The land Stow Acres sits on was a Black-owned golf course in 1926. Robert H. Hawkins built nine holes here and called it Mapledale. That September it hosted the National Black Men's Championship, one of the first organized tournaments for Black golfers in the country. The course you book today carries that history. Most golfers who play it have no idea.
Stow Acres is 350 acres in Stow, about 25 miles west of Boston, and it used to be two championship 18s. The North and the South, both Geoffrey Cornish designs. That is no longer the product. The South is the only 18-hole course, holes from the old North have been closed, and the remaining North nine is closed for the rest of the 2026 season.
The South is the only course you can book
Get this right before you book, because most write-ups still have it wrong. The North used to be the championship 18 here, the one that hosted the U.S. Amateur Public Links in 1995 and made Golf Digest's public-course lists at 6,939 yards, par 72, slope 130. It was reduced to nine after holes closed, and that remaining nine is now closed for the 2026 season. You cannot book the old championship North or add a North loop to your day.
What you can play is the South: 6,520 yards, par 72, rating 71.8, slope 120. It is wider and more forgiving than the old North, but Stow Acres has fallen off over the last few years. Go in expecting a worn, budget public course, not the two-course championship destination older reviews describe.
South Course (the 18)
- 6,520 yards, par 72
- Rating 71.8 / slope 120
- Wider, more forgiving
- $50 midweek, $65 weekend
- This is the round you book
North Course
- Remaining nine closed for 2026
- Not available to book
- Was the championship 18
- Hosted U.S. Am Public Links, 1995
- Older 18-hole descriptions are obsolete
What it actually plays like
The South is classic New England parkland: tree-lined corridors, rolling terrain, and a layout that gives you more room than the old North did.
Be honest about conditions: they have declined over the last few years. Players have reported bare and patchy fairways, crabgrass, inconsistent turf, and generally tired presentation. The greens can still be the better part of the property, but the course no longer belongs in the same condition or destination-golf conversation as Shaker Hills or Red Tail. The closed North holes and season-long closure of its remaining nine make that decline impossible to treat as a minor maintenance blip.
What it costs and how to book
On the South, 18 holes is $50 Monday through Thursday and $65 Friday through Sunday before 3pm, dropping to $55 after 3pm. Carts are $24 for 18, and green fees are quoted walking. Seniors and military play the South for $42 walking Monday through Thursday. The North is not available for the rest of the 2026 season, so ignore stale North inventory or old rate cards. Book the South online or call the pro shop at (978) 568-1100.
Older booking pages and third-party listings may still make Stow Acres look like a two-course facility. For an actual round this season, the South tee sheet is the only one that matters.
Is it worth the drive from Boston?
It is hard to recommend as a destination now. The championship North is gone, its remaining nine is closed for the season, and the South's condition has slipped. The $50 midweek price can still work for a convenient local round, but golfers driving from Boston for quality should choose Shaker Hills in Harvard or Red Tail in Devens. Both are nearby and in a different condition tier. Stow's history remains significant; the current golf offering does not match its old reputation. For where it ranks against the rest of the region, see the best public courses breakdown.
Stow Acres still generates stale two-course listings. Text Carl when you want to play and he checks the live South inventory and confirms the course status, so you do not book from an obsolete North listing.
