North at Bretwood Golf Course

Blending beauty with thoughtful design, Bretwood North Golf Course not only impresses by its serene setting; it also delivers hole after hole on which strategic play is rewarded. The clever use of water hazards on many of these holes works well, yet frequently overlooked is the strategic use of bunkering and a variety of tough, first-rate par-5s–a collection that has few rivals across New Hampshire. That the North Course does not inflict any overcooked challenges is a pleasant discovery, however, given that the scorecard sports a 73.9 stroke rating from the deep tees.

Background & History:

Both of these golf courses, North and South, lie on a 300-acre property that was once mainly farmland owned by the Barrett family. When the farm burned to the ground nearly sixty years ago (the livestock were all saved), the family decided within weeks to build, in its place, the original 18-hole Bretwood course. This course, co-designed by owner Hugh Barrett and Architect Geoffrey Cornish, opened in two phases in 1968/69. Today, part of what was originally devised is now the North Course (nine new holes from 1989, designed by Hugh Barrett, have been blended with the original nine).

Some Strengths at Bretwood North:

Although the most intriguing group of holes here is probably the par-4s by virtue of their variety, the par-5s are all outstanding for their length, toughness, and angularity. Most of the course’s holes retain an original feel with balanced shot values, and all blend well with the surroundings. The greens vary nicely in shape, contour, and size throughout. Flow is natural from hole to hole; there are no long walks between greens to tees. Seven holes change elevation significantly, whether by high tees or fairways that traverse hillsides. The architects have designed frontal openings into most of these greens to accommodate shorter hitters.

The General Challenge:

The key threats to making your score on the North Course are the Ashuelot River (which sidles up to the fairways and greens on seven holes), the presence of several ponds, and the scattered mature trees along the fairways. Errant shots may find the course's woodsy perimeter or find any number of its thirty-one bunkers, perhaps adding strokes. There is also the 14th, a 145-yard par-3 playing to an island green, perhaps adding more strokes. The green itself is guarded not only by the water in which it is ensconced but also by boulder-studded walls around its perimeter.

Bunkers are strategically placed at Bretwood. A good example is the huge bi-lobed specimen that sits at the front/right of hole 2, a very long par-5. Because most golfers will aim to hit their second shot to the right side–the safer side–of the fairway, the right-side bunker will be firmly in play with right-side pin-placements.

The Front Nine:

Of the two nines, the front is more hilly, as several of its fairways climb and fall with the landscape, and several tees sit high above their landing zones, affording commanding views of them. The most notable aspect of the front are its three demanding par-5s. Not only do they average 554 yards (with the second hole measuring 612), but they are also filled with problems from tee to green. There are also two standout par-4s in the 4th and 6th holes: the former is a drive-and pitch hole that tests precision, the latter a demanding test of strategy. The third hole is a beautiful and elegant downhill par-3 of 200 yards where the river looms left, a large bunker right.

The Back Side:

The back nine doesn’t seem to generate the front’s raw excitement, but it delivers plenty of punch. This comes mainly in the form of the six par-4s–four of them exceeding 400 yards. The two toughest of these, 10 and 14, are long, and, in the vicinity of their greens, watery. Fourteen, too, will penalize misses all the way down the left side, where the Ashuelot River hugs its fairway. Fifteen, by contrast, is mainly beset by the woods leftward, but it measures 430 yards and is tricky around the green. Another fine hole, a beauty that requires great care to play well, is the 346-yard 11th, which doglegs left and then plays over the river to an oddly shaped green–a double green shared with hole four. I liked the challenge inherent in the par-3 16th: 167 yards and rising straight uphill to a well-guarded green that is blind from the tee.

Favorite Hole: The fifth hole is a beauty with a neo-links look. Yet the fairway-side mounds are fashioned with subtlety; they look nothing like those infamous chocolate drops (from the 80s) because of their varied contours and sizes. The hole also challenges big hitters to cut the corner. Should they?

Hardest Hole: The par-4 sixth hole, played from a high tee to a fairway that curves to the left around a large pond, will punish hooks, pulled shots, or the kind of over-ambitious attempt on which the player bites off too much of the water hazard–and comes up short. The approach is equally taxing; a sharp uprise precedes the green, rejecting shots that fall short.

