Hop Brook Golf Course

Hop Brook, a short but high quality nine-holer, derives much of its energy from some rolling, challenging holes and several pitched greens—especially the first two. The layout’s landscape tumbles over holes one through five, then mostly flattens during the final four.

In my estimation, the toughest hole here is four, the most interesting eight, and the best three. The narrow ninth, a short par-4, treats missed shots with nastiness, while hole two boasts an intriguing, rolling fairway that dips heavily in the landing zone. The par-3s here need ultraprecision off the tee. (See my earlier reviews for more specific comments about the layout).

Play this course from the tips for a genuinely heightened challenge; if not, you may well hit only short irons and wedges into the greens.

The location–almost on the outskirts of Naugatuck with Hop Brook Lake close by–is somewhat isolated, and the setting is mostly quiet and pleasant; it generally feels rural yet does skirt a few neighborhood houses along with Hop Brook Elementary School, which is near the eighth.

Today’s conditions were pretty impressive for this early in the season. Greens were superior and fairways consistent.

An excellent value. One nice touch: the added bunkers on a couple of holes. Sadly, over the last ten years, too many courses have been subtracting bunkers (by letting the grass “cover all”--as Carl Sandburg wrote).

Hop Brook GC has a lot going for it. Strongly recommended.

9 hole course, good for practice, warm before big game, get together with family/friend

Good course for the price play early or very slow play

Course is good. Went early in season so some areas are rough but overall I enjoy playing there

This was my first time playing Hopbrook and I thoroughly was impressed. Had a great time. For a municipal course this was very well kept. The holes were challenging with a few narrow fairways.The layout took advantage of every inch for being on a small parcel of land within the city..I can’t wait for the 2025 season so I can play it again.

Nice round today at a fast pace–virtually no waiting. But also: friendly service, strong value and very good conditions on the course for mid-autumn. Is Hop Brook the best public 9-hole golf course/operation in southern Connecticut? While such a question is always hard to answer with any real surety, it’s hard to argue against it.

I wouldn’t change any of the general, positive comments I made in my August review some forty days ago. This nine-hole test, revised and modified over recent years, offers carefully planned holes that are rigorous enough for today’s golfers. Every hole on this old-school layout is at least a good one, and most of them have a feature or two that departs from what we expect as the norm in golf design today.

That means, to me, that Hop Brook is a lot of fun to play, from holes like the rolling, field-like second (a handsome par-4) to the classic par-3 seventh, sporting a pitched and raised green protected especially by a fortress-like set of hazards before it. Some may call this a quirky course; I like to think of it as pretty conventional in the spirit of Golden Age golf courses, generally built from 1910-1930. All the more fitting that this course produced Billy Burke, way back when.

Conditions: About the same as last month, except for the fairways, which have endured a long hot summer with too much rain. But they’re still in good condition. The greens are simply excellent.

Some conclusions:

If you like a good, quick round on a nine-holer, this course should almost surely fit the bill. Service is both competent and professional here. Every time I walk into the pro shop, I meet someone knowledgeable, experienced, and friendly behind the counter. Today it was Brian, who seems to anticipate your needs almost intuitively–a great guy. It also seemed that everyone I met on the course was good-natured.

I had a rain check during a downpour. Came back to play someone and management by the name of Brian acted like I was trying to steal a golf cart. Should be Stewart for this game drive people away.

Overall, I thought the course was good. My main issue was the pace of play. Two Marshalls and I thought they could have enforced some rules. Maybe suggest to the lady group to let the group(s) thru. No cart/beverage person out, tjst was also a bummer. No water or beverages until you go to #5.