New Course in Northbridge, Mass., Set to Open Next Spring

New England golfers will have another course to play next April with the opening of Shining Rock Golf Club in Northbridge, Mass. The semiprivate course occupies 146 acres of rolling landscape that affords views of the Blackstone Valley Corridor.

The par-71 layout measures 6,668 yards from the tips and each hole has three to five tees. It also boasts an elevation change of 255 feet. Each hole has a name that reflects the area's cultural and industrial heritage, with designations like "Kuttutuck," "Blackstone," "Quarry," "Rockdale," "Pemaogok," "Towpath" and "Shining Path."

The namesake Shining Rock is a sheer cliff of granite that sits prominently almost 80 feet above the forest floor below and, from its peak, offers 30-mile vistas into Rhode Island and Central Massachusetts. The abundance of mica in the glacial rock causes the formation to glisten in the sunshine after a rain and served as a landmark for early settlers in the Blackstone Valley.

"Shining Rock will offer attractive playing privilege packages and daily fees to area golfers that are competitively priced," said club spokesman Tim Gordon. "Our goal next year is to accommodate a significant number of players, as we believe we have a very special golf course that should prove to be exceptionally popular with New England golfers. Comments from knowledgeable players who already have previewed Shining Rock are that they think they are playing a course designed by a major golf architect. We are proud that the construction site superintendent, Patrick Sullivan, who for four years directed much of the design and construction, has guided Shining Rock through its extraordinary development and the result is a spellbinding layout."

When it debuts next spring, Shining Rock will also offer a 3,000-square foot clubhouse. Members of Hopkinton Country Club will enjoy playing privileges at Shining Rock. For more information, call Gordon at 508/735-7540 or visit www.shiningrock.com.