OT: Golf courses in the CT area

[tentoes4rings]

Since so many of us on here seem to play golf, hoping to use this thread to discuss course experiences this year in CT. As I work seriously on my game this year, I’m getting much better with my driver but struggling mightily lately with my irons. I’ll give my feedback on courses I’ve played this year below. Problem is until I get better with my irons, I want to find courses that are more open and forgiving. Everything around here is so damn tight and unforgiving it seems. I understand lower handicaps will want more challenging courses, Im more interested in comparing notes with other mid to higher handicaps.

Richter Park-Played this yesterday, fun challenging layout, condition, particularly the greens was the worst I’ve ever experienced there.

Lyman Jones Course- One of my favorite courses in the area, a little more open, good condition, scenic, challenging but fair.

Tunxis Green-Nice course, good conditions, reasonably priced, enjoyable, good practice green.

Indian Springs, Middlefield-Fun, quirky family owned 9 hole. Pretty forgiving, pretty laid back, good grill and patio for after the round.

Whitney Farms-Decent course for early in the year. Rates have gone up past few years with very little changes or improvements to justify it. Very tight course overall and while scenic, I don’t find it all that much fun to play lately.

Oxford Greens- Haven’t played yet in 22 but one of my favorite courses. Well maintained, scenic, fairly priced and fun overall. If you push the ball right, it slows to the left a lot and can be pretty forgiving.

Timberlin- Good value, fairly open, pretty well maintained. Plenty of room to bust out the driver and enjoyable as a result.

Oak Lane, Woodbridge-Good for driving, have to be creative and smart, managing the course a lot. For my current game, it’s one of my favorite courses as it’s challenging but not ridiculously. A lot of sand though, so if that’s an issue, avoid this course.

 

[BigFanCT]

Tallwood in Hebron is a great track

 

[wheelerdog]

Keney Park, Hartford. Like the layout, greens are in great shape

 

[tentoes4rings]

Tallwood in Hebron is a great track

Thanks. I’ve seen that listed on GolfNow, just wasn’t familiar with it. I like Wintonbury too. When my iron game improves, I’m looking forward to playing there again.

 

[mauconnfan]

Thanks. I’ve seen that listed on GolfNow, just wasn’t familiar with it. I like Wintonbury too. When my iron game improves, I’m looking forward to playing there again.

Playing Tallwood tomorrow always a fun track. Wintonbury a good track if you love the big fairways for sure, good call there. Try Twin Hills in Coventry fun course as well. Right down the road from Tallwood you have the 2 courses at Blackledge, kinda like the Gilead Highlands course a little better. Fairview Farms in Harwinton, a must play.

Jump over the border on the RI corner or Western Ma to find some beauties as well. Enjoy working on your game, I like the way you jump around and try so many tracks!

 

[MJKI]

Rockledge in WeHa is great and open. I don’t think you run into any driving trouble until… ever. Not the most imaginative course like a Jones or Quarry ridge but well maintained and you’re not gonna lose a lot of balls

 

[MJKI]

Since so many of us on here seem to play golf, hoping to use this thread to discuss course experiences this year in CT. As I work seriously on my game this year, I’m getting much better with my driver but struggling mightily lately with my irons. I’ll give my feedback on courses I’ve played this year below. Problem is until I get better with my irons, I want to find courses that are more open and forgiving. Everything around here is so damn tight and unforgiving it seems. I understand lower handicaps will want more challenging courses, Im more interested in comparing notes with other mid to higher handicaps.

Richter Park-Played this yesterday, fun challenging layout, condition, particularly the greens was the worst I’ve ever experienced there.

Lyman Jones Course- One of my favorite courses in the area, a little more open, good condition, scenic, challenging but fair.

Tunxis Green-Nice course, good conditions, reasonably priced, enjoyable, good practice green.

Indian Springs, Middlefield-Fun, quirky family owned 9 hole. Pretty forgiving, pretty laid back, good grill and patio for after the round.

Whitney Farms-Decent course for early in the year. Rates have gone up past few years with very little changes or improvements to justify it. Very tight course overall and while scenic, I don’t find it all that much fun to play lately.

Oxford Greens- Haven’t played yet in 22 but one of my favorite courses. Well maintained, scenic, fairly priced and fun overall. If you push the ball right, it slows to the left a lot and can be pretty forgiving.

Timberlin- Good value, fairly open, pretty well maintained. Plenty of room to bust out the driver and enjoyable as a result.

