Gillette Ridge

This course is quite challenging for any level golfer but more so for the high handicapper. The golfer is rewarded for conservative play on several holes. You must think your way through this course, the driver is not always the best choice as pinpoint accuracy is key. A great course to point out your weaknesses but lots of fun non the less

the course is a target course and the greens are tough. It needs some maintaince. I have played here before and the condition has slipped.

played course couple years ago was in good condition and nice track. Recently played T boxes were a mess, no fairways to speak of, greens had many scars where you had to move your ball to navigate and the sand traps were untouched this year and had the stuffing popping out of most of them. There certainly was no work done on this course this year and maybe last year as well

THIS IS A DIFFICULT COURSE. IN GOOD CONDITION.
BEAUTIFUL SCENERY. PLENTY OF WATER AND RAVINES TO HIT OVER. CHECK YOUR EGO AT THE FIRST HOLE.

I first played Gillette Ridge in 2009 and was amazed on how well maintained the course was. The Gillette I remember was immaculate: the tee boxes and fairways that were like greens, the bunkers were filled with actual sand and were raked, and the putting greens rolled true. Gillette was once similar to Wintonbury Hills in Bloomfield as a comparator. The Gillette of today resembles Kenney Park, or Goodwin found in Hartford. If you haven't played those courses, all I can say is that a good description would include: tee boxes that are weed patches, fairways covered in dandelions, and bunkers filled with rocks. During play some of the maintenance staff didn't even acknowledge that people were playing golf, eg. having to ask a groundsman to move his cart and water-hose so that I could hit a shot. I know it is still early in the golf season, but courses such as Blue Fox in Avon or Tunxis in Farmington are in much better condition and a better value overall. MDM Golf Enterprises has a done an impressive job in turning one of Connecticut's premier golf courses into an eyesore.

This used to be one of the better courses in CT. Now it's one the worst...it's like they don't care anymore.

What has happened with this great layout. Needs new ownership.
I have never been so disappointed in the condition of the course.
Bunkers are in terrible condition many greens are in trouble already and it's not even May.

This is a tough course, I have played this course a number of times the past few seasons. I know its early in the season, but this course continues to slip. We had an 11:50 tee time, and were told to go get in line as there was no starter. Well we teed off late and then proceeded to play a round that was just under 5 hours.... on a Tues afternoon.

If it was not for the hot deal $100 for the foursome, I would have been extremely disappointed in the money I payed. Slow play is one thing and you can deal with it, but the courses condition is truly lacking some serious TLC. Traps not raked for the day was a great indication as to what type of care and work the put into this course.

Gillette is a challenge but if you are hitting the ball well you can still score well. The bunkers are the only thing that really need some work done. Other than that the greens are nice (slow) and there are some real scenic shots...water...stonehedge, etc.

All traps and bunkers are devoid of SAND there is compacted sand in them and SOME are under repair but all need attention. Greens recently aerated and still good condition. Properly done no huge holes or piles of sand on the putting surface. Don't even think of walking this course some tee boxes had a several minute drive to get to them from the previous green. This is a good course for a golf now deal.

Gillette Ridge is an excellent challenge.The greens are soft enough to hold your shot from the fairway and the greens putt fast.The sand traps,however,are horrible they all need sand and obviously have not been raked in years.

This is a difficult layout, and it doesn't help that the bunkers are hardpacked and unraked mud, the fairways are full of divots, and the greens are pretty rough.
The entire facility is pretty shopworn.

For the "Hot Deal" price of $25.00 it is a good value. Course was busy and a bit slow for a Tuesday, probably due to the cheap prices at GolfNow. No ranger or drink carts to be found. This place was once a very nice course but looks to be getting run down.

The course was definitely challenging for someone playing it for the first time. It was still enjoyable and fairly well maintained except for the sand traps, which were in sad shape with more mud than sand. The traps are in need of some attention.

Love this course for its layout, a few quirky holes which can ruin your round but over all a fun course! The sand traps were basically dirt and are in dire need of proper sand, during summer and fall months the the course becomes overwhelmed with geese and there droppings become another hazard!

the course was really in excellent condition for early spring...the greens were cut and pretty smooth although a little on the slow side, a little grainy...you had to hit the putts harder than normal but the average player would love them...not so fast and scary as they normally are...overall an excellent choice for the day...thanks for a great value and a great course...also the sprinkler heads were marked this year along with 150 markers in the fairway that you could see...last year there were only a few markers and it was always a problem figuring out the distances..well done!!

Gillette Ridge is a tight challenging course with narrow, rolling fairways lavishly bunkered. There wasn't a lot of sand in the bunkers--and they hadn't been raked since last year--but with hard muni-style sand, they were easy to escape from. This, I think, was opening day for the course. I heard from one of the guys that management wants to sell the place, so you probably should not expect an Augusta National level of maintenance. You've got lots of trees, water on many holes, forced carries, blind shots, dog legs--everything you'd want. This is not a bomber's course. No need to keep the driver in the trunk, but you will need to hit certain regions of the fairways to have reasonable 2nd shots at the greens. You're making tactical decisions all the way around this track.You will be trying shots you never knew you had! Pack your range finder, brother! I look forward to a return visit. You really need to play this course more than once to score.

Course was in decent shape for Spring Golf, especially with the amount of snow we had this winter. It was wet and the greens were actually not bad. I wasn't expecting much with it being so early in the season but was pleasantly surprised.
The course itself is very challenging with a lot of tight holes/forced carries/deep bunkers around the greens.
I don't know if I would pay full price but got a deal on golfnow for 18 holes for 21 bucks. Totally worth it for that price!

Played Gillette Ridge several times, always a challenge. Only issue is with the sand (easy solution - don't hit in them!) Have also played several tournaments there, and the staff and the pros are friendly and knowledgable. A special "recognition" to Chrissy the Restaurant Manager, who keeps things running smoothly!

Great price and challenging track. Staff was very friendly. I will be back.