Conquer Some of the Region's Toughest Golf Holes

Over the past four decades I have played, with occasional success, more than two dozen golf courses in Connecticut and southwestern Rhode Island.

Those located in southeastern Connecticut are among the best the state has to offer. This is a description of a six-pack plus of courses, plus one, that I have played multiple times. Five are in Connecticut and two in Rhode Island. I’m not saying these are the best courses, only that they are representative of what’s out there. Here goes:

Shennecossett Golf Course, Groton 

Shenny is a links-style course that offers both a diabolical par 3 and a green with an eye-popping view of the Thames River and Long Island Sound. The course is a product of renowned course architect Donald Ross and opened in 1898.

Standing on the 16^th green, you have a panoramic view on the Thames and the Sound, and at any given time you may spot the Coast Guard sailing ship Eagle or a submarine moving slowly along the river. The hole measures 375 yards from the front tee over marshland. Hit a good drive and you have a medium to short iron coming in.

The fourth hole is beautiful only for those who enjoy pain. It measures 208 yards from the back tee and 180 from the whites. The green sits atop a dome, and if you hit it long, left or right you’re headed for a high score because the ball quickly will roll down one of the slopes.

Pro Todd Goodhue says the best way to play it is to hit short of the green with an iron, chip it close to the hole and hope to make the putt. Bogey isn’t a bad score. Goodhue says that Golf Magazine once named it one of the toughest 18 holes in New England.

For walkers, the greens fee is $36 on weekdays and $42 on weekends during prime season.

Pequot Golf Club, Stonington

Walking Pequot takes you back to old New England. Carved out of what was once farmland, the course showcases stone walls bordering many of the holes.

It is short (only 5,076 yards from the white tees) and that makes many think it must be a pushover. Not so. The fairways are narrow and trees seemingly are everywhere. For accuracy’s sake, you might want to hit irons off many of the tees.

The most interesting hole is the 339-yard 16^th, where a brook bisects the fairway about 200 yards out. Pro Joe Brucas says the safe way to play the hole is to hit an iron short of the brook and then a middle iron into the green.

If you’re feeling cocky, hit the driver – hoping to fly over the brook and avoid the surrounding trees - and all you have left is an easy short iron to a sloping green.

The clubhouse is a beautiful white colonial dating to the early 1800’s, sitting atop a hill. The course opened in 1958. Jack Nicklaus shot 65 there in 1966, and that stands as the course record. Because the course is short, it appeals to older players. The fee is $30 during weekdays and $35 on weekends.

Meadow Brook, Richmond, R.I.

Just a few years ago, Meadow Brook operated under an honor system. You walked into the old shack that served as a clubhouse, put your greens fee into an envelope and slipped the envelope into a lock box. The course had an adequate layout but was poorly maintained.

How things have changed. The course ownership changed hands, the layout was completely altered for the better and the fairways and greens are among the best manicured around.  

Reopening in April 2010, Meadow Brook - at 7,468 yards - is the longest course in Rhode Island. But don’t despair. There are five sets of tees, making it playable for golfers of varying skill levels.

The signature hole is the 10^th, a downhill par 3 over water measuring 202 yards from the back tees. These tees are surrounded by a natural rock formation and it offers the most attractive view on the course.

Professional John Grimley said the trickiest hole, the fourth, also is a par 3. It is a long one - 261 yards from the back tees and 178 from the intermediate location. The green is uphill and it has downward contours.

Grimley says, “You have to hit something high and stick it on the green.”

The greens fee with cart is $60 on weekdays and $70 on weekends. For seniors and military, the cost is $10 less.  

Birch Plain golf course, Groton

This is a par 3 course that appeals to novices and seasoned golfers who want to fine-tune their iron play. It’s a no-frills course that lacks smooth and silky fairways. But it is fun to play and lowers the frustration level for those learning the game.

The longest hole is No. 4, a 228-yarder that is straight to an open fairway. So just fire away.

Though this is the toughest ranked hole on the course, the most intriguing one is the 11^th, the second most difficult hole. This is a shot over a small patch of marsh and then over a narrow fairway. For better players, it is a mid- to low-iron shot. For a beginner, bring out the driver or three-wood. The green is sloping and protected by a sand trap on the left side.

Holes range in distance from the 105-yard 10th to the 228-yard fourth. There are water hazards on three holes, and you’re likely to be mocked by the occupants of an osprey nest on the 10^th hole.

The course is in a complex that includes a driving range for those who want to warm up before hitting a wedge onto the first green. The fee is $22 on weekdays and $26 on weekends. There is a $15 twilight special on weekdays.

River Ridge, Griswold

Anyone driving into the parking lot for the first time would think that this is a rather boring and easy course. There are three back and forth holes and no woods or water to be seen.

But first appearances can be deceiving. Holes four through 18 provide and up and down stroll through the woods.

Professional Brian Morrow says the course is appealing because of its peaks and valleys and attractive countryside all around. Two of the most interesting holes are par 5s.

The ninth isn’t all that long but even an excellent drive leaves you with a side hill lie that makes it easy to botch the second shot. The 15^th hole, which used to be a par 4, has been extended to make it an attractive par 5. Two good shots put you at the peak of a hill overlooking a sloping, undulating green protected by bunkers.

“You get on top of that hill and look at the green and it’s a pretty good picture, “ says Morrow.  Those first three holes used to be an apple orchard. The course opened in 1999.

Greens fees are $35 on weekdays and $42 on weekends.

Norwich Golf Course

For a municipal course, Norwich, which celebrated its centennial last year, is a well-maintained one. The fairways are lush and the greens are well kept.

Professional John Paesani describes it as “a traditional type course with rolling hills and small green targets.”

The signature hole is the par 4 third, dogleg left. Paesani says you can hit the ball 190 to 240 yards and have a look at the green. Of course, the closer the better.

This isn’t a Donald Ross-designed course but the third hole certainly looks like one. The small green sits atop a tall mound. If the second shot isn’t struck perfectly, your ball is likely to be sitting on the side of the mound rather than on the green.

The course measures 5,802 yards from the white markers and 6,228 from the tips. Benedict Arnold used to live near where the course is today. The fee is $32 on weekdays and $36 on weekends. From Monday through Thursday, there is an attractive $45 package that includes golf, cart and a $10 chit at the 19^th hole.

Winnapaug Golf and Country Club, Westerly, R.I.

Chris Jurgasik, Winnapaug’s director of golf, calls this a “shotmaker’s course.” There are out of bounds markers on many holes, providing an intimidation factor.

“You can hit an iron off the tee or take your chances with a driver,” he says. “On a lot of holes you can make a three or an eight.”

Intimidation aside, this is a fun course to play so long as you hit the ball reasonably straight. Donald Ross designed the course, which opened in 1922.

You play the front nine – no two holes are even similar – before crossing the road for four holes in what is called the “meadows.”

These are link-style holes and none is more difficult than the 10^th, a 405-yard par 4. It takes two solid hits for the intermediate golfer to get on or near the green.

In front of the green there is a valley and if you’re there you’ll be hitting upward to a steep green that slopes sharply toward you. Be a little meek and the ball will come rolling back to your feet. The average golfer will bogey this hole more often than making par.

Fees are $35 on weekdays and $40 on weekends.