Fenner Hill Golf Club

Fenner Hill, a handsome links-like layout, can be found just off I-95 in the quiet, southern Rhode Island town of Hope Valley. The championship-caliber course was built by the Levesque Construction Company in 1999 and has played host to important state tournaments. Over the first four holes, the eighteen opens a bit quietly, although the tricky par-5 third must be negotiated with caution. What follows is a fantastic stretch of holes all the way through the tenth, with one beautiful and interesting hole after another to be conquered–if your game is up to it. The majority of these holes on the outward half certainly recalled, for me, the essence of some of the great links holes I played this summer in Scotland, including some of those at Southerness, the premier course in the Southwest.

By the end of Fenner Hill’s long and uphill tenth, the course has shifted gears to a more New England/woodland feel. Yet over the back nine, the hybrid nature is retained: there are still several open holes that primarily use the natural terrain, as do Scottish links. This is not, however, the kind of golf where leaving the fairway will leave you in the heather, the gorse, or the tall fescue, even though tall grass was once favored in the roughs on many of these holes. Long ago the club wisely discontinued this variation when rounds were verging on six hours. Also contributing to playability here are fairways that are generally of average width or somewhat wider. But this is a tough track overall, as its slope is a hearty 132 and a scratch rating of 72, which equals its par. Accordingly, the design features many challenging aspects, along with some others that increase interest and add innovation. Here is what I think sets Fenner Hill apart from the average layout:

--Fairway bunkers, twenty of them. Many average courses use them sparingly, if at all. Here appear on some two-thirds of the holes. Most are large; at the first, for example, the right-side trap measures 38 yards in length.

--Woe to those golfers whose sand game does not measure up: there are also thirty-five greenside bunkers. Many are deep, most large; they hug the edges of greens. You’ll need to use the loft on your sand wedge.

--Fairway design. Over the course of the eighteen, these fairways bend, twist, dogleg, and curve to their greens. Three of them even funnel down into semi-hourglass shapes. Some of them are narrow, others wider; some end abruptly, and a few are offset from the direct line of play. Ten, twelve, thirteen, and fourteen demand forced carries off the tees, and, while they’re not mean ones, they can pose problems. Many of the fairways also run uphill, making for both a heavy walk and tougher tee shots. Other slide erratically in places, their slopes shunting your ball into the rough if you’re unfortunate. The brutish eighteenth fairway runs straight uphill, jogs a bit left around a prominent tree, then climbs further uphill to a perched, well-guarded green. Almost as tough, fairway nine sweeps uphill, yet it may seem a picnic compared to the eighteenth.

--The links-like nature of the course. This works to the advantage of those players who apply their driving skill with a touch of imagination. On many of the 4 and 5-pars, a tree-line runs down only one side of the hole. What does this imply? As Johnny Miller advocated, play away from the trouble and curve the ball back into the fairway. Fades or draws, then, will come in handy at Fenner Hill if you have them in your bag.

--Hole variety, especially on the par-4s and 5s. Lots of elevation changes. Greens set upon rises or hills. A big variance in length on the par-4s. Many flat and open holes, but a good number, too, that are hewn from forestland. A quartet of par-5s that vary widely in character. Dynamic green shape and positioning, with several set at angles to the fairways, and several cleverly positioned in relation to the frontal bunkers. And, for good measure, four water hazards which form part of the mix. Still, these ponds hardly recall Pete Dye’s older work from his iconic, pre-2000 courses, even though one of them is large; I never felt all that threatened by any of them (all right, maybe a bit at the sixteenth). Since this is links-style design, the restrained use of water seems appropriate.

Toughest Hole: Eight, par-5, 579. Gargantuan from the deep tees, this is a brilliant hole. While sixteen fits the the signature mold, I’d call eight (#1 index) the top hole. A three-shotter for most, this favors a draw off the tee with the fairway slightly offset. The second shot may be nerve ranking, and the third only ups the ante further: you’ll likely need an ultra-precise wedge into a long and narrow green. What makes the shot especially difficult is how the hole nearly forces you to play right–away from the trees–leaving you to come in at an awkward angle, across the green’s shorter dimension. Miss right and you’re down a fiendishly steep embankment. A hole that takes no prisoners.

Favorite Hole: Seven, par-4. 429 yards, index 5. A classic driving hole with a curving fairway that leads to a perfectly classical green complex. It’s a traditional hole but still a great one; I felt as if I was playing a British links, tee to cup.

