There was a large tract of land near the border of Massachusetts and Rhode Island that was framed by thousands of weeping willow trees. In 1959 Geoffrey Cornish designed a course that was made for walking and named it Sun Valley.
Sun Valley soon became a favorite to golfers from Massachusetts and Rhode Island. But a storm wiped out hundreds of trees, and the caretakers of Sun Valley did not maintain the conditions necessary to attract golfers. The course closed and looked like the land was doomed to be turned into condominiums.
A mile up the road was Crestwood Country Club, a private club, that was also designed by Cornish, that had been purchased by local businessman and entrepreneur Joe Moniz. Joe made significant improvements to Crestwood, making it one of the top private clubs in the area.
Joe had been a regular at Sun Valley and wanted to resurrect Sun Valley to its former glory days. “I had such fond memories of Sun Valley that I wanted to make an investment necessary to provide a great course for the area public-golfer that I myself enjoyed for so many years,” said Moniz. “It has been well received so far.”
Joe hired Tim Gerrish, who has worked with Cornish, to bring Sun Valley back to life. Other than course improvements, like a new irrigation system and reseeded with a new bent-grass, Joe has created a new clubhouse constructed of stone and bricks and looks like a restaurant you would find in the hills of Tuscany.
What about the pigeon? Joe is a big supporter of animals. One day he was at Crestwood and a white pigeon appeared and Joe started feeding him. The pigeon would follow Joe around the club like a puppy and Joe named it Hazel. When it came to naming the resurrected Sun Valley, Joe called it Hazelton in honor of his faithful pigeon. Tee it up at Hazelton soon and enjoy the golf, and the bar and restaurant for some 19th hole refreshments.
Hazelton is located at 327 Summer St. Rehoboth, Mass and can be reached at 508-403-6034. www.HazeltonGolfClub.com
