Tag: Escalante 2022

With over 100 years of elite golf pedigree, The International stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the most exclusive golf clubs in the Northeast. But the setting, and more importantly, the people, make the club the perfect home for golf.

What makes a round of golf memorable?

Every golfer can recount a handful of rounds in their lives that truly stick out, but what makes those particular days so special? Sure, banging in a 30-foot birdie putt will leave a lasting impression, but the snapshots of swings and strokes fade quickly as time goes by. 

The clearest memories are always of where you are and, more importantly, who you’re with. Those details last a lifetime. 

That’s what makes the game special, and that’s what members at The International Golf Club have come to experience.

Set amongst the rocky outcroppings and woods of which New England golf is known, The International has everything an avid golfer could want in a private club. The club’s 200-plus members get all the spoils of two, 18-hole championship courses, a state-of-the-art practice complex and a full staff of service professionals.

“We came here because of the golf – the quality of the practice facility, the conditions, the layouts,” says The International member Jeff Peterson, “and you see that in the membership … people here just love the game.”

Founded in 1901, The International boasts over 100 years of rich history, with famous figures like Francis Ouimet and now the golf course design duo of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw lending their expertise to the club. But the true hallmark of The International, and what’s propelled its return as a premier club since being acquired by Escalante Golf in 2021, is the relationships forged between not only the members, but the staff as well.

“What’s been so profound once I joined was the community that I found here,” says member Savahna Reuben. “Whether it’s the incredible Golf Professionals who will always throw you a tip when you’re on the putting green, to the exceptional service of the staff who not only will remember your name but also your favorite drink or your favorite dinner order. All the way to the members themselves who are always willing to get three holes in before sunset, or get a drink at the bar to get to know each other better. The community here is just fantastic.”

That community is sure to grow in the coming months thanks in part to a massive renovation of the Pines Course by Coore and Crenshaw. Set to be completed in 2024, the project will allow the signature New England landscape to shape 18 brand-new holes that will bring the Pines Course into the modern era while preserving the rich history of The International’s original course. 

Until then, members can enjoy the beautiful Oaks Course, a Tom Fazio design built in 2001 and restored a year ago by golf course architect Tripp Davis. With memorable waste bunkers and distinctive ‘naturalized areas,’ the Oaks Course is sure to provide an unforgettable experience for golfers of any skill level.

But the golf experience is just one part of what makes The International what it is. The club and its membership prides itself on providing a friendly community, excellent service, and above all, a love for the game of golf. 

“The camaraderie at this club is incredible,” says member Vic Khanna. “The quality of service the club staff delivers on a daily basis, the spirited, kindred culture shared amongst the membership, all combined with fantastic golf allows The International to really deliver on all things you look for in a private club.”

The only private, 36-hole club in the greater Boston area, The International has quickly grown into one of the most popular golf destinations in the Northeast. Since acquiring the club in 2021, Escalante Golf has implemented an aggressive approach to building out a strong national and international membership that has garnered plenty of interest from passionate golfers.

With new projects on the horizon, now is the perfect time to join the thriving, golf-loving community at The International. Contact Tony Giannetti at tony.giannetti@theinternational.com or Justin Komins at justin.komins@theinternational.com before initiation fees increase on Aug. 31, or visit www.theinternational.com.

Constructed in 1901, the Pines Course at The International is steeped in history. Over 120 years later, a redesign breathes new life into a classic venue while honoring the vision of one of golf’s historic greats.

From the earliest days of golf in America, the game has always had a home in Boston. The area is synonymous with the biggest events and greatest players the sport has ever seen, and located in the heart of it all is The International.

Founded in 1901, The International and its original Pines Course have long been a staple of New England golf. The course’s rich history is intertwined with the history of golf, and like the game itself, is constantly evolving. 

The father of golf in America, Francis Ouimet, who kickstarted the game in the U.S. with a historic win in the 1913 U.S. Open, lent his name to the Pines Course in 1954. Ouimet consulted architect Geoffrey S. Cornish on an expansion of the nine-hole layout that created the full course that exists today. Then in 1972, Robert Trent Jones added his renowned touch, modifying the slick greens and challenging bunkers that dot the landscape.

And now, nearly 70 years since Ouimet’s vision was brought to life at The International, the acclaimed design duo of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw are reshaping the Pines Course for the current generation.

To be completed in 2024, the project will allow the natural landscape to create 18 new and distinctive golf holes that present a modern challenge while preserving the foundation laid by Cornish and Ouimet years ago. In Coore and Crenshaw’s entirely new routing, they are carving dramatic tree-lined corridors that will present a brand new and visually stunning challenge.

“Given the design features that Geoff Cornish and those who have preceded us at the Pines have given us to work with and the landforms, vegetation and soils nature has provided, we are excited about the prospects,” said Coore.

