Green at Tunxis Country Club

The Tunxis Green Course offers a superior brand of golf. This seems surprising in light of its flatness: the course is built in the Farmington River Valley. Yet Al Zikorus’ design is thoughtful, mixing close to fifty bunkers (which dot its expanses) with eight holes featuring either doglegs or some form of considerable bending. Water hazards appear on six holes. What this Green eighteen lacks in hills or big elevation changes, then, it makes up for through other testy stuff. For experts, resistance to scoring on the Green is actually higher than its much-touted White, as the Green’s course rating, 70.4, checks in a stroke higher, relative to par, than the White’s. Yet the Green’s playability is higher, curiously, than that of the White. It should be fairly clear, for all the right reasons, why this is so by the time you’ve played the front side.

What I like about the Tunxis website is that it promotes the “links-style” feel of the Green Course, but doesn’t overkill it with the false hype often about how—as is often promoted—the course captures a ‘British Isles (especially Scottish) links experience.’ I’ll say this after having been to the British Isles three times: nothing delivers the real links experience but a real links.

TEE THROUGH GREEN: The front nine, having most of the ‘links-style’ holes, turns out to be the centerpiece of the Green, with nearly every hole a strong one. The opening pair is straightforward and demanding enough, with the second, a 558-yard five par, notable because it’s unreachable in two for nearly everyone. The next pair of holes may foil your attempts at par in different ways: three by water hazards (left & forward); four, at its green complex—which is pitched and rolling.

But more interesting do things become at five and six, two of the best holes on the course. The fifth is a tough, slightly uphill 3-par, tough when hitting 205 yards uphill to its relatively narrow green, tough when missing greenside and having to chip or pitch out of deep rough, or when needing to splash out of the deep left-side bunker onto its raised surface. Six is an uncomfortably long four-par at 440; it includes a tight OB on the right and a raised and bunkered putting surface. Considering the length of the approach into this green, it is amply protected.

Fortunately, after these two brutes, playing the seventh provides a birdie opportunity for those who can accurately drive and wedge the ball onto its green. Yet even that must be fully earned, as your pitching game will be tested on the approach into green seven, one of the most undulating on the course. It is difficult to hit the seventh green properly—and so get close to the pin (in most locations)—and perhaps even more difficult to take only two putts on this surface. Miss your approach shot and the dense and long and links-style rough may be unforgiving.

Not long afterward comes what may just be the best links-like hole out here: the tenth. At a mere 365 yards, it may seem unimpressive on the scorecard. But it boasts a terrific green that will be challenging to hit safely—first—then to deal with its wavy putting surface. Falloffs occur all around this green, but are deepest behind it.

A transition occurs on the twelfth hole of the inward half, at which point the club loses its link-like feel and turns into the very model of American parkland golf. Sure, there are a few mounds scattered about, but they seem only like an added accommodation to the newer holes that were added long after the original ones were fashioned in 1961. What I am sure of is this: the holes from the first 27—incorporated into the Green eighteen—play pretty much the same way they did before the newer ones contributed to the current incarnation. All of which is perfectly OK, because each one is a perfectly good golf hole.

What you’ll need at 14 and 15, another pair of nifty but shorter affairs, is tee-to-green accuracy. Both drives on these four-pars may feel a bit tight but truly crooked shots will be punished mercilessly. Hit your second with care at fourteen: two deep, greenside bunkers lie in wait for missed approaches.

The Green’s finish shouldn’t disappoint, with its last trio of holes both stretching out and refocusing the task again on long-and-straight off the tees. 424 yards and wood-lined nearly all the way to an elevated green, sixteen demands four good strokes to earn a par. Seventeen, though reachable in two, will still be a three-shotter for most, and must, above all, be played carefully. Eighteen matches the difficult fifth in quality, so it’s no easy par-3 at 210 yards. Its green is ringed by bunkers.

CONDITIONING: Right now average overall, this disappointed because I’ve never once seen the Green in this state having made least twenty visits in past years. But there’s a dichotomy between front, which is in fairly respectable shape, and the inward seven or eight holes, where things deteriorate. Here, fairways are often patchy and burned out, tall weeds show up in what has typically been more carefully mown rough or around bunkers, and green complexes are pretty dismal in some sectors. Overall, then, this was unexpected from a reliable and iconic Connecticut venue. True, the dry summer has had an effect, but why the difference between front and back sides?

