The Orchards

Overview: The Orchards is a Donald Ross course in South Hadley, Massachusetts, built through rolling parkland beside Mount Holyoke. At 6,424 yards and par 71, the current 18-hole routing, with tree-lined fairways, natural streams and traditional Ross green complexes. Its scale and setting give the course a distinctly New England character.

History: Donald Ross began the course in 1922, and the second nine was completed in 1927. The club’s official history places the course on 160 acres, while Golf Digest records the two-stage construction. The present 18-hole date is therefore taken from the completion of the second nine rather than the start of the original nine.

Did You Know? Ross’s connection with The Orchards has a local family link: the architect visited the property while his daughter attended nearby Mount Holyoke College. The course’s setting beside the college helped bring the project into his orbit.