Overlooked Golf Courses: Gold Canyon and others you may not know
By Bill Felber
Myopia Hunt Club, South Hamilton, Mass., 6,539 yards, par 72
The USGA actually has been to Myopia. The layout has hosted four U.S. Opens, but none in more than a century.
Bringing one back to the Massachusetts track would pose a fascinating test for today’s bombers.
At less than 6,600 yards, Myopia hardly has the length we normally associate with a championship track today. Only one hole, the 535 yard 15th, extends beyond 490 yards. But pay no attention to numbers, Myopia is tight to a rascally level, with small shaved greens and nearly 200 sand traps.
Among the numerous memorable holes are the 253-yard par 3 third and the 136-yard par 3 ninth. What’s so hard about a 136-yard par 3? Hitting the nine-yard-wide green, protected by nine bunkers, that’s what.
The 349-yard 13th doesn’t sound imposing either… until you consider that the green sits 70 feet above the fairway.
Myopia’s history documents the torture it has imposed on pros. The average winning score during the four Open playings at Myopia was 323.75. For context, the average winning score of the six other Opens played during that period was 305.83, nearly 18 strokes less.
Following the 1905 event, which was won by Willie Anderson at 314, Golfers Magazine had this assessment
"“Professional contestants had never suffered such utter humiliation as at Myopia.”"
If the USGA ever did work up the nerve to return the Open to Myopia, it would be interesting indeed to see whether today’s pros had any more luck with the layout than their ancestors did.