Keney Park Golf Club

Showed up and the pro shop worker, the only employee at the course besides the cart girl, said they are running 20 minutes behind. The round then proceeded to take 5 hours. No ranger. No starter. Additionally, the cricket field near the course was blasting music the entire day. You could hear it all round. I know you can’t control everything but it was very unfortunate. Spend your money elsewhere.

Nice layout and good price. But I think the only person working here is the guy in the pro shop. Peace of play was ridiculous. Guys in front of us were not good golfers, which is fine, but you can’t be in the middle of the fairway just chatting away when the group behind you is on the tee. Have some common sense.

Golf is a public good. The existence of obnoxiously expensive resorts and needlessly snooty private clubs can obscure this fact, but the game’s physical, psychological and even metaphysical benefits speak for themselves, and ultimately have no correlation with expense. Great municipal golf courses like Keney Park are radical and positively disruptive. Keney’s architectural sophistication, easy walkability, superb conditioning and surpassing parkland beauty, combined with the modest expense of a round, make it one of the best golf places in America. But because few outside of Hartford know about it – it has no PR agency and hosts no televised events – it flies under the radar.

But the secret is getting out. On a Thanksgiving-Week round with my father, we were paired with two relative newcomers, who had both driven more than an hour to see what the fuss was about. They walked away as smitten as Dad and I already were with a special course that both embodies the local flavor and nods confidently toward the great golf courses of the past.

Just got off the phone with Keney to verify Saturdays tee time. It was ridiculous when I made the tee time yesterday. They said they would send me a return receipt for the tee time when their computers were up. This morning I called to verify three times. I was put on hold for 8 minutes. Now they don't have us as scheduled. I went off on them! NO GOLF! I'm Done with them!

Keney Park is a fantastic golf course, and shocking when you consider it’s a municipal course. They put good money into the place and it shows. Would definitely recommend to anyone in the area.

Keney Park has been around for nearly a century, but it seems to have kept pace with golf’s status quo. The layout, whose original nine holes were designed by the widely-known Devereux Emmet during the height of golf’s Golden Age, and whose second nine was added by the underrated Robert Ross four years later, lies in tranquil beauty well removed from the clamor of a surrounding metropolis. Keney is classic, blending old-school, tee-to-green scoring-resistance with greens that remind me–in their difficulty, at least–of a few major championship venues. After this public course apparently fell on hard times some ten years ago, the firm of Matt Dusenberry made it over (focusing, most notably, on changes to the bunkering and the greens), his new version opening in 2016.

Apart from this course’s rolling geography, Keney’s greatest line of defense lies in these greens, contoured more severely than any other eighteen I’ve played in Connecticut. Add to that their speed, and three-putting is a distinct possibility on any one of them. But the greens are also complex, such that their rolls and ridges may leave players bewildered by both subtle and large breaks alike. On some of these putting surfaces the undulations are so large–their mounds seem like small hills in a couple of instances–that they may frustrate even the most accomplished putters. On a few downhill putts (and one uphill, amazingly), I felt like I needed touring-pro touch, putting with extreme caution around many pin positions, guarding against letting the ball off the green, trying to avoid the severe falloffs. Around the greens, I felt nearly the continuous pressure of making difficult pitches and chips, of trying to get within reasonable one-putt distance. None of it was easy.

REST OF THE TEST:

One of the architects’ most interesting accomplishments was their routing of the course’s fairways mostly over the site’s best terrain (more notably on the front side), using the prime features to optimize their variety; these include large and small hills; abrupt hillocks and fairway plateaus; undulations encountered almost everywhere; gradual upward movements toward green sites; ridges both large and small; and the sunken hollows and deeper dells. The layout generally possesses the kind of clever, often volatile unpredictability common among many fine New England golf courses. There is something refreshing about playing over fairways like the tenth, which starts out wide and rolling before a long upsweep that narrows prior to the green complex, and, two holes later, over the wholly different twelfth: this par-4 is bounded by a prominent stone wall all the way down its right side and a piece of brusy wetland to the left–and in the middle a fantastically sculpted, bi-level fairway that seems made by nature.

DIFFICULT FRONT SIDE

The first, an inviting par-4 played over a beautifully wavy fairway, and the second, an angular, switchback par-5, demand a careful start to the round without being too hard. The par-3 third requires only a short iron, but to a perched green guarded by an ultra-deep right side bunker. Now the holes begin to exert heavier pressure starting with “Klondyke” and “Long,” two tough par-4s (indexed at nos. 5 and 1, respectively), on which the terrain heaves and drops even more dramatically. After only a slight respite at the short, par-3 sixth, the front side finishes with three demanding par-4s, the hardest being “Road,” a 457-yard dogleg where you’ll need two effective shots to be on in regulation.

SOME UNUSUAL HOLES:

Though built in stages, it is as if Keney has been carefully aligned, somehow, on the side of compromise, because the back is not as hard as the front, and it balances the overall character, supplying more “air-space” to maneuver full shots and departing from common use of tree-lined fairways. Still, there are some notable and unusual inward-side holes that equal those on the outward.

