After a few good experiences I've had a couple awful experiences here. Look, its a municipal golf course so slow play and a crowded course are bound to happen. But its how the course handles it that I have a problem with... from the Golf Shop staff right through the Starter to the Ranger. Golf Shop: - Don't be late. At all. Whereas most other courses I've ever played (especially ones with parking as scarce as this place) understand that people will occasionally be late. Most places are flexible enough to merely let the next tee time go off and move the late group back a slot. Not here. They're rude when you're late and not very accommodating. - However, my bigger problem with the Golf Shop staff is that they're willing to pass off the problem to someone else. I played a recent weekend where they were way behind schedule - maybe 20 minutes. Instead of doing the dignified thing and letting customers know as they came in to pay (I.e. Oh, Mr. X, we're running about 20 minutes behind, so your 3:02 tee time will be a little closer to 3:22) they say nothing and let you get into a tiff with the Starter. A professional operation would let you know up front. Starter: I've gotta say... I've been here 5 or 6 times, and the first 3 or 4 were fine. But there was a different guy there the last two times and I've never seen anyone - in ANY position at a golf course - act more unprofessionally. This was again on the day they were running late. When I asked when we could expect to go off, he snapped that we'd get on the course when he felt like he could get us in. When asked what a tee time meant, he said 'absolutely nothing'. He then cited "course rules" for why waiting groups could not sit silently near the first tee waiting for their (delayed) tee time, and threatened that we could "go get your money back if you don't like the rules." Uhh... not quite the way you want to treat customers at a public, municipal course with so many other options in the area. Its for this reason I'll never be back. Course: - Course is in pretty good shape for a muni. Fun holes, not overly challenging for an experienced player. Not a bad course for a beginner, either. Recently put some money into fixing up the 9th hole (only a 9-hole course) and overall its in pretty good shape. - One downer is there's a walking trail that abuts 7th, 8th, and 9th holes and the people who walk their dogs on it aren't the most respectful of the fact that there's a golf course nearby. You will often be distracted by people yelling for their dogs ("HERE MR. RIPLEY!!!") or by kids yelling. - Cost is reasonable, if not slightly high for the other options in the area. $26 for 9, walking, on the weekends. Overall: - If you need something close and you live in Cambridge, fine. But from my point of view, its far more likely than not that you will (A) not be treated well or (B) will run into a frustrating situation that the course personnel will not handle well. Given the other local options (Newton Commonwealth, George Wright, Franklin Park, Presidents in Quincy, Putterham in Brookline, etc.) I'd say skip FPGC. read more

Haven't played there in a while and was impressed with condition of course. Like that they take tee times on weekends with credit card. $28 for 9 is a great deal. read more

Fresh Pond Golf course is a 9 hole kind of dumpy place that will do the job if you live in the area and feel the need to get out there quickly. I went a few times last year and it's not awful but it's no where near the quality of some of the nicer courses in the area. I'm going to give it 3 stars for convenience and for being inexpensive. read more

As a Belmont resident surrounded by private courses, this course is not only a great deal at $20/walking, but is very well maintained. A few buddies and I had played 9 earlier that day at a Country Club near Acton, and had a good experience in terms of no back ups, but the fairways, and especially the greens, were in terrible condition. After grabbing a bite to eat in Watertown, we decided to play another 9 at Fresh Pond. The clubhouse attendant was very nice. The starter was a great guy, and very funny. The course was a little backed up as it was a Monday and leagues were in session, but overall we had a great time, and the fairways and greens were in phenomenal shape. This course is beautiful, and well maintained. It really is a gem, and well worth checking out if you are in and around Boston and want to play a quick 9 and use nearly every club in your bag. read more

This course is in awful shape. Greens and tee boxes aren't even cut. There's no ranger to speed the game up. It took us forever just to finish 9. The cheapness per round doesn't justify the courses flaws read more

I love this place..I've played like 4 times and have never had a bad time. I'm never rushed and the course is fun. They maintain it well and it is never crowded. The price is decent and it's in a great location. I really like this place and I'll keep going back, try it out. read more

Course is in good condition and generally plays fast for a 1.5 hr 9 hole round. I would suggest they add a food option or at least advertise it more if they do have it. read more

