Gillette Ridge

But it was worth it. Played from the blues and it played all of the yardage. Challenging.

Love this course. Hard, challenging, long, many par 5's, beautiful layout. Usually quiet due to people not wanting to take up the challenge. No one fixes their ball marks which is unfortunate, but overall def 1 of my top 5 courses ever played...

There was never a bad area in the fairways. They were working on a majority of the traps. The tee boxes were is some cases in need of some TLC.

Bunkers are clay, greens are so hard nobody bothers to look for ballmarks, let alone repair them. Some greens need a complete. Re-design.. They are so odly shaped there is no safe shot on some approaches!

Beautiful and challenging layout. Bunkers are a disaster...should be declared waster areas, not bunkers. No sand...dirt and mud only. Some tee boxes were pretty rough. Fairways and greens were nice.

First the positives..
The course is big, you get your monies worth, the greens were in good condition for the time of year, the course was challenging and wasn't crowded at all for a Friday late morning tee time.

The negatives...
The fairways were soaking wet and it hadn't rained in the area for days. Must be from a combination of over watering and bad drainage on site. The bunkers were dirt, not sand. This was actually an improvement from the last time I played there and the traps were overgrown with weeds. The woods were full of garbage. I know because I spent a lot of time in them looking for my ball!

Overall for the price ($35 for 18 and a cart, thanks to golf now) it's a good deal and I'd go back.

Every hole has it's challenge. I believe a good hole is a memorable hole. I can honestly say that Gillette Ridge has many of them... Looking forward to another round.

Great course for the money. Great atmosphere. Must play if in Hartford county looking for a good course. Bunkers need help that is the only con of the whole course.

I had a poor experience 7 years ago and had not been backk since. Long round, arrogant staff. But a friend and I wanted to try it again.

Labor Day Morning 9:00am arrival....One person at desk. Only person we saw all day. could not drive carts to car and they blocked path with 10 carts to ensure that. So, everyone had to carry their bags down around the jam of carts to get down to carts. And when I made a small comment when paying/checking in with my Golf Now reservation ("seems like there isn't aas much staff as their used to be"), the guy said "well, we can't when people don't pay full rate". I felt real welcome.

Kitchen not open (saw a guy jump in his car because he had not eaten and was counting on course)....No cart service on hot humid day...if they want to make some $ at course, put a cart out there, they would make a decent amount of $ on days like that

There was no starter and nobody on course to keep things moving or logically pair people up. rounds are long because there is 2some after 4some followed by 4some then 2 2somes. Makes for long round.

It is clear that they are hurting. But also clear that they are doing minimum to keep place going. No advertising, no staff, just mow and hope people show up.

It is too bad because course is decent track but this is hospitality industry now more than ever. Make people want to come back but Gillette just doesn't. Even thin staff can make someone feel welcome and make people root for the course. I am not rooting for them nor will I be going back.

Lots of choices and Gillette isn't one of them anyomroe. Close by, there are Wintonberry up the road. Rockledge down road. Will go to either of those 2 before Gillette. Better tracks AND service. They actually seem happy you come to play. What a concept!

Played an early round on the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend with my son. Although our Tee time was for 7:30, when we arrived at 7:00, it was deserted. Clubhouse was locked up and carts were still parked away in the garage. Felt a bit odd, but the pro was friendly enough when he opened up shop and got us our cart key and a range bucket.
The range was fine, but a bit overgrown. There were some nice practice bunkers and the sand was in good shape.
The course is very attractive and interestingly laid out. It is fun and tough. There are plenty of forced carries and the greens complexes are pretty unforgiving. It's very possible to play well and shoot a high score.
Overall, unfortunately, the place had an air of neglect and desolation. The fairways were over watered and soggy, the fringe on the greens was patchy, there were unrepaired ball marks all over the greens and there were out buildings that looked half finished and abandoned.
For a busy holiday Saturday morning in perfect weather, there was no one behind us for several holes, and only two groups in front. Not that I would usually complain about this, but combined with the condition of the course and our surreal arrival, it just felt strange.
The course has a reputation for being merciless and a beat down. While I think its undeserved, perhaps this bad rep has hurt business. The course looks to hurting a bit. I'd play Wintonbury for a better value, with equally challenging holes and much better conditions.

