are - Golf Near Me - Northbridge, Massachusetts

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Excellent food, drinks, friendly staff, beautiful location, never disappoints, would definitely recommend this place

Restaurant food and staff are awesome. Dave A great as well as Steve O and the crew! Dave Stanley read more

Lunch by the golf course, nice breeze and a view overlook the golf course. People watching on the fairway. Lunch was delicious. Tried one of their specials. Fried scallops with sweet potato fries! Soooo delicious! Noise level was a bit on the high 8/10. Otherwise, it's a great place to grab a bite after golf. Pleasant service and fast service. read more

Shining Rock Golf Club - Fried scallops with sweet potato fries! Yum! - Golf Near Me - Northbridge, Massachusetts

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My family had a dinner celebration there and the food & staff were all great. I worked with Rachel, who accommodated our large group, and they even set us all up inside when the weather turned bad. Everyone really enjoyed the appetizers and their entrées and Dave, behind the bar, made delicious drinks and kept everyone happy. Our waitress was very attentive to everything we needed. There was high praise from everyone in our group. Thank you, Shining Rock Staff. Looking forward to coming back when the weather is better because the view is gorgeous! read more

This review is more about procedures than it is about the course itself. The course was very good, greens were great, condition of course was excellent. Now the problem, the pace of play was atrocious, absolutely nothing was done about even after a call to the pro shop we still didn't see a ranger until an hour later. With all due respect to the employee who did speak to us, his explanation and solution for the massive waits was insufficient. The problems were obvious to my group and the group behind us, but those problems were not addressed by staff, resulting in an absolutely miserable experience at an above average venue. Damn shame read more

We had great meals tonight I had steak tips and Jeanne had pan seared scallops Both very good They were so accommodating with changes Our waiter David was over the top for service and recommendations you got to ask for him read more

Love this golf course. Very happy to be able to play here during quarantine as it's the best course in the area. Shining Rock is comparable to a Vermont mountain course as numerous holes are built into the side of hills which provide unique approach shots into the greens. Usually it's an excellent shape and playing in May 2020 is no exception! read more

Oh my Lord. I want to keep this place just to myself, but I can't, it's just too amazing. Play on a clear day and you will have some of the most unreal views I've ever had on a golf course. Every hole (only got in 9 before dark) is unreal. The course COULD NOT be more perfectly maintained. Even the last week of the season it was in absolute ideal condition. The view from one set of holes with higher elevation to the lower ones is post card worthy. I kept thinking that on almost every hole; this should be on a post card. I took my phone out to take pictures and considering I couldn't feel my hands most of the day when they were out of my pockets, that's saying a lot. Even better, every employee was as friendly as you could imagine. The starter was fantastic and gave great advice, even though I'm sure he wasn't loving being outside in 40 degree weather with winds gusting in the 40s on the day before Thanksgiving. The pro shop guy was incredibly friendly too. It goes a hell of a long way when you find a nice course with equally nice employees. I felt welcome the entire time, even on the day before Turkey day when I'm sure they were dying to get home early. At $41 with a cart in the fall it's an absolute steal. I normally wouldn't spend $65 or $70 to play a round (during spring and summer) on top of driving 45 minutes but this course will absolutely have me back for more, and possible before they close for the season this Sunday. I'm hooked!. read more

This is the best golf course that I will never play again. Course: Fabulous course. Very unfair for the first time player - so many unseen troubles, places NOT to go, etc. I would imagine repeat play would be better. Greens are tough to read / putt - they were FAST. That is a compliment, btw. Staff is rude : When asked if the group of 4 foursomes (16 players) teeing off (8 minutes!!!!) ahead of us would be held to their 'strict' 4hr 20min round, I was told yes. Then told by their head guy to "mind my own business, and stick to the things I can control". Pace of play: OMG ridiculously slow and silly. 5:45 to play any course is tragic. They not only did nothing to ensure reasonable pace, they misled us about it all of 20 minutes ahead of our teeing off. So, to whom it may concern, I will stick to the things I can control : this review, and my tee times. You will never see me or anyone I can influence visiting your course again. I can be treated poorly at work, thanks. read more

Well maintained, somewhat goofy layout. No driving range, which for a course that is charging nearly $80 w/cart on the weekends, is inexcusable. Overpriced relative to other options in the area (Highfields). Miserably slow play on weekends. From the back tees, it's about 900 yards on the four par 3's, mid irons off a handful of par 4 tees. read more

