The International

I recently attended a 4 day retreat, sponsored by The Quilted Crow, in Bolton, and it was fantastic. it was a quiet weekend at the golf course, but we couldn’t have been treated any better. The staff was amazing, and went out of their way to meet our every need. When I asked about iced coffee, the staff immediately put some in the refrigerator for me for the next day. When I requested a room with a chair and foot stool, the girl at the desk went out of her way to make sure the chair was comfortable.
We were served 3 meals a day, and had drinks and snacks available 24 hours a day. I was amazed at the variety of meals they served. There wasn’t a single person not satisfied. And the deserts were unbelievable.
The Crow is already talking about going back next year, and we all can’t wait! I sure hope the same staff will return, too. I can’t wait! Thank you, The International, for a wonderful weekend!

This is a fabulous setting for an autumn wedding! The food was outstanding, the attention to detail excellent and the staff extremely professional. We asked that they use fresh lemons and limes as well as home made simple syrup in the «Signature Drinks» that were served. They didn’t blink an eye. «No problem!» Drinks were served on a gorgeous patio over looking the famous golf course. They had plenty of servers and my glass was full all night! The buildings were built in the 70’s but have been well maintained. Is it The Four Seasons in downtown Boston? No, but it doesn’t cast $ 85,000 to have a wedding there either. Our room was clean, the bed was excellent, the service good and the price again was very reasonable. We had a breakfast in a banquet room the next morning. Again, it was a beautiful setting, the food was good and the service was good. I would recommend the International to anyone wishing to have an intimate fall wedding that allows for personal touches. The golf course is one of the best in the state, so don’t forget your clubs!

Beautiful place but beware on booking events there. Renting napkins was an outrageous price so bought my own and took weeks to get back, no one would respond to emails. After I mention filing a formal complaint they «found» them. 2 days after getting my items back I get a bill for additional people that were at my event. No one extra was at my event and they could not provide me with what table number the extra people were at. Hope I can make this review better in future. My advice is get it in clear writing that you’ll only pay for people who attended and make the event coordinator tell you DURING the event if extra people show up. Extremely disappointed with these issues.
*note: my wedding was also Columbus Day weekend — noticed after I wrote this there was another poor review

I spent the weekend at the Lodge at The International. It’s not bad… It reflects missed opportunities. I read the good and bad reviews and the reality is its between the two.
Recent upgrades are apparent, but they fall short of bringing this property to where it should be. The value equation is over dependent on the location, which is’t maximized in the most fundamental ways.
The restaurant was a real disappointment. Light the view out of the restaurant at night! Seat to the room, to take advantage of your unique offering, not the servers section. Limited hours, limited menu, limited execution. Pairings weren’t inspired; cheese with fish is dicey and didn’t work on taste or execution (soupy cheddar polenta). Presentation was half hearted. Flavors of the main ingredient were fully developed which salvaged every dish.
Not serving breakfast is a missed opportunity too. Your paying the salaries, open up. Do you make assessments based upon the hotel reservations and occupancy? You have a captive client base take advantage of it (but stop taking advantage of them!). The continental breakfast added much needed value, but a lot of people eat after 9:30 closing time on the weekends. Serving slightly burned pastries is unacceptable. If you don’t open the restaurant for real breakfast, get two waffle makers and two omelette stations and one good cook. Ever chafing dishes of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and potatoes would work. That is a low investment way to bring the value equation closer to being balanced.
Dinner at the restaurant was good, but the cooking is at the $ 22 entrée level, not at the 50% premium on this that they charge. There is something wrong if you’re designating the last seating at 830 on a Friday night. The food is good, but it wasn’t that good.
The saving grace of the entire experience were the staff. They were always pleasant and helpful as they were allowed. Our server at the restaurant restaurant is an angel and quite skilled in her job.
Even the person at the front desk was helpful when I asked why some rooms have coffeemakers and others did not. He told me he could get me a cup of coffee (no reason why some rooms didn’t have coffeemakers).
The serious gaps in the room amenities have been whitewashed in the past few years by new carpet, wallpaper and furnishings.
The bed, while feeling initially like a rock was exceptionally comfortable, as were the pillows and linens, smart. A high quality topper is low hanging fruit to maximize one of the few strengths of the hotel. But it would never make up for having full size mattresses in the double room. Queen is today’s standard in a double room at that price point. You should try out different hotels at your price range and make a list of where you’re falling short.
Clean is cost of entry and the room were clean. However it would be easy to get it cleaner with minor focus.
Finishes were given little thought in the upgrade. Lighting was sufficient but lacked the quality expected at this price point. Cultured marble vanity tops should be stone. The brown tile is dated. The rooms don’t utilize space well and are missing furniture that is standard in hotels.
There is a serious ventilation problem in the common areas. The lobby smells like mildew/​musty/​mold, despite having newish carpets every where. There was either a poorly remediated water leak or they are too humid and don’t air condition well. The rooms don’t have this problem. The room AC was newer and maintained. Baths are well vented.
The gym was better than average. There are some big amenities missing entirety; a spa, hot tub, pool. Have the front desk schedule the spa around certain times to make it work with a 1099 massage therapist. Ask every guest at reservation. Pedicures/​manicures, etc.

