Minnechaug Golf Course

Minnechaug is what it is. It's a solid little 9-hold course to get your fix if you dont' have 4+ hours to carve out, or are playing with less experienced golfers.

In regards to Covid protocol, it was a little disappointing that they wouldn't let my wife ride in a cart with me, since we live together and all. I get the reasons behind it, safety first and all, and the course is particularly visible being off a main road and winding through an affluent neighborhood and all.

As for the course, it held water pretty well for having poured all day the day before. Greens rolled true, were mostly great, with some patchy spots here and there.

Pace of play was fine considering how many people were out there. We offered to let a single behind us play through, but they insisted on taking their time.

Value can't be beat. $20 for 9 holes and a cart on a weekend? Fantastic.

Another solid day at Minnechaug.

Designed originally as 18 holes by the illustrious Geoffrey Cornish, Minnechaug, now a nine-holer only, is an intelligently-designed, tree-lined, parkland course; it easily has enough variety to hold our interest.

Built on a typically gentle landscape, the course does sport some elevation changes, though these are mainly reserved for tee-boxes situated on knolls or hillocks. There are also gradual upslopes on some of the fairways, while some of the greens are slightly elevated or perched about the fairways or greenside rough. The holes move mostly through the woods, but some of them are, in places, bordered by or situated near houses, lending this the feel of a golf course community. Now, however, the course is owned and managed by the town of Glastonbury. My perception today, and those of two course regulars who played with us, is that they are managing the course well. Case in point: a course marshal helped alleviate a slow-play situation in front of us, and did so diplomatically (Kudos!).

This is a short track, but a likeable one for its simplicity and subtleties. Precision is invariably rewarded over brute power, though the fairways are typically generous enough.

COMMENTS:

AN OPENING FLAW, SOON FOLLOWED BY BRILLIANCE: The one real flaw my son and I observed was a first tee that is squeezed far too much to the right, near a massive net (to protect the adjacent housing community). Right from the start, then, forcing the golfer to aim left (conservatively) and thus at the side of the fairway nearer Route 83. Awkward is an understatement for this tee shot, and I’m puzzled why a leftward tee (there is one) is not always used. Outside of that, though, Minnechaug is fair and well-designed layout. The rest of the first hole is perfectly good, though it won’t tax you too much. The second hole, moving into the forest, changes the complexion of the golf course quickly. When on this tee, the hum of traffic begins to fade; your focus should sharpen considerably. Before you is a superb par-four, the course’s toughest and best hole. Driver won’t be a necessity off this tee, but this shot will put demands on your ability to hit a straight or predictably shaped shot. The landing area is accessible after a forced, downhill carry over marshland, but it also contains a pair of bunkers. After that, you'll need and accurate mid/short iron to the plateau green.

BEST RUN OF HOLES: While the first four holes are somewhat more than passable (only the second really inspires), what’s worth the price of admission are the holes stretching from five through nine.

The fifth hole, a tight but short par-5, requires the utmost care on shots one and two: huge, mature trees intrude upon or are simply part of the fairway. An ability to work the ball either left or right should come in handy—otherwise, you may be refining your punch-shot game (from out of the trees).

The sixth is an outstanding par-3 over that involves a carry over a marshy area that does not quite extend frontally all the way to the green. But the marsh does wind its way further rightward, around the right of the putting surface. Your mid-iron or hybrid into this green will need to be a good one.

The third demanding hole in succession comes at seven, a four-par. At 272 yards, it’s a driveable hole, and its right-angled dogleg creates intrigue with its teasingly short second leg, leading to the green. The line of play is critical, but one is tempted to be more aggressive because the fairway is relatively broad. Penalties ensue, though, when your ball leaves the short grass. The safe option may seem to hit your drive down the middle or right, but you may run through the fairway (bad). The next option is to try to cut it close on the right side for a close second shot to the pin, but a miss lands you in a huge and deep bunker (worse). A third is to take the ball over the right-side trees, but your shot might be too low (horrific). Should you simply find the fairway with a proper tee shot, all that follows is a mere wedge, anyway. It’s a hole that seems designed to tempt us into being foolish; perhaps thinking outside the box here means, paradoxically, playing it as conservatively as possible, wide and leftward of the dogleg.

ISLAND GREEN (!): It’s clear that the inviting-looking island green on hole eight was carefully planned for fairness. More than deep enough to accept shots from 125 yards, the green itself also has a peripheral area that extends the isle considerably both left and right—where you’ll be in the rough. At least bailing out to one of these ‘wing’ areas is preferable to deep-sixing your Bridgestone. This hole is also a beauty, though it’s oddly part pastoral, part suburban (see photos). The overall effect is still stunning. Inasmuch as island greens pose the threat of a quick double-bogey, I enjoy their pulse-pounding challenge.

THE CLOSER: Nine is equally beautiful, though instead of an island, the 158 yard par-three features a scenic carry over a serene pond. The green, set on a slight plateau, is pitched only slightly, and we should expect a routine two-putt following an iron that touches our ball down at relatively close quarters to the pin. All of which should make for a comforting, if unspectacular, finish.

EXECUTIVE (?) COURSE: This is not, technically, an ‘executive course,’ as some have asserted. True executive tracks are very short, with par between 60 and 65, with a surfeit of par-3’s, and thus providing a quicker pace of play (hence they are ideal for executives with little spare time). Minnechaug meets none of those criteria, and cannot typically be played in an hour and a half or less.

IN SUM: Solid recommendation. Everyone in my foursome today enjoyed the layout and its playability, including the conditioning (the greens were aerated, but they still putted true enough). Cornish cleverly designed a challenging short course that still holds up. He was a master architect, and, as was typical, made every design aspect of this course count, generating several nicely strategic holes. In fact, you seldom observe here the kind of overkill—of hazards, around green complexes, or in terms of shot values—that has often plagued some modern courses.

Played very quickly and the course was in decent shape.

Great day to play. Course was fun and challenging

Good course for the value. Always friendly service. Course improvements are a nice touch!

Granted this review is subjective I'll still reply.

I enjoy this course. For the price of me and three others + a cart for 9 holes. It's unbeatable! The grounds are beautiful with a good amount of variation.

Being a budget golfer I always look for the best deals. This course really fit that category. Conditions were better than I have seen at other comparable priced courses. Pace was fairly slow and play was congested, however that does not bother me. Overall I an very happy with it and will definitely return for another round!

Slow, untalented course of players. No sense of place of

play. A 1&1/2 hour round turned into a 3 hour unpleasant

experience for 9 holes. Next time avoid sunny August days!

Myself and a friend played today and had a 7am tee time, the young lady at the desk was great she helped us get all checked in and gave us our cart key and such. But we were disappointed to have to wait on probably half the holes because they had to manually turn on and off the irrigation. It wouldn’t have been so bad if we didn’t have to wait 5-10 to tee off and then getting backed up because of it.

This is a 9-hole course that plays on the short side, so it quickly gets backed up. Last night was no different. Too crowded and slow. It took 2 hours for two of us to play 6 1/2 holes, and only one of us played the last 2 1/2 holes. Picked up on the 7th hole and headed to Giovanni's, which is a hidden gem here. If we had played the entire course, it would have taken more than 2 1/2 hours. That's just ridiculous. I know that courses don't like to say "no" to walk-ins, but you have to do it to preserve the experience for those of us who do take the time to make a tee time.