I play roughly 75 rounds a year. There is no reason a round of golf should take any longer than four hours and 30 minutes. Three weeks ago I tried this course well-maintained but the people playing this course had no sense of urgency and Minnie feel like they are on the PGA tour. The first six holes took me three hours this is no exaggeration as they were no less than 10 carts waiting to tee off on a whole five. Today I decide to give it a second shot I had an 1130 teatime and things were going pretty smooth for three holes. Long story short 4 1/2 hours later I only made it through whole 14 and had to leave. I will never play this course again unless I am the first person off in the morning read more

Great public course. I play a lot in the area and this one is definitely worth a visit. There are a bunch of very challenging holes which provide for many interesting shots. Great layout. The only downside is that the course gets a lot of play, thus there are a bunch of divots and ball marks. The course is still in great shape and definitely worth the greens fees. read more

OK the elevation drops make for great scenery which I can enjoy but the course layout is contrived or manipulated to fit where it should not fit. I'm here to play golf and not take pictures for FB. The first time you play a course is always a challenge but Shining Rock makes it more difficult than others. You really need a good course guide because many of the shots on the front are to specific target areas. The front and back are like two different courses. Too many short par 4's, too many severe dog legs and cart paths that you drive into on coming shots from other holes reflect the fact that this course is a force fit into too little terrain. Be prepared for hitting side hill, downhill and uphill lies. The mixing of the course with the granite quarries is very nice. As others noted pace of play is slow and painful. The course was not crowded on this Tuesday morning but the layout creates too many problems and drags out play. The price is great. No driving range (ran out of space) a small putting green but a nice chipping and bunker area. Very friendly and accommodating staff and a very good menu and food. The lobster roll was great. What's the deal with the community here? You drive through a neighborhood thinking you missed a turn. read more

I flew into MA to spend the week there for work. I was incredibly impressed with Shining Rock's course and employees! The course was in meticulous tip-top shape (greens were plugged 4 weeks earlier), and Rachel accommodated us with our special requests. The GM Lou hooked me up with a top-of-the-line Titleist AP3 trial rental set (+ a Scotty putter), and my overall experience was fantastic. I played Butter Brook the following day, and my experience was nowhere near that of Shining Rock's. I even said during that round, "we should've played Shining Rock instead." I will continue to come back to this course every year, and I may even buy that Titleist set of irons. Loved them! read more

Excellent mountain target track. Well maintained but bunkers could use a little work. Sparse pro-shop but everything you need. Facilities are clean and nice. Relative fast play and great food/beverage service including cart and outdoor service at turn. Could use better practice facilities read more

Shining Rock Golf Club - Pretty greens - Golf Near Me - Northbridge, Massachusetts

Played for first time on a Monday. $47 with cart for seniors weekdays Not crowded. Teed off 20 mins early and finished in 4.5 hours. Front 9 has more character than back. Green tees combined with white on many holes making for a very short course. Too many holes were driver, 9 iron,putter Greens tough Many distances were much shorter than shown on card read more

Had the best burger in a LONG time here and the view is phenomenal! Burger came with everything and was very tasty. The glass of wine my wife got was a nice pour. Not one of those small glasses you would probably get else where. Can't wait for the next beautiful night to go back and sit outside read more

Shining Rock Golf Club - Picture doesn't do it justice. A beautiful night - Golf Near Me - Northbridge, Massachusetts

first Time at the course paying 89 dollars with a cart on a Saturday at 1:20. The started said it would be a long round as they only space tee times 9 minutes apart which is not enough time in between tee times for what you pay to play. The course was hard as a rock and seemed to need some water or something to soften it up a little. I hit a 100 yard wedge to the green i thought was going to be a great shot, but as it landed on the green it bounced about 4 feet in the air and went over the green. That wasn't the worst part of this round. We didnt finish this round till 7 o'clock. we spent almost 3 hours a 9 behind people who didnt Let us play through, looked for balls for about 15 minutes a hole, hit at least 2 balls off every tee and would wait for them To get on the green to tee off. I spoke to a ranger, and the started after the front and they did nothing about it. I will not be coming back to this course after this pathetic showing from the employees and the course. read more

Went for drinks and appetizers with 2 friends. Only seats available were on the patio. Hostess brought heat lamp by table to help with chill. Food was good and service from our waitress was great. However while we were still drinking a different waitress came over and closed the garage door to main restaurant and bolted it. She didn't even think to let us know or give us an option to come inside. We were surprised and she knew we were because she and the customers she had looked at us and laughed. We got the hostesses attention and asked her why not warn or offer us to come inside before rudely closing door. She was just as rude back. Not what we expected. Would have been nice to offer us a seat inside or explain door would be closing. read more