Our company held a golf tournament and reception at the International in June 2015. Being my first time planning one I was nervous, but Bill Ransom assured me it would be just fine and he was absolutely right. Bill is a professional and knows the in’s and out’s of the tournament and reception business. He was an amazing resource. Our event went off without a hitch from planning to packing up. The staff at the International was a tremendous help and were able to fix some 4 somes and also accommodate special diets when it came to the reception. Speaking of which, the food was wonderful. We had an array of choices and it fit everyone’s plan.
I would recommend this course to anyone planning an event. Beautiful scenery, great staff and good memories.

Great location and wonderful staff. Accommodated every need. Food is great and they work with special diets and requests. The meeting rooms are top notch and a great setting. Only thing keeping this from 5 stars are the accommodations. They are a bit dated. But we come every year for our corporate retreat. Conveniently located for the whole state, beautiful location and great people.

I had dinner at the Fireside Restaurant at The International last evening. It was a great experience. The view was fantastic. The food was delicious. The wait staff was attentive and helpful.
I’d recommend you try this. It is worth the ride.

We had our company meeting at the international. They were very accommodating and easy to work with during the planning. The folks from the first contact all the way to the table service where awesome. The food was great and the bar we had was pretty cool. The feedback from the 100 people that attended was very positive. The next week we came back, the folks mentioned it as the best venue we’ve had for quite a while. We will plan on using the venue again next year with more people for other events. I wish I could have played the Golf course which I had a tee time but had to cancel. However, I’ll plan to play it with work colleagues next season.

It’s a good test of golf. The holes are interesting. I like the first hole on the Oaks course, which gives you a nice wide fairway to start your round without it being an easy throwaway hole as one often finds. It’s an uphill par 5 that’s reachable with a solid 3 wood but well-​guarded. Fun hole and a nice place to take a photo to post to Facebook to let everyone know that you’re golfing (not that anyone cares).
The practice facilities are good. Big open range with grass tees and a short game practice area next to it.
The clubhouse is nice. I haven’t spent much time there but it does have great views. The chicken salad wrap I brought out to the course was really good. It took a while to get the wrap though so don’t stop for food beforehand unless you can spare 15 minutes.
The course feels very grand. Big holes, tall trees, very secluded. It’s a great example of the classic New England wooded course.
Conditions are usually good. Recently, though, I booked a tee time on Golfnow and was disappointed to get on the course and see that the greens had been aerated in the past few days. Usually, they notify you before booking that there are abnormal conditions (I think they’re supposed to). Punch holes were still big and there was sand everywhere. Not really puttable. Pretty big bummer as it was a nice day and we were geared up for a serious round of golf.
I plan to stay off here for the rest of 2013 while the greens heal and keep an eye out for good deals in the Spring. For $ 70 — $ 80 on Golfnow when available, it’s a good value for the quality of the course. At the full rates, I would probably go elsewhere but would keep it mind for group outings. It’s a little far from Boston but you don’t have to deal with Cape traffic in the Summer and can usually get there in 40 – 45 minutes.

