Green at Tunxis Country Club

Spread over a broad expanse of river valley acreage that is devoted to three separate golf courses, Tunxis has earned repute as a Connecticut golfing destination over decades. The Green Course, last of the three to be completed some twenty-eight years ago, is a hybrid parkland/links-styled creation that for me checks all the boxes as a good test. Foremost among them are balance, fairness, and a variety in hole design. Today, the Green impressed, as well, by its improved conditioning, returning to form through the groundskeeping staff’s close attention to–especially–fairways, roughs, and green surrounds.

LAYOUT:

Tunxis begins with a couple of straightforward holes, although the par-5 second is long (#1 handicap index) and punctuated by a raised green protected by big bunkers. At three, you’ll contend a big, leftward pond off the tee; at four, a dogleg left that finishes at a raised, canted green. Nearly every hole from five through ten, however, has some panache, a style inspired less by American parkland design than the central features of British Isles golf: falloffs or large mounds around the greens, hidden bunkers, subtly twisting fairways, greater movement on the putting surfaces, and a generally open feel to the holes, which are less constricted by trees. The openness allows some distant views across the river valley to the hills beyond.

Holes eleven through thirteen are fairly ‘vanilla’ if not quite relaxing. At fourteen, a tricky dogleg right makes for a tough drive, followed by an equally tough approach over a pond and into a bunkered, two-tiered green.

The Green’s last four holes are among its most stirring. A short par-4, the fifteenth nonetheless demands a careful layup to a tight fairway surrounded by bunkers and water, followed by a pitch over the pond. At the long 424-yard sixteenth (number two index) you’ll want to cut loose with your driver, but the strike must be accurate. The 531-yard 17th, which invites you to thrash another driver, and, on its heels, a go-for-broke approach, is reachable because the green is open in front. Eighteen, a beautiful par-3 of 210 but jam-packed with danger around its green, will make you work to finish the round admirably.

DEFENSES & HAZARDS

To be sure, Tunxis is an uncharacteristically flat New England layout, but it compensates by a relatively long holes that comprise this par-70 layout of 6,446 yards from blues, a layout made harder by its diverse, seldom-flat green complexes and the numerous hazards, including plentiful bunkering and ponds in play on five holes. Another compensation is the set of four long par-3’s, all beauties, which have something to do with its solid course rating of a half-stroke about its par. Most golfers, too, will find their line of play blocked by a tree, once or more, before the round is done.

SOME STANDOUT HOLES:

FIVE: Par-3, 205.

Your ball must fly over a thickly vegetated hollow onto a raised green, which is most strongly defended on its left flank (hidden bunker) and behind.

SIX: Par 4, 440 (no. 3 index)

The best par-4 among many strong ones on the Green Course, requiring two strong and accurate shots to reach the surface in two.

SEVEN: Par-4, 362

Dogleg-right makes for a tricky tee shot. Around most of the green: tall, amphitheater-like mounding which swallows golf balls.

TEN: Par 4, 365

Good driving test; approach to a raised green that is beautifully contoured. Short, yet hardly an easy par.

PACE:

Slow, four and ½ hour pace was unnecessary: no rangers.

PLAYING EXPERIENCE:

I was pleased to have paired up with a very pleasant young couple from Middletown, one of whom was along for the ride; we shared interesting conversation throughout the eighteen. On days like this I am thankful that I have made golf my hobby, allowing me to spend an afternoon with people of this caliber. Enjoying their company was absolutely the highlight of my Memorial Day weekend.

BOTTOM LINE:

There are several good reasons that Tunxis has been ranked as high as the tenth best course in New England by GA (2015). I’ve always found this kind of balanced layout to be the touchstone of a fine golf course.

Played 18 in 2:40 as a 2 some. Course is in good condition for the most part, only nit was greens had been punched ~ 1 week ago & still featured some aeration holes making it tough to keep putts on line at times. Otherwise the fairways, rough, bunkers, tee boxes all in good shape.

Angelo would never allowed the greens to look like a moth eaten rug. His children on it did not learn from their father

I like the layout, easier and open. I found the rough very fair, greens in OK shape for the Season, wish the fairways were a little more lush. If you get it on a Hot Deal, well worth the money.

The Green course is a quiet, flat, scenic course to walk. It is well maintained, but overpriced considering other comparable courses, like Timberlin and Stanley, in the area ($33-41). The layout is a little confusing, if you haven't played before. They could use more signage indicating where to find the next tee box at some points. Greens were slow and choppy- but still growing in since irrigation a couple weeks prior.