Played a mid-September round at Shining Rock today. First time on the course. Here's the breakdown... Conditions: Tee boxes and fairways slightly better than average. Fairways extremely spongy due to some heavy rains the day before. Big divots everywhere, seems like the course gets a lot of play. The greens were aerated and heavily top-dressed the day we played which would have been nice to know and/or given a discount. They rolled fast even with the sand. Must be really fast during peak season. Didn't find myself in a bunker all day (shockingly) but from what I saw they were nice and fluffy. Rough is pretty thick, gotta look hard to find any ball that misses the short stuff. Layout: I found the layout to be extremely contrived and gimmicky. The course has no flow, doesn't breathe at all. Just a bunch of weird holes crammed on top of one another. Several 200+ yard forced carries from the blues. 90 degree doglegs. Very long par 3's and very short par 4's. Just a poor design with an emphasis on the weird rather than a true 18 hole test of golf. Staff: Every single person I encountered from the pro shop, to the starter, to the waitress after the round was extremely welcoming and helpful. No complaints here whatsoever. Atmosphere: I read several reviews about how scenic the course is. I found nothing of the sort. No real views or anything. The course is surrounded by miles and miles of pre-fab condo homes. Some pretty cool stone protrusions around the course, though. I play most of my golf in New Hampshire so I may be spoiled as far as mountain courses with scenic views go but I just didn't get that feeling from this course. read more

Worst golf experience of my life. First, there is NO practice facility at this course, not even a putting green. This is an inexcusable oversight. We showed up early after flying to Boston from Maryland to enjoy lunch then warm up. After lunch, we learned there are no practice facilities. So, we asked if we could get out early. The clubhouse desk guy said it was full and that we had an afternoon rate that started at 1:30. At the time it was 12:40. We said OK and went out to our carts. The started asked if we were all there (3 of us) and we told him we were the 1:30 tee time. He told us to go to #10 and start on the back nine. We did not ask to do this, even going so far as to tell him we were a 1:30 rate. We asked if he wanted to see our receipt. He said, "No, I don't need to see it. Just get over to 10 and start. Tell the guy there I sent you." We teed off on 10, hit our approach shots to the green and were preparing to putt when the clubhouse desk guy and his boss showed up in a cart to confront us for having started on 10. They accused us of having gone around them to get out, which we didn't, and implied that they were concerned about the impact to other golfers (what, we didn't matter?!). It was a very unpleasant encounter, during which we offered repeatedly to leave 10 and return to wait to tee off on 1 at 1:30. They then insisted we stay and continue on the back nine. Huh? As a result, we were extremely flustered, ridiculously pissed off, and played horribly. Never in my life have I experienced a business putting its customers in the middle of a communication problem among its staff. If they wanted to beat someone up, it should have been the starter, not the paying customers. Spend your money elsewhere. Preferably a place that allows you to warm up and has respectful staff. read more

I can't say enough great things about this course! I'll try to hit all the major points, but I might forget some. The course and development around it are still fairly new, some condos and a permanent clubhouse are still being built. The design and layout of the course is wonderful, it uses what feels like the natural lay of the land perfectly. The course winds through some twisted terrain and treats you with some spectacular vistas, both of the surrounding area, and of the course in front of you. A few of the holes have amazing rock ledges on the border or integrated in the layout of the hole, providing you with a backboard and a picturesque moment. The course gives you a good mix of long and narrow holes and some creative, meandering holes. There are some holes that require planning a shot or two ahead, and some where you can just grip it and rip it. The course offers a wide range of tees, so you can pick the challenge you're up for that day. The staff is very helpful, ask the starter for either a cheatsheet of a few helpful hints for the course, they will be more than happy to help. This is a first draft of my review, I will be revising this over the weekend. read more

A lot to say about this course. The conditions are pretty good. As others have mentioned the fairways are pretty chewed up with divots. You should play the ball up here. Looks like lots of outings with players that care little about taking care of the course. I went on a Friday and there were two outings earlier in the day. The greens are lighting fast and roll really well. Extreme slope on the greens. A couple of the tiers are probably too much (like the 18th hole of most putt putt courses up the huge ramp). I didn't see any poa. Probably rolling around 12. The yardage is odd. The course has 2 par threes ~ 250, and very short par 4s (2 are drivable play around 270) and a 600+ par five. Many blind shots. You have to take a look before you hit and/or play with someone who knows the course. The staff were pretty nice and attentive. Clubhouse / bar area is underwhelming but the food was pretty good. No range but there is a net to hit into. Overall a decent course, probably fun to play a scramble but not somewhere that I am psyched to come back to. read more

Great track with a great restaurant for afterwards...Cant beat these conditions and terrain anywhere in MASS. If you're a high handicap you wont enjoy this gem read more

