Playoffs Road Trip: The (Mass.) home of golf

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Badz/PGA TOUR

The next stop on our road trip? TPC Boston, which hosts the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Previous stop: Liberty National Golf Club, Jersey City, N.J. and The Barclays

There are 216 miles of open road, or 4 hours and 9 minutes according to MapQuest, between Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J., just across the Hudson River from Manhattan, and TPC Boston in Norton, Mass.

Of course, getting from one major city to a suburb outside of another in the traffic-and-construction-clogged Northeast is never that easy. Nonetheless, it's week two of the FedExCup road trip and the wheels are up, or down, on the pavement in this case, for a drive through New York on I-95, across the Connecticut coastline, up through Rhode Island and into the state Francis Ouimet once called home.

Along the way, be sure to stop off for pizza in New Haven, Conn. (Pepe's, Sally's or the often overlooked Modern) and seafood in Groton, Conn. (Abbot's Lobster in the Rough, where you'll want to try the, well, lobster if you can't wait to get to Massachusetts). And if you know a member, or can somehow fast-talk your way through the gates, Wannamoisett Country Club, a private course just outside of Providence, is a classic Donald Ross from 1914 that played host to the 1931 PGA Championship and is the current host of the prestigious Northeast Amateur.

Deutsche Bank Championship

TPC Boston isn't actually in Boston. It's about 30 minutes southwest of the city, depending on that infamous New England traffic. And even though you get about six months or so of good weather, Massachusetts has about as rich a golf history as any state.

Part of that history is at TPC Boston, where you can find the William F. Connell Golf House & Museum, which was opened in 2003. It's also home to the Massachussetts Golf Association. At the museum you can find tributes to those such as Ouimet, Donald Ross, Pat Bradley and Fred Corcoran, all of whom have ties to the Bay State.

You'll also find plenty of great golf. Located about 40 minutes outside Boston in Plymouth, Mass., is Pinehills, where you can find two 18-hole gems -- one by Jack Nicklaus, the other by Rees Jones. If you don't mind driving, and since there's an extra day to spare before the start of the Deutsche Bank Championship, head about 2 1/2 hours northwest to Williamstown and Taconic Golf Club, which is owned and operated by tiny but prestigious Williams College. It's also where Jack Nicklaus made his first hole-in-one during the 1956 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship and it's considered one of the best collegiate courses in the country.

Where do the pros like to tee it up? James Driscoll, a native of Boston who calls Brookline home, grew up playing the Charles River Country Club. "It's an old Donald Ross course that has a lot of character and it's one of my favorites," said Driscoll, who was eliminated from the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup last week after failing to finish in the top 100 in the standings.

Driscoll also likes Kittansett Club, another private club and one that's consistently ranked among Golf Digest's Top 100. A Frederick C. Hood/William Flynn that opened in 1923 and remains one of the few true seaside courses in all of New England, it's easy to see why.

There's more to Massachusetts than golf, of course -- namely the Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins and Patriots. "In the offseason, I love going to Bruins and Celtics games," Driscoll said. "When the Fleet Center opened (and replaced the Boston Garden) it was kind of depressing, but now it's a great atmosphere."

Away from the golf course or the arenas -- especially since the Red Sox are on the road this week -- Boston has plenty of other things to offer, too. Driscoll recommends Atlantic Beer Garden, Capital Grille and Abe & Louie's. "[The Beer Garden] has a roof deck where you can watch the sun set," Driscoll said. "There are tons of places, but those are my favorites. You'll find plenty of Southies there."

Next stop: Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in Lemont, Ill., for the BMW Championship.