Had a coupon to play for $25 on a weekend. Good price but course in bad condition. Tee boxes were terrible. Greens were beat up. When me made the turn from 9 to 10 there were two foursomes in front of us on the tee which slowed play for the back nine. We finished only to find the club house/pro shop/restaurant locked up.

Clubhouse is nice
The course is a dump
For 30 w a cart - it is what it is

The fairways and greens are in great shape, but the bunkers are horrible. They are dirt and very difficult to hit out of. Its too bad because the rest of the course is in great shape and is very challenging.

I last walked this course when it hosted an ladies ING golf tournament several years ago. The layout was still very challenging and the holes having distinct challenges. The two major weaknesses are the tee boxes and the bunkers. The tee boxes were so chewed up and had so many divots. It was sometimes hard to find a place to tee up. The bunkers all had the result of a small tractor smoothing them out each morning, but all they did was press the sand into hard pack. It was very difficult to get a wedge under them. This course is owned by the same company that manages Laurel View CC in Hamden. They also have a major weakness of poor bunkers. The bunkers are so bad in Hamden that the men's club allows you to lift, rake and replace your ball. Gillette Ridge might want to consider this local rule. Also I noticed some bunkers did not even have rakes. The price was reasonable but I did not realize that it was price so low in recognition of the substandard condition of some portions of the course. I found the fairways and greens more than acceptable. I would play it again just for the challenge and beauty of layout. It is a shame that a course that was such a gem designed by Arnold Palmer does not live up to his standards. It is worth playing at a low enough price as long as you know there will be some issues.

Booked a weekday afternoon teetime for $26 for 18... course sent our twosome out starting on 10th tee- played back 9 in 1.5 hours. Some negatives include some of the tees were almost non-existant of turf & lack of yardage markers. Made the turn and were surprised to see a league teeing off on 1. Fortunately, they were welcoming us to continue on through! Great shaped course with challenges aplenty-- but with some great scoring opportunities as well.

Nice long course, had a great time. Tee boxes, fairways and greens are in great shape. Golf carts are fast!

Some fairway was narrow but straight, approach shots will play longer then yardage, you have to land the ball at the flat spot and set up for approach, perfect tee shot often turns out bad due to slopes, other then that you are good to go, greens was good and fast.

Beginning with the positives - This is a challenging course, with an interesting layout. It would definitely be a different challenge for each of the tee choices. The greens are also not just sitting flat at the end of the fairway; they are often elevated or tucked behind a challenge.
Now, on to the issues. The sand traps do not actually have any sand. They are hard pack. The greens have damage from all of the unfixed ball marks, and no one seems to replace a divot or put sand down. The tee boxes needed some work, but manageable.
The pace of play was also awful. When we arrived for our Saturday afternoon tee time, they informed us that there was a scramble tournament we would be behind (and what course schedules a scramble in the middle of the day on a Saturday). Since there was not a ranger anywhere to be found (see pace of play and ball mark and divot comments above), we often sat at tee boxes waiting (a couple of times with two foursomes already there).
It's unfortunate that an interesting design was offset by so many issues.

I thought the course was in pretty good shape considering how it has been over the past few months.

I keep remembering the course how it was a few years ago. Challenging, beautiful, and well kept. Now it's just challenging to believe anyone is taking care of the course. Yes the grass is mowed where is it growing but over all it's in below average shape. You can forget most all of the bunkers if you aren't planning to buying new wedges soon. I've seen sandier gravel pits.
Perhaps I should be frustrated with myself for thinking anyone is going to get this potentially great course into at least average shape. Short of it is I can't recommend this course until I see the most basic things improved upon.