From Apples to Aces- Reinventing Sterling’s Meadowbrook Orchards

by Christopher Coyle

Founded in 1912, Meadowbrook Orchards in Sterling operates in the third generation of ownership. Dairying helped support the fledgling orchard for several years from 1912 until a devastating fire destroyed the animal herd and laying hens in 1927. The orchard then became the sole enterprise of the farm. Despite hardships and lean times, Meadowbrook has continued successfully through the years, even after the tragic hurricane of 1938.

Meadowbrook Orchards consists of a hundred acres with eighty acres in apples and berry crops. The orchard offers a pick-your-own option for those looking for outdoor, country fun.

Established in recent years, a bakery, restaurant, and farm store offer retail variety. An on-site restaurant features homemade breakfasts and lunches made with a variety of foods, including some grown on the farm. The restaurant serves numerous daily specials year-round, Wednesday through Sunday, according to its website meadowbrookorchards.com.

Thursday evenings feature BBQ dinners in the summer months. Additionally, the orchard offers a fruit community-supported agriculture program, CSA, featuring their own apples, raspberries, and blueberries.

Faced with the increasing challenges of operating an orchard, Meadowbrook constructed a disc golf course in 2021. It integrates well with the orchard operation and provides a stable income to supplement production of apple and other crops. The course encompasses not only part of the orchard but also surrounding woodland. Beautiful vistas of the scenic North Central Massachusetts area highlight the course.

An outdoor sport with similarities to regular golf, disc golf uses a flying disc similar to a frisbee, although a little smaller, instead of a ball and clubs. Players throw a disc toward and eventually into a basket, if they score. The object of the game involves having the lowest number of throws to complete each hole.

Disc golf has developed quite a following over the past few years. The sport even experienced growth through the Covid era, since disc golf lends itself well to social distancing.

An afficionado can play disc golf alone, but usually in groups up to four or even to eight compete, although it works better for eight players to take part as two groups of four each. The hardiest of players pay little attention to cold weather and snow while taking part in the year-round sport.

Disc golf offers an opportunity for de-stressing, achieving harmony with the inner self, and aerobic exercise. The sport brings people together as friends regardless of diverse backgrounds or differing views of the world. In addition, disc golfers have tournaments that benefit cancer programs and other causes.
The website discgolfscene.com describes Meadowbrook as a “good mix of open and wooded holes in and around a scenic apple orchard.” Meadowbrook offers glow golf, likely with glow-in-the-dark discs, on Friday evenings in warm months.

Meadowbrook, an 18-hole, par 3 course, ranks second among Massachusetts disc golf courses by the UDisc app and 62 of more than 15,000 courses worldwide. A second course under construction at Meadowbrook will serve players of all levels but especially those less skilled or otherwise challenged.

Meadowbrook has hosted players from all fifty states, most of the Canadian provinces, and thirteen countries around the globe. Many players enjoy the proximity of other disc golf courses in central Massachusetts.

At Meadowbrook, disc golfers may partake of meals in the restaurant or foods from the bakery. They can shop at the farm store offering a wide variety of disc golf supplies including clothing.

Owner David Chandler said that Meadowbrook is unique as the only disc golf course in the area with a restaurant. Disc golf has greatly helped Meadowbrook Orchards become a stable enterprise at a time when many other orchards have become housing lots or plazas or have taken on other non-agricultural uses. His employees take pride in the establishment and warmly welcome visitors, he said.

Rail enthusiast, historian, and retired UMass research technician, Christopher Coyle lives in Athol.