Cyprian Keyes Golf Club (Boyleston, MA)

Cyprian Keyes opened in 1998 and was hailed by Golf Digest as one of the best new public courses of that year. I happened to be vacationing in Boston with my family, (I can remember watching Jim Thome launch balls into the upper deck at the All Star game's home run derby in Colorado) and made my way over to Boyleston to play it. 

I have a very good memory, but unfortunately, there are a handful of courses that I've played where I only remember bits and pieces. So I decide to write a forgotten series, where I'll mention what I do remember. 

Mark Mungeam is the architect of Cyprian Keyes. He was a principal partner in Cornish, Silva, and Mungeam, which has since been disbanded. Mungeam website labels him as the "best value" architect. He has six original designs, and Cyprian Keyes is one of them. 

What I remember most about the course are the forced carries. The first hole is set against a wetland, and requires a solid drive over them. It's the very first shot!! Also the course has a lot of rock outcroppings, and doglegs around many corners. It's definitely a place that needs to be played a few times to form a strategy. The dogleg right third has a second shot that cuts across the corner of the wetlands, so one must know how far a carry it is. On the fifteenth, the player is laying back off the tee, then hitting a shot in. Seventeen is a dogleg right where the player is positioning the drive for a short iron approach. And eighteen cuts diagonally across bunkers before giving player an option to attack the green in two. I recall the eighteenth hole the most because the green is elevated with traps surrounding it. The fairway stops short and to the right, so the player must decide what angle he's trying to obtain if he can't reach the green. 

I suspect Cyprian Keyes falls into the 5 rating. I plan on getting back to Boston soon. Id like to check out Brian Silva's work and another Mark Mungeam course. Donald Ross' George Wright is a must see. Add in Cape Cod down the coast and Cape Arundel north, and I'm already chomping at the bit to plan this trip.