Wayne Stiles

Williamstown, MA

Taconic Golf Club is a semi-private, par-71, 18-hole course in Williamstown, Massachusetts, owned by Williams College. Its origins trace to 1896, when William Howard Doughty, James M. Ide and others laid out an early course on land next to the college's athletic fields. Wayne Stiles of Stiles & Van Kleek designed the current 18-hole layout, completed in 1927-28 on about 100 acres. Many greens sit atop knolls, with the challenge concentrated around the putting surfaces rather than off the tee, and the par-3 17th is the only hole surviving from the original 1896 layout. Gil Hanse renovated the course in 2009. Visitors may play on a limited basis alongside members.

Last verified 2026-09-17

Hingham, MA

South Shore Country Club is a golf course in Hingham, Massachusetts, owned and operated by the town. It was designed in 1922 by architect Wayne Stiles. The par-72, 18-hole course features elevated greens and varied topography typical of early 1920s course design, with the terrain shifting noticeably from hole to hole. The club is public, offering resident and non-resident green fees along with a golf permit program for those who want advance booking privileges and simulator access. Twilight rates and junior pricing are also available, and outings can be arranged through the pro shop.

Dalton, MA

Wahconah Country Club was conceived in October 1928, when a group of Dalton residents hired Wayne Stiles to design an 18-hole course on the eastern hills of Berkshire County. Stiles laid out the front nine, which opened for play in the fall of 1929, while John Van Kleek designed the back nine. The formal opening was held on May 30, 1930. The front nine plays through open fairways with large greens and long views across the Berkshires. The back nine tightens considerably, with narrower, tree-lined fairways and smaller greens that demand positional golf off the tee. The par-71 layout measures 6,553 yards from the back tees with a course rating of 71.9 and a slope of 126. Wahconah has operated as a semi-private club throughout its history, welcoming daily-fee players alongside its membership. The bent-grass tees, fairways, and greens reflect the course's original Stiles and Van Kleek design, which has remained largely intact for more than ninety years.

Lenox, MA

Wyndhurst Golf & Club in Lenox occupies part of the historic Wyndhurst estate in the Berkshires, with an eighteen-hole course designed in 1926 by Wayne Stiles and John Van Kleek. Tree-lined fairways and naturally contoured greens have been preserved through a century of play, and the club marked its centennial in 2025. The routing takes advantage of Berkshire hillside views while keeping much of the original Stiles and Van Kleek character intact. Attached to a resort built around a Gilded Age mansion, the course pairs golf with lodging and wellness amenities.

West Boylston, MA

Wachusett Country Club occupies the former Frost Farm in West Boylston, Massachusetts, with views toward Mount Wachusett and the Wachusett Reservoir. Donald Ross designed the course in 1927 for a group of Worcester businessmen, laying it across rolling hills, shallow valleys, and a winding brook. The club struggled financially during the Great Depression before being taken over in 1939 by the Marrone family, who ran it for four generations. A 1972 fire destroyed much of the clubhouse, which was later rebuilt. The course plays to a par of 72 across roughly 6,500 to 6,700 yards depending on the tee, closing with an uphill par-3 18th near the clubhouse. Wachusett offers public daily-fee tee times alongside membership programs, and includes a driving range, practice area, and clubhouse dining, remaining a working example of Ross's original routing in central Massachusetts.

Last verified 2026-09-29

Lynn, MA

Larry Gannon Municipal Golf Course, commonly called Gannon or the Valley, is an 18-hole public course owned by the City of Lynn, Massachusetts, and located on the edge of the Lynn Woods Reservation, a large municipal forest originally designed as parkland by Frederick Law Olmsted. The course was built with local relief labor during the Great Depression and opened for play in the early 1930s, with the surviving Tudor-style clubhouse dating from that era. It was designed by Wayne Stiles, an architect closely associated with Donald Ross-era course design in New England. As a city-owned municipal facility, Gannon offers seasonal memberships, daily-fee play, league competition and outing bookings, and its clubhouse function room hosts weddings and other events.

North Sutton, NH

The Country Club of New Hampshire is located in North Sutton, at the base of Mount Kearsarge, with views toward the White Mountain National Forest. The course opened in 1957 and was designed by architect William F. Mitchell across heavily wooded, hilly terrain. It has been recognized as one of the top public-access courses in New Hampshire and has hosted the New Hampshire Open and New Hampshire Amateur. The par-72, 18-hole course plays to roughly 6,714 yards from the back tees, with elevation changes and subtle green complexes throughout. The club is public and includes lodging and practice facilities alongside the course; management passed to KemperSports in 2025.

Last verified 2026-09-17

Brockton, MA

D.W. Field Golf Course is a municipal course in Brockton, Massachusetts, set within D.W. Field Park, a large municipal park designed in part by Frederick Law Olmsted. The course, established in 1927, was designed by the firm of Stiles and Van Kleek. During the 1930s, Works Progress Administration crews expanded the original fairways, added bunkers and regraded portions of the course. The par-70 layout offers generous landing areas and open approaches into small, undulating greens, with a variety of tee options and noticeable elevation change across the property. The park setting includes ponds and wooded areas that surround much of the course. D.W. Field remains a municipal course open to the public, with outings and leagues hosted regularly at the facility.

