East Mountain Golf Course

As I am the one GP reviewer of this course after 2020, please refer to my previous reviews for details. Today, what was new was the finished clubhouse: I found it to be a nice piece of architecture that has retained some of the original building’s features.

Conditions:

East Mountain is improving incrementally–every year. Conditions were good to very good today, with the smooth greens and their fringes leading the way. Greenside roughs were good, but fairway roughs only average. Tees were generally very good. Bunkers were good but diminished a bit by small stones–in some. Also impressive is the way the maintenance staff has apparently cleared and removed unnecessary trees and brush between many of the holes. For a muni, conditions and course appearance are well above the norm.

Two Great Strings of Holes:

Having played East Mountain’s entire eighteen for the second time now, it’s clearer to me that the layout culminates two times: on the stretch of holes six through nine, then later at twelve through fifteen. Among these holes are two top-notch par-3s here in eight and thirteen, both playing downhill to inviting targets. Thirteen is the signature hole, but eight may be even tougher to par. Moreover, no par-4 among these two stretches is even remotely like any of the others, which speaks to the designers’ creativity, but also their ability to use the changing and hilly terrain optimally. The two uphill par-5s are both on the tight side, and nine, especially, demands an accurate tee shot.

One Sure Conclusion:

Considering that there are several other holes that impress–besides those on these two stretches–I was struck by how this has to be one of the two most impressive public course layouts I’ve played in Southwestern Connecticut. In terms of difficulty, it’s not a match for the more modern and much longer Oxford Greens, yet I have more fun playing East Mountain. If you want to get a taste of what made Wayne Stiles among the greatest architects of his era, this is a good place to start.

Played the front nine today and enjoyed the course (see previous reviews for full descriptions). What still impresses most is the stretch from the par-3 fifth through the other downhill par-3 on the front side at the eighth. In between are two top-notch par-4s. On the rigorous seventh, playing uphill into a two-tiered green, you’ll likely need four carefully and well-played shots to card a par.

Conditions: Good overall. Excellent greens and tees, good greenside areas and fairways, decent roughs. The one weakness: bunkers. The one I hit out of did not have enough sand; my club quickly hit the base level, making my shot less than effective.

East Mountain’s clubhouse continues to undergo a redo to its interior, so the amenities are in transition, yet the improvements I saw in the pro shop were significant. That aside, East Mountain is a strong choice for any golfer who appreciates quality golf at a reasonable price.

Challenging but not too strenuous, and nicely entertaining.

As I’ve mentioned in the two previous reviews, East Mountain strikes me as a fine, playable, and nicely traditional test of golf. Rolling moderately and having plenty of variety and challenge, it is laid out through woodlands. The greens, ranging from midsize to large, are beautifully contoured with lots of variety– especially by subtle and clever pitches and undulations that leave many other course designs in the dust.

Today I finally played the entire eighteen holes, and found the back side to be even a shade better than the front.

Back Nine Summary:

Terrific hole design characterizes the tenth through fifteenth, which seem to me East Mountain’s best stretch of holes. Starting with a beautiful tee shot to an offset fairway amid big and grassy mounds, the tenth has a Scottish look. For a second as I teed off, I had the faint illusion, at least, that I was playing on Lundin Links or North Berwick in East Lothian, even though there was no sea in sight. The green at ten is surrounded by wraparound mounding. Hole eleventh, on the other hand, reverts back to classic American parkland, although it rolls and bumps around over its dogleg-right fairway. It’s a fine driving test to hit this fairway as nearly as possible to the bend–or around it. As if two strong par-4s in a row are not enough, the course delivers the wood-lined twelfth, which seems, after the seventh, the toughest hole at East Mountain. Twelve is a long and rigorous test. While rippling and rolling and pitching constantly, the fairway here heads straight to a well-guarded green, set slightly above grade. Hitting it in regulation is an accomplishment. Thirteen is merely one of the best par-3s in the state of Connecticut, and the only one I can think of with an enormous, abyss-like, brushy pit that must be traversed to reach the green (A couple of other Connecticut tracks have something loosely similar, but without the deep abyss that actually has a playable area at the bottom). The green itself is well proportioned for the hole’s length. If you end up down in the pit, this can be a spectacularly malicious golf hole, but it’s pure exhilaration when you’re on in regulation. A bit tame by contrast to the previous four holes, the fourteenth is best attacked with a well-placed draw off the tee. After that, you may find yourself wedging in close to the hole for a potential birdie. All in all, though, this stretch of holes will test you from start to finish.

The course’s final four holes are playable and good, though not quite as imaginative as the opening stretch on the back. The hardest of these comes right away at fifteen, a straight, uphill par-5, but a brutal hole (#2 index.) Here, you’ll likely not see your ball again if your specialty is a hook, but plenty of trees occupy the fairway’s right side as further annoyances. Sixteen is a long par-three, seventeen a short one. The latter is one of possibly three “birdie holes” on the back side. Another birdie possibility comes at the fine closing hole, an uncomplicated but still interesting par-4 of 393.