Here are a few capsule descriptions from both sides:

The Sixth (“Short): Only a short iron, but with green contouring that nearly defies description. The green itself is extraordinarily well defended.

Eight (Hogsback): Solid driving hole with an undulating landing zone. I’m not partial to the right-side bunker that dominates this green, an even more baroque version of Oakmont’s “Church Pew,” because the numerous right angles don’t look all that playable for certain lies. Still, the bunker’s shape is captivating: it follows a continuous line like a Greek meander or decorative border.

Twelve (Soldier’s Field): Brimming with character, this singular hole is among the most picturesque in Connecticut, especially from the stone wall and bordering cemetery on the right side.

Thirteen: An solid Redan design–and maybe the most interesting I’ve played since encountering the original at North Berwick in Scotland.

Fifteen: Challenging long four-par with terrific fairway slopes and overall movement; the plateau green demands nothing less than a rock-solid approach shot.

BUNKERING:

The large bunkers generally seemed fine, but a design flaw, I felt, was the overuse of small bunkering, which was often rectangular and looked wholly unnatural. I’m not sure how you play out of some of the awkward lies engendered by bunkers of these proportions and dimensions (much as with the Church Pew simulation at the eighth). Another flaw: a pair of largish bunkers some forty yards off the tee at the eighth provide no apparent use.

CONDITIONS / OTHER:

Conditions ranged from good to excellent, especially around the fairways and greens, both impressive for late fall. The one detraction was the bunkers; they were wet and several hadn’t been raked for a while, though still playable. I enjoyed the game with three other good players whom I paired up with. Amenities are excellent here, and the gentleman at check-in, John, was both friendly and helpful–with a sense of humor.

SOME CONCLUSIONS:

Keney Park demands first-rate pitching, putting and chipping if you are to make your score here. That, in one way, is its most enticing aspect. Yet the course is rigorous on nearly every full shot: it never left me bored playing from tee to green, especially because what’s so critical is knowing how to play smart approach shots for best effect into these greens. The rigor will test the frustration limits of higher handicappers, I don’t doubt, because both shotmaking (several of the elevated greens don’t allow run-ups) and mainly turbulent green complexes throughout set the bar quite high.

Keney, which I would argue is the best value among top-flight Connecticut tracks, costs $45 on the weekend for non-resident walkers. It’s a course all serious golfers should play–really, must play–for themselves to judge its merits. At round’s end today, I was left with a feeling that I’ll have to return sometime next year, maybe in the mid-spring, when the weather will bring out the best in this intriguing classic.

When you play what seems to be the top course in the state by many reviewers/critics you expect just something a bit better. Don't get me wrong it's a nice muni with a cool history surrounding the course...but it's not a 5 star course, or the best public course in the state. Majority of the holes on the front 9 are straight back and forth bordering each other, back 9 opens it up with a nice mix on the back. It's worth a play but I'm just confused as to why it remains so highly touted for average conditions and layout.

Keney Park is an American golf treasure. The 2016 restoration work by Matt Dusenberry continues to shine and mature, solidifying the course's position as one of the country's great municipal courses and one of New England's overall best public courses. Temperatures in the 50s brought golfers out in force to seize one last round, and as a result, the pace of play was pretty slow. But it was only a minor inconvenience for the chance to play a great golf course for $44. Anytime I visit my parents in Connecticut, I am ecstatic at the opportunity to play Keney again.

Played yesterday afternoon. Approaching the 2nd green my partner and I noticed 5 groups on the next tee box/green/following tee box. When we putted out 2 we made it 6 groups all bottle necked. Waited 20+ minutes on the next several tee boxes. Called the pro shop to let them know it was extremely backed up and I was told its a nice day and theres a lot of people out they would send a ranger (never saw anything remotely resembling a ranger out there)... I play ALOT of rounds of golf and I have NEVER seen anything like that before. 5 and a half hours to play 18 holes on a Wednesday afternoon is a joke. Course conditions have gradually decreased over the last couple years also which is an absolute shame. Some tee boxes have almost zero grass, huge bare areas in and outside the fairways. The greens still roll decently but no one fixes their ball marks so most of the greens are peppered in old half filled pitch marks. This course is one of my favorites in New England its very sad to see it being run so poorly these days. Very disappointed.

1st time playing. Hit from blue tees. Very interesting course layout with humongous greens. Several greens with very challenging designs including multiple tiers and false fronts. Course was in very good condition and recent rain allowed for going at the pin. Keep the ball in play or the course will be even more challenging.

this is the third time the traveling Tuesday Worcester golf group has play Keney park. 24 golfers we all had a great time we cannot wait to come back.. yes the greens are challenging but even the ones who played above their handicap had a ball. the course was in spectacular shape from tee to green.

A great revival of an old Devereux Emmet gem now graces Hartford's North End. Play it and revel in the complexity of its Golden Age bunkering.

