Agawam Hunt Club

Overview: Agawam Hunt Club’s current 18-hole course is a Donald Ross layout in Rumford, shaped by rolling ground and the wooded setting along the Ten Mile River. The course is compact and traditional, with tree-lined corridors, varied lies and greens that reward a precise short game. Its architectural story is layered rather than simple: the club began with an earlier nine-hole course, while the present full-size routing grew from the Ross design. That combination gives Agawam the scale of an old New England club and the strategic structure of a Golden Age course.

History: Agawam’s first golf course was designed and built in 1895 by Willie Park Jr. and consisted of nine holes. In 1920, the club purchased the former Metacomet Golf Course and Donald James Ross designed the first full-size 18-hole course. Later changes followed the property’s evolving boundaries. In 1963 the course was lengthened and several holes were expanded; in 1964 the city requisitioned land containing three holes, leading to a land purchase and a Geoffrey Cornish redesign. Since the turn of the century, Gil Hanse and Ian Andrew have worked on a plan to restore Ross’s character while accounting for modern playing conditions.

Did You Know? Agawam’s 1895 origin is connected to Willie Park Jr., but the 18-hole course represented in the present profile is the Ross layout from 1920. That distinction explains why both architects appear in the club’s history. The restoration work is also unusually transparent: the current plan uses original Ross material as a reference while accepting that the property has changed since the early twentieth century.