Not a fan at all. Got two stars for the condition of the course. It is in fantastic shape. The course itself is bizarre. Short par 4's, long par 3's, kind of all over the place. I like a challange and they have some very good holes, but very bad ones too. One hole is like a 275 yard par 4 then there is a 250 yard par 3...ok. Also, the pace of play is unbearable. Not sure how many tee times they squeeze in during a day, but be prepared for 6 hours! Not worth it folks. Too many other great courses in MA and New England. read more

Huge fan of this golf course. Heard about it for the first time on a flight back from Florida and got to play last week. This is the best course for the money that I've found within an hour of Boston. I play everywhere and this is definitely my new go-to. It's almost a mountain course which is great.. Great views. Great conditions all around and very friendly staff in the pro-shop. One thing a little special about this place: if you try to get a drink on the turn; yeah just don't do it. The two bartenders took 15 minutes to make two drinks. Very slow at the bar. Gotta get some young guns in there to sling some drinks.. read more

the course is currently in great condition as usual. the people are friendly and the greens are in fantastic shape. IT is a little pricey to play here but the course conditions make it worth it. The friendliness of the staff is fantastic as well. My user profile picture is from their 1st fairway! read more

Love this course, but 4 hours to play 12 holes on a Thursday morning... unacceptable. We left and didn't finish and will not return. They need rangers to speed up play. read more

Shining Rock is an amazing adventure. We teed off yesterday at 7:30a and had a blast for four hours and forty minutes. Every hole is unique with different challenges. Your putting skills will be put to the test. The course is in superior condition and, although it rained heavy last night the fairways drained nicely and the greens were FAST. I'm a high handicapper but only lost 3 balls from the whites. I love the challenge and will be back many times read more

Yes the weekends can be slow, afternoons specifically, but it's mostly due to folks playing off blue or gold tees, when they'd be better off on the white. It is a tough course and can be long for a lot of men. As a female golfer, I find it refreshingly challenging compared to some others, while still keeping a fair and level playing field against the men. Beautiful scenery, fantastic food and great patio for relaxing before or after your round. It's a little different than a lot of courses around, but that adds to its appeal. read more

I played on a beautiful Saturday in June, which may explain why I am not likely to go back to play the course any time soon. It is a very challenging, interesting course that is in quite good shape. The staff is friendly and engaging. The price is fair, albeit not cheap, for a private, daily fee course. But it took five and a half hours to play 18 holes. we waited essentially every shot except around the greens. There were a couple of groups ahead of us that were painfully slow and should have been told to let groups behind them play through if they could not pick up the pace. so, while the course is convenient for those of us coming from the western suburbs of Boston and in good shape, I would not come back and play on the weekend. Unless it was deep into August when presumably not as many people play. And I am not likely to take a day off from work during the week to play. read more

Earlier today (Sunday, 4/17), my son and I came to Shining Rock under the assumption we had booked a tee time for 11:15am. Turns out that while changing the tee time earlier in the week, I mistakenly booked it for two days earlier. I'm embarrassed to say that I was initially adamant that the course had made the mistake and not me. Lou Papadellis and Matt Hersey were more than patient waiting for me to recognize my error, and when it was clear I had screwed up, they kindly offered to try and squeeze us in later that afternoon, which - despite being the best day of the spring and knowing the course was fully booked - you and your co-workers amazingly, somehow did. The starter, whose name I did not catch, graciously gave up his cart to let us wedge in between two groups to play the back nine. We had a very nice round, but to completely cap off this already excellent experience - they let us play for free! I tried to pay for the 9 holes, but Matt would hear nothing of it. "That's on Lou," he said. I've played golf all over the country, and as far away as Japan, and had some very nice customer service experiences - unfortunately very few in New England; the courses around here typically don't feel they need to offer that kind of service, since there are so many golfers for so few decent tracks. This wasn't my first time coming to Shining Rock - I've played a few times and really enjoy the layout - but it was absolutely my best time, probably the best experience I've had at a Massachusetts course in years. Because of Lou and his team, I plan to travel back often this season, and will be happy to share my experience with all of my colleagues. I'm sure my experience alone will persuade a few more to try out the course. Many thanks the Shining Rock team for initially putting up with a grouchy, absent-minded golfer and turning my round into one I will fondly remember for a very long time. read more

The scenery from this course is unbelievable. First time I played could not believe it was public. Be able to hit your driver if you want to score low but even with some of my worst rounds ever, loved every minute! read more

Great course, great staff! Pricey during peak hours but very reasonable late afternoon rates. Beautiful views and a well laid out course. Highly recommend. read more

This used to be one of our favorite courses, but it's now out of the rotation. Played here this past weekend and the course was in rough shape. Standing water in some places and other spots brown and dry. Tons of unfixed divots. Bunkers have very little sand. The patio was closed for a private function so no food or drink post round. read more