Oaks course review:
Nice course in great condition. I wouldn’t pay $ 129 to play it, but whereas you can get tee times on GolfNow for far less, good deals are available.
Nice practice area and range (odd that they separate members from non-​members at the range, both hitting off grass, but whatever…). Fairways and greens were near perfect.
I’ll be back.

Extremely nice course, but very over-​priced. The staff are very friendly. In all not worth the money.

Played the Oaks course for $ 130. Nice course but but def. not worth the $$. Nice practice facilities, they do have a seperate place for non-​members to hit at the driving range. We did not know this and were quietly told on our way to the first tee that non-​members hit from the yellow buckets on the range. OK whatever no signs. One thing that jumped out to me was i couldnt get a gatorade before 10am unless I flagged down the cart girl. There is no snack bar in the clubhouse while warming up or grabbing something to take out for your round. ok again whatever. Nice elevation on many holes and course in great shape. But for $ 130 you can find equal if not better places for much less. Incl. Red Tail, Waverly Oaks, Pinehills, Shaker Hills, even NECC, Highfields and Shining Rock offer much better value for your buck.

Ignore Connor T’s review.
I played here on Saturday and loved it. The only reason I removed a star is because they had no drinking water on the course, only $ 2.50 water bottles sold by the beverage cart. There was one water fountain, but the water was white (ew).
That aside, the course was in phenomenal shape. We played at a discount and had a great time. We got free range balls for the grass range.
Contrary to a lot of other reviews, there was a starter who did not let us go to the first tee until the other group left. We didn’t have to wait anywhere and played at a normal pace. The waste bunker on 15 wasn’t in great shape (key word: waste), but that wasn’t a big deal. Just don’t hit your driver on that hole like I did.
Overall, I really liked the course and will definitely go back.

Golf review of the Oaks course. It was my second round of the year playing on a freezing cold day and 30 MPH howling winds. The course destroyed me with nearly every hole playing into the wind (serious) but it was still a GREAT place to play golf. The layout and elevation changes were very unexpected compared to other local courses. Condtions of the tees and fairways were fine the day we played. The greens were starting to grow in and there is nothing you can do when nature decides to have March weather during the month of May. Each hole here has a different feel and you will use every club in your bag. Bring your A-​game because course plays long and tough. I can’t wait to go back and play when the weather warms.

Played here on a $ 69 Groupon. Staff was very friendly — didn’t treat us like the non-​members that we were, which I certainly appreciated.
As we were non-​members, we were only allowed to play the Oaks course. This is not the one that has the longest hole anywhere, so that was kind of a downer as we were looking forward to that.
That said, the Oaks course was nice. Well maintained all around. You have to like the GPS golf carts — those are always a plus, and not something you see often around here. I didn’t find the course design terribly different or interesting. There are a couple nice views of the surrounding valley, but not a lot of memorable holes.
I understand that this is The International, and that it is semi-​private, but do we have to bend over the golfers on the beer purchases? My goodness — 3 beers on the course ran us $ 22 before a tip. Yikes! When the nice lady selling the beers to us was apologizing for the cost, you have a bit of a price problem.
So overall, not a bad place to try, but I wasn’t blown away by it.

This review is for The Oaks course.
Overall, I would say my experience was poor despite the appealing course layout. Hype aside, this simply isn’t a $ 140 experience. Maybe $ 60 would have earned it another star, but some of the faults are simply inexcusable at any price.
Things that I expect to not see on a $ 100 course and most definitely not on a $ 140 course (mid-​season price):
* No starter, so that you get hit onto while waiting to hit your approach on the 1^st
* 100s of ball marks on greens
* Bunkers that look like a marching band had been practicing in them
* Sprinkler heads next to valve boxes next to more sprinkler heads located right where you may want to land your approach shot
* Collection areas with valve boxes at the bottom
* Cart girls who fire up their gas carts during your backswing
* Greens that haven’t been rolled… ever. For $ 140, I expect greens so fast that simply looking at my ball cross-​eyed will send it 30ft.
* Carts that aren’t fully charged and have to be rescued during the round
* Carts with GPS interlocks that disable forward motion while on a paved cart path because they erroneously detect that you are on a green, thereby forcing you to drive your cart in reverse for approximately 100 yards to get to the next hole
* Tees that are less than perfect, even on Par 3s.
* Driving range with only 8 mats for two courses, so no warm-​up is possible
* Cashiers that rudely inform you that the yardage books are $ 6 the moment you pick one up
* Yardage books that cost $ 6 beyond the $ 140 access fee (hard to call it a «greens fee» since not much of it seemed to pay for the greens)
* There is no drinking water on the course
* Unlike almost every other golf course in the world, there is no food available at the turn and no signs indicating as such. Instead, you have to know to stop between 5 & 6 or 13 & 14
Things I did like:
* The layout was nice
* Bunkers are generally positioned so that you have to approach the green from the air
* Fairway bunkers are a nice twist that aren’t on most New England courses
* There was generally benefit to being able to put your ball on the right or left side of the fairway — but you didn’t get crushed for ending up on the wrong side either
* I think the elevation was generally well used