Tunxis’ staff was more than friendly, the Covid response outstanding, and the facilities first-rate. The staffer at the front desk, Patrick, could be Customer Service Relations trainer—he was that good. And Mike, the personable starter, made conversation and encouraged us simply to “Enjoy it today.” Perfect send off, and how many starters do this?

THE GENERAL VERDICT: Playing the Green for the first time in several years brought back a wealth of positive memories. It nicely combines penal, strategic, and even a few arguably heroic holes (a few of the short four-pars have abbreviated but risky routes to their greens for the longest hitters). Every one of the par-3’s impresses by its ample length, by overall rigor, and through plentiful greenside hazards. And the two-par fives are gems, one being essentially unreachable as a two-shooter, the second yielding to a birdie only after four well-played shots. Tunxis Green is solid, pure golf, and it’s no wonder that the course has occupied a place on the GA “Top Courses in Connecticut” list in 2018/19.

This is the first time I brought my son to Tunxis, though he played the White course last year in a Junior PGA event. We enjoyed a close match, well punctuated by his eagle on the 525-yard 17th and then a closing par, both of which capped his 75.

All in all, we both give the Green two thumbs up. No doubt the conditioning woes will be resolved, and I still find several of the first ten holes alone worth the price of admission. The entire course, part of it from 1961 and the rest from 1994, ranks among the best of the late Mr. Zikorus’ achievements. And while nothing I’ve played yet in the U.S. fully replicates the criteria for a “true links,” as George Peper has put it, courses like the Green do a creditable job of delivering some of that aura.

Overall a nice course. Have played the green course a few times this season, until today(97 degrees) walking, and always finished in less than four hours. Max was 3:50. Course is in decent shape. Very flat. Somewhat challenging par 3’s. Biggest issue, due to COVID, is the lack of any water on the course, and only one token portolet. Practically speaking, there are no facilities. So, plan ahead.

Met friends from out of state here and agreed this course not so great like reviews said. There are lots of other courses in Connecticut that stand above these course. Lots.I wonder who writes these reviews as we found the service bad, the greens too small and was very targety. We played white course.

Rough was super burnt. When you call to make tee time, you speak to a call center that is not on site, so you get mis information. Won’t be back.

Facilities were closed due to virus issues.

Course (Green) itself is pretty flat....an easy course to walk. Generally in good condition, though the rough is uneven with some big patches of clover. Easy to lose a ball where you would not expect to! Pace of play on the two weekdays we played was fine....strolled around in a bit under four hours without ever rushing, and never waited nor were we pushed.

Staff was friendly and helpful.

Played with my wife. Course sets up well for women with many flat lies and very fair tee placements.

First time playing the green course today. Decent track w nothing memorable about it. Flat terrain - Easy to walk. Played in 3:50. Course conditions were poor. ALL Bunkers had not been raked by grounds crew in weeks, fairways were dry and hard on several holes. Greens were hard. Club house & restrooms are closed, 1 port-a-potty on course, 1 vending location on course.

Everything at course was fantastic, although I’d like to point out that it was constantly difficult to identify yardage away from the hole. I don’t have a yardage measurement tool and there were very few markers to estimate distance.

Course in lousy shape- rough not cut at all in a lot of places- fairways and greens were fine but tough to hit shots if in the rough-

This course never disappoints. The grounds are always well kept, and the staff is friendly and cordial. The practice green is large and true to the pace of greens on the course. The carts are well-maintained and cleaned after each round. Tree-lined fairways and strategically placed bunkers make for challenging tee shots. The rough can get thick, sometimes making it difficult to find an errant shot. The greens are large targets with just enough undulation to remain "fair." Water is present on the course, but if you can put strategy over pride, it shouldn't affect you at all. With 3 challenging courses to choose from, Tunxis lives up to its reputation.

Just because you put a few mounds on the side of a few fairways, does not make it a links style course. Relatively easy layout, although a few narrow fairways. Greens are in very good shape. Only 1 porta-potty on the entire course and all the regular bathrooms are closed due to COVID-19.