Conditions: Most aspects were good or better, which to be expected for this time of year. The fairways and roughs were strong and greenside areas excellent. Aerated greens, though, meant unpredictable on putts if under ten feet. Bunkers are being reconditioned; players are allowed to take a lift from any of them until the job is finished (sometime soon). Still, I can see how this course would receive mostly excellent ratings for conditioning during summertime.

Other: After the round, almost by chance I met and chatted with the owner, Mr. Ron Levesque, whose insights about his course impressed me greatly. Also terrific was the gentleman at check-in, Bob; he clearly welcomes customers, treating them well. Was this among the best customer service experiences I’ve had in 2024? Oh, yes. Already I look forward to returning here next spring.

Some Conclusions:

Golf course conditions are only temporal. In light of that, my rating seems slightly irrelevant today, as I see Fenner Hill as the best course that I’ve played so far in Rhode Island. It is heads and shoulders above the rest. In terms of overall quality and design, the layout is comparable to–although very different from–Mark Mungeam’s outstanding Connecticut National GC, which is less than an hour north of here. In truth, this first visit knocked my socks off. Not that I’m jaded, but I’ve played too many golf courses for that to happen often. The thing that shocked me most: this high-quality layout was essentially created by Mr. Levesque and his brother, and it seems their only work. That in itself has to be considered an outstanding achievement.

Played this course recently and was impressed as usual. I saw a couple negative reviews about only nine holes being open. I found out the reason is because they are doing a complete bunker renovation. This has been the one area of the course that has needed work and I'm excited to see the finished product. Always in pristine condition and a great challenge. Especially the greens. Fast and undulating. Absolutely recommend to anyone looking for a great round of golf.

They should’ve posted that nine holes were open and they had to play the same nine twice they only reduced the cost by al lousy 10 bucks

Front nine was closed. Had taken a friend because e normally the course is nice and challenging. However, with no notice and have already paid for the three rounds ended up playing the back twice. Was told if I had called the course they would have told me but why would I call the course when I booked on GolfNow?

Course was in very good condition considering the recent drought. Pins were in challenging positions. Unfortunately due to course maintenance, we were only able to play the front nine. After we went into the pub/restaurant. The food was good, with ice cold draft beers. The service was fantastic.

Course was def worth it. It is called Fenner HILL for a reason. So be ready to troop if you decide to walk.

Lots and lots of elevation changes. The third hole par five is a bit wild. Blind tee shot. Somewhat blind second shot to a extreme down hill green. It is the only hole that seems out of place on the course and just thrown in bc of lack of options.

A lot of elevated well protected greens so high ball flights and distance control has the best advantage.

But the landscape is beautiful, and the options for risk/reward come into play quite a bit.

Overall I enjoyed the course, def worth it to play at least once if you're looking to play something different.

Stay below the hole!!!

Very friendly staff. The pro let us go ahead of him since he was given a lesson which I thought was very good. After seven holes we caught up to a five sum playing in front of us, after that we had to wait every hole on the front nine. I happened to see the pro who was given the lesson and said something he told me to tell the pro shop. Well he must have called by the time we made the turn to the 10th they had a ranger out there it was not really to five-some that was slowing us up. It was a group ahead of them. I tell you this because I thought it was very good of the course to correct the situation. The course is fun challenging with the greens my group would definitely go back .again

Cool windy day. Pace of play was very good. Fairways were in great shape. Greens had been recently aerated and were still bumpy an sandy. Overall not a bad day, just not great for trying out my new putter.

I wish this course was closer to my house; it's links-adjacent, with many wide open holes and challenging green-side surrounds. I was a little disappointed by the quality of the bunkers, which had very rocky sand, but the layout was tremendous and the course gives plenty of challenges for all levels. I played from the blue tees and was forced to make tough decisions all day. There might not be a flat green on the entire property, and though they had recently been aerated, they played mostly fair. I'll look forward to playing this course again.

The course was in good shape , the only issue was the greens were aerated, sure be in great shape in a couple of weeks

The greens have been aerated and were very bumpy and Sandy. There should be a listing just to let people know when this occurs.

Great course. Back 9 very nice but difficult layout. Greens were in fair to poor condition since they were recently aerated.

Driving nets, putting green, chipping green.

Walkable but easier with a cart.

Mix of challenging narrow holes along with some more forgiving holes.

Outstanding value, espcially with GN deals.