Brian Silva

Brewster, MA

Cape Cod National Golf Club opened in 1998 in Brewster, Massachusetts, designed by Brian Silva of the firm Cornish, Silva and Mungeam. Founders John and Linda Pfeffer assembled about 154 acres of wooded, kettle-pond land straddling Brewster and Harwich before construction began. The property was heavily wooded and hard to walk before the course was built, and crews moved roughly 750,000 tons of soil to shape a routing that plays over rolling, uneven ground. The course runs to about 6,954 yards from the back tees, with water in play on a couple of holes and firm, fescue-lined fairways that give it an older feel than its age suggests. Cape Cod National is a private club, with members playing year round. Guests of the neighboring Wequassett Resort can also book tee times through the resort, which is the main way outside golfers get access to the course.

Last verified 2026-09-17

Akron, OH

The Fazio Course, formerly the West Course at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, was designed by Geoffrey Cornish and Brian Silva and opened in 1989 as the club's third 18-hole course. Tom Fazio redesigned it in 2001, and the course was renamed for him in 2020 ahead of a bunker renovation completed in 2021. It plays just under 7,000 yards at par 70. Firestone is a private club owned by Invited; play is open to members and through stay-and-play packages, not general public tee times.

Belgrade Lakes, ME

Belgrade Lakes Golf Club is an 18-hole, par-71 daily-fee course in Belgrade Lakes, Maine. Harold Alfond, founder of the Dexter Shoe Company, commissioned British architect Clive Clark to design the course, which opened in 1998. The layout covers high ground with heavy elevation change, white granite outcroppings, old-style cross bunkering and several water hazards. The clubhouse and first tee sit at the property's high point, overlooking Long Pond and Great Pond. The 9th and 18th holes share a large, undulating double green. The course is open to public play.

Last verified 2026-09-16

Plymouth, MA

Waverly Oaks Golf Club occupies 240 acres of glacially formed hills in Plymouth, Massachusetts, about 45 minutes south of Boston. Brian Silva designed the course, which opened in 1998 and is built on sand-based soil with more than 100 feet of elevation change across the property, giving it a links-like feel with wide corridors and deep, steep-faced bunkering. The course is open to the public and plays to a par of 72 from multiple tee options, stretching to roughly 7,100 yards from the back markers. A large shingle-style clubhouse overlooks the layout, and the club has become known for course conditioning that rivals private facilities in the region.

Greenland, NH

Breakfast Hill Golf Club is a Brian Silva-designed public course in Greenland, New Hampshire, that opened in 2000. The par 71 layout sits on 170 acres of land that had been family-owned for more than 250 years and was previously working farmland until 1956. The course winds through tall pines and wooded New England terrain, with exposed granite outcroppings adding a distinctly local character. The 6,493-yard layout places a premium on accuracy, with tree-lined fairways, strategic doglegs and relatively small, contoured greens. Breakfast Hill has earned recognition as a top daily-fee facility, including Golf Digest's "Best Places to Play" and repeated recognition from Golf Magazine and Golf.com. It also hosted the New Hampshire Open in 2022, bringing 156 players, including 119 professionals, to the course.

Jaffrey, NH

The Shattuck is a public 18-hole course in Jaffrey, New Hampshire, at the base of Mount Monadnock. Designed by Brian Silva and opened in 1991, it is routed across 157 acres of forest, wetland and granite ledge, with Stony Brook crossing several fairways. The par-5 fifth hole sits below a 30-foot rock ledge. From the black tees the course plays 6,764 yards to a par of 71, with a rating of 75.0 and a slope of 147. Six sets of tees are available, and 36 wooden bridges cross the wetlands.

Last verified 2026-09-24

Brewster, MA

The second 18 at Captains: slightly tighter, and just as Cape Cod

Brewster, MA

Port nine at Captains: 36 holes of classic New England golf in Brewster

Paxton, MA

Kettle Brook Golf Club is located in Paxton, Massachusetts, on 213 acres largely surrounded by the Kettle Brook Reservoir owned by the city of Worcester. The property was previously the Ahearn family's dairy farm, operating from 1912 until 1986, and a silo from that farm still stands along the 13th fairway. Brian Silva of Cornish, Silva and Mungeam designed the course, with construction beginning in 1997; the first twelve holes opened in May 1999 and the remaining six that August. The layout stretches to roughly 6,912 yards from the back tees at a par of 72, with bent grass fairways and greens. The Marrone family, longtime owners of nearby Wachusett Country Club, purchased Kettle Brook in 2008 and operate it as a semi-private club offering both memberships and daily fee play.