I was born and raised in the area and this is the first time I ever had played here. What a nice nine-holer! Very well maintained and cared for. The fairways are perfectly manicured and the greens putt true, but at times can be a little fast. The staff was friendly and the pace of play was excellent. A great price too. My only two complaints are the grounds crew seemed to ignore you while you are on the tee-box. This however should not be a reason to not play at this gem. My second complaint is the food stand and the only reason I am complaining is they have roller dogs like you would see at a gas station. Didn't get one. I would advise Fresh Pond to steam them. However, the hot dog situation should not prevent you from going. A great course and definitely going back. read more

Bob Carey & his staff do a greta job running this facility. The course is in great condition and has the best greens in the area for a public or muni course. Really easy walk, really convenient. BUY YOUR CLUBS HERE!! Bob will give you a better deal than anyone else's advertised priced. He has a lot of retail experience and his business says it all by the large amount of repeat customers. Don't buy your equipment from a big box store, they don't care about you. read more

I played here for the first time in April of 2013. I have to admit, I was very impressed by the condition of the course. I had driven by the course on daily commutes between Cambridge and Waltham and was tempted to play every single day during the golf season. The course is very short by modern standards. Better players likely won't have any more than a wedge approach on the Par 4's. There are some very challenging Par 3's and some Par 5's that can be reached in two. They layout is classic, and some holes offer some challenges, such as the uphill approach on #2. The greens roll true and aren't too slow or too fast. The bunkers could use more sand, as was evident by skulling an attempted blast out of a greenside bunker 10 yards over the green, but I should have realized that during my pre-shot routine. The scenery is very appealing for the Cambridge area. Some holes offer views of the Prudential Center and Hancock tower poking above the treeline. Some reviewers have mentioned some issues with the staff. I haven't had any issues with the staff myself. The best time to play would be a Sunday afternoon, especially during Patriots games. I've gotten out twice as a single this year and plowed through 9 holes in under 2 hours. $24 for 9 holes is a pretty decent rate for the area. I'll definitely be back! read more

It's telling that the one good review of this place is from a non-golfer who, very insightfully said that it looks "golfy." Here's a real review. This course is decent if you need a quick golf fix. It is VERY slow. The average player is terrible here, and the rangers don't appear to care that the pace is so slow. Don't plan on playing nine in less than two and a half hours. The greens are in decent shape for a muni course. The course itself is pretty easy and fairly short. I am not a long hitter by an means, but I don't usually have much trouble hitting a few greens in regulation. Not particularly scenic, but hey - it's in Cambridge, so what do you expect? And, just one more nit to pick with "Vanilla P's" review. Pet owners - PLEASE be respectful of the golfers. I had some idiot who let his dog come right up to me and take my ball off of the tee when I was trying to tee off on the 8th hole. The owner didn't seem to care that I had paid a greens fee and was trying to play a game. Put your pet on a leash if you can't control it otherwise. read more

This is a very short 9 hole course located in Cambridge. The greens are like a carpet, extremely slow. Because of the proximity to the city it is usually very crowded and can take forever to get around. If you are any kind of golfer, it is worth the drive out of the city to a better course. Try Mt. Hood in Melrose for something close. read more

This is the slowest golf course I've ever played. Going at a busy time pretty much guarantees you will play 9 holes in 3 hours, whereas 2.5 hours is the slowest 9 I've ever experienced anywhere else. This past week I went on a Tuesday night and after 80 minutes we had played 3 holes. I left at the point and complained to the manager who at least gave me a rain check. Sadly though he was confused as to why I was complaining, he didn't understand why they were so slow...so I don't anticipate this problem being fixed soon if mgmt doesn't think there is a problem. I give it 2 stars just b/c it's close for Cambridge/Somerville/Watertown residents. read more

Context is everything. File this under "Great! ... for Cambridge." Considering the location, where everything is too expensive and space is limited, this is a good little course. I've just never had a very good experience there. Maybe it's because I'm not a Cambridge "resident," even though I live less than a mile from the course on the Watertown/Cambridge line, but the pro shop dudes have always been complete jackasses to me (even relative to most pro shop dudes, who are jackasses as a breed). It goes with the territory, though. Everyone who manages a course thinks their course is Bethpage Black, even if they don't maintain it like it's Bethpage Black. Considering all the drainage challenges that must exist here, the fairways and greens are in decent condition, though the course becomes a swamp after any kind of rain. It doesn't play that difficult, which I appreciate, and has a good mix of holes for everything from driver to 9 iron. If it were a smidge more affordable ... if I wasn't made to feel like I was ruining the guy's day whenever I called to make a tee time ... if I just had a few less work and family responsibilities ... I'd play here more often. read more