He and Crenshaw bring almost 50 years of knowledge and expertise in golf course design to this project at The International, adding the Pines Course to the likes of Pinehurst No. 2 and Riviera Country Club in their star-studded portfolio.

With this renovation, the design duo will bolster the already rich Boston golf landscape with a course that provides a fresh look and feel while also complementing the famous New England style of surrounding layouts like The Country Club and Myopia Hunt Club.

“We hope to present a course whose character is perhaps a bit more classic New England golf architecture,” Coore said. “By that I refer to architecture featuring more abrupt mounding, ridges, hollows and sometimes quirky but highly interesting golfing features. Our hope is to create a course to complement the heritage of golf architecture in the greater Boston area.”

Although still a ways out from the expected completion date in 2024, the Pines Course redesign has already begun to take shape as Coore & Crenshaw plot out the new and improved routing. The architects will not give away too much of a preview, but Coore remarked on the potential of the Pines Course and their vision for The International.

“As I continue to walk the routing and the proposed course plans, I realize I can be excited about all of the holes and the potential they present when combined into the course as a whole,” Coore said. “There are no holes that have little or no potential or will be extremely difficult to make interesting or playable. Even highly interesting sites often have a hole or two that require significant work to make them measure up to their siblings. I do not see that requirement at the Pines Course.”

Since acquiring The International – the only private 36-hole club in Greater Boston – in 2021, Escalante Golf has implemented an aggressive approach to building out a strong national and international membership that has garnered plenty of interest from passionate golfers. Become a part of this reimagined golf nirvana that is growing quickly. Contact Tony Giannetti at tony.giannetti@theinternational.com before initiation fees increase on August 31, 2022, or visit www.theinternational.com.

In professional sports, there is always a “Comeback Player of Year” award or a feel-good story about an athlete or team who succeeded despite the odds or obstacles that stood in their way.

The Boston sports landscape is no stranger to comebacks – from the 2004 Red Sox team that overcame a 3-0 series deficit in the American League Championship Series to win four games in a row and send the hated New York Yankees home to Boston Strong, the city’s battle cry after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.

Golf also is notorious for producing these feel-good comeback stories – Ben Hogan’s championship run after his horrific car accident, that miraculous Sunday at the 1999 Ryder Cup at The Country Club in Brookline and Tiger Woods’ miraculous returns at the 2019 and 2022 Masters, all come to mind.

Another comeback in the golf and Boston landscapes is catching everyone’s attention, and it is happening on the west side of Beantown. The International Golf Club – a 36-hole golf complex in Bolton – shut its doors in 2020 and was left for dead. The golf courses went unmanicured, outside events were canceled and workers no longer had a place to get a W-2.

Then in February 2021, Escalante Golf acquired The International and immediately went to work on preserving the club’s 120-year legacy and expanding on its vision to reimagine the club. Part of that vision included making the club fully private and building a membership that shares in the responsibility of shepherding a new era of golf at the club.

Fast-forward to today and the comeback is nearly complete. Escalante immediately went to work on updating the club’s infrastructure and its two championship layouts, the Oaks and the Pines. Tripp Davis and Associates revamped the Oaks Course by enhancing the tees and bunkers on the Tom Fazio design, as well as the property’s expansive practice areas. The project began in March 2021 and was completed nearly seven months later.

The recently underway construction of the new Pines Course promises to be one of the most anticipated projects in New England golf in recent memory. The famed course architecture tandem of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw are laying a new golf course on top of the Geoffrey S. Cornish/Francis Ouimet original design and allowing the land to dictate the characteristics of 18 brand-new golf holes. Among various other modernizations, the Coore and Crenshaw team are carving out new corridors to complement their refinement of the existing, awe-inspiring tree-lined corridors to produce an end product that will be sure to bring excitement and greater challenges.

The club updates, along with the revamped Oaks Course and ongoing reconstruction of the Pines, have created quite a buzz in the Boston golf scene and sparked plenty of interest in private membership. Currently, more than 200 members call The International their golf home, with a projection of 300 by the end of this year. That is quite an amazing comeback in less than two years’ time.

“The Oaks redesign has been phenomenal with the elevation changes, new tee boxes and bunkers, which are second to none, and the scenic views,” says Evan McCullough, who joined The International this past September. “The Pines Course will keep its character; yet we [the members] are pumped about the renovation and what is to come from the Coore and Crenshaw team.

“The International is a golf club with 36 phenomenal holes, and that’s a huge selling point,” McCullough adds. “While the golf brings you in, it’s everything else that keeps you here – the food, the staff, the entire vibe – that has you coming back for more.”

For more information on joining The International Golf Club, visit TheInternational.com.