Rolling Greens Golf Course

Tees/Greens in poor condition.

Challenging/Scenic course.

literally the only golfer on the course.

Loved that.

Excellent price

Will go again.

I played this course 10 years ago, which is one of my favorite courses challenging but great for beginners and intermediate players. I was disappointed with the condition of the greens end of the length of grass on the roof that was pretty high. I’m sad because I love this course and now it looks like I will be able to play this course again. Hopefully they were fix it for next season cause I would like to play it again, but not in this condition.

I'm horrible - absolutely terrible - at golf. But like many of you, I do love swinging the crooked sticks. The young man who was in the pro shop was very nice and professional. (Of course, at my age, anyone younger than me is a "young man."). The cart was clean and actually had more "pep" than I'm used to.

The first hole was in good shape, but I was shocked to see that many of the tee boxes were roped off. On one hole, a handwritten sign told golfers to go to the women's tees. (Which, in retrospect, was better for me anyway.) But the course needs a lot of TLC. There were many dead spots, and it was often tough to distinguish the fairway from the rough.

But, in conclusion, I'll never win a golf tournament (even if I played against five-year-olds) so perhaps the course hits the sweet spot for a horrible golfer such as myself. I wonder if the fish are biting...

The course has character. Great potential when all improvements done. Fun round of golf.

Nice course layout. Has great potential. Lots of work being done. Fun round.

There were several tee boxes that were not open as they were still being seeded and I believe that information should have been disclosed while making the tee time or as we arrived. For that inconvenience I would expect a discounted rate

If you're just getting into the sport of golf this is the perfect place to learn. It's a relatively easy layout besides 6 & 7. The tee boxes on 6 definitely cater to a slice over a stock fade or draw. However, I brought my girlfriend here for her first nine holes and it was perfect. Pace of play was 2 hours for nine holes. The greens were slow so when she bladed a chip she wasn't punished. The rough is definitely thick so it's hard to find your ball but when you hit out of the rough it's not grabbing your club. Overall, if you want to have a stress free round while learning the game or you want to take your significant other out for their first rounds out. This is a great place to start.

The 19th hole, Casa Mia had amazing food and service.

I can tell that this course is doing what they can to revive the course. Last year the greens, tee boxes, and fairways were awful. This year I can see the greens are coming back but still need work, also the tee boxes on some holes need to be addressed as well.

Friendly staff, good course in the area to practice/walk 9 holes.

Look no further than the course conditions as Rolling Greens’ main story. Although they are still only fair to average, these greens have taken another step in the right direction this year. And that is critical. Still, my short putting was clearly affected if pockmarks (for example) happened to be in my line. Grass on some of the tees looks better. Everything else was respectable, so much so that the big picture encourages me, considering where this course has been.

Today I played like Lee Trevino would: less than 1.5 hours. The Hot Deal translated to strong value. In and around the clubhouse, I found the staff members helpful and friendly. Struck up a short conversation with one.

[...See my previous reviews for specific comments on this layout.]

Notes from today:

–Pay attention to the possibility of a car coming around a curve on those crossings where curves are nearby.

–The second and sixth holes sit close by the housing complex. But the other seven look more like they’re part of a typical Connecticut woodland track.

–Too many holes around the nine have filled-in traps, and some are in places where the footprints of old ones are visible.

The strengths of this golf course start with its rigorous layout, which is notably rated as scratch of 69.6 against par of 70. That’s unusual for a 9-hole course. More than that, what’s impressive are challenging doglegs, the pitch and roll on many of the fairways, and the well-protected greens, along with their varied shapes and contours. These are indeed “rolling greens,” and they’re also well-designed.

This is mainly a woodland course embedded within a housing complex, though most of the holes seem relatively isolated from the neighborhood. The first four holes are excellent, as well as the par-3 eighth, its double-tiered green set upon a knoll with a large leftward falloff. Generally the style here is modern: big greens and long tee-boxes, a bit of risk reward in places, some water hazards/wetlands that creep up near greens two and six. In short, the layout ranks about the better nine-hole tracks in Greater Hartford.

Conditions:

Average overall. Fairways decent but cut long. Greenside areas and roughs were inconsistent–average overall. Greens fair; most of them had one sizable baked-out area and some scattered patchiness. They are recovering from some form of disease–sometimes putts did not hold their lines. Half of the tee boxes were fine, but the other half will need much work. Still, this was a big improvement in course conditioning from last September.