I had wanted to play Keney since it reopened after the re=design. I was not impressed with the plywood cart paths and the many black plastic liners sticking out in multiple places around many of the greens. . I know it has been wet with ll of the rain in CT and Keney Park was well know to get and stay very wet when there had been a lot of rain before the re-design. Even after the re-design it still stays wet longer than most courses. You would have thought when they spent all of the money getting this course back they would have addressed this issue. . The fairways and tees were also a bit ragged.

I hadn't played the course since it was renovated five years ago. It did improve but still has some major issues. The most annoying was that all the pin flags are yellow. There is no other designation to tell you it is front, middle, or back. They have new golf carts but for some questionable reason have no convertible cover on the back to pull down to keep your clubs dry if needed. And lastly, the redesign did not improve the drainage on many of the low spots on the course. The water collected and left a muddy mess on many holes.

This is the first time I've ever played a golf course with the classic Macdonald/Raynor replica holes, and I enjoyed every minute of it. The greens are wild, and the speeds are kept down somewhat to compensate, which I was quite okay with. There is strategy and thought required basically everywhere. The course is not exactly hilly, but the holes are filled with little 5-10 foot mounds and bumps that virtually assures you won't have a level stance anywhere. And considering Keney Park is only a few miles from downtown Hartford, there's a wonderful sense of isolation here. You really feel like you're in a forest, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. I wish the course was playing faster and dryer, but considering all the rain the Northeast has gotten this summer, the occasional puddle and moist bit of ground is completely understandable. It's a great course, and I would definitely play there again, should I ever return to the area.

Our Tuesday Worcester group went to keney Park not knowing what to expect and all we can say is wow.

We had never heard of the course before but read an article in Golf week magazine about the redesign. Alll 20 of us loved everything about this course. Very challenging but fun fun fun if you like a challenge this is your golf course. Greens were great . How many times can you hear people telling stories about 3 or 4 putting greens and after the round was over still say they had a great time and can't wait to come back. Pro and staff were great and complemented on how well we were organized. Thanks we appreciate it. We can't wait to come back. Drinks in the attached restaurant/bar we very expensive. Only negative.

I was fortunate to play Keney Park Golf Course twice during the month of May. The city of Hartford reportedly spent $6 million on the restoration. It has a challenging and interesting layout with many dog legs- both left and right. The greens are in excellent condition albeit running on the slow side, as one might expect from a public course. Same goes for the pace of play. Slow. Weekday greens fees were very reasonable at $58 including a cart. My senior friends paid $11 less for theirs. The course has a premium on keeping the ball in play in order to have a clear shot to the green. There is very little water that comes into play. There are many bunkers, however, that do. The greens are undulating and many have a false front. I would have given it another star if the greens were faster. The clubhouse restaurant was nicely renovated as well and the food was very good. Plenty of beer on tap as well. We played from the blue tees (6046 yards). Next time I want to play it from the gold tees (6449 yards).

It's deceptively simple. Create (or revive) a fun, walkable, well-kept golf course in a place with a long history of golf, keep prices pretty low, give golfers (and non-golfers) a nice place to eat, and watch the business roll in.

Lo and behold, that's exactly what's happened ever since the City of Hartford reinvested in Keney Park. Now, the course is one of America's best munis, and because it's charging no more than $40 or so for green fees, it's a valuable local amenity and well worth the trip from just about anywhere to play. It's that good, and that successful a project.

If you want to play a really successful restoration look no farther than the front nine at Keney. The front nine was built first by Emmet and the holes are fun and interesting. Maintenance has been consistent since the restoration and the greens were great. Greens are fairly flat but also true and fast when I played. Yes the holes go back and forth at the end of the front nine and the church pews and road hole bunkering are copies but they fit in well and are true hazards. It was windy when we played and two of our foursome ended up in the road hole bunker on 9 presenting a great challenge. The back nine was in excellent condition but the layout is more modern than classic. The holes that close out this nine are back and forth like the front and finishing with the par 3 18th is really a let down. Still, they have done a great job providing golf for people on what use to be a natural disaster. The restored clubhouse is a treat. The fairway/green of number one is just like Pinehurst #2 and much chaper than $450. it costs to play that tract. Keney is an enjoyable time, not the most challenging or interesting but nothing to denigrate unless your're some private country club snob.

Played Keney Park (Windsor, CT) over Labor Day weekend. BY FAR the best public/municipal golf course I have ever played (and I have played a lot of them)!!! First the Layout - Superior layout with a Donald Ross feel on the greens. Every hole challenges with difficulty being the ability to avoid sand bunkers , grass mounding and water hazards (streams and brooks). Elevation changes around the greens provide even more difficulty (2-3 tiers and lots of undulation).

Second - Course Conditions are superb. This course was recently renovated in all facets (fairways, greens and tee boxes) and came through incredible!! Plush tees and fairways, Immaculate greens and bunkers. Played round in 4.5 hours and was salivating to play it again! By far the best public course in CT and possibly the best in New England!

New Clubhouse and Restaurant are 4 star with food and beverage.