Timberlin Golf Club

Having played Timberlin for some thirty years now, I remember it as a well-managed muni that seemed a source of civic pride for the town of Berlin. Last year course conditioning was a bit iffy in places, but today conditions were fully restored to their former glory, and then some. In fact, it’s one of the best conditioned courses I’ve played this year, with smooth and fast putting surfaces, fairways that resemble those of country clubs, and well-tended tees, roughs, and greenside areas. Only a few of the bunkers needed some work as a result, it would seem, of recent rains. The one downside to today’s round, however, was slow play on the first nine we played, which happened to be the back side, although things picked up to a normal pace on our second nine. It was clear, anyway, that the course was overbooked in conjunction with their efforts to run some sort of club event. Yet all in all, the experience was still a pleasant one on a hot but beautiful September afternoon, and my long-time golfing buddy and I enjoyed the challenges of this moderately tough track, a layout that slopes at 129 from the blues.

My recent reviews cover many of the features that make this a very solid golf course. In short, be prepared for a fairly rigorous front side but an even tougher back, especially because you’ll encounter back-to-back-to-back long and tough holes–13, 14, and 14–that may quickly derail your good round. The front side’s chief strength is a pair of demanding five-pars at one and seven, which happen to be the number 1 and 3 handicap indexes. Eight is a short but cleverly designed Al Zikorus par-4; nine is among the best par-4s on the golf course. One of this layout’s greatest strengths is its relative moderation: it's hard to call any of the eighteen holes overly punishing, yet it’s also true that none can rightly be labeled a pushover.

Timberlin’s greens often slope more than moderately, so anyone who can putt well should enjoy a decided advantage over those who are less adept with the flatstick. Thick greenside rough can at times induce headaches, and bunkers are sprinkled around liberally enough that you’ll likely end up in at least one before your round is concluded.

Service here was friendly and helpful today, and I was especially impressed with the starter’s attention to detail in all respects.

Some conclusions:
Rates close to excellent overall, although some slow play was a genuine annoyance. My friend and I are both longtime fans of this golf course, yet today we were still wowed by the first-rate conditioning. Kudos to the maintenance staff. We also enjoyed a drink at the bar after our round. Timberlin has long been on our rota, and today’s experience served to cement that position just a bit more.

This Al Zikorus design, now over fifty years old yet still stylish, features a challenging tee-to-green experience, where the fairways roll smoothly rather than abruptly but the trees, but the slick putting surfaces and the bunkers supply much interest as well. Though the course begins on the first two holes as if it will be a brutally tough layout marked by penal situations and tricky angles, the aspects of toughness that most fascinated Mr. Zikorus had to do with deep bunkering, raised greens complexes with rigorous putting surfaces, and strategically placed fairway hazards that should make golfers think twice about taking risks that involve cutting the doglegs or flying fairway bunkers and other hazards. As course obstacles and burdens, these dominate over the full eighteen.

Although Timberlin plays tough enough, it’s not the kind of layout where calamities await on the margins of every fairway. The fair and relatively open layout provides space enough to be more strategic than harsh, and typically, if not always, there lies a bailout area on one side of these fairways. Still, for those who want a better form of challenge, Timberlin offers a real perk: adequate fairway bunkering, a feature that many public courses lack. Hitting these greens generally allows little margin for error, as there is frequent bunkering, mounding, and falloffs around them, making precise greenside pitching a must. And putting the greens typically proves moderately testy, as only a few have slopes that may give rise to agonies.
On the inward nine it pleased me again to see the broad green ribbons of Timberlin fairway unfurl under warmer spring skies. Even when it’s cloudy, as it was today, Timberlin is not short on beauty. Stand on the high seventeenth tee and look out over the fairway and brook below, the country farmhouses, and beyond them a striking hillside crowned by a mansion–all grace a flowing, inviting landscape.

BEST HOLE:
On the back half, I like the edgy but enticing 14th, which starts with a drive over a brook to an offset fairway, and follows with a tricky second shot played uphill into a raised, tilting green that is no easy two-putt. And if you do miss the fairway, the road to par becomes grueling.

CONDITIONS:
The course itself was lush today after the rains and my ball rolled steadily on these greens, while only the roughs here aren’t thriving fully after the recent dry spell. Course conditioning impressed, save for a bit of this patchy rough and several bunkers that needed raking. Service from the pro shop today was outstanding; at check-in, the woman behind the counter went beyond the call of duty to be helpful and friendly. Out on the course, I met and enjoyed the company of a couple of interesting playing partners–both members of the men’s club.

