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Gillette Ridge
Rating Snapshot
About
Gillette Ridge Golf Club in Bloomfield, just outside of Hartford, is an Arnold Palmer Signature course. It is one of the toughest rounds in all of New England. The course sprawls across a beautiful landscape covered with natural wetlands and forests of towering maples, oaks, and elm trees. There are strategically placed bunkers in addition to the natural challenges but they are not excessive. The wetlands come into play on almost half of the holes at Gillette Ridge Golf Club. The approaches to the greens are seemingly intimidating but as long as you don't hit short there is always bailout area on one side. Since each hole presents a unique challenge, there is not just one signature hole, but one of the most memorable holes is the par-5 second, a true risk-reward test that requires both length and accuracy.
| Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 72 | 7191 yards | 74.5 | 140 |
| Blue | 72 | 6569 yards | 71.3 | 133 |
| Blue/White | 72 | 6047 yards | 68.9 | 128 |
| White | 72 | 5695 yards | 67.3 | 123 |
| Green | 72 | 4847 yards | 69.8 | 130 |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black M: 74.5/140 | 426 | 505 | 431 | 182 | 364 | 387 | 612 | 187 | 447 | 3541 | 430 | 214 | 609 | 294 | 430 | 187 | 431 | 577 | 478 | 3650 | 7191 |
| Blue M: 71.3/133 | 379 | 500 | 380 | 168 | 325 | 359 | 556 | 159 | 424 | 3250 | 407 | 186 | 567 | 273 | 397 | 173 | 409 | 502 | 405 | 3319 | 6569 |
| Blue/White M: 68.9/128 | 311 | 500 | 299 | 148 | 325 | 359 | 481 | 146 | 389 | 2958 | 407 | 136 | 567 | 273 | 326 | 147 | 383 | 502 | 348 | 3089 | 6047 |
| White M: 67.3/123 W: 74.6/138 | 311 | 480 | 299 | 148 | 283 | 316 | 481 | 146 | 389 | 2853 | 306 | 136 | 474 | 242 | 326 | 147 | 383 | 480 | 348 | 2842 | 5695 |
| Green M: 63.5/113 W: 69.8/130 | 298 | 404 | 241 | 117 | 254 | 253 | 426 | 123 | 338 | 2454 | 234 | 119 | 394 | 215 | 225 | 124 | 345 | 436 | 301 | 2393 | 4847 |
| Handicap | 18 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 1 | |||
| Par | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
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Reviews
Reviewer Photos
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I just want to play Photo submitted by Jamesbrianlow on 10/27/2025
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Golf is life Photo submitted by Jamesbrianlow on 10/27/2025
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Photo submitted by u000005787699 on 08/23/2023
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Photo submitted by u000005787699 on 08/23/2023
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Photo submitted by u1732467322 on 05/12/2023
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The sixth, 173, 3-par: The long slender green, obliquely set to the tee, is a common feature at Gillette. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/28/2021
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The ninth green: par 4, 405, but the blues were set at 440 today. A murderously tough golf hole. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/28/2021
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Eleven: par 5, 500. Another strong driving hole, with the Heublein Tower as part of the backdrop. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/28/2021
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Eleven again, at its well-defended green. My playing partners prepare to putt. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/28/2021
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16: One of my playing partners, a scratch golfer and club member, praised the quality of the three finishing holes; this is the first of them. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/28/2021
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The 424-yard 18th, a sound tee-to-green test, finishes the exam well. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/28/2021
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Photo submitted by Mldtina1 on 05/31/2021
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Photo submitted by u000008034144 on 11/10/2020
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Photo submitted by psppete on 10/21/2020
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Photo submitted by psppete on 10/21/2020
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Photo submitted by psppete on 10/21/2020
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Photo submitted by u241990994 on 07/29/2019
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Gillette Ridge Golf Club, hole 3 (former 12) Photo submitted by TimGavrichGP on 07/13/2018
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Gillette Ridge Golf Club, hole 14 (former 5) Photo submitted by TimGavrichGP on 07/13/2018
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A welcome sight: kids and locals of all ages pack the range at Gillette Ridge on a June Tuesday evening. Photo submitted by TimGavrichGP on 07/13/2018
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Gillette Ridge's drivable par-4 13th is an excellent hole. Photo submitted by TimGavrichGP on 11/08/2017
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The 16th green at Gillette Ridge shows the course is consciously shrinking the putting surfaces, presumably for ease of maintenance. I wish they wouldn't do this - it makes an already hard course even tougher and will slow pace of play. Photo submitted by TimGavrichGP on 11/08/2017
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The quirky 17th green at Gillette Ridge juts out over a stone bridge. Photo submitted by TimGavrichGP on 11/08/2017
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Gillette Ridge's closing hole is a fair but seriously tough long par four. Photo submitted by TimGavrichGP on 11/08/2017
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Photo submitted by Bullguy on 09/01/2017
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"Really"? Photo submitted by jfeliciano103 on 06/11/2014
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Photo submitted by u000005387859 on 04/30/2013
Nice course with some real challenges
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!
