Thorny Lea Golf Club – Played Summer 2025
- Rankings: None of my four lists
- Location: 159 Torrey Street, Brockton, Massachusetts
- Year: 1925
- Architects: Wayne Stiles & John Van Kleek
- Course Access: Private
- Walking Rules: Carts Available
Score Card Information:
- Gold: 6,429 yards, Par 70, 72.7 Rating/135 Slope
- Gold/Blue: 6,239 yards, Par 70, 71.5 Rating/133 Slope
- Blue: 6,137 yards, Par 70, 70.3 Rating/132 Slope
- White: 5,814 yards, Par 70, 68.9 Rating/128 Slope
- Black: 5,639 yards, Par 70/74, 73.6 Rating/127 Slope
- Black/Green: 5,055 yards, Par 70/74, 70.0 Rating/119 Slope
- Green: 4,763 yards, Par 70/74, 68.2 Rating/117 Slope
The first thing you learn about Thorny Lea Golf Club is that it is a player’s club. They are proud of their standing as the club with the most single digit handicaps in Massachusetts. I imagine it’s pretty easy to find a game here, but maybe not so easy to win!
The course has multiple state amateur champions among its ranks. In addition, members Matt Parziale won the 2017 US Mid-Am and Shannon Johnson won the 2018 US Women’s Mid-Am.
Like many courses of this era, it didn’t start as an eighteen hole layout. Originally, there were six holes before expanding to nine. In 1925, Stiles and Van Kleek were hired to remodel the club into a full eighteen holes. What remains today is largely their work from that time.
With the backdrop of the course’s playing pedigree and design history, let’s tour the course that has produced some many good players.
Hole 1 – 366 yards – Par 4 – Pine Tree
Thorny Lea is not going to beat you up with length, but we will see why it produces good players. The first hole plays alongside the driving range with plenty of room to the right.
With a wide open front, it is advisable to be short rather than long for any misses.
Hole 2 – 449 yards – Par 4 – Long Joe
It’s a quick introduction to the test here with a long par four as the second hole. Tree trouble is all along the left side and drives up the right have the best angle to the green.
You cannot tell from here but there is quite a bit of slope in the green. Putting over the contours can be tricky.
Hole 3 – 172 yards – Par 3 – Shady Nook
A large green offers some salvation on this tee shot. Even though bunkers surround it, the target is inviting. There is a tiny false front on the green so you have to carry your ball a bit further than that to stay on.
Hole 4 – 357 yards – Par 4 – Bald Eagle
While it was adjusted in the 1925 remodel, this hole is original to the 1900 layout. With the trees, this hole demands a straight drive.
With the elevated green and slope in front, it is imperative that you control your spin on the approach shot.
Hole 5 – 356 yards – Par 4 – Rolling Pin
Trouble on the left catches your eye while surveying this tee shot. Judge the bunker carry and you can fire away with a lot of room to the right.
The water looms closely on the left which I imagine leads to many slight misses to the right.
Hole 6 – 412 yards – Par 4 – Noah’s Ark
This is a tough hole that plays to a blind landing area before revealing the rest of itself on the approach. I don’t recommend a quick hook into the trees.
Good tee shots can take advantage of the downhill slope to shorten the approach. The green is heavily pitched towards the fairway which should make it receptive. Regardless, you don’t want to be putting from the top to bottom tiers.
Hole 7 – 349 yards – Par 4 – Wedding Cake
A straight shot or fade plays well here. At this length, driver might not be necessary. It’s all about setting up a good approach to the perched green.
Hole 8 – 480 yards – Par 5 – Sahara
Our lone par five on the front provides a decent chance for birdie. Many players will be able to get to the green or get close. You can see almost the entire hole out in front of you.
Should you choose to lay up, this is the shot you’d be facing.
I saw many of these ridges in the greens at Thorny Lea. They are not loud features, but they offer just enough challenge to make you think.
Hole 9 – 160 yards – Par 3 – Teaser
This hole has two sets of tees that can make the hole play much differently depending on which one is used. The other set from the one shown below is off to the left and plays at a 90-degree angle. From our tees the main goal is to not miss long. Most of the other misses will be more manageable.
Hole 10 – 386 yards – Par 4 – Jinks
The trees here set you up to hit a draw but a straight shot plays anywhere. If you can make it to the right side of the fairway, you get the best angle to the green.
Hole 11 – 491 yards – Par 5 – Bunker Hill
The second of the two par fives is another great birdie opportunity. The hole moves to the right and you can run out of fairway up the left side, so be aware.
With a very small green, misses on either side make for tough up and downs.
Hole 12 – 394 yards – Par 4 – Lookout
This was the most claustrophobic that I felt on any tee at Thorny Lea. You just have to hit a good one here with all of the trees.
As the hole bends right it opens up quite a bit. Missing to the left makes for harder up and downs.
Hole 13 – 166 yards – Par 3 – Birdie
It’s best to shade towards the left side of this green. The putting surface is in a little bowl, however the severity is not such that misses will funnel back towards the middle. A false front will repel short tee shots.
Hole 14 – 403 yards – Par 4 – Jacob’s Well
OB guards the entire left side of this dogleg left. Despite that, you don’t want to go right or through the fairway since you will be blocked out by trees.
You can see what I mean by the view of the approach shot below. Overhanging trees can make a manufactured shot necessary.
Hole 15 – 378 yards – Par 4 – Bird’s Nest
High ball hitters can fly one over the large tree and feel like this is a wide open tee shot. With OB to the left, you will want to shade to the right anyway.
An accurate drive provides you with a green light approach shot to a green with subtle ripples on its surface.
Hole 16 – 331 yards – Par 4 – Overbrook
The decision on this dogleg left tee shot revolves around the creek. You can be aggressive up the left side and carry the creek or play to the right of it.
Playing up the left side doesn’t necessarily offer a clear approach. You have to carry it far enough to get past this tree. The fence you see here is in very close proximity to the green.
Hole 17 – 191 yards – Par 3 – Scotty
All of the holes at Thorny Lea have a name, which is a feature I enjoy. Below is an example of the markers that each hole has.
Scotty plays a bit shorter than the yardage and the green has plenty of slope as it runs away from you on the tee.
Hole 18 – 398 yards – Par 4 – The Swamps
As you’d expect from a course like Thorny Lea, the finisher is no pushover. On this day, it was playing straight into the wind. With trouble down the left, your drive should favor the right side. Once you get out of this chute, the hole opens up quite a bit.
On a calm day this approach will be a good bit shorter. The green is sloped towards the fairway and has a lot of contouring along the edges.
Thorny Lea might now wow you when you look at the scorecard, but it provides plenty of challenge and enjoyment with the corridors and green contouring. I found the course to be delightful and the day was made better by a great host. If you have a chance to see Thorny Lea, I’d definitely take advantage.