Oak Lane, Woodbridge-Good for driving, have to be creative and smart, managing the course a lot. For my current game, it’s one of my favorite courses as it’s challenging but not ridiculously. A lot of sand though, so if that’s an issue, avoid this course.

I’ve probably played Oak lane 200 times in my life, first place I broke 40 on 9, first hole out. Lots of great memories. Some truly terrible holes on that course though. 1 is an all time bad opening hole. It acts like 1 at Riv without any benefit of a good shot. If tees are up you can carry the River and be rewarded with a hanging hook lie into a 20 yard fairway. 11 might be the worst par 3 in CT. 17 is a 5 that you can reach with driver PW but 18 is a 4 that you need a massive drive and a long iron to hit. Just super weird holes on an otherwise interesting course

 

[Chin Diesel]

One group's listing.

Keney Park!!!

Golfweek's Best Courses You Can Play 2022: State-by-state rankings for public-access layouts

Where are the best places you can play golf in all 50 states? Our state-by-state rankings of the best public courses for 2022 will be your guide.

golfweek.usatoday.com

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Always thought Pautipaug was an underappreciated/rated course before the Mohegan Sun took it over and revamped it. Haven't played there since the new ownership. Any recs?

 

[Deepster]

Wouldn't be a golf thread without the Keney/great layout bullshtt.

 

[Pawsox]

I typically play anywhere from 30-40 different courses every year. There are some very good tracks around the state, but I downgrade them if it takes over 4.5 hours to play. I'm a 10 handicap, so not the greatest golfer, but being retired has its advantages as far as playing often. Courses I've played so far this year.

Fairview Farms Harwinton - was in good shape, good pace of play the day we were there. Overpriced, but your options in that part of the state are limited.

Southington Country Club - hate the layout, greens were nice, but too many greens are turtle-backed. (#11 is stupid, they need to blow it up and start over). Nice restaurant, however.

Hawk's Landing Southington - must have been something in the water in Southington when they designed the courses there. Don't like the layout. Good restaurant, but that's about it for this course.

Timberlin Berlin - played it last week in 4 hours on a beautiful day. Greens were filling in after being aerated the week before. Like the layout.

Rockledge West Hartford - always in good shape. Early tee time, first nine in 1.5 hours, second nine in almost 3 hours, because they stick tons of walking foursomes off the back right when you are making the turn. Like the layout.

Keney Park Hartford - the pace of play was horrible the Saturday we played. Over 5 hours! Greens are nice (some seem a little contrived), but condition of the fairways on some holes were meh. Slightly overrated in my opinion.

Western Hills Waterbury - good pace of play. They are putting some money into the course. Redoing the cartpaths (badly needed), but they need to fix a couple if the holes (#2 especially). Some nice holes, but still need work on a dew fairways. Compared to what it was 20 years ago, they have come a long way.

East Mountain Waterbury - stay away. Slow, not great condition.

Topstone South Windsor - like the course, greens were nice, pace of play was good even though it was crowded. Can use your driver on a lot of holes.

Blackledge Hebron - played the Gilead 18. Overall decent shape. Greens were rolling nice. Nice pace of play.

River Ridge Griswold - good pace of play. Decent layout. Fairways and greens were ok. Better than 10-15 years ago, but still needs some work.

Connecticut National Putnam - good course that is still relatively unknown. Good pace of play. Was in good condition when we played. Recommend the drive for guys who live in central Ct.

Shennecossett Groton - have always liked this track. Was in good shape. You can whack your driver on a lot of holes. Hole #4 is one of the toughest par 3s in the state. Best way to play it is to hit it short, chip up and one putt. Hard to keep it on the green, if you hit the green.

Elmridge Golf Course Pawcatuck - meh. All I can say about it.

Playing Crumpin Fox and Shattuck next week. Love both of them, even though they kick my butt every time.

Hope this helps, but don't hold me to these ratings.

 

[uconnfan68]

Wouldn't be a golf thread without the Keney/great layout bullshtt.

Since the renovation, it’s a nice place. Been there a few times last year, and my only complaint is regarding the ball dispenser on the practice range. In spite of instructions it still seems to require some local knowledge.

 

[uconnfan68]

I typically play anywhere from 30-40 different courses every year. There are some very good tracks around the state, but I downgrade them if it takes over 4.5 hours to play. I'm a 10 handicap, so not the greatest golfer, but being retired has its advantages as far as playing often. Courses I've played so far this year.

Fairview Farms Harwinton - was in good shape, good pace of play the day we were there. Overpriced, but your options in that part of the state are limited.