Conditions:

Excellent greens, fringes, greenside areas, and tees. Very good roughs; good fairways although affected by the drought.

Some Conclusions:

There is irony in the fact that I know Cornish well as an architect (having played nearly 40 of his courses) and yet could not tell the “blended” Barrett holes apart from those of Cornish’s readily. For me, that implies that Hugh Barrett did an excellent job for his part in adding nine holes to the North.

Holes 1, 9, and 12 are somewhat unimaginative, yet all are challenging; further, this only speaks to the creativity that sparked the other fifteen.

For the most part I tried to handle this course carefully, as if I were a control pitcher in baseball. (Still, there are a few opportunities to play risk/reward golf in spots.) With its scratch vs. par rating of 71.4/ 72 from the blues–the tees I played–the course was not greatly formidable and still fair: on not a single hole did I feel engaged in an “impossible” struggle to make a par, against all odds.

Not to be overlooked are the moderate slopes on these modern greens, which, given the lower cutting of turfgrass today, is a must, as they should never become lightning-fast downhill.

Does Bretwood North rank among the best public golf courses in New Hampshire? It hardly seems possible to argue against it.

Having played and been favorably impressed by the Bretwood North Course in the late 90’s, it seemed a good idea to try the South. I was more than glad I did.

The dominant opinion about Geoffrey Cornish’s work in the golfing press seems to be this: it’s good overall, but his courses just aren’t hard enough because they’re made, essentially, for average golfers. Surprising as this may seem, I’ve read the same version of this several times. Well, maybe none of these gentlemen has played either of Bretwood's courses from the back tees. Just a few facts on the South layout: A) course rating 73.2 against par of 72; B) Slope 133; C) seven four-pars in excess of 400 yards; D) lots of water, some woods, only two straight holes and plenty of narrow ones, forced carries, doglegs, perched greens with lots of mounding and, around several of them, big falloffs.

Toughness, however, shouldn’t be the main measure of a golf course, though it’s fine for golfers to ‘rate’ layouts with an eye to it. But the South also benefits from a varied and balanced design, featuring high quality turf along with smooth and fast greens that have wide-ranging shapes and contours. The layout rounds things out with several well-incorporated elevation changes, some very difficult holes (especially a couple of monster par-fours) and one of the best par-fives--#13, the signature hole--I’ve played anywhere.

Although a good portion of the course is relatively level, the careful design of Cornish and Hugh Barrett (his co-designer) more than compensates. One of the key features is the relationship established between the length of each hole and corresponding width of its fairway: longer par-4’s (especially) almost always have more generous fairways; shorter ones are mostly tight. This may seem only logical, but I’ve been noticing that this tendency is mainly prevalent on better-designed golf courses like Bretwood. Moreover, on the short holes the hazards are more threatening and closer to landing zones. The net effect for me was this: I could not take my driver out and slash away because trying to get near the greens on the smaller par-4’s involved big risks. In fact, what’s at stake here is making sure you hit these tighter fairways, rather than landing in a bunker that squeezes any one of them, or being blocked by any of the scattered copses on their borders, or, worse still, splashing a ball into the Ashuelot River, which snakes its way around the margins of many of Bretwood’s holes. My 3-hybrid, then, got a workout from many tees. Longer par-4’s and par-fives, on the other hand, provide ample room for cutting loose with a driver, even though their landing zones are often offset or angled or doglegged.

Bretwood’s conditioning, outstanding for a public course, is highlighted by greens that roll beautifully and true, by well-kept and properly cut fringes, fairways and roughs, and by manicured tees.

Since all of the holes on the South are at least good, here are highlights of the best:

1)..Even though every par-3 is strong here, two of them are outstanding. The third plays from a high tee down to a sizable green. It will test not only your clubbing skills but your pitching/bunker game, as well, if you miss it in regulation. Also playing steeply downhill and yet with a forced carry over a U-shaped pond, the sixteenth is a masterpiece of aesthetics, bunkering, and ground contouring--both on and around the putting surface.

2) The second hole is a classic 5-par whose fairway arcs gently toward a green set atop a hill. At 552, it’s reachable by bombers, so most of us will need three controlled strikes to find a green tilted back to front.