Best golf course in New England by far. The International has not 1 but 2 championship golf courses. This place is always in pristine condition and the greens are lightning quick. The practice facilities are the best you will find anywhere in the world and the food in the clubhouse is amazing! I highly recommend this place to any serious golfer.

I guess I’m a big fan of Tom Fazio design. First time on a TF course and I just loved the layout and challenges. Fairway bunkers and terrain changes really made it interesting. Played the Oaks course since Pines is for members only. Well maintained. Friendly staff. Expensive beers tho… like $ 6.50 for a can of import.
Purely from a golfer’s perspective, I like this course more than Granite Links and Pinehills. It’s just more interesting and fun. But I’d give the edge to Granite and Pinehills for their cleanliness, amenities, view, management, etc. No starter at first tee so that caused some unnecessary confusion as to which group was supposed to go first.
I had a great first impression when I pulled my car into the lot for check in as the staff was friendly and attentive. But then when I went to use the men’s room at the clubhouse, I was unpleasantly surprised that it was kinda dirty… and smelly. That’s a no-​no for a supposedly 5-​star resort. Could have taken a star off for that but I guess the course itself left me a such a positive impression that my opinion is biased.

I am reviewing the Fireplace Room; the restaurant of The International Golf Club.
We had our after-​wedding dinner here and the food was delightfully decadent. The reason I am giving it 3 stars is due to the blatently cruel middle-​aged elitist hag who was our initial server. She was downright abusive. The server we had at first put the wicked witch of the west to shame in her rudeness and streak of bitterness. Sorry hag, we just got married, we’re smiling, happy and brought our own wedding cake and flowers for the table! I believe her name was Beelzebub. After about 45 minutes of waiting for our first glass of water, Glinda the good witch’s niece showed up to be our server. She was polite, sweet and gracious. I believe her name was Kim.
I had the filet mignon, which was perfect and my husband had the tomahawk chop; a massssssive, unforgettable steak chop about 2 inches thick and covered his dinner plate. The sides are a la carte, and the escarole/​white bean side was 86’ed before I got to try it. The roasted mini-​potatoes were divine. The wine list was mediocre, but the cocktails, I am told, were very strong.
The autumn foliage was in full bloom and the grounds of this country club are amazing. We’re definitely going to back for a day of golf next spring.
It’s sad that I had to deduct stars based on disgraceful service because the food and atmosphere were perfect.

We checked out the International for a wedding this past fall and I just wasn’t impressed.
We stayed at the Lodge for the 2 nights we were there and the rooms are REALLY dated. I’m not kidding when I tell you my TV was from the 80’s.
The dining room is one of those places that has a dress code (meh I wasn’t feeling it) so I never checked it out, but I heard the food was pretty decent.
The banquet facility was alright, but nothing I would write home about. the ballroom was nice but didn’t have the greatest view. I’m not sure what the room the reception was held in but it was an awkward shape that made for some difficulty trying to see for some people and gave the room a disjointed feel.
The apple martinis tasted AMAZING (best part of the night I tell you) and they weren’t bright green like some of the weird pucker based ones you get usually, but I drank about 10 before I had a buzz and I’m kind of a light weight these days so they were THAT weak. The food was decent, but again nothing to write home about.
The one part of this place that deserves way more than 2 stars is the view during the fall. ITS GORGEOUS. I’m not kidding you — I would stop by there just to look at it because the grounds are amazing.