Gillette Ridge

Gillette Ridge has had a bit of a roller-coaster history, with more downs than ups. It hit its low point in 2016, fully closing for a few months. But it's open again, and it was rounding back into decent shape when I played it while in CT in May. I've always enjoyed the Arnold Palmer layout, which does skew a bit severe in places, but it generally playable from the right set of tees. The long par-4 18th might be the toughest finisher in the Nutmeg State.

Bad experience from start to finish. Manager Lucas lied about play time and course conditions. I found fictitious items added to my bill. I overheard Lucas boasting that most customers don't realize that he has signed them up for their monthly "Players Club." and that it is almost impossible to cancel the continued monthly billing. Sad that such a potentially nice facility is run by such management that taints the entire experience--- Play if you have 6 hours; HOLD YOUR WALLET!

I have always liked plahing here but lately it appears that communication from golfnow to the coirsare non existant. Twice now my tee time has been back logged and the course extremely slow. I walked off last time because it took 1 1/2 hours to play 4 holes with 3 groups and each hole. Poor place of play and no rangers

Played as a foursome, all pretty good golfers. Three some in front of us kept trying to play from the blues. 2 out of 3 had no business hitting from the blues. Only ranger that came by asked them if the three some in front of them was playing fast enough. On a par 3 one of them hit a tee shot that almost landed on top of himself, no lie. Started at 1:30 and was unable to finish the round. Totally unacceptable. Course was in good shape and got a great rate but unless they get a grip on the pace issue it’s not worth the aggravation.

As some have suggested, this is very near a country club experience in terms of course conditions (greens in particular) and the courtesy of the staff. The layout is a little quirky, with several short holes that require some strategy and many quite challenging holes. Bunkering, green shape and a variety of contours on the greens make them enjoyable, if difficult, to putt. Some local knowledge goes a long way here, as a few holes have features that can be deceiving. One example is the second, a medium length par-5, that is guarded on the left front by a bunker, which from the fairway appears to be near the green, but it's about 25 yards short of the green, which leads to consistently short approaches. There are several substantial forced carries over marshy areas to reach greens that are often "perched," making precision critical.

Perhaps I can sum this course up best by saying that the more I play it, the more I like it, and I plan to play it often in the future.

We went back to Gillette again, we wanted to try it again. The course was seriously overbooked and once again there was no action taken by the course to remedy pace of play. It is a great course but book before noon and maybe look over the number of cars before you go in?

I’m so pleased with the reopening of this course! As nice as any private club I’ve played. Kudos to the entire organization at Gillette Ridge for reviving such a marvelous gem.

We went out as a twosome and the course added a single with us. He was a good golfer and a nice guy. We immediately were told the course did not have carts available and there was a delay in times. This can happen anywhere. We were behind a group that was slow but they had a group in front of them that was unbelievably slow. We were not invited, or able, to play through. In the New England October a 1:40 starting time should not yet be an issue, however we had were not able to get to the turn until 3 hours later. There was no possible way we would be able to get the rest of the round in. The staff was friendly but firm in that we had booked through Golfnow and thus would not get the pass the group behind us received .Frustrating afternoon at a nice course.

Fairways and greens very good condition, golf carts are very good and the cart paths are in very good shape . Cant wait to play there again.

. . . but not anymore. Played it when it first opened and it was in terrible shape -- greens and fairways spotty with grass coverage (they opened it too soon) and didn't like the layout. Still didn't like it in the following years as I found that playing from the blues it just beat me up and was too penal. A few months ago, tried again -- this time from the whites and it was a real pleasure. Same experience this week. Shortening the course let me hit less than driver at times and the challenge was still there, since most of the trouble is in green surrounds and on the greens themselves. Conditioning is fantastic. Fairways cut low so if you hit it in the fairway you get the run-out you deserve. Greens lightning fast, but pure, with humps and mounds that greatly affect each putt. This course is now one of my favorites.

Well maintained, somewhat challenging, but not well managed by starter with pace of play - 4 groups all waiting on each other.

I was surprised by the great condition of the course. The greens and fairways were perfectly manacured. The challenging layout has a variety of hazards, waste areas, complemented by a number picturesque small ponds. It was a great day, finished off with a drink and lunch on their covered patio.

We drove up from Stamford and it was a treat. We played early and we played 18 in 3 hours. It was fun and course was in beautiful shape.

I played this course with the Safari Club 2 weeks ago. Very nice conditions, but quite the challenge. Fast greens, many holes had trouble left, right, and center. They say it is the 3rd hardest course in Connecticut. Believe it!!Bring your game with you.

Fun and scenic course. Price is great for the quality. If prices stay around where they are, I'll be playing a lot more. Played this course last year after it had opened up after the closure and the conditions weren't great. Decided to try it this year and I was happy to see the course is back to normal. Greens are fast and in great shape. Fairways and rough are in great shape. Course plays shorter than the scorecard yardage since the course only consists of flat or downhill holes. The staff always seems to make holes easier by moving tee boxes up, I haven't seen tee boxes moved back to makes holes harder. I think the course is scared of scaring off average golfers by making the course any more difficult than it is. Length isn't the problem, its the hazards that make this course difficult. Great for someone who want to play it often because the course plays very different from different tee boxes. I've played Black, Blue, and White and it' like 3 different courses from each.

Along with over 100 other Safari Club members, we played Gillette Ridge on a perfect day. The layout was a real challenge with very large greens, layups off the tee required on several holes, target golf on some holes and carries over water to the greens. But it was not only beautiful. The course conditions were perfect. The challenge made it fun and the staff were perfect to deal with. Will be going back in the fall during foliage season when the beauty will only be better.

Played here on 8/28 with the Safari Club. What a track! VERY interesting and challenging holes! The course layout is very different from most of the courses we play, with it's marshy areas. The course is spread over a large geographic area, and there are only a handful of holes where you can readily see adjacent holes. I'd love to play this in the foliage season, as it must be beautiful. This course reminds me a lot of the courses that I play in Myrtle Beach. It was in excellent condition throughout. Staff was very well organized and friendly. Looking forward to playing again next year.

Nice to see this course continue to improve. Layout can be quite challenging to high handicappers. White and blues had too much separation when we played. Whites were way up and it was disappointing on some holes. Usually play the blues, but had some shorter hitters in our group. Course could use more ball washers and drinking water ( or beer cart stops). Barber poles w/ yardage or GPS on carts would be an improvement too. Overall it's a good value and test of anyone's game.

I played gillette with 136 of my Safari Golf Club friends on one of our weekly outings.

The staff were fantastic brought our bags to our carts cleaned the clubs after the round .The food and service was great overall you couldn't ask for better service.

The golf course was in perfect condition and the greens were a true test of ball placement and soft putting test.

this for sure is a coures you have to play the tees that fit your game or it will eat you up in a heartbeat, a great track and fun if you choose the tee that fits your game.