Southington Country Club - hate the layout, greens were nice, but too many greens are turtle-backed. (#11 is stupid, they need to blow it up and start over). Nice restaurant, however.

Hawk's Landing Southington - must have been something in the water in Southington when they designed the courses there. Don't like the layout. Good restaurant, but that's about it for this course.

Timberlin Berlin - played it last week in 4 hours on a beautiful day. Greens were filling in after being aerated the week before. Like the layout.

Rockledge West Hartford - always in good shape. Early tee time, first nine in 1.5 hours, second nine in almost 3 hours, because they stick tons of walking foursomes off the back right when you are making the turn. Like the layout.

Keney Park Hartford - the pace of play was horrible the Saturday we played. Over 5 hours! Greens are nice (some seem a little contrived), but condition of the fairways on some holes were meh. Slightly overrated in my opinion.

Western Hills Waterbury - good pace of play. They are putting some money into the course. Redoing the cartpaths (badly needed), but they need to fix a couple if the holes (#2 especially). Some nice holes, but still need work on a dew fairways. Compared to what it was 20 years ago, they have come a long way.

East Mountain Waterbury - stay away. Slow, not great condition.

Topstone South Windsor - like the course, greens were nice, pace of play was good even though it was crowded. Can use your driver on a lot of holes.

Blackledge Hebron - played the Gilead 18. Overall decent shape. Greens were rolling nice. Nice pace of play.

River Ridge Griswold - good pace of play. Decent layout. Fairways and greens were ok. Better than 10-15 years ago, but still needs some work.

Connecticut National Putnam - good course that is still relatively unknown. Good pace of play. Was in good condition when we played. Recommend the drive for guys who live in central Ct.

Shennecossett Groton - have always liked this track. Was in good shape. You can whack your driver on a lot of holes. Hole #4 is one of the toughest par 3s in the state. Best way to play it is to hit it short, chip up and one putt. Hard to keep it on the green, if you hit the green.

Elmridge Golf Course Pawcatuck - meh. All I can say about it.

Playing Crumpin Fox and Shattuck next week. Love both of them, even though they kick my butt every time.

Hope this helps, but don't hold me to these ratings.

Crump is in my top 10 for sure. Others in that group include Pebble Beach, Torrey Pines, Banff, Lake of Isles.

 

[mauconnfan]

I typically play anywhere from 30-40 different courses every year. There are some very good tracks around the state, but I downgrade them if it takes over 4.5 hours to play. I'm a 10 handicap, so not the greatest golfer, but being retired has its advantages as far as playing often. Courses I've played so far this year.

Fairview Farms Harwinton - was in good shape, good pace of play the day we were there. Overpriced, but your options in that part of the state are limited.

Southington Country Club - hate the layout, greens were nice, but too many greens are turtle-backed. (#11 is stupid, they need to blow it up and start over). Nice restaurant, however.

Hawk's Landing Southington - must have been something in the water in Southington when they designed the courses there. Don't like the layout. Good restaurant, but that's about it for this course.

Timberlin Berlin - played it last week in 4 hours on a beautiful day. Greens were filling in after being aerated the week before. Like the layout.

Rockledge West Hartford - always in good shape. Early tee time, first nine in 1.5 hours, second nine in almost 3 hours, because they stick tons of walking foursomes off the back right when you are making the turn. Like the layout.

Keney Park Hartford - the pace of play was horrible the Saturday we played. Over 5 hours! Greens are nice (some seem a little contrived), but condition of the fairways on some holes were meh. Slightly overrated in my opinion.

Western Hills Waterbury - good pace of play. They are putting some money into the course. Redoing the cartpaths (badly needed), but they need to fix a couple if the holes (#2 especially). Some nice holes, but still need work on a dew fairways. Compared to what it was 20 years ago, they have come a long way.

East Mountain Waterbury - stay away. Slow, not great condition.

Topstone South Windsor - like the course, greens were nice, pace of play was good even though it was crowded. Can use your driver on a lot of holes.

Blackledge Hebron - played the Gilead 18. Overall decent shape. Greens were rolling nice. Nice pace of play.

River Ridge Griswold - good pace of play. Decent layout. Fairways and greens were ok. Better than 10-15 years ago, but still needs some work.

Connecticut National Putnam - good course that is still relatively unknown. Good pace of play. Was in good condition when we played. Recommend the drive for guys who live in central Ct.

Shennecossett Groton - have always liked this track. Was in good shape. You can whack your driver on a lot of holes. Hole #4 is one of the toughest par 3s in the state. Best way to play it is to hit it short, chip up and one putt. Hard to keep it on the green, if you hit the green.

