BELCHERTOWN — One of the most common problems in an average golfer’s game is the inability to remain focused on every shot during an 18-hole round. Typically by the back nine they are checked out, or aren’t putting as much thought into every shot as they were at the beginning of the round.

At Cold Spring Country Club, that would lead to several high numbers on the scorecard and likely many lost balls.

The gorgeous, narrow 18-hole track in Belchertown is well-known for its difficult tee shots, with several dog-legs both ways and many tight landing areas that require elite precision from a driver. In order to score even remotely well, getting off the tee is a necessity, according to head professional David Wright – who is in his 10th season at Cold Spring.

“You have to pay attention to every tee shot and stay focused for the four and a half, five hours that you’re out here or it can get tough,” Wright said. “You can’t take a tee shot off. They make you think out there. Some holes require a draw, some require a slice. Even the holes that look short on the card, they have elevation.”

Right away you’re tested with a 216-yard (from the tips) par 3 on the first hole, which is severely elevated and plays nearly 50 yards shorter – it makes you think out of the gate. The second hole is a 537-yard par 5 with an extremely slim landing area off the tee. There is out-of-bounds and hazard on both sides.

Those are just the first two holes. There are plenty more tee shots that test your mental fortitude.

The good news? Once you get to the greens, they aren’t too difficult to read. Some undulation is apparent in certain spots, but the majority of greens are straightforward. What you see is what you get.

“It’s a narrow course, so tee shots are really important here,” Wright said. “The key to scoring low is getting off the tee. The greens are pretty straightforward, they aren’t too sloped. There are some subtle breaks that you would miss the first time you play the course, but you learn as you play here where those spots are.”

The course record from the 6,521-yard back tees is 64 – 7-under the par of 71. Cold Spring Country Club was designed by Mary Armstrong in 2010 and opened for play in 2012. The up-and-coming course holds several scenic views and is sure to be an amusing round of golf.

Pick your posion, there are plenty of hard holes

Wright couldn’t choose just one hole when asked which is the most difficult at Cold Spring. In his opinion, it’s No. 14, a 449-yard par 4 with little-to-no room for error off the tee (sensing a theme yet).

And the green also runs left to right, not front to back – which means a perfect approach shot is needed.

“Fourteen is the hardest hole for me to play for a few different reasons,” Wright said. “From the back tees, the fairway narrows right at the landing zone of your drive, and then you’re hitting a mid-to-short iron into a green that’s facing the opposite way of where you’re hitting. You have very little room to miss right of the green, and that green is a difficult one. It’s a tough approach shot.”

He also mentioned No. 2 (the No. 1 handicap hole at Cold Spring) and No. 6 as holes that typically get labeled by golfers as the hardest. Aside from the drive on No. 2, it’s a pretty simple hole. If you put it in play over 220 yards, it becomes much easier to score.

As for No. 6, there isn’t much trouble to run into on the 257-yard par 3. It’s just a very long hole. The tree line down the right is in play, but there is plenty of room to miss left.

“Most people say No. 2 is the hardest, but the only thing hard about it is the tee shot,” Wright said. “Six is a very tough hole to make par on. You’re not gonna lose a ball. Well, you can, but generally the issue is that it’s just a long hole. There isn’t much danger. The green is small, so for a 250-yard shot, it’s very difficult to hit.”

So take your pick between 2, 6 and 14 for hardest holes at Cold Spring.

The evolution of Cold Spring

The entire course is in terrific condition, from tee to green including the bunkers – which have soft, white sand that prompt perfect lies. That wasn’t always the case, however. Crabgrass and weeds spread rapidly across the course during the first five years or so at Cold Spring.

There wasn’t anything special about it then, but that notion has certainly changed.

A couple of new superintendents, including current one Jamie Kohn, worked their tails off to get the course in the shape it is now – which can be classified as top tier for a public course.

“We had a couple of rough years like seven years ago,” Wright said. “We had a lot of crabgrass and weeds and things like that, but we got a new superintendent and he really brought it back. He got rid of all that stuff. Our newest superintendent, Jamie, this is his third season. He’s been doing a great job and the place is in really good shape. The greens roll really smooth, the bunkers have white sand and are very nice to play out of.”