Connecticut National Golf Club

Fantastic layout...beautiful views. Greens are challenging with a lot of slope. Generous fairways...very friendly staff...will definitely be back!

Simply put. Great fair track with no tricks. No bad holes. Best bang for your buck

It's a far drive from home, but worth the trip! Great, Well-maintained, fair course! Will definitely be back, especially when you can get a deal on the tee time. Fantastic Course!

the best course between Hartford and the shore in CT. No ranger on the job and they could have used one. there was a foursome of young guys about four groups ahead of us that had fallen way behind they starting position. i was staying in Westbrook, CT and it was well worth the ride.

course conditions are quite good for this early in the season especially with the amount of rainy days and limited cutting and maintenance time. only complaint would be the threesome that was inserted in front of us as we approached number 10 tee box. looked like a couple of high school golfers and their coach. held us and the groups behind us 15 minutes but it cleared out some after a couple of holes.

Only complaint was that tee times appeared to be too close together. As a senior citizen, waiting on every hole is challenging. My partner and I played in our foursome for over four hours and had to leave for an evening engagement and couldn't complete holes 17 and 18.

That being said, the course is very nice and we hope to play it again some time.

I had a lot of fun there. The course is in excellent condition. I would definetely go back again for another round.

Really glad I gave this course a try. As others had noted, you'll need to gps it ahead of time because it's in the sticks. Choose your route on the busier roads. Some public road signage would be a big help.

The pro was extremely friendly and accommodating. Took time to explain parts of the course to us and offered some options and advice. Pace of play was steady with only a few short waits to play.

The course itself has a really nice layout. It's very scenic with a rustic feel offering a good variety of holes which will test your entire game. We played the blue tees and it was the right choice for us (8-12 hdcp). Don't play the tips unless you're a single digit hdcp. This course is pretty "meaty" . Not the longest, but challenging with the right amount of hazards. The greens are not easy, but roll very true. Be smart about where you leave your misses. Now, the things that I think need to be improved on are the condition of the sand in the bunkers and the areas of rough around the greens. There were a number of spots in the fescue that were just mud and dead leaves. If they clean those up it will make a big difference. Assuming those will be improved as the season goes. My only other minor criticism would be the cart paths need to be smoothed out and marked better. Some of the tee boxes weren't in very good shape. There were only a couple of holes that had tee signs with the hole info on them, so we depended a lot on the range finder. Hole #8 is reachable for a big hitter. It could use a little redesign because there aren't many options on how to play it. Also there's a completely useless giant bunker in front of the tee on #15 that should be closer to the green or just be eliminated.

In conclusion, I'm really looking forward to going back to this course and playing it in the warmer months and possibly again in the fall. It needs a little polishing, but it has the makings of a premium course someday.

Good course and conditions must play a few times to learn layout

Was a chilly day to play, big group went out ahead of us, slow play no ranger or starter. The course has some nasty hills, protected greens, dogleg right/left, some blind shots, good layout and in good shape going into the spring.

Fairways are in excellent shape, greens are tricky and slow at this time, you need to play this course a couple of times to get a feeling for it.

I suggest you play this course if you have not tried it yet, I will be back, hopefully pace will be better.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLACES TO PLAY.OUT IN THE WOODS VERY TRANQUIL!!

I consider Connecticut National a premium course. This was my second time playing their and if I didn't live an hour away I'd play it on a regular basis. Though early in the season it was in good condition. It has elevation changes and water hazards which only enhance the experience. Great clubhouse, pro shop, and food. The help were very engaging and friendly.

Very interesting course with a few quirky holes but overall a very enjoyable course to play.

People at the Pro-shop and bar were a joy to deal with.

My first time playing and I will be back soon!

Played CT National on a chilly, early April day but was surprised how few golfers were out, so pace of play was not an issue. Despite the date, the course was in tremendous condition. The greens were recently aerated but putting on them wasn't the problem... the problem on these greens is that many of them are treacherous. The course condition and layout are excellent but you better bring your putting A game... if you're not near the pin on your approach, a 3-putt is probable. Overall, this is a fun, enjoyable,, but challenging course. Give it a try, you'll like it.

I play this course at least 5 times a season, Awesome layout and the greens are always in EXCELLENT condition. Great challenge for all skill levels!

Last fall I attempted to play Connecticut National, but due to a booking mistake (see my 9/16/2015 review below) I did not. Yesterday I played there and I’m glad I gave the club another chance and this good review. It’s a great course and was well worth my 75 minute ride in terms of the course itself and cost. We paid $44 (18 holes w/cart) which included a $5 food voucher. Connecticut National is located in the “sticks”, i.e. rural Putnam, the extreme northeast corner of Connecticut/CT. However, it is easily accessible by highway (I-395) or back roads (I-84 & RT 44) from central CT. Have a GPS handy as once off the main road (RT-44) finding the course could be difficult. If you are coming from the casinos (Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun) CT National is a short ride and a lot less money than the casino-owned golf courses.

This beautiful, public golf course should be on your golfing bucket list. Once on the course the peaceful quiet and pure air is immediately noticeable and the views superb. This is pure, colonial New England with fieldstone walls and deep woods surrounding the layout. It’s the type of course where you can soak up nature and truly forget the job or yard work.

The course is designed as a links style course: wide, rolling/sloping fairways, tall, wispy grass throughout and plenty of fairway bunkers. The layout is challenging due to the elevation changes, blind approach shots and undulating, slick greens. Your drives need to be precise to avoid the many fairway bunkers and grassy lumps. Your approaches spot-on so you land and keep the ball on the slick greens and below the hole. There are six ponds to contend with but none overly troublesome.

Course knowledge is crucial and I was fortunate to have playing partners who had played here before to guide me. One hole in particular, the 312 yard par 4 eighth, is a real challenge in course management. From an elevated tee your view of the valley and hills in the distance is spectacular. However, your view to the small green below is scary. There’s a small pond of the right side of the green, out-of-bounds, deep woods and a stone wall down the left side but an ample landing area in front of the green. Don’t get greedy on this hole. The smart club choice off the tee is a club you can control that leaves you a wedge to the green. Being all downhill you will gain distance yet control with a long iron or hybrid.

The course is long: Black 6935 yds, Blue 6321, White 5913, Gold 5002 and Red 4815. The finishing hole is a long par 5. Its 688 yds from the tips and 527 from the whites. Fortunately it’s all slightly downhill. The course is walkable but you’d better be in shape to handle the elevation changes.

In conclusion here are some basics: Large gravel parking lot, friendly staff, low rates, putting greens, driving range, restaurant w/ outdoor dining overlooking the 18th hole, immaculate tee boxes, lush fairways (despite limited rain in weeks) Pace of play? We got off on-time and finished just under 4 hours. Would have been even less if not for spending time looking for lost balls. Which reminds me: bring extra balls. The tall grass on fairway mounds and rough will eat any wayward shots. Searching for ball in this grass is most often fruitless.

This course must be beautiful in the fall. Go Play!