Elmridge Golf Course Pawcatuck - meh. All I can say about it.

Playing Crumpin Fox and Shattuck next week. Love both of them, even though they kick my butt every time.

Hope this helps, but don't hold me to these ratings.

Nice summary pretty much agree on all. It’s been a while since we’ve hit the Waterbury courses may have to check in at Western Hills for fun. Rockledge always sends people out the back won’t play there for that reason alone.

Crump excellent track and Shattuck just for fun, nice itinerary.

 

[Tuna]

Wouldn't be a golf thread without the Keney/great layout bullshtt.

You're saying Keney is not a great layout?

To answer the OP, Manchester CC.

 

[Deepster]

You're saying Keney is not a great layout?

To answer the OP, Manchester CC.

Yes. For the thousandth time, that course sucks.

 

[mauconnfan]

As an FYI played Tallwood yesterday it’s in very nice shape. Would recommend playing there soon if looking for a place to check out.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

I typically play anywhere from 30-40 different courses every year. There are some very good tracks around the state, but I downgrade them if it takes over 4.5 hours to play. I'm a 10 handicap, so not the greatest golfer, but being retired has its advantages as far as playing often. Courses I've played so far this year.

Fairview Farms Harwinton - was in good shape, good pace of play the day we were there. Overpriced, but your options in that part of the state are limited.

Southington Country Club - hate the layout, greens were nice, but too many greens are turtle-backed. (#11 is stupid, they need to blow it up and start over). Nice restaurant, however.

Hawk's Landing Southington - must have been something in the water in Southington when they designed the courses there. Don't like the layout. Good restaurant, but that's about it for this course.

Timberlin Berlin - played it last week in 4 hours on a beautiful day. Greens were filling in after being aerated the week before. Like the layout.

Rockledge West Hartford - always in good shape. Early tee time, first nine in 1.5 hours, second nine in almost 3 hours, because they stick tons of walking foursomes off the back right when you are making the turn. Like the layout.

Keney Park Hartford - the pace of play was horrible the Saturday we played. Over 5 hours! Greens are nice (some seem a little contrived), but condition of the fairways on some holes were meh. Slightly overrated in my opinion.

Western Hills Waterbury - good pace of play. They are putting some money into the course. Redoing the cartpaths (badly needed), but they need to fix a couple if the holes (#2 especially). Some nice holes, but still need work on a dew fairways. Compared to what it was 20 years ago, they have come a long way.

East Mountain Waterbury - stay away. Slow, not great condition.

Topstone South Windsor - like the course, greens were nice, pace of play was good even though it was crowded. Can use your driver on a lot of holes.

Blackledge Hebron - played the Gilead 18. Overall decent shape. Greens were rolling nice. Nice pace of play.

River Ridge Griswold - good pace of play. Decent layout. Fairways and greens were ok. Better than 10-15 years ago, but still needs some work.

Connecticut National Putnam - good course that is still relatively unknown. Good pace of play. Was in good condition when we played. Recommend the drive for guys who live in central Ct.

Shennecossett Groton - have always liked this track. Was in good shape. You can whack your driver on a lot of holes. Hole #4 is one of the toughest par 3s in the state. Best way to play it is to hit it short, chip up and one putt. Hard to keep it on the green, if you hit the green.

Elmridge Golf Course Pawcatuck - meh. All I can say about it.

Playing Crumpin Fox and Shattuck next week. Love both of them, even though they kick my butt every time.

Hope this helps, but don't hold me to these ratings.

Does Rockledge still have legitimate rough?

 

[USNavyDog]

Tallwood in Hebron is a great track

I've been to Tallwood in Hebron.....as well as Blackledge not far down the road...both the Anderson and the Gilead.

 

[Pawsox]

Does Rockledge still have legitimate rough?

On some holes, yes. Played it early in the year and rough had not grown in. Playing it next Wednesday, so it should be grown in nicely after the weather we have had lately.

 

[Tuna]

Yes. For the thousandth time, that course sucks.

Ok well that's only the first time I've read it. If you've said it 1000 times that's even more asinine.

 

[coachn]

Simsbury Farms beautiful layout and condition.

 

[Salty Dog]

Anyone ever played at the Fishers Island Club? Looks pretty incredible.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Anyone ever played at the Fishers Island Club? Looks pretty incredible.

It is. Often ranked as one of the top ten courses in the country.

 

[Giddyup5]

Lucky to get invited to place once a year. Truly special place. Amazing template holes.