Beverly, MA

Olde Salem Greens is a nine-hole municipal course set within Highland Park in Salem, Massachusetts, about 20 miles northeast of Boston (the course is sometimes listed under nearby Beverly). Built in 1933 as a WPA project, it was designed by Wayne Stiles, who also laid out Taconic Golf Club and other well-known New England public courses. The course follows the natural, rocky terrain of Highland Park with rolling ground, blind shots, and small, varied greens typical of early 20th-century minimalist design. Played from its standard tees it measures 2,847 yards at a par of 35 for nine holes. Owned and operated by the City of Salem, Olde Salem Greens is public, requires a collared shirt and soft spikes, and allows tee-time booking up to six days ahead for the general public.

Brattleboro, VT

Brattleboro Country Club in Brattleboro, Vermont opened for play on July 1, 1914, with an original design by Tom McNamara, later reshaped by Wayne Stiles in a 1930 redesign and further updated by Steve Durkee. The public, 18-hole course measures about 6,533 yards from the tips. It has hosted the Vermont Amateur Championship and the Vermont Senior Amateur Championship. The club also operates a restaurant and extensive practice facilities in southern Vermont.

Braintree, MA

Braintree Municipal Golf Course is located on Jefferson Street in Braintree, Massachusetts, on the South Shore just a couple miles from Route 128. It began as a nine hole course in 1932, was purchased by the Town of Braintree in 1955, and was expanded to a full eighteen holes in 1971. The course offers five sets of tees and can play as long as 6,564 yards, with a mix of holes and obstacles intended to challenge golfers of varying skill levels across its eighteen holes. Owned and operated by the town, Braintree Municipal is open to public play with tee times booked through the pro shop. It remains a popular, affordably priced option for golfers in the Boston area.

Brunswick, ME

Brunswick Golf Club traces its origins to 1898, when Bowdoin College students laid out a rough course on land along what was then Freeport Road in Brunswick. Wayne Stiles remodeled the original nine in the early 1920s, and Geoffrey Cornish, working with Canadian partner Bill Robinson, added a second nine in 1964 to complete today's par-72 eighteen. The result blends early-twentieth-century routing with a mid-century expansion into a coherent midcoast Maine test. Located off Interstate 295, the club welcomes both members and public play.

Wellfleet, MA

Semi-links golf with stunning Wellfleet Harbor views since 1929

Plainfield, VT

Country Club of Barre is located in Plainfield, Vermont, despite its name, on rolling hills in the town. The club was founded in 1924 by a group of Barre businessmen who purchased a 210-acre farm, and the course was designed by architect Wayne Stiles. A second nine was added in 1969. The semi-private, par-71 course plays 6,315 yards and includes a pro shop staffed by a PGA professional, along with men's and women's leagues and club tournaments.

Last verified 2026-09-17

Vineyard Haven, MA

A hidden gem in the West Chop area of Martha's Vineyard

North Haven, ME

A hidden gem on a Maine island: Wayne Stiles' masterpiece since 1916

Manchester, NH

Derryfield Country Club is an 18-hole, par-70 public golf course in Manchester, New Hampshire, established in 1932. It is one of only three municipally owned golf courses in the state and was designed by the New England architectural partnership of Wayne Stiles and John Van Kleek. The routing follows the natural rolling terrain and wooded land typical of the firm's work, with tree-lined fairways and modest, subtly contoured greens. A major 2015 renovation added new drainage, irrigation, greens and bunkers to several holes. Derryfield also has an indoor golf and learning center in Manchester.

Amesbury, MA

Amesbury Golf & Country Club is a 9-hole course in Amesbury, Massachusetts, near the New Hampshire seacoast. It was founded in 1922 when local businessmen purchased the 110-acre Smith Farm, and architect Wayne Stiles designed the nine holes, which opened for play in 1924 under the original name Powder House Hill Country Club. The club was member-owned until 1960, when it was purchased by the Mellon family and opened to public play while retaining club amenities. A spring on the sixth hole was the inspiration for a John Greenleaf Whittier poem. Today it operates as a semi-private, family-owned facility with a pro shop, restaurant and putting green, offering both public greens fees and seasonal memberships.

Springfield, MA

Franconia Golf Course in Springfield is a public 18-hole course, designed by notable architects, offering a well-conditioned and challenging round.

Wilton, ME

Wilson Lake Country Club is a nine-hole semi-private course on the shore of Wilson Lake in Wilton, Maine, in the state's western foothills. The layout was designed by architect Wayne Stiles in the early 1930s and opened on August 6, 1932, retaining much of its original character. LPGA player Patty Berg played an exhibition here in 1946 and set the women's course record. The club welcomes public play alongside members, with tee times bookable online and cart rentals available by the seat for nine or eighteen holes.

Chebeague Island, ME

Historic island links on Casco Bay: a true coastal Maine hidden gem