Gillette Ridge

I was pleasantly surprised by the condition of the course considering the management issues. The fairways and greens were in the best shape I've ever seen them. The sand traps which I severely criticized in a previous review were much improved, however, they still need some work, i.e., replenish the sand as it appears very shallow in many traps. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience.

In great condition, will play many more times I love the challange

Ask this question to any fellow golfer..."How do you like playing Gillette Ridge?" Most likely you will get two answers. First, they hate the course because it is way to hard. Understandable, though that happens to be the reason why I love it so much. Second, they hate the course because the staff there is complacent (to put it mildly). For me, there is nothing better than stepping up to the first tee of a course that has teeth and will bite each time you make a mistake. Besides the difficulty factor Gillette Ridge is beautiful (in layout and scenery). The stone lined ravines that guard many of the greens make you stop to admire and cringe simultaneously. So every time my buddies ask, "Where do you want to play this week?" I throw Gillette into the hat. However, for as much as I love the course, I would rather play somewhere else because of the staff and management company. In my experience there isn't another group who gets it more wrong. The first tee time is later than any other course I have played. Aren't they interested in making money? The staff has been known to show up 10 minutes before the first tee time is scheduled and proceed to scramble around to get ready. The driving range is closed every other time I play. And the amenities are rarely open or stocked. Sunday was no different. The snack shack near the first tee was closed all day, which forced golfers to go all the way to the clubhouse at the turn. This tacked another ten minutes onto a 5+ hour round. The pace of place was excruciating and yet there wasn't a ranger to be found. The bathrooms at the first turn lacked any paper products at all (toilet paper, paper towels, etc.). So again one was forced to go all the way to the clubhouse, where they were out of paper towels as well. I could go on but I think you get my point. If you want to play a challenging and picturesque course then Gillette is for you. But don't expect anyone to roll out the red carpet. In fact, you will be luck to get dusty and worn 60s pink shag.

its got a great layout but sometimes its in bad conditions bc of poor management

The sand traps are a nightmare but the rest of the course is very nice. We played in the middle of leaf season and the leaves were blown where needed. The foursome in front of us thought it was the final round at Pebble Beach apparently, thus that was the only reason for the long round.

Played very tough because of windy cold weather. However, was an interesting layout, and would be a nicer course in calm or fair (less windy) weather. However, some of the fairways are very narrow, and most of the Bunkers sand was too course and hard, making it very difficult to get out of bunkers. While this golf course is O.K. for a good golfer looking for a challenge; however, would not recommend for a novice or beginner golfer. Even for experienced golfers, should expect to lose a few balls.

Played 18 with a cart. It was windy and cold, so approaches required an extra club. Course was in decent shape, but end of season cutbacks??? saw a few tee boxes needing care and one green was totally affected by tire marks firmly planted in it from a maintenance vehicle. Sand traps needed smoothing and fluffing, no blast shots as the sand was too hard in the 2 I hit into, so I putted out.

Course was in decent shape. I love the layout of the course as it features one of the hardest three hole stretches to end a round with!

This course has some challenging holes, but good scores can be achieved as it's not very long. Requires some placement shots of the Tee.

Gillette Ridge has a rep as a difficult course. Certainly there are difficult holes, but overall, it was a pleasure to play this course. I felt the course was female friendly. The clubhouse restaurant had a friendly staff and the usual fare.
Only con, the pro-shop had minimal female items although it is the end of the season.

Course was in good shape, staff was friendly.
Played course within 4 hours.

Course was in excellent condition. Some holes are very challenging. Excellent value. Booked through golfnow.com.

Gillette's layout is a lot of fun. There are some very challenging holes but many are very fair if you hit it where you should. The fairways and greens were in very good shape overall but there was no sand/seed in the bottles on the carts so the divots don't get filled. The tee boxes were not very good. Others have commented on the sand traps and they are AWFUL. They aren't sand but mostly firm packed dirt and rocks. Though it hadn't rained all week, the traps were also very wet and some had standing water. If you just stay out of the sand the whole round....

Course was in outstanding condition. The layout is very challenging, there is great variety from hole to hole. The views are breathtaking and the course makes you want to come back the next day and play again.

We had a slow threesome in front of us. Unfortunately this was compounded by an insistence that they play off the blue tees. The course is showing signs of a season of use but still good greens. I am hoping the management team does not let it go the way of other properties I heard they manage.

the course is a great layout and a good value for the money however the bunkers were washed out and the tee boxes were in rough shape, a little maintenance would go along way

The course is in great playing condition. Play on a Tuesday morning was painfully slow; no ranger was in evidence, and a call to the Pro Shop to complain was apparently ignored. Maintenance personnel were working on the bunkers, and showed little deference or interest to the golfers.

Gillette ridge is a great course and is always well maintained. Bunkers are never in good condition, but that is IT. Otherwise it plays like a private club.

This course demands pinpoint accuracy. If you have that, you will do OK reaching the greens, at which point you will probably 3 put. Pins were placed as if it was Sunday of the US Open (It was Saturday afternoon in Connecticut). If you require a bit of forgiveness on the fairways, this course is not for you.

Lots of sand traps, all poorly maintained.

All in all, it was a big disappointment.

This is a tough course that used to cost twice as much. The greens need a serious ball-mark repair campaign and the bunkers need fresh sand. I think low-handicappers are disappointed that it isn't maintained as well as it used to be and high-handicappers are scared away by the tough layout. Many holes are "hit it perfect or the ball is dead". Still I had fun and it was a good value.