Challenging course, very good condition, great staff
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 shape for late october.
Great price and challenging track. Staff was very friendly. I will be back.
great test of golf
One of the most challenging courses i have ever played. will be back again
shot accuracy is at a premium
course was in great shape. staff was friendly. Premium placed on accuracy of shots. bring extra balls, though it is not too hard to find plenty of balls in the woods
This course will make you select the right club!
Every time I return to this course, "I" have a new challenge. Bring your smart game & stay in fairway then you can get a good score... Be careful selecting the right club. A 20 yards 2nd shot mistake will bring you a bogey without even trying.
Great course design. Terrible condition.
Arnold Palmer designed a very nice course. Some very interesting and challenging holes. The current owners/managers should be ashamed at the course condition. The bunkers were awful and unplayable. The greens were full of pitch marks. The fairways were burnt out. The carts were shoddy. The staff was invisible. Can tell the course has run out of $$. Maybe Cigna will buy the course back, close it for a year to repair the damage and reopen this potential beauty. Until then, I won't ever play this track again.
very challenging course
this course is not for beginners. The greens are very fast and takes a good eye to read the breaks. You need to play this course several times to improve your score for many of the fairways have a blind approach. All in all I had a great time .
The only negative was not with the course itself, but with the carts. The first one we took the rear wheel wobbled and wasn't running on all cylinders. our partners cart had a flat tire about halfway thru.
The greens are in trmendous shape
Challenging course, more in target positioning than length course for sure.
Challenging layout
Gillette Ridge plays harder than it looks like it should. Don't be fooled by the first hole, it might be the easiest on the course. The final three holes are definately round crushers, especially if you are playing from the back tees. Overall conditions are good, although the fairways seem a lttle thin. The bunkers are the single worst part of the course - none of them have any sand in them even greenside, they are more like waste bunkers. Pricewise, it is a little on the high end, and there are much better values through golfnow in the area IMHO
Sand
The sand traps are dirt and rock traps. Terrible. I guess that's why there were only 3 rakes on the whole course....No sand to rake.
No way would I pay $65 for this course. $45 at best if they bought some sand.
Nice greens though, I must say.
Awesome course !!!
Tough, tough course, but that's why we go there. There are many forced carries, some challenging greens, great par five's and a driveable par 4. Bring your A-Game !!! This is one of the best layouts in the state.
formerly great course needs serious upkeep
i had heard the rumors that gillette was no longer putting in any effort to maintain the course in playable condition, but was totally unprepared for the sorry state that the course had fallen into. it is a shame because the course used to be a beautiful and very challenging 18 hole place to play.
now save your money and go down the road to play wintonbury hills instead.
Nice course
Nice course and good mix of holes. Only complaint was that there was no sand in the traps. They were for the most part, compacted,dirt traps. Would go back there to play. Enjoyable day.
Soggy
We played right after a hard rain in the morning, and the course was still draining. The whole round was played on soggy ground, which made it very unforgiving. The course was beautiful and I am looking forward to going back on a dry day.