CONCLUSIONS:
Generally I play just about every club in the bag at Timberlin. What I like most about the course, as illustrated best by the back nine, is its balance: there are unsparing and tough holes like the long 15th or the tight, woodsy and curving 18th; but there are also moderate challenges like 10, 11 and 13, which favor disciplined, careful play from tee to green. Wisely, Zikorus designed Timberlin so that the holes requiring restraint and patience outnumber the brutes significantly: execution turns out to be far more important than sheer power. As Bobby Jones said, “The real way to enjoy playing golf is to take pleasure not in the score, but in the execution of strokes.”

Designed by Albert Zikorus and opened for play in mid-1970, Timberiln offers an enduring test of golf, bolstered by a mix of fast putting surfaces (set on a variety of good, defensive green complexes), rolling and sometimes doglegging fairways, and a quartet of tough but interesting par-5s. The straightforward but rigorous layout, which reminds me, somewhat, of Zikorus’ Topstone in South Windsor, has been the site of numerous, highly regarded amateur tournaments.

FRONT SIDE: Over the first four holes of the front, a terrific opening par-5 leads the way, prior to a couple of straightforward, mid-length par 4’s and a solid par-3 with a raised, well-bunkered green. Five, a dogleg-right par-4 without severity, can be a routine par, but the closing four holes up the ante: most notably six, another beautifully rolling but also strategic par-5 ending on a tilted green; eight, a downhill par-4 with robust fairway bunkering; and nine, a par-4 that features a protected driving zone (large hills loom on both sides) and a green situated on top of a formidable hill, reminiscent of some of the stout Donald Ross two-shotters I played this past summer at Carter Country Club in Lebanon, New Hampshire.

INWARD NINE: A pair of standout holes are the two par-fives–10 and 13–which roll along to elevated, bunkered greens and pester you with hazards ( the road on ten; later, at thirteen, a cross-hazard in the form of a large stream, along with a sizable fairway bunker). Then there are the back-to-back, long par-4s, fourteen and fifteen, both quite difficult, while both par-3s play uphill to well-guarded greens. The pond at the twelfth, a large consumer of golf balls and the largest water hazard on the course, guards the green jealously. Seventeen is a fine risk-reward par-4, whose green may be a target for long hitters. The 18th, another demanding par-4, finishes the round in fine fashion.

CONDITIONS:
Good overall. Excellent greens and fairways. Roughs good–but management of leaves average. Bunkers had not been raked, though maybe understandable after heavy rains.

CONCLUSIONS:
Playable in late fall. Impressive fairways have made a comeback after the summer drought (I last played here in mid-July). Great test of ball-striking and a well-balanced Zikorus design. Always seeming to meet pleasant golfers out here, I did so again today with a terrific playing partner.

Course great, and in great shape for November. Pleasure to play as always.

Leaves are a problem at this time of year! Yeah, expected,! However, it seems to me that the grass was fairly high in the rough. Maybe cut the grass a little bit shorter. I think that it would help with the leaf problem. When the grass is cut a little bit shorter.the leaves will be easier to move. It’s difficult to find a ball if you go in the rough with the high grass and leaves, the way they are now,. plus it slows play down. A lot of the cups were not tamped down when they were punched..The humps are visible around each hole.. Maybe they just weren’t tamped down enough. I like the course and always seem to play well there.. I know it’s a difficult job and I hope this helps if you’re going to make some improvements, please consider this in the future..

Nice course , good shape .
One thing needs attention . Dangerous hole on right side of 17 covered to right of trap . Deep and wide , should be covered or marked.

Overall course in good shape , fairways greens cleared off leaves pretty good . Don’t spray it

Enjoyed playing, the course was in great shape . The weather didn’t cooperate and it rained while playing .

The Good :
Coarse was challenging and in very good shape.
Bar and restaurant seemed pleasant
Staff was friendly
Price was fair.

The Bad :
Carts were old, run down and dirty.
Grounds were poorly maintained
Driving range was tiny and cramped

Club Pro Marc Brayam chatted with our 4 some prior to our tee off. Marc is amazing !!!

Course was in perfect shape !!!