Some Conclusions:

Even if the conditioning is average (and I believe the groundskeeping crew will continue to do the good work necessary to further the upward trend) Rolling Greens is well worth playing for the carefully designed layout. It may have some flaws that arose mostly because of the tightness of this site, but many of the holes are challenging, always holding my interest.

This course has definitely improved over the year. The greens are licking their wounds, little by little they are recovering their original image.

The pace of play is not a problem here and people are friendly to each other.

The cart paths are a little bumpy and should be smoother, but you barely notice it.

No tee times are needed to play here, anyone can show up and have a good chance to play soon after they show up.

The playing conditions have improved since I played it last and the food there is really good.

Overall, I'm surprised that the conditions have gotten better and will play here again.

Played an enjoyable nine here today on a perfect early-autumn afternoon. The course wasn’t too busy though the pace was still about average. Highlights on this nine (as I’ve probably noted in previous reviews) are the strong par-3s, a great short par-4 in the fourth, and a pretty stern opener that doglegs hard-left to a green set upon a small hill. In general, the greens are well-protected, their shapes varied, their contours sometimes prominent, and their surrounds problematic in places when you miss them. Many of them have large drop-offs, making pitching a challenge if your ball ends up down their slopes. No two holes are alike, and architects Geoffrey Cornish and Bill Robinson infused each one with both quality and strategic interest. Then there is the pair of wild–and wildly unconventional–holes to be played at the fifth and sixth, the latter being the better of the two. The long and short of it: you’ll need to play well in nearly all departments of the game to score well on this challenging nine.

The one notable departure from the original, early-70s design, however, has been the removal of several large fairway bunkers (for example, at hole two) and likely some greenside versions, which would seem regrettable for more serious golfers.

Course conditions, sadly enough, failed to live up to this smart layout, since the greens and most tees were poor and everything else unimpressive–though the course was cut pretty well. The putting surfaces seem to be diseased (my guess) and need rehabilitation. Today I felt that you could play the course tee to green, but the rest was more than questionable. It’s too bad, because overall conditions here were at least decent last year and better still in 2022.

Rolling Greens benefits from a pretty setting and could be an exciting nine-holer, but its Achilles heel these days is conditioning.

Fairways not even cut greens horrible

I only played 5 holes I was so ticked off

Rolling Greens, which is set in a large hilltop area among a housing complex, is mostly low rolling terrain itself. But there’s a large hill to climb to reach the sixth tee, if you’re walking, along with a huge descent to green six. Most players take carts.

This was my fifth or sixth play of this Cornish-designed nine-hole course, and again I enjoyed the challenges it lays out. Perhaps the course’s most interesting hole is the par-3 eighth, a mid-length but somewhat uphill affair with a big, undulating, two-tiered green. Trees may block a tee shot coming in from the right, but I found I could hit over them with a hybrid from the back tee. Other than that–as I’ve detailed earlier–the course is marked by good design: well-sited greens (mostly protected by elevation) that roll and pitch in varied ways, holes that favor different shot shapes off the tees, tees that are frequently elevated above fairways, a few water hazards, trees that pinch the fairways in certain spots. This last effect is sometimes overdone to a fault, as at the ultra-narrow approach to green five. It was good to see, however, that the trees have been pruned recently around five’s tee box.

The fair conditions today meant a downturn from what I experienced this spring, as greens were dried out and pockmarked occasionally, with their surrounds (fringes and roughs) damaged somewhat by summer heat or perhaps something else. The greens were still playable although dicey on a few putts. Some of the fairways were well mowed, some not, and they all exhibited too much clover. Fairways were very green, though, from all of the recent rains.

While conditions may disappoint a bit here, Rolling Greens is still a solid Cornish layout that’s worth a try as a full test of your game. I expect the situation will improve this fall with more temperate weather.

Rolling Greens, a well-designed and older Geoffrey Cornish nine-hole course that opened in 1973, greets you with a nice clubhouse set among mature, towering trees. The land flows over rolling hills, as well, and itself sits atop a large crest near the Century Hills complex in Rocky Hill. On the shorter-side at 6,000 yards (blues), the holes ramble through a housing development, though the units are prominently visible on only a few holes.