3) Front and back halves are each closed out by a pair of rigorous and lengthy par-4’s, but the standouts are 9 and 18. Nine (462) has an almost wide-open feel that encourages you to smash your driver, but you’ll still need a precise approach shot to land anywhere near the pin on its huge putting surface that rolls like a links-style green. Eighteen (466) demands a long drive, ideally drawn, that lands somewhere on the fairway if you hope to hit this green on your second.

4) Fifteen, the #2 index, pulls out all the stops: bunkered landing zone with water threatening on the right; a wide but shallow green fronted by water and backed by bunkers; slopes on the putting surface that encourage three putts.

5) My favorite hole is thirteen, a sprawling uphill 5-par dominated by its big slopes and bunkers, swerving rightward as you play your second up the hill, and concluding on a pitched green with a large falloff on its right flank. Played in the wind, this hole becomes even more beastly--as it was today. Into a strong breeze, I knocked down a six-iron softly and found the green. A great challenge.

Some Conclusions: Mr. Tim Gavrich, a Senior Writer for this publication, cited both of Bretwood’s layouts as “a good place to start” a well-planned mountain road trip in New Hampshire (see article: June 12, 2020). A native son of Connecticut, Mr. Gavrich knows New England golf as well as anyone. Other widely-known publications have also chosen Bretwood for their lists of first-rate N.H. destinations. How can they not? Here you’ll play over great terrain for golf within a postcard-like country setting, a setting that is equaled by the course’s terrific layout. Today, by the close of the outward half, I realized that the South possessed everything necessary for top-notch golf. It only got better on the back.

We have played this course both last and this year. A family run course (which is fairly uncommon nowadays) and you might see the senior of the family driving around checking up on the maintenance, pace of play or just to say Hi.The fairway and greens are close to country club conditions. The variety of holes especially between nines is a nice change as well... mounded and rolling fairways with some dog legs and carry waters from the brook running throughout the course. As you are waking or riding you have covered bridges with magnificat flower boxes. All depicting NH at it's finest! Hightly recommend either the North or the South course which one could easily do 36 holes in a day.

I found this course online a few months back and desperately wanted to play all 36 holes in one day prior to moving out of the area. I was able to drive up last weekend and play all 36. I was very impressed. The staff is very friendly which is typically the case with lots of privately owned courses. The conditions were good. The layout was great. The entire course is built alongside a river and although this means there are lots of water hazards, it's also aesthetically pleasing. People say that the north course is much preferred over the south and although I would agree, I definitely enjoyed playing both. The pace of play was a little slow, but I think that was more due to the amazing weather and the fact that it was a weekend. I was told by several people that it isn't typically that slow. I drove 2 hours each way to get up there and I am very pleased with my decision.

This course is honestly my favorite in the Keene Area. I always have a great time no matter what the weather and the staff work hard to ensure whether you booked a tee time or not that you are able to get onto the course as quickly as possible.

The course itself has its relatively easy hold, i.e. the 1st hole is a straightaway par 4 that can easily be a birdie hole to boost your confidence. I am a huge fan of the "island" or "peninsula" par 3. Its a short shot, but can be very intimidating. This course really caters to all levels of golfers and I bring my father in law and friends here every time they visit.

You will not regret playing here.

I took up golf again in 2016 after 40 years away from it. I got to a number of courses, but most of the time I played Bretwood. They have a very reasonable membership rate ($1100/year i think) and this place is an amazing value - a local treasure if you like golf.

I picked a random fall date for this review, since I played here at least twice a week and the quality was consistent.

The South course is quite open, but with some well guarded greens and some very sneaky water on the left (the Ashuelot River) that a couple of times looks easy to avoid but snakes further into center than expected. On these tee shots play it safe to the right.

As an older guy with a max drive of about 210, I play from the whites. Here, the front nine is more forgiving than the back, and the back nine's architechture is stunning. The whole course is very scenic, with covered bridge river and stream crossings and there's seldom ever an issue with balls crossing to other holes.

For a budget-friendly course, I'm amazed at the creative design, the condition and the beauty of this course. It will challenge you from the tips, greens are in nice shape (OK there are always a few ball holes in greens, but people generally make the effort here) and is very playable for the high handicap folks. I always feel like I'm on an expensive club course when I play here.