International Golf Club & Resort - Oaks Course - 18th
0 of 10
International Golf Club & Resort - Oaks Course - 18th
It's a treacherous journey to reach the 18th green on the Oaks Course at The International Golf Club & Resort. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
International Golf Club & Resort - Oaks Course - 1st
1 of 10
International Golf Club & Resort - Oaks Course - 1st
The first hole on the Oaks at The International Golf Club & Resort climbs uphill. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
International Golf Club & Resort - Oaks Course - 2nd
2 of 10
International Golf Club & Resort - Oaks Course - 2nd
The par-3 second hole on the Oaks Course at The International Golf Club & Resort falls downhill. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
International Golf Club & Resort - Oaks Course - 3rd
3 of 10
International Golf Club & Resort - Oaks Course - 3rd
The 352-yard third hole on the Oaks GC at The International Golf Club & Resort plays much longer by climbing uphill. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
International Golf Club & Resort - Oaks Course - 4th
4 of 10
International Golf Club & Resort - Oaks Course - 4th
The fourth hole on the Oaks at The International Golf Club & Resort drops more than 100 feet tee to green. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
International Golf Club & Resort - Oaks Course
5 of 10
International Golf Club & Resort - Oaks Course
Tom Fazio's bold bunkers with hairy edges look fantastic on the Oaks Course at The International Golf Club & Resort in Bolton, Mass. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
International Golf Club & Resort - Oaks Course - 10th
6 of 10
International Golf Club & Resort - Oaks Course - 10th
The 36-hole International Golf Club & Resort near Boston could be a victim of coronavirus. Pictured is the 10th hole on The Oaks. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
International Golf Club & Resort - Oaks Course - 12th
7 of 10
International Golf Club & Resort - Oaks Course - 12th
Bunkers dominate the scene around the 12th green on the Oaks Course at The International Golf Club & Resort. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
International Golf Club & Resort - Oaks Course - 13th
8 of 10
International Golf Club & Resort - Oaks Course - 13th
The 13th hole on the Oaks Course at The International Golf Club & Resort looks daunting but it's only 155 yards from the tips. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
International Golf Club & Resort - Oaks Course - 15th
9 of 10
International Golf Club & Resort - Oaks Course - 15th
Waste areas pinch the 15th green on the Oaks Course at The International Golf Club & Resort in Bolton, Massachusetts. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
10 Images

Tom Fazio's Oaks Course doesn't play second fiddle at The International Golf Club & Resort outside Boston

BOLTON, Mass. -- With crippling rough and tips that stretch to 8,325 yards, the Pines Course at The International Golf Club & Resort rates as the most difficult course in America. By comparison, The Oaks Course delivers a more scenic and pleasant resort course feel.

The Oaks, which opened in 2001 roughly 45 miles west of Boston, began allowing public play after 9 a.m. each morning for the first time last year. Tom Fazio designed The Oaks on a wooded and rocky site. Its elevation changes create more dramatic theater than the flatter, private design of The Pines.

The Oaks Course's unique collection of five par 5s and five par 3s, coupled with GPS in the carts, makes lower scores possible. There are no water hazards to carry, just hairy-lipped bunkers to avoid.

Once word gets out that the Oaks is open to all, it could make a run at the nearby Red Tail Golf Club as Boston's premier public playground. Stay-and-play packages are available at the club's lodge on site.

The International is also home to a Rick Smith Golf Academy, a TaylorMade Performance Lab and the highly regarded Fireplace Room Restaurant.

Jason Scott Deegan has reviewed and photographed more than 1,100 courses and written about golf destinations in 25 countries for some of the industry's biggest publications. His work has been honored by the Golf Writer's Association of America and the Michigan Press Association. Follow him on Instagram at @jasondeegangolfpass and Twitter at @WorldGolfer.
Now Reading
Tom Fazio's Oaks Course doesn't play second fiddle at The International Golf Club & Resort outside Boston