18 Great Public Golf Holes in Connecticut

The dog days of August are about to begin, followed by arguably the greatest time of year for playing golf in New England - late summer through autumn. Several Patch editors in Connecticut hereby present a listing of 18 great holes at public or semi-private courses throughout the state.

Obviously, there are hundreds more great layouts and dozens of outstanding clubs that are not mentioned in this column. This is merely a subjective piece providing the editors' choices of a wide variety of great offerings. Don't yell at us if your favorite hole is not included; just quietly take a mulligan and include it in the comments.

Some of the holes were selected for their scenic beauty, others for the challenge they present to the average golfer, and the rest for being dogleg lefts that suit the mediocre games of the editors who tend to snap-hook the ball off every tee. They are not ranked in any order of preference, but simply listed alphabetically by club.

With all that being said, here is a look at our Great 18. Click the course name for a link to complete information.

• Candlewood Valley Country Club, New Milford: hole 15, 418 yards, par 4.
• Fairview Farm Golf Course, Harwinton: hole 16, 565 yards, par 5.
• Fox Hopyard Golf Club, East Haddam: hole 18, 551 yards, par 5.
• Golf Club at Oxford Greens, Oxford: hole 3, 630 yards, par 5.
• Great River Golf Club, Milford: hole 7, 436 yards, par 4.
• Griffith E. Harris Golf Course, Greenwich: hole 5, 179 yards, par 3.
• Lake of Isles North Course, North Stonington: hole 11, 196 yards, par 3.
• Longshore Club Park, Westport: hole 17, 351 yards, par 4.
• Lyman Orchards Jones Course, Middlefield: hole 14, 407 yards, par 4.
• Mohegan Sun Golf Club, Baltic: hole 7, 399 yards, par 4.
• Richter Park Golf Course, Danbury: hole 12, 527 yards, par 5.
• Ridgefield Golf Course, Ridgefield: hole 15, 420 yards, par 4.
• Shennecossett Golf Course, Groton: hole 10, 425 yards, par 4.
• Stanley Golf Course White, New Britain: hole 5, 445 yards, par 4.
• Sterling Farms Golf Course, Stamford: hole 17, 241 yards, par 3.
• Timberlin Golf Club, Berlin: hole 12, 169 yards, par 3.
• Topstone Golf Course, South Windsor: hole 3, 340 yards, par 4.
• Wintonbury Hills Golf Course, Bloomfield: hole 14, 455 yards, par 4.

Patch editor Chris Dehnel contributed to this story.

Photo credit: Google Maps

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