Gillette Ridge

Use to be much better maintained. Crabgrass around greens makes the course very unatractive. I used to love it. Needs TLC

Played this course 3 times and a few years ago it was pristine. Two weeks ago (8/4/2013) Played 18. Fairways were ok, but had a lot of bare spots. Tee boxes were AWFUL. Looked like no divots got replaced. Several greens had large divots as if people hit irons off them.

My group got a late start (our fault). Ranger came by and gave us a lecture on pace of play for 5 minutes. A pleasant "speed up please" would have worked fine.

I've played better courses for less than $65 per round (some include GPS on the cart btw). Heard owner of Gillette was having trouble and it was shown on the day I played.

Really too bad as the first two times I played the course was really great.

The course layout is interesting & challenging with lots of scenic beauty BUT The greens look like they get a lot of play & need attention... Many of the bunkers have little or no sand so often you are hitting off of hard pan...The pace of play was a death march on a Friday afternoon... We waited on every shot...it was difficult to maintain concentration...Finally GR's website claims to have the best practice facilities in the area... Don't believe it... Only one practice green is maintained & the practice bunkers have no sand!
This was my first time playing GR & I loved the layout, but because of the condition of the greens & the pace of play, I will not be back any time soon...

THE COURSE IS IN GREAT SHAPE. BUT FOR THE HIGH HANDICAP PLAYER LIKE MYSELF IT WASN'T VERY ENJOYABLE. IF I BECOME A BETTER GOLFER I WILL GIVE IT ANOTHER TRY. IF YOU ARE A BETTER GOLFER. THIS IS THE COURSE FOR YOU.

sand traps need a lot of work. play very slow and called pro shop twice for ranger who was not on duty. would still go back

The course conditions were horrendous. Lack of maitenance, upkeep was the biggest disappointment. Tee boxes were terrible, greens slow, bunkers look like they have had no upkeep or even a rake all season. With a little attention this could be an excellent course. There was never a grounds crew in sight even near clubhouse. Don't waste your money...

Course is generally in great condition. few teeboxes need work and the bunkers are average sand.

Lovely layout; challenging, pretty; short but narrow fairways; strategy important; sand traps need sand; greens ok.

I have played Gillette 3 times this year. Love the fairways. Well maintained. There are some tough bare spots in a few places. Greens could be a little quicker. Good Layout. Great value compared to some other "higher end" courses.

Course could use some attentive maintenance, expecially on the greens, they were rough and a little beat up, sandtraps were a disaster, more like ground under repair - hard, with many washouts, fairways were good, tee boxes were very soft, and not just from recent aerating.

The fairways were in great shape, the greens needed some work, and the sand traps need a total makeover.

Course was in poor condition. Bunkers have not been raked in weeks and the tee boxes were like the 1st cut of rough.

The greens and the areas around need some maintenance.
Alot of crab grass around greens and bunkers.
The greens were in not so good condition. Alot of ant holes.

The fairways were great.

The tee boxes were fair. Could use some attention.

Bunkers were in very poor condition. No sand.
Alot of them were washed out becaiuse of water.
Poor design and drainage.

Decent coursefor the investment. I would not spend more than I did

I was very disappointed in my experience at Gillette Ridge. The guy in the Pro shop gave no information about where to find carts, or directions to the first tee box (which was nowhere near the clubhouse). The fairways were in short, but despite the overwhelming amount of rain, the sprinklers were still overwatering many fairways and greens. The greens were soft, shaggy, and pocketed with ball marks that were not repaired, and the bunkers were full of hardened mud and puddles of water. Even at 5:30 in the evening, we waited on every hole. Totally disappointing experience all the way around. Will never golf there again!

I played this course years ago when it first opened and found the layout much too challenging. I was probably a 10 handicap then and play to a 7 now. I thought they have made some great changes - the course now is challenging but enjoyable. You aren't unfairly penalized for good shots like before. I really enjoyed myself and the deal was terrific!

We were able to get right out, the starter was terrific giving us some tips on how to play certain holes to avoid some of the ditches in the faiways. We really enjoyed the layout wished the greens were a little quicker.My wife played and found a couple hole very intimidating for that reason we might not go back.

A difficult course can be measured by the trouble caused by a poorly executed shot and the cost one must pay to correct that error. On that score Gillette Ridge is a difficult course, especially from the back tees which put more stress on driving accuracy and force one to employ longer irons for approach shots. Trees, water, and thick rough here conspire to punish the golfer who tries "to do too much." First-timers at GR will have a painful experience on numerous holes without knowledge of proper course management. After enduring 17 holes of demanding golf, one must attack one of the most challenging finishing holes in the state - a lengthy gentle dogleg Par 4. If one manages to avoid the traps running along the right side and the large bunker on the left to land one's drive on the gentle upslope of the fairway landing area, the classic risk-reward decision awaits. The green sits on a small peninsula that projects into a pond that will penalize the golfer who does not exhibit accuracy in both direction and distance control. Only a monster drive will allow for an approach shot with anything other than a long iron or hybrid. The best strategy might be to play this hole as if it were a Par 5, and try to score a "birdie."

When it first opened, GR was a punishing test. It has been softened up a bit by the removal of some trees and greater use of the forward areas of the tee boxes. However, any review of this course must include a mention of the diminished maintenance efforts by management. Mostly, this is evident in the unacceptable conditions of the sand traps. Even before the recent rains, the traps were un-raked and had ill-defined borders. Most are now riddled with erosion and filled with muddy goo.

Bunkers cannot be played due to unattended erosion. Greens are very poor from lack of ball mark repair. Fairways have large Unrepaired divots. I found this course, as one of my all time favorite very tough tracks, to have deteriorated significantly in just 3 weeks. Sad

Most difficult course I have ever played. That said if you have pretty good control of your clubs it is playable. Dont expect to score near your average hear. Very comparable to best courses but it does appear course is in need of help on upkeep of greens and bunkers. Greens were not smooth . Many ball marks and bumpy.

This course was in beautiful shape 3 years ago and has gone completely in the toilet since then. Every tee box is an absolutely mess. Fairways are OK. Some greens are a mine field and others are good but all of them are SLOW compared to where they were 3 years ago. The staff is doing their best but you can tell they are short handed. In the past two visits we had to wait at the snack shop for the attendant to arrive. Even the 19th hole wasn't as refreshing as it used to be. It was cooler than the outside temp but clammy. I think this course was originally owned by Cigna Insurance and then they sold it. I don't know if it is owned by the town of Bloomfield or a private owner. Whomever it is, they better get on it !