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I am not shocked by much these days, but I was genuinely floored when I read a few weeks ago that by some measures, the hottest real estate in America in 2026 is greater Hartford, Connecticut, where I grew up. A Wall Street Journal article from April 2026 reports that while home prices nationwide have surged by 54% since 2019, suburban Hartford home prices have jumped 70%, per Zillow.
Don't get me wrong - I am a proud new Englander and prouder-still native of Connecticut and hope to live there again one day, but for most of my life, Hartford's motto of "New England's Rising Star" has been a punchline between area residents. Suddenly reading that greater Hartford homes are particularly hot commodities is a little disorienting.
Nevertheless, the charm of many surrounding Hartford suburbs is undeniable, and while there can be fair debate about high taxes, Connecticut generally ranks highly for public education and general happiness of residents. The Journal article attributes some of the Hartford real estate boom to post-pandemic shifts in American families' lifestyles and priorities. "Sitting roughly halfway between Boston and New York City—about a two-hour drive from either city," writes reporter Rebecca Picciotto, "the Hartford metro area became a magnet for those cities’ remote workers looking to exchange their cramped city apartments for larger, more affordable single-family homes."
Perhaps the success - especially recently - of the University of Connecticut's college basketball teams has something to do with the Nutmeg State's bull run.
So, too, does golf. The more time I spend away from the region of my birth and upbringing and explore golf across the country and world, the more I realize just how solid the Hartford golf scene and general culture around the game are. Looking purely through a golf lens, the area was perfectly positioned to capture a great deal of the bonus interest the post-pandemic golf boom has created.
Greater Hartford, Connecticut's vibrant golf scene
I was born in 1989, and the greater Hartford area's golf community has gotten steadily better over the course of my lifetime, making some big strides in the last 15 years. The Travelers Championship, one of the PGA Tour's longest-running events, transformed from a sleepy small-city tournament with celebrity ties - it was named for crooner Sammy Davis, Jr. from 1973 through 1988 - into what is now the second-biggest fan-draw on tour outside of the majors. Attracting upwards of 200,000 spectators most years and run for more than 20 years by tournament director Nathan Grube, it should be a PGA Tour stalwart as long as tour brass don't attempt to sideline it in favor of an event with a bigger market but significantly less soul in the upcoming schedule reshuffle. The Travelers is greater Hartford's big professional sporting event, and it energizes locals every year, anchoring the area golf scene.
Greater Hartford's golf courses, public and private, have long been overshadowed by attention given to the great clubs around New York and Boston, some two hours in either direction. But there is a sneaky-good assortment of places to play for golfers across the socioeconomic spectrum, buoyed by some important recent renovations. By far the most important of these is the 2016 overhaul of Keney Park Golf Course, a Hartford municipal gem.
Neglected for decades, Keney benefited from a comprehensive throwback design update from architect Matt Dusenberry, who restored the 1927 Devereux Emmet and Robert "Jack" Ross course to its Golden Age roots. What used to be a course of last resort for area golfers is now an overwhelming first-choice public play. In light of skyrocketing course renovation costs, the $6 million the City of Hartford budgeted for Keney Park, plus some lighter-touch updates to its Goodwin Park Golf Course, was money well spent. But Keney is the gem of Hartford-area golf now, and my favorite publicly accessible golf course in the region by a comfortable margin.
10 other favorite Hartford-area public golf courses
(Alphabetical order. Maximum weekend 18-hole rates with cart shown; weekday, walking and twilight green fees are often much lower.)
Crestview Country Club - Agawam, Mass.
Straddling the CT/MA border, this formerly private club with a course by prolific Northeast architect Geoffrey Cornish struggled for a while but has made a comeback in recent years thanks to ownership that seems eager to lean into its 1950s heritage and vibe. $75
Fairview Farm Golf Course - Harwinton
Driving west from Hartford to the edge of the Litchfield Hills brings golfers to this charming, well-kept family-owned public course that is true to its name, with a wooded front nine and more open back nine. $89
Gillette Ridge Golf Club - Bloomfield
This Arnold Palmer that partially meanders through an office park was brutishly difficult when it opened but has mellowed in recent years. With a large driving range, its location makes it a popular stop late in the day for folks looking to wind down from work by hitting a small bucket. $100
Lyman Orchards Golf Club (Jones) - Middlefield
One of the nation's longest-running producers of fruit pies and other products devoted a few hundred of its acres to golf in the late 1960s, and Robert Trent Jones, Sr.'s course there is very enjoyable. There is also an 18 by Gary Player, as well as a newer 9-hole short course that families love. $94
Manchester Country Club - Manchester
Few public golf courses can match Manchester's architectural heritage, with Tom Bendelow, Devereux Emmet and A.W. Tillinghast all shaping its layout in the early years, as well as some midcentury adjustments. The least-touched holes here are the best, including one of America's best par-3 18th holes. $95
Pequabuck Golf Club - Terryville
This semi-private par-69 starts with a fun sub-300-yard par 4 and throws various other quirks at golfers along the way, including a lovely par-3 10th and par-4 11th hole along a reservoir. $73
The Ranch Golf Club - Southwick, Mass.
