50-cent rounds mark centennial of Massachusetts course with Black history

Golfers in Massachusetts are paying 50 cents for a nine-hole round this week at Stow Acres Country Club to mark the facility's 100th anniversary. The promotion runs from October 27 through 29 and aligns with the club's effort to highlight its roots as Mapledale Country Club.

The pricing structure mirrors a vintage sign recovered from the property many years ago. General Manager David Carlson stated that the sign listed 75 cents for weekend play and 50 cents for weekdays. The club adopted the weekday rate for the anniversary event to connect current players with that specific historical detail.

The site was purchased in 1926 by Robert Hawkins, a Massachusetts businessman. Hawkins converted the farmland into a golf course and hosted the first National Black Championship that same year. The event was held again in 1927 and 1928, providing a competitive venue for Black golfers during a period of widespread segregation in the sport.

Hawkins retained ownership for three years before losing the property during the Great Depression. The course eventually evolved into Stow Acres Country Club, though its early history faded from public record. A committee named Rediscover Mapledale raised funds to install historical markers around the grounds to educate visitors about this lineage.

For the anniversary, the club restored the original nine-hole layout for the first time in approximately 80 years. The historic course measures about 2,100 yards, which is roughly 1,000 yards shorter than the modern Stow Acres South Course front nine. Staff constructed three temporary greens on areas that currently serve as fairways to complete the original routing.

Walter Johnson, a golfer from Framingham, participated in the event after learning about the site's history through church-organized tournaments. Johnson noted that the low entry fee attracted his friends. He described the location as having great history and expressed satisfaction at playing on a course with such historical weight.

Carlson noted that current playing conditions are vastly improved compared to the 1920s. He explained that Hawkins did not use heavy machinery to level the terrain, meaning early players likely faced rougher ground than today's participants experience on the restored layout.