Weston’s present course grew out of a two-stage Ross engagement. The club states that it moved to the current site in 1916–17, at which time Ross designed an original nine-hole layout. He then returned “to design the expanded par-71 layout,” which opened in 1923. This sequencing—initial nine followed by a full 18—aligns with the club’s internal chronology and with period newspaper notices that credit Ross with the course’s maturation in the early 1920s, though the club page is the most explicit public record of dates and authorship.
Post-Ross changes were incremental but meaningful. In 1965 Geoffrey Cornish introduced two new holes—today’s 11th and 12th—replacing a very short par 3 and a par 4, bringing the course to its current par-72. The club further records new back tees on 16 and 17 in the 1990s, reconstruction of three greens (2, 8, 13) in fall 2001, and a comprehensive bunker restoration with a new irrigation system in 2002–2003.
These entries are detailed on the club’s golf page and establish a clear late-20th/early-21st-century modernization arc, even if the club does not name the architect(s) of the 2001–03 work on its public site.
Unique Design Characteristics
Ross’s hand is most legible at Weston in how the routing uses rise and fall to manipulate distance perception and stance, then amplifies that effect with compact, tilted greens. The club’s hole notes identify several instances:
— No. 9 (par 4, 429 yards from Black): the “second shot [is] designed to appear closer than it is,” a classic depth-deception device that tightens approach dispersion, especially to a firm target.
— No. 15 (par 4, 373 Black): players are warned to “keep the ball below the hole as [the] green slopes severely from front to back,” a contouring choice that inverts modern back-to-front expectations and makes long-iron recovery problematic.
— No. 18 (par 5, 496 Black): the “hump-backed green” asks for precise trajectory control into a crowned surface; combined with fairway bunkers that dictate left-side positioning on the second shot, the finishing hole privileges angle and spin over brute — No. 14 (par 5, 536 Black): “fairway bunkers figure prominently on [the] second shot,” and the note to “trust the yardage” between the short bunker and the putting surface confirms the presence of an advance bunker that is not green-adjacent—another Ross tactic to shape club selection.
— No. 2 (par 5, 549 Black) and No. 6 (par 5, 475 Black): both emphasize holding elevated or canted greens and playing from uneven stances on approach, reinforcing the site’s up-and-down cadence.
Across the set of par 3s, Weston spreads demands: the third plays long (221 Black) with holding difficulty; the tenth is mid-iron with punishment for misses away from the preferred short side; and the seventeenth is a shorter target where wind “plays tricks” and misses long leave “difficult chips from irregular terrain.” The variety is less about yardage than about green presentation and surrounding ground—an observable through-line from Ross’s 1920s work in New England.
Finally, Weston retains the lived-in quirk of road interactions: published profiles note that players cross public roads several times during the round, a feature of the club’s historic footprint within a residential fabric. While that quirk is not central to shot values, it underscores the course’s continuity in place.
Historical Significance
Within Ross’s Massachusetts portfolio, Weston sits in the early-1920s tranche of mature parkland commissions around Boston, distinguished by the documented two-phase build—first nine in 1916–17 and expansion to 18 by 1923—and by continuity of membership use through a century of metropolitan growth. Its mid-century intervention by Geoffrey Cornish is historically notable because Cornish elected to replace only two holes in 1965 rather than wholesale re-route; the club’s record suggests the broader Ross routing was left intact and par restored to 72. That selective approach, coupled with early-2000s bunker/irrigation work, left a platform on which the club could emphasize Ross’s small, exacting targets without drastically expanding yardage.
Competitive relevance has persisted at state and regional levels. Weston continues to appear on Mass Golf’s schedule as a qualifying site; most recently, it hosted U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball qualifying in September 2025, sending two sides on to the championship proper at Daniel Island Club. Charity and professional-section events—such as the NEPGA’s REACH Classic—also return to Weston, reflecting a facility that balances member play with tournament hosting without altering its essential scale.
Current Condition / Integrity
Routing integrity at Weston is high by the club’s own accounting: the Ross-devised framework survived the 1965 Cornish replacement of two holes and later tee additions, with the most invasive recent work focused on three reconstructed greens (2, 8, 13) and a comprehensive bunker restoration and irrigation upgrade in 2002–03.
The hole-by-hole yardage, slopes and ratings published on the club page situate the course at 6,657 yards (Black) for par 72, with every tee set rated and sloped—evidence of a modern calibration layered onto a compact footprint. From an architectural perspective, the observable retention (or reinstatement) of stand-off bunkers (e.g., 14), crowned or sharply tilted targets (15, 18), and depth-deception setups (9) indicates that the club’s maintenance and project choices have tended to reinforce—rather than mute—Ross’s core mechanisms at this site.
Two caveats temper any definitive integrity score pending primary documents. First, the club’s public materials do not attribute the 2001 green reconstructions or the 2002–03 bunker restoration to a named architect; while the outcomes are described, authorship and plan rationale remain unpublished. Second, without Ross’s original plan sheets, construction notes, or 1920s aerials, it is not possible to quantify precisely which green perimeters were expanded or contracted relative to original pads, or how closely restored bunkers match 1923 placements.
Sources & Notes
Weston Golf Club — Golf page (official site). States Ross authorship; 1916–17 original nine; expanded 18 opened 1923; Cornish’s 1965 replacement of holes 11–12; 1990s tees on 16–17; 2001 reconstruction of greens 2, 8, 13; 2002–03 bunker restoration and irrigation; current scorecard with tees/ratings/slopes and hole-by-hole notes.
Wicked Local (Weston Town Crier), “Weston Chronicles: Golfing in Weston through the years,” July 28, 2013. Community history summarizing that a new nine-hole course was completed by 1917 and designed by Donald Ross. Secondary confirmation of the first phase; not a substitute for club minutes or Ross drawings.
Top100GolfCourses.com, “Weston Golf Club.” Secondary profile indicating Ross laid out nine in 1917 and returned five years later to add the second nine; notes Cornish’s 1965 replacement of 11 & 12 and early-2000s bunker upgrades; remarks on multiple public-road crossings. Use with caution; aligns with club account but not a primary source.
Mass Golf — News, “U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Qualifying at Weston GC (2025).” Confirms Weston hosting USGA qualifying in Sept. 2025.
NEPGA — “2024 REACH Classic Set for October 7th at Weston Golf Club.” Illustrates contemporary event use by New England PGA and PGA REACH New England.