After reading several poor reviews going on about rude staff and whatnot, I decided to try this place out for myself. After all, I've been golfing for 20+ years and I can't remember the last time I shared anything but friendly banter with a course staff member. I figured these must have been just isolated incidents. I'm unhappy to report that these people are right. Some of the staff here could only be described using expletives. The others are merely rude. Usually, a course speaks for itself but here the staff shouts over it - literally. read more

For Cambridge this is a super course. Picture perfect serene 9 holes which can be as well maintained as possible in the New England Weather. Nothing short of WOW and APPLAUSE and THANK YOU for TOM at the pro shop. He is amazing and goes out of his way to help you out and I am not even from this country. Great experience. Thank you fresh pond team. read more

I wish I could give this nice little course a 5 out of 5, the starter was a woman who was extremely nice but the ranger on the course really outdid himself. Within 5 minutes of teeing off, Bobby immediately told us to pick up the pace while we were walking up to the green. He was very rude and unprofessional, and came by again a few holes later to give us a hard time. We were parked just off the cart path to give people room to drive by - and he berated us about parking the cart on the path. Unprofessional and rude once again. Finally, on the last hole we had two tires just off the path and Bobby quite literally yelled at us while driving by in the rudest and most unprofessional way I've ever been treated as a paying customer. We are young professionals nearing 30 who treated this course and people with respect. Bobby acted in a way that should be embarrassing to the community he is employed by. read more

My wife, son, and I just finished a set of 5 lessons with Tom Cusick and we had a phenomenal experience all around. Tom was extremely courteous, accommodating, and very generous with his time. He was able to adapt his teaching style to the 3 of us. My son is 5, full of energy all the time, so you can imagine how challenging that is. Our game improved tremendously and we will certainly sign up more classes with Tom. Regarding the grounds, we are fortunate to have such a nice course in Cambridge, minutes from the city. As for the staff, our experience was equally good, everyone was helpful and courteous and ready to assist. We are fans of this place and are fortunate to have our lessons with Tom and highly recommend him for anyone who wants to improve his game and benefit from his long golfing experience. read more

OK we played this AM, a hot weekday, so it wasn't crowded but the course was in perfect condition. Greens were really nice, smooth roles, not there fault when we three putted. When it's crowded it stinks but it is a really fun city course. read more

If you're interested in golf lessons, I highly recommend going here! I took lessons with Bob, the head pro, and he was both knowledgable and friendly. I saw a marked improvement in golf skills as a result. read more

Fresh Pond is really not in good shape this year (2015 season). The worst of it is that the sand traps are not maintained at all. They have always been poor but mud and letting the grass grow in them is just ridiculous. In addition the mowing has been poor. Just not up to the better standards of the past. read more

The starter/ranger is incompetent and rude. Standard golf etiquette dictates that you let a single play through a foursome. We were yelled at for letting a single play through b/c our pairing had the last cart on the course and the ranger wanted to go home. This was on the 7th hole at 3:30 in the afternoon when the course is said to close at sunset. When we arrived at the clubhouse I needed to use the bathroom, only to find that the ladies' room was locked. I used the single bathroom; when he came in the clubhouse he banged on the door and told me he was locking up. I hurried and when I came out he said it was a good thing he heard me b/c I would've been locked in with no way out. The course itself is fine, but greens were littered with leaves and sticks (so don't play in the fall). Not worth $26 for 9 holes. Go to Woburn Country Club or Pine Meadows. read more

great place for lessons! good deal for 5, the pro picked up my flaws immediately. love the course too, always in great condition. I've read many complaints about tee times and staff here and my take is that some people just like to complain. It's a golf course in CAMBRIDGE, you may have to wait. chill out, hit a few chip shots, they'll call you shortly. As for the staff - they're guys that work at the clubhouse, not the mall. I don't expect them to shine my shoes. It's definitely a peoples course, they are not uptight at all. Just give your name, pay the greens fee and go out and play the best course in town. read more

I thought this course would feel cramped since it's in a very urban setting, but it was actually a nice space to stretch the legs and hit some balls. I was there on a Wednesday evening and it was quite crowded, so play was pretty slow, but I suspect that earlier in the day during the week it wouldn't be as a bad. I thought the design was interesting and the greens were on the easy side if you like that. Had a few chances to pull out the driver on the longer holes. I'm sure I'll be back especially since it is so close. read more