Like the Bee Gees told us 40 years ago, you "will remember Massachusetts." That last line to their hit song "Massachusetts" referenced the life and people (and first loves) of the state. Golf Card members will remember a trip to Massachusetts for the amount of diverse courses, beautiful scenery and quaint New England charm stretching from Cape Cod at the eastern tip to Lanesboro at the western end.

Though all of Massachusetts is in the Eastern time zone, playing here can cross different eras. From the links-style open designs near the Cape that are rooted in the game's beginnings to the venerable tree-lined, parkland courses popular at the turn of the century to the modern target-oriented layouts, golf here fast-forwards to the past.

Fall is spectacular in Massachusetts. The courses, villages and Berkshires explode with color and the moderate temperatures are ideal for golf or other outdoor activities. But summer clambakes and spring Red Sox games are hard to resist as well.

Here's a review of several Golf Card affiliates throughout the state. For more information on golfing and vacationing in Massachusetts, visit www.massvacation.com and www.newenglandgolf.com.

Working west to east, Skyline Country Club (413-445-5584; skyline-cc.com) in Lanesborough is a popular Berkshire course with unbelievable views of the surrounding countryside and Mount Greylock. Tight fairways tend to confine the free swinger.

Directly south of Skyline in the Berkshire town of Great Barrington, Egremont Country Club (413-528-4222; egremontcountryclub.com) is a semi-private course that is not overly long, but small greens and hazards lurk throughout. The signature par-four 18th hole is framed with scenic bunkers and requires a tee shot over water through a chute of trees.

The highest-rated Golf Card affiliate in Massachusetts is the Crumpin-Fox Club (413-648-9101; golfthefox.com) in Bernardston, about 30 miles from Springfield. The list of accolades and honors for Crumpin-Fox is long and impressive:

• Best Public Access Course in Massachusetts – Golfweek
• America's Best 40 Public Courses – Golf & Travel
• 100 Best Modern Courses – Golfweek
• No. 7 on New England's Top 100 courses
• Best Overall Course – 2007 Best of Northeast Golf

Crumpin-Fox has been described as "18 Great Finishing Holes." Carved out of New England forest, the scenery and serenity are truly unique. There are no developments or residential encumbrances. The holes have a little bit of everything – even a distinct Pine Valley flavor. Perhaps a description of the 18th hole best portrays the entire Roger Rulewich design:

"The tree-lined tee box faces secretly left to 'The Office' – a collection area of golf balls, rocks, trees and broken dreams. The proper tee shot is played down the right center with perhaps a slight fade. From the fairway, one spies the green perched upon a hummock, guarded in front by a deep bunker and a pond. Over the green is a large and sinister waste bunker with trees sprouting in the bunker itself. The green takes the shape of an inverted teardrop and never allows much of its surface to be exposed to even the most astutely played shot."

Said Robert Trent Jones Sr. of Crumpin-Fox: "It will be someday mentioned in the same breath as Pinehurst and Pine Valley."

The course is named after the Crump & Fox soda company, which was based in Bernardston in the early 1900s.

Just east of Crumpin-Fox near the New Hampshire border, Winchendon Country Club (978-297-9897; winchgolf.com) is Winchendon is a short, narrow Donald Ross design with small greens and hilly fairways that are basically untouched from the day Ross redesigned them in 1926. There are no homes or developments around the course, allowing for magnificent views of the mountains and thousands of trees.

Just a few miles from Crumpin-Fox is Thomas Memorial Country Club (413-863-8003; tmgcc.com) in Turners Falls, an excellent 9-hole course with creeks, ponds and small, well-maintained greens.

About 20 miles north of Springfield in Amherst is Hickory Ridge Country Club (413-253-9320; hickoryridgecc.com), an acclaimed 3 ½ -star courses that has hosted qualifying rounds for the Massachusetts State Amateur and State Open Championships. The New England Journal of Golf ranked Hickory Ridge No. 73 in its 2004 list of the Top 100 Courses in New England. The Geoffrey Cornish design is traversed by the Fort River which flows through and around several holes. The well-manicured layout is a fun mix of short and long par fours, doglegs and straightaway holes.

Blackstone National Golf Club (508-865-2111; bngc.com) in Sutton opened in 2000 to glowing acclaim. One Golf Magazine rater said there is "not a better public course in the state." Another predicted the Rees Jones design will "rank among the best in New England." The dramatic elevation changes with holes that sweep up and down provide exhilarating views and challenging shots.

The closest Golf card course to Boston is Norwood Country Club (781-769-5880; norwoodcc.com), a quaint, narrow layout with intersecting creeks and small greens. New management has greatly improved the course conditions and overall experience here, just 45 minutes south of Boston.

A few miles east of Touisset in Lakeville is Poquoy Brook Golf Club (508-947-5261; poquoybrook.com), a 4-star "hidden beauty." A Geoffrey Cornish designed known for its huge swales in the greens, Poquoy Brook boasts some of the best finishing holes of any public course in New England. The 17th, in particular, has an Augusta feel with the greens set among dogwoods and rhododendrons.

Located in the quaint village of Onset at the gateway to Cape Cod is Bay Pointe Country Club (508-759-8802; baypointecc.net) , another solid Geoffrey Cornish design with a memorable island green.

Finally, in East Sandwich on Cape Cod, is Sandwich Hollows Golf Club (508-888-3384; sandwichhollows.com), a popular Cape course because of its playability and value. A tale of two nines – the front is straightforward with open views of Cape Cod Bay and the back is hilly and tree-lined. Formerly known as Round Hill Country Club, Sandwich Hollows is a strong 3-star course with fast greens and excellent conditions.

New England Accent
Try visiting these unusual local points of interest to truly see Massachusetts:

• Beer Can Museum (Northampton) – local watering hole is lined floor to ceiling with nearly every beer can ever manufactured.
• Etherdome (Boston) – visit the room where ether was first administered at Mass General
• American Sanitary Plumbing Museum (Worcester) – an ode to the commode and other plumbing wonders
• Milk Bottle Restaurant (Raynham) – it's not about the food, but the giant milk bottle
• World's Largest Thermometer Collection (East Wareham) – 4,200 thermometers!
• Lizzie Borden Murderabilia (Fall River) – where it all went down