Robert T. Lynch municipal course at Brookline Golf Club: Not the same old look

BROOKLINE, Mass. -- There are two golf courses on the property of Putterham in Brookline, both of them historic. Only one of them, though, is open to the public, the Robert T. Lynch Municipal Course at Putterham.

The muni, which dates back to 1931, actually borders The Country Club at Brookline, the famous site where a former caddie, Francis Ouimet, won the 1913 U.S. Open. Then in 1999, The Country Club played host to the historic U.S. comeback in the Ryder Cup, and the Robert T. Lynch Course actually served to support the event.

Today, anyone can play the Robert T. Lynch Course, which has undergone a few changes since it opened more than 80 years ago. And while Ouimet's monumental win came a few hundred yards away, a bronze sculpture of Ouimet and young caddie Eddie Lowery, presented in 1999, graces the entrance of Robert T. Lynch.

Designed by John Van Kleek and Wayne Stiles, the course plays around 6,400 yards from the tips, but with elevated greens, doglegs and a variety of holes, it challenges players of every level. The clubhouse, which is almost as old as the course, sits behind the 18th green. And while the course has had its ups and downs, recent years have seen a lot of improvements, including ongoing bunker and drainage improvements.