Devens, MA

Red Tail Golf Club sits in Devens, Massachusetts, on land that was part of the former Fort Devens army base roughly 35 miles west of Boston. The course was built over former barracks foundations and an old ammunition storage area, and remnants of that military history, including a guard tower and munitions bunkers, remain visible along the layout. Brian Silva designed the 18-hole course, which opened in 2002 and plays to a par of 72 at roughly 7,000 yards. The routing separates into two nines divided by about a quarter mile, and greens are shaped to blend into the surrounding hillsides, with sandy waste areas on some holes and blind shots on others. Red Tail operates as a public course open to daily-fee play. Carts and a pro shop are available, and the course was recognized as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary in New England.

Plymouth, MA

Atlantic Country Club is a public course in Plymouth. The 18-hole layout plays over rolling, wooded terrain, a friendly course that serves the Plymouth area.

Portland, CT

Quarry Ridge Golf Course is a public 18-hole golf course in Portland, Connecticut, designed by Al Zikorus and Joe Kelley and opened in 1993. The course sits high on a hill overlooking the Connecticut River and Meshomasic State Forest, winding through rolling terrain and granite rock outcroppings. It plays to a par of 72 across 6,369 yards, with a course rating of 70.8 and a slope of 129. The elevated, forested setting gives the course a distinctly northern New England character.

South Berwick, ME

The Links at Outlook is a public eighteen in South Berwick, built in a Scottish links style and within easy reach of both Boston and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The course plays to a par of 71 and roughly 6,400 yards, with open, rolling terrain typical of the seaside links tradition it references. Its location near southern Maine's coastal towns, including Kittery, York and Ogunquit, makes it a convenient stop for visiting golfers. The mix of holes tests shot placement over sheer length, and it operates as a daily-fee facility open to all.

Plainville, MA

Wentworth Hills Country Club is a public course in Plainville. The 18-hole layout plays over rolling, wooded terrain, a well-conditioned course that serves the Plainville area.

Old Orchard Beach, ME

Dunegrass Golf Club opened in 1998 in Old Orchard Beach, designed by Dan Maples with Michael Gleason, and has built a reputation as one of southern Maine's more polished public tests. The layout stretches to roughly 6,700 yards with bentgrass greens across wooded terrain. The course went through a period of decline before a renovation restored conditioning in the mid-2010s. Its inland setting a short drive from the beach gives golfers a wooded counterpoint to the area's coastal courses. The club operates seasonally, typically April through November.

Wells, ME

Atlantic Pines is a public course near the Maine coast in Wells, offering a straightforward layout.

Scituate, MA

Top-rated South Shore links by Brian Silva.

West Yarmouth, MA

The Championship Course at Bayberry Hills is a public layout in West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, part of the town owned Yarmouth Golf complex on Cape Cod. It is one of three courses the town operates, alongside the Links at Bayberry Hills and Bass River Golf Course. The par 72 course can play as long as roughly 7,100 yards from its back tees and features rolling fairways, water hazards, and bunkering across its eighteen holes. Multiple tee options allow golfers of different abilities to choose an appropriate length. The course is operated by the Town of Yarmouth and is open to public play, with tee times bookable through the town's golf enterprise. A full driving range and large practice green are available at the Bayberry Hills facility.

West Yarmouth, MA

The 9-hole Blue course, part of Bayberry Hills' 27-hole complex, presents a championship-tee challenge on a generally flat, tree-lined layout.

Marysville, OH

Darby Creek Golf Course occupies 204 rolling acres in rural southeastern Union County, Ohio, near Marysville. Part of the property was formerly an orchard operated from the 1920s to the mid-1980s, and remnants of that history, including old cherry trees and a small pioneer cemetery, remain on the grounds. Designed by Geoffrey Cornish and Brian Silva, the course opened in 1993 with two distinct nines: the front nine, called The Links, was built on the old orchard land and evokes a windswept links feel with native grasses and bunkers, while the back nine, The Woods, is a more traditional tree-lined layout with strategically placed lakes. The course is open to the public and plays to a par of 72, measuring 7,087 yards from the back tees. Multiple tee options bring the yardage down to under 5,200 yards for shorter hitters, giving golfers of varying abilities a playable round.

East Falmouth, MA

Falmouth Country Club is a 27-hole facility in East Falmouth, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, combining the 18-hole Osprey Course with the nine-hole Talon Course. Osprey was designed by architect Louie Rubesa and opened in 1965, playing to a par of 72 over roughly 6,665 yards on flat terrain typical of the Cape. Bunkers have a natural look, and the course integrates wetlands, ponds and streams, including an osprey nest overlooking the water near the tenth hole. The club is certified as an Audubon International Cooperative Sanctuary for its wildlife habitat and conservation practices. Falmouth Country Club operates year-round as a public facility, offering online tee time booking without prepaid fees, and is a frequent choice for casual and visiting golfers given its flat, walkable layout. The property also hosts group outings and maintains a golf shop and snack bar in its clubhouse.