This higher-end public course designed by Damian Pascuzzo has two dynamite par 5s that play down former ski hills. If you have never hit a 400-yard drive in your life before, here is your chance to change that. $125
Simsbury Farms Golf Course - Simsbury
Another Geoffrey Cornish design whose bunkers have been modified in recent years, this course has considerable sentimental value to me as it was where my high school team practiced and played matches. I love the massive double-green that serves the 13th and 17th holes. $74
Timberlin Golf Course - Berlin
This Al Zikorus course has seen gradual improvements over the years and has benefited from dedicated leadership that emphasizes junior golf development. $62
Wintonbury Hills Golf Course - Bloomfield
Pete Dye charged the town $1 for his design services, letting longtime associate Tim Liddy do much of the on-the-ground work at this beloved, now-22-year-old-muni where I used to play tons of twilight rounds as a teen. $100
My 10 favorite Hartford-area private clubs
Country Club of Farmington - Farmington
Matt Dusenberry, who redid Keney Park, has also worked on parts of this quirky and delightful design, which dates back to 1892, with significant design contributions from Devereux Emmet prior to World War II.
Country Club of Waterbury - Waterbury
Donald Ross' New York- and Boston-area courses are legendary, but this sneaky bruiser of a par-69 is wonderful in its own right, especially in light of recent restoration work.
Golf Club of Avon - Avon
This suburban country club has a vibrant membership full of families and three parkland nines. Despite growing up five minutes from it, I have only played 36 holes there, on a single day in a long-ago U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier. Even though I didn't end up qualifying, I enjoyed the test.
GreatHorse - Hampden, Mass.
No expense was spared when the Antonacci family bought and completely overhauled a 1970s course on this same site and hired architect Brian Silva to reimagine the course, scattering more than 200 jagged-edged bunkers around fairways and greens. The view from the opulent clubhouse is one of the best in interior New England.
Hartford Golf Club - West Hartford
The original Donald Ross 18 here is excellent; I should know because I spent two summers caddying there. The third nine, built in the 1950s from Ross plans, is solid as well. Longtime Tom Doak associate Bruce Hepner performed some restoration work that has the course looking and playing its best in years.
Hop Meadow Country Club
I learned to play golf at this charming but mostly meat-and-potatoes 1961 Geoffrey Cornish design laid out on a property divided by an 80-foot hill. Two memorable par 3s - the 9th and 16th holes - play straight down that hill, adding character and memorability to a round.
Torrington Country Club
Orrin Smith is far from a household name in architecture, but the sometime Donald Ross collaborator clearly learned from his mentor, as some of Torrington's greens are as fiercely sloped as any the great Scot built.
TPC River Highlands - Cromwell
Although I am disappointed with the last decade's worth of renovations, I still appreciate the routing and layout of this course, especially what it manages to do to challenge pros in just over 6,800 yards. The 15th remains an all-world drivable par 4. I just hope I'll get to see the bunkering restored to its earlier flair, and I hope future golf equipment regulations keep the course viable for the pros because it is a near-perfect spectator venue.
Shuttle Meadow Country Club - Kensington
Willie Park, Jr. was a great early golfer and excellent, if overshadowed Golden Age architect. This club, Park's first in America, is embarking on a restoration project led by architecture historian Brad Klein and architect Nick Campanelli. It is a prime example of how a golf course does not need more than 6,500 yards to challenge and delight virtually all golfers - just several tricky sub-400-yard par 4s and a couple of dynamite par 3s on a pure-New-England property.
Wampanoag Country Club - West Hartford
Klein was also involved in the recent restoration of this Donald Ross course, coordinating with architects Tyler Rae and Kyle Franz during the master plan process. Wampanoag's 18th, which plays uphill over a pond to a green at the foot of the clubhouse, is a gem among Ross finishers.
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