Course is ok condition.... Pace of play good... nice layout and somewhat challenging.... Only real issue I have is checking in,,,, ALWAYS on the weekend only one person checking players in and line is out the door and takes FOREVER.... there either needs to be another person checking people in or a quicker way.... Also they do use Mobile check in with Golf Now which would help but the online fee is for walking and when you do mobile checkin you can't add the cart fee so you need to go through check in anyway ... either have the cart fee in golf now reservation or have a way to add cart fee when you check in

Had a fun day at Tunxis. The course was in decent shape but the greens were aerated and I wasn’t told and they were charging full price. I think 72$ is too much but it seems all courses are overpriced these days.

I have played Tunxis many times and for the most part it has never failed to a quality round of golf.mother staff are very accommodating and friendly and always ready to help when needed. Fairways and greens are in great shape even after all the rain we have had lately.

greens were recently aerated and in terrible shape. i 3 putted almost every green which i've never done before in 50 years of play.

Booked on line with a cart. When I got there I was told due to the wet conditions, they weren’t allowing carts, so I had to walk the 18 holes. I am 75 yrs old and have had two knee replacements. I was not offered a refund so I had to walk the course. Water standing on fairway and one hole in particular, was completely flooded. It was an additional long walk to go around the standing water. Was somewhat disappointed with the course and the conditions. Golf now did give me $12 back for the cart but I would have rather a rain check or complete reimbursement.

The golf course in general was is great shape for this time of year. The fairways were clear the greens were still a little bumpy and the traps were in decent shape.

The course was really in good condition for this time of the year. The tee box and fairways are really in perfect condition, but the greens has been aerated the course should be in perfect condition in three weeks. The course is really good right now if you don’t mind about the greens being aerated. My best friend and I had a blast, Today was a little chilly, but we had a great time , just getting out is great. This course has two eighteen and one nine hole course. Today we played the green course, next weekend we will try the white course.

Greens were aerated and very difficult to putt. Fairways were as clean as they could get considering how windy it was. Made our balls hard to find even in the fairways. Not the course's fault.

Snow Whitens the Green

Having booked this round at Tunxis Green yesterday, when weather conditions looked passable, I was committed to playing golf today. This morning, unexpected light snow showers were depositing snow that stuck on the greens, which were fast becoming ‘whites.’ I have never played in the snow, and don’t much like playing in the mere rain (This year over many rounds, rain landed on me but once).

On the front nine, I putted through the light snow on every green (see photo), though the snow was abating by the sixth, ending completely by nine. The effect was like putting slow greens, only my golf ball was covered by a moderate ring of snow upon reaching each hole. Surprisingly, I played well, challenging myself to make GIR’S--and ended with twelve. It did help that things had become relatively sedate (that is, snowless) on the back nine. While I don’t believe this will convert me, exactly, to playing in snow in the future, the experience today was surprisingly decent. despite ‘the white specter.’

I’ve reviewed the Green in some depth last year, so here’s a capsulized version:

The Green’s layout resembles a kind of parkland/Scottish links hybrid, and somehow Al Zikorus blends the diverging styles well. Throughout the Green appear many ‘dune-like’ mounds scattered about the peripheries of these fairways and around the greens themselves, much like the ones once favored by, say, Jack Nicklaus. What is done exceptionally well are the newer greens of the outward half (which has the more Scottish flavor), as these surfaces roll and tumble much like greens found on a links. What toughens the course most, however, are the four long par-3’s (when played from the blues), none of which should have you swinging short irons.

The two par 5’s--at two and seventeen--are also quite good. As for the par fours, they’re consistently solid, and the best here are beautifully designed. There is also nice variation between long, medium, and short, along with different ‘looks’ on each hole. I’m particularly partial to the stretch of holes between 3 and 6 on the front, and there’s an equally good run from 13 through 16 on the back.

All of this adds up to a firm challenge, but the best aspect of Tunxis Green is that it never falls into the kinds of traps that make a course unfair, cruel, or overwhelming. The balance of shot values on this course is simply terrific; you seldom get two ‘hard’ shots in a row.

Conditions:

Between average and good (depending on what aspect you’re considering), but so is just about every other layout in Connecticut during this time of year. The fairways and roughs were decent, the greens less so. Over the second half of November, most courses take a nose-dive following the changing and much colder weather patterns.

Some conclusions:

Tunxis Green is always a captivating layout for me, and it remained so today even under adverse conditions. But it should be excellent once again by next spring. While not dramatically situated, the course is part of a setting that is, nonetheless, classically secluded and beautiful, and is graced by mature, handsome trees. The pair of previously taken photos I’ve included among the six show this course during better weather conditions.