Uxbridge, MA

Blissful Meadows is a public course in central Massachusetts featuring a mix of open and tree-lined holes with moderate elevation changes and well-kept conditions.

East Falmouth, MA

The Talon Course is one of two courses at Falmouth Country Club, a year-round public golf facility in East Falmouth, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. Talon is a flat, nine-hole layout that plays alongside the club's larger 18-hole Osprey Course, sharing the same clubhouse and practice areas. Beach grass lines several bunkers, and the course sits near a pond where ospreys nest. The Talon Course plays to a par of 37 over nine holes and is walkable, with tee times bookable online. Falmouth Country Club as a whole is a public facility open to all golfers, not a private or members-only club.

Saco, ME

Biddeford-Saco Country Club is located in Saco, Maine, near Old Orchard Beach, and has operated since the early 1920s. Donald Ross laid out the original course, of which only nine holes were built at first; architect Brian Silva completed the back nine and renovated the clubhouse in the mid-1980s, with the full 18 holes finished by 1991. The course runs through mature pines on sandy coastal soil and totals around 6,300 to 6,354 yards depending on the tee markers, playing to a par of 70 or 71. The clubhouse occupies a refurbished farmhouse that once sat on the property. Biddeford-Saco is a semi-private, member-owned club that also welcomes public play, with tee times bookable a few days in advance for guests. It has hosted the Maine Amateur Championship on multiple occasions and offers a driving range and practice facilities.

Cape Neddick, ME

Golf began here around 1900 on John Pickering's Cape Neddick estate, and by 1919 the family had engaged Donald Ross, whose 18-hole expansion the club dates to that era. Financial trouble around 1950 cost the club nine of those holes, and it played as a nine-holer for roughly half a century. In 1997 the shareholders set out to restore the lost holes, only to find much of the old ground had become federally protected wetlands, so they hired Brian Silva - a close student of Ross - to build a companion nine in the same spirit, weighing nine layouts before settling on one. The reconfigured course reopened in 1999 as a semi-private 18, and the routing today interleaves surviving Ross corridors with Silva's newer holes rather than splitting them into separate nines. It measures 6,257 yards at par 70 over bentgrass, rated 70.1 with a slope of 125, so the interest comes from angles, green contour and the short-game demands of a Ross-lineage design rather than length.

Last verified 2026-09-05

Richmond, RI

Richmond Country Club is an 18-hole course in Richmond, Rhode Island, built through a pine forest and operated as what the club describes as an exclusive public facility. Bentgrass greens, tees, and fairways give the daily-fee course a manicured, private-club feel, and the clubhouse sits between fairways with views of ponds and a footbridge on the property. The course offers both nine- and eighteen-hole public play with seasonal rate structures. Its wooded South County setting is the course's most distinctive feature.

Franklin, KY

Kenny Perry's Country Creek Golf Course is a public, 18-hole course in Franklin, Kentucky, designed by PGA Tour veteran and Franklin native Kenny Perry and operating since 1995. It sits in the hills and woods of south central Kentucky, near I-65 and close to the Tennessee border. The course was designed to be playable for golfers of all handicap levels and measures 6,574 yards from the back tees. It is open seven days a week to public play, with no membership required.

Haverhill, MA

Bradford Country Club is a championship golf course in Haverhill, Massachusetts, open to the public 7 days a week. It offers a challenging yet enjoyable experience for all skill levels.

Bridgewater, MA

Scottish links-style public course in Bridgewater. Brian Silva design with open fairways, fescue rough, and pot bunkers. One of the best public values in southeastern Massachusetts.

Norfolk, MA

Designed by noted architect Brian Silva in 2002, this nine-hole par-3 course is part of a larger sports complex in Norfolk featuring basketball, volleyball, and soccer. The lighted course offers evening golf in Massachusetts, a rarity in the region. A fun option for families and beginners.

East Falmouth, MA

The Cape Club is an 18-hole, par-72 golf course in East Falmouth, Massachusetts, designed by architect Jim Fazio and opened in 1989, with a subsequent course renovation by Ron Despain in 2016. The course plays 6,855 yards from the back tees with a course rating of 73.4 and slope of 138. The club, previously operated with public tee-time access, is transitioning to a fully private membership model beginning with its 2026 season.

Last verified 2026-09-17