Gainfield Farms Golf Course

Gainfield Farms is well worth your time. I certainly agree with the course’s website, which asserts that this layout is “ ideal for beginners, women, and children,” yet it’s equally true that every golfer can find something to like here.

CONDITIONING: Impeccable conditioning here, with nothing coming in for criticism. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the green complexes here rival those at the town’s paragon course, Silo Point Country Club, which was formerly Heritage Village at a one-time site of the LPGA Tour (though, admittedly, I haven’t played there in a very long time).

ATMOSPHERE: I was able to enter the clubhouse this time with the pandemic waning; it’s small but well-organized and professionally outfitted. The pro, Mr. Greg Miller, was amiable, well-versed, and friendly. I was not surprised to learn, later from the website), about his business management background, considering how smoothly and skillfully this operation is run. Nor was I surprised that he is certified in Turf Grass Management from UMASS, as course conditions this refined don’t happen by accident.

PLAYING EXPERIENCE: I enjoyed the quick nine thoroughly here on my second play. I know many golfers who look down their noses at executive courses and eschew them, but this exec should not be passed up. The bottom line is this: you still have to play good golf, just as you would on any full-length layout. And several of the par-threes match what I see at the more ‘typical’ brand of high-quality golf course. Because architect Al Zikorus thoughtfully built in some stern challenges using elevation changes, raised greens, and the surrounding woodlands, you needn’t fear that the course will lack the requisite challenge. In fact, I started out with two bogies today, although I played creditably after those missteps. One nicety of the course is that you can actually use your driver on the second: it’s open enough and plays straight uphill to a green 261 yards from the tee.

FAVORITE HOLE: Par-three third, 188 yards.

Perhaps the best hole for both interest and sheer toughness. I hit a four-hybrid on the green today, and the shot had to be good because the putting surface is diminutive; I was actually playing to hit just short, as Mr. Miller recommended, but pured it. The third is less forgiving on all other sides than the front.

I also love the design of the seventh, a smooth, downhill 195-yard three-par. The rest vary in severity (three or four are on the easy side) but none is a piece of cake. Both eight and nine require sharp judgement if you’re to club them right, then a precise strike from each tee. The course is properly bunkered, with one or two traps near most of these greens, and the greens vary in size. Because several of them are so small, you’re virtually guaranteed to work some short game practice into the round. A few of the greens feature significant slopes, so your putting finesse will be tested, as well.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS: The parking lot was nearly full here and the course busy, even on a hot summer day in the late afternoon. At the close of my round, I met three young gentlemen-- golf buddies--who had been playing in front of me (see photo, fifth hole). Seeing that I was taking pictures, they asked me if I could take a shot of them on the ninth green, and I gladly obliged, using one of their cellphones. They had enjoyed their round, clearly, and told me at the ninth how much fun they had on this layout, having found many of its qualities impressive. I suspect that these are the general thoughts of nearly all golfers, first-time players or otherwise, at Gainfield Farms.

What a place to help with your short game. Very friendly and good for kids tougher greens than you think will be back.. Very well groomed

Gainfield Farms, located close to the center of Southbury and not far from I-84, proved to be a very pleasant and quick walk around this par-28 of 1384 yards. Playing this nine should take around 90 minutes, which is exactly the point of any executive layout.

Built on a farm, this would seem a perfect place for junior golfers, especially those learning the game, or anyone else at the beginner or developing levels. Gainfield mostly goes beyond the average executive because the holes feel genuine: they’re not overly simplified. Al Zikorus applied his design wisdom, just as at Portland West, to fashion holes that are not just an easy ‘walk in the park’ (and yes, this is a parkland-styled course) but also offer some genuine challenges.

An ideal example of the rigor here comes at the third, a steeply uphill 3-par of 188 yards (back tees) with an impressively well-defended green. I found myself hitting a 3-hybrid slightly left of the 20-yard-wide putting surface—Egad!—which shunted my ball down a slope, leaving me with a delicate pitch. These, to say the least, are not the kind of difficulties I expect on most executive tracks.

While the third may be the toughest hole, the eighth, a mini-beast that runs straight uphill to a perched green, ranks second. Usually I hit an eight iron some 140-145 yards, but I had to use it here from 127. The converse of this hole, a mere yard longer, comes at the 9th, running directly down the same hill to a small green sided by a sizeable, rightward bunker. The views from the eighth green and ninth tee are quite impressive—a bonus. It was quite an experience for me to glimpse, through the trees and beyond the course, my old elementary/middle school soccer fields, especially because I now visit Southbury so infrequently.

Two other noteworthy holes are the uphill par-4 second (the layout’s lone two-shooter) at 261 yards, along with the elegant seventh—my favorite hole—a nice downhill 195 yarder from whose tee I hit 6-iron. It’s an enjoyable sight to watch your ball float down the hill to this fairly receptive but also beautifully contoured green.

The other holes are all pretty pedestrian 3-pars, with a trio of them coming back-to-back-to-back at 4, 5, and 6. All are short, giving you an opportunity to work out the kinks in your short iron/wedge game. Still, Mr. Zikorus was careful to give these green complexes bunkers, slopes, and elevation (above grade) that save them from being dull.

The layout’s only real shortcoming is the want of a couple of more par-fours, which would make it a more typical executive nine, on which par ranges between 30 and 32 (Portland West, for example, is par-60 for its eighteen holes). I only pulled out a driving club once here, at the second.

But an equally notable strength is Gainfield’s first-rate conditioning, especially on and around the greens, which surprisingly boast virtual country club conditions (a couple of them also have devilish slopes to challenge your putting skills). Given the relatively straightforward golf, though, you’ll be able to enjoy the laid-back, bucolic setting here as well. And the woman who was managing the pro-shop today was genuinely friendly.

All things considered, Gainfield Farms rates a strong recommendation. What distinguishes it from typical executive fare is that the tougher holes demand some thinking. All golfers, lower-handicap players included, should give this a whirl. It seems highly doubtful that they’ll be disappointed. Driving home, I felt a bit of regret that I hadn’t taken my son to Gainfield when he was between six and ten.

Terrific Par 3 course that is no pitch-and-putt. Better bring a driver, the Par 4 2nd hole goes up hill forever. Always seems to be in great shape. Not much sand to deal with, but several hidden greens. Lots of elevation change, don't be afraid to drive a cart. Can play it in 90 minutes or less, but there is a large elderly population in town, so choose your tee time wisely.