The layout’s appeal stems from challenge: mostly tight fairways; sometimes narrow or small putting surfaces; a few tricky doglegs and a longish pair of par-threes; several semi-plateau greens with large falloffs–some of them ghoulish. Adding drama are a pair of ponds that threaten approaches on both the second and fifth. The latter, with its tight, nerve-wracking fairway angling through houses and trees, can quickly add a stroke or more to your card. And with so many trees–mainly lining fairways but some impinging on their margins–it’s probable that you’ll be snared, along the way, by at least one of them. But you won’t be trapped by many bunkers, as, unfortunately, most were grassed in over the years.

Some high dramatics come at hole six, where the tee overlooks a huge and steep hillside that plummets to the green far below. Here, something less than a driver may be the club of choice, as any shot hit even down the middle may follow the tilting slope into the right rough. Without any long par-4s and a single, relatively narrow par-5 whose green is water-guarded, this Rocky Hill nine rewards finesse and positioning off the tee, and not necessarily power. My favorite hole is number four, a short four-par that lets you swing away without much worry off the tee. It then demands a precise pitch to an elevated green, a green with a right-side falloff that reminds me of severe slopes I’ve seen in the U.K.

CONDITIONS:

Since I played here at the close of last summer, it is clear that real conditioning efforts have led to lusher fairways. The fly in the ointment today, however, was that they weren’t well mowed. I couldn’t discern the rough from the fairway on, for example, the second hole. Greens ranged from average to good (with all putts rolling smoothly), but tees and roughs were about average.

CONCLUSIONS:

At Rolling Greens, the suburban setting is more than pleasant, and the backdrop seen from the sixth tee, especially, is a stunner. Still, this course could be a very good value with a bit more attention to detail. I enjoyed playing here again today on a challenging and inviting layout over which Mr. Cornish made the most of the varied terrain. You can certainly exercise your driver on more than a few tees, if you so desire, but common sense–along with solid ball-striking–will be the prime determinant of a good score.

As I wrote in the spring, Rolling Greens is a solid Geoffrey Cornish-designed course, which my second play reinforced today.

Conditions, unfortunately, have fallen off since springtime, partially because of the drought. Greens were still good, but fairways and roughs below average–and many of the tees poor (almost all dirt). The course is simply not keeping pace with other tracks in this area.

It is still playable and because of the good greens my score was little affected.

Rolling Greens is very handy from 1-91 (about three or four minutes) and not far from Hartford. From what I’ve heard from a frequent patron, the on-site restaurant–Casa Mia on the Green–is excellent; I’d like to give it a try.

This layout will challenge you, and holes four, six, seven and eight impress the most here. And the third, an uphill par-3, will make you work hard to earn a par.

I decided to play Rolling Greens despite the poor reviews because they offer twilight for $20. The "tee boxes" were as long as the rough. The course is not maintained. There are no green side bunkers, just grass where they clearly used to be. There is no rough or fairway, it's all the same length. The layout is squeezed in between condos where there wasn't enough room. After I finished the terrible 9 course there was still an hour until sunset and I figured I could get my monies worth since I paid for "twilight" and get a few more holes in. The staff raced over to me and treated me as if I stole something when I was tried to continue to play. I apologized and told them that Twilight generally means that you can play until sunset and the women looked at me like I was crazy and continued to yell. Rude staff, terribly maintained, terrible layout. I will not be returning

I decided to play Rolling Greens despite the poor reviews because they offer twilight after 5pm for $20. The “tee boxes” were as long as the rough. To say the course is poorly maintained would understatement. There are no green side bunkers, just grass where they clearly used to be. There is no rough or fairway, it’s all the same length. The layout is squeezed inbetween condos where there wasn’t enough room. After I finished the terrible 9 hole course there was still an hour until sunset and I figured I could get my monies worth since I paid for “twilight” and get a few more holes in. The staff raced over, yelled at me and treated me as if I stole something when I was tried to continue to play. I apologized and told them that “twilight” generally means that you can play until sunset. The women looked at me like I was crazy and continued to yell. Rude staff, terribly maintained, terrible layout. I will not be returning.

I had a great time playing this course with my son. They could do a better job keeping up with some of it, but at the end of the day the layout is great and you'll have a good time. The staff is always so friendly and the prices are very reasonable. I especially like that you don't have to make a tee time, you can just walk in and they'll send you out. If you call ahead they'll let you know how busy it is so you can plan out what time to go at. Make sure you ask for military/senior discount too!