That is a question I asked myself after playing here not long ago. Ben Zink took full advantage of the up and down nature of the property. There are several strong par fours that play down to the valley and uphill to the green. And not just long par fours, but a couple short ones too where the golfer must wisely choose between laying up to a good yardage even with the green, or pounding a driver down to the bottom for a shorter though somewhat blind second.
As it is, Berkshire is a family owned course that is not in the best of shape. It's playable but definitely a notch or two below what the better courses provide.
It's best holes are found at the fifth thru the ninth. Zink uses the valley to great effect by simply placing the tees and greens in alternating spots. For instance, on five the valley is just short of the green so the challenge will be carrying it with a long iron approach. At six its carried off the tee. Then on seven, the player drives into the valley before hitting uphill to the green. The eighth is a long par three that will test your metal wood. Nine concludes the front with a lovely par four that comes out of the trees and plays to a large green below the clubhouse.
The back nine sports a few of my favorite holes. The back starts with a driveable par four. At 264 yards, it a hole where everyone must make a decision how to play it. Eleven is just behind it as you tee off high on the ridge and play a drop shot par three. Two quick birdie opportunities after a grueling finish to the front.
The course ends with four good holes. Fifteen is a wonderful par five that plays out to the corner of the ridge before turning left and playing uphill. The drive must be exact or you ll have a sidehill lie for your second shot across the valley. Every shot on this par five is challenging. We are now back in the property where five thru seven are. Sixteen is the only hole on the back in this section. But this is a short par four bout 330 yards. The player chooses between laying up to 100 yards or hitting it further. The green is beautifully placed across the valley on the hill. Seventeen is another shortish par four. The green though is high on the hill and requires a smooth shot to get close. It's a difficult green with a lot of slope. Eighteen is an unusual finish. It's a par three but its in an amazing setting. It's across a lake from an elevated tee to an elevated green. I wondered aloud why the nines aren't switched so you can finish on that tough stretch of holes, but the truth is after this par three, you just can't wait to come back and play again.
Berkshire Hills has the best potential to be a top golf course. If American Golf Corp had bought it, we might have been talking bout one of the best courses in the state. Nonetheless it's a fun course to play. It's Ben Zink's best course in my opinion. I give it a 4 (above average) rating.
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