Designer: JoAnne Carner/Don Hoenig (1962)
Location: Seekonk, Massachusetts
History: Designed and owned by LPGA legend JoAnne Carner and her husband, this used to be one of the best par-3 executive courses in the region. It even hosted an AGJA event annually. The name “Firefly” came from the fact that it used to be lit up at night to allow for night golf. The course closed in 2019 and is now overgrown.
Conditions: 2/10, The only reason this course wasn’t a 1 was due to its greens, which weren’t fast, but rolled true. The fairways were nonexistent dirt patches and the tee boxes were variable but for the most part bad.
Value: 8/10, At $13 for a cart and 18, Firefly offered a very good deal. It was certainly better than a driving range.
Scorecard:
Tee Par Yardage Rating Slope
Blue 59 3644 58.0 87
White 59 3083 55.4 81
Red 59 2786 58.0 86
Hole Descriptions: The holes themselves were extremely difficult to find, and were very poorly marked. Holes 1 (155 yards) and 2 (176 yards) were uphill and downhill respectively, and feature the only elevation changes on the course. At 163 yards, the 3rd hole required a drive over the parking lot to a green defended by a moat of bunkers in the front. The 4th hole could’ve been a good hole but poor maintenance left a tree overhanging most of the left side of the green on this medium-length 176 yard par 3. The 5th hole was a truly terrible hole. This sharp dogleg left turns only about 170 yards from the tee, requiring a mid-iron off the tee. A busy road lined the right side and my partner almost decapitated a driver with his tee shot. The 8th hole was another throwaway hole. A short 319 yard par 4, this hole provided no real direction on where to hit and a torn up tee-box. A tiny creek guarded the front of this extremely sloped back-to-front green. The 301 yard 9th hole was the closest Firefly got to having a real hole. A short par 4 in decent shape, this hole required a slight draw to get around the dogleg.
The back side began with three very mundane holes including the drivable 266 yard par 4 11th, but then followed with a downright bad hole. The 13th was a 125 yard par 3 with a forced carry over reeds. Due to poor maintenance, these reeds were overgrown and you could barely see the tip of this taller-than-normal flag. The following 14th was another truly throw-away hole at just under 100 yards, and was as close to pitch-and-putt as you will get on a real course. The fairway and teebox were particularly abhorrent on this hole as well. While most of the holes at Firefly are relatively easy, the 16th was a difficult par 3 at over 230 yards with water on the right. Almost inexplicably, the next hole was a par 4 that plays about the same distance over a creek to a back-to-front sloped green. Although I didn’t expect much, the finishing hole was underwhelming as a 146 yard par 3 with no defenses.
General Comments: This course was struggling financially and pace of play was very fast, as there were very few groups on the course. The putting green was actually in pretty good shape and indicative of the greens on the course. I hesitate to compare this course to Audubon Park, which is truly a great executive course, but I feel I must. An 18-hole executive course makes no sense to me, and a regulation length 9-hole course makes sense financially and maintenance-wise.
Verdict: Now closed, Firefly was once a decent executive course but really suffered in its final years and was best suited for beginners.
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