Myopia Hunt Club offers a formidable walk through golf history—steeped in the challenge of small greens, deep bunkers, and strategic angles. Its old-school pedigree and modern restoration deliver a pure, championship-caliber experience for those lucky enough to step inside the gates.
If horses or hounds cross your path, they have the right of way — Myopia is still an active hunt and polo club, and playing golf among horses is part of the time-warp experience.
Myopia Hunt Club is a living museum for fans of classic strategic golf—full of small, firm greens, deep bathtubs of sand, and blind approaches that separate the precise from the lucky. The layout rewards brain over brawn, with quirky hole orientations, bold cross-hazards, and a design ethos that gleefully resists modern power golf. The recent Gil Hanse-led restoration sharpened this identity, bringing back lost fairway widths and original green edges, while keeping the wind-exposed, old-world feel firmly in place.
Herbert C. Leeds crafted the enduring strategic backbone; Gil Hanse’s restoration amplified the historic quirks and playability, enhancing the course’s fidelity to its golden age roots.
A true thinking player’s par 5—subtle elevation with a panoramic tee view and strategic landing zones. Bunkers and tricky contours shape every shot, especially the approach to an unforgiving green.
Position the drive short of bunkers, lay up smartly to set up a controlled wedge for the uphill, canted green.
Aggressive second shots risk deep cross-bunkers and nasty rough; miss the green, and a tricky up-and-down awaits.
Pristine fairways, smooth and true greens, slick surrounds; exemplary classic-country-club standard.
Measured, championship pace; expect a thorough and unhurried round.
Traditional, private, old-guard—quiet excellence with a respectful club atmosphere.
Strict club attire; collared shirt, proper slacks or shorts, jacket preferred inside clubhouse.
Small, sloped greens require precise speed control and touch on long and short putts alike.
Creative recovery shots save strokes around fiercely protected, tight pinnable targets.
Blind shots and hidden hazards reward players who know the preferred landing zones ahead of time.
Expect a true walk—rolling topography means good footwear is crucial for all 18.
Course opens with R.M. Appleton's 9-hole design
Hosts first US Open (only 9 holes in play)
Hosts US Open with record-high 331 winning score
Hosts third US Open
Hosts fourth US Open
Myopia’s tiny, pancake-flat targets are as famous as the course itself. Described as “looking like bathmats” by Golf Digest, the greens blend subtle contours with treacherous runoffs—miss short, and you’re scrambling for par from a deep swale.
The 1901 U.S. Open produced a winning total of 331, still the highest ever in Open history. Even the pros cracked under Myopia’s severe bunkers, tight greens, and unpredictable New England winds.
The name originates from the founding members’ vision problems—legend says these early players all wore glasses, and their sense of humor stuck in the club’s quirky tradition.
Restoration work under Gil Hanse doesn’t just preserve history—it reembraces the original quirks of Leeds’ routing with wider fairways, reopened vistas, and accentuated old-school strategy.
Hosted the first US Open played over 72 holes (1898).
Holds the dubious honor of the highest winning total in US Open history—331 shots.
Club name traces to the myopia (nearsightedness) of its founders.
Distinctive 'bathmat' greens and 'bathtub' bunkers are a design signature.
Recent restoration by Gil Hanse revitalized classic lines and bold cross-hazards.
Classic Donald Ross design and second-most historic club in the area.
Top-tier conditioning and modern amenities in the historic cluster.
Historic charm and fun, affordable tee times for visitors.
Scenic, accessible, laid-back local option.
Relaxed, convenient, and a classic North Shore round.
Stay in the Beverly, Salem, or Gloucester corridor for easy access to all major North Shore golf and town amenities.
Courses with the most similar DNA profile — matched by deviation shape across all eight playing characteristics.
Why it matches: There is real overlap here. Black Hall Club makes the greens a central strategic puzzle, making it a compelling counterpart to Myopia Hunt Club.
Why it matches: What links these two? A comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character — a familiar feeling, expressed in Winged Foot Golf Club (East Course)'s own setting.
Why it matches: What links these two? A comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character — a familiar feeling, expressed in Cherry Hills Country Club's own setting.
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