Conditioning:

Were it not for some ongoing work that is being done–or needs to be done–on the bunkers–this might rate excellent overall. In general, it’s mostly good to very good. But it’s also superb on the greens and greenside areas, which are mowed and kept almost perfectly. The greens roll purely and on the fast side. The fairways are very good overall, but a few lag in quality. Tees are fine. Conditioning, then, is pretty strong for a municipal course, and EM has seemed to have improved each time I’ve played it.

General Comments on the Eighteen:

This is not a flashy or fancy layout, as it has no big water or other cross hazards, only one forced carry, and light fairway bunkering. What I’ve found here has turned out to be a classical and traditional design, where hazards come in the form of some rigorous slopes, falloffs behind greens, plentiful woods, and mostly large greenside bunkers. East Mountain Golf Course is not hard, but neither is it easy from tee to green.

East Mountain has been remodeled (and added to a bit) by several architects who have respected, not contradicted, the ideas of its original designer, Wayne Stiles. In other words, it does not fool around with some of the tendencies for earth-working, outsized hazards, and mounding–the latter of which, on modern courses (from the 80s and 90s), often shows up everywhere. Nor is the course tricked-up; the difficulties it presents are fair ones.

Some Conclusions:

So why play East Mountain? The main reason is that this layout is more about fun and entertainment than about harshness and penalties, though you’ll still have to keep your tee shots under control and to think your way around these holes to score well. Moreover, the course is not a long slog across fairways that are overly narrow or are hemmed in tightly everywhere by trees. Instead, you’re given the airspace to strategically work the ball right or left–on most holes, anyway.

These characteristics squarely align EMGC with the prevailing trend for course designers across the U.S. over the last five to ten years. This, then, is a course that feels frozen in time, yet playing it takes you “back to the future.” While that may be a paradox for a course built back in 1932, it should encourage serious golfers who like strategic layouts that are both well and fairly laid out.

For my money, East Mountain is one of the best values available among public-access courses across New Haven county or west-Central Connecticut. Most notable is the great string of golf holes you’ll play that begins with the sixth yet continues all the way through fifteen. Play this stretch well and you may well make your score.

This was another very good day at East Mountain, with friendly and accommodating service, good pace of play, and much fun continuing to learn how to play this nicely rolling, carefully designed layout.

The Layout:

I’ve reviewed some of the course details previously, but suffice it to say the front nine, which I’ve played three times now, is more enjoyable each time out. So far I’ve paired it with a nine-holer elsewhere in the area, but next time it should be all eighteen here.

Course Architect Wayne Stiles, who designed some seventy courses still in existence–most now private, most in the Northeast, only a few in the Midwest–certainly knew how to lay out a challenging track, often created in conjunction with his partner, John Van Kleek. When I play East Mountain, I can’t help being reminded of a couple other Stiles courses in New Hampshire: Hooper Golf Course in Walpole and Country Club of New Hampshire in North Sutton, especially for the bunker design, the roll and pitch of the greens, and the width and shaping of the fairways. All of this is good stuff, but also classic in feel. Hooper, by the way, was lauded by none other than Tom Doak as topping his short list of courses having the ‘Three

Best Opening Holes in Golf.’

Having played Hooper myself several times, I agree with Doak. And while the three opening holes here do not match Hooper’s, what impressed me today was just how good six, seven, and eight are on this outward nine. Seven, which vies with nine as the course’s toughest hole, can be an absolute brute with the pin on the back tier: you’ll need to hit a well-placed tee shot (preferably with a fade, although I drew it today), then an outstanding approach into the correct tier, then a good first putt to earn a tap-in par. Birdies must be uncommon at seven. Six is another challenging hole, index 5, and it’s a hole that favors a draw off the tee, then a precise approach. Eight is a long par-3 with a beautifully undulating green, playing downhill from front to middle, and then uphill towards its back third.

Conditions:

Good overall. Most of the greens were in excellent shape, though a couple have a small way to go to equal the best. Greenside areas and bunkers were very good, fairways mostly good, tees and roughs good. Certainly the course, which seemed to be rounding into shape last year, is even better in 2023, and it’s clear that the course superintendent takes his work seriously.

A Few Conclusions:

Certainly, credit is due to Architects William and David Gordon, along with Stephen Kay and Doug Smith, all of whom modified the course at different times. But it seems that much of Stiles’ original work remains intact here, which is a good thing. The holes combine a strategic flavor with a variety of challenges that satisfy without being overcooked.

East Mountain Golf Course, set high upon a tall hill, is a rewarding detour a few miles from I-84 in the east end of Waterbury. This vintage course, although hilly in places, rolls more gradually than suddenly.

As a Wayne Stiles creation (originally, in 1932), this layout is, unsurprisingly, beautifully routed and boasts strong design features that include big and deep bunkers–often strategically placed–along with nicely contoured fairways, strong par-3’s, and interesting five-pars. But the strength of the front side is its pair of excellent par-4s that test you at six and seven. At both of these, nothing less than carefully placed drives, followed by even better approach shots, are a virtual requirement. The sixth green is especially punitive when missed on its right flank.

I’m looking forward to playing the back side–meaning the whole eighteen–on my next visit. My playing partner, Ron, was an excellent companion today (he’s a member) and talked a bit about the consistent qualities of these two nines. It’s clear that he’s a fan of this, his home course, as I expect I will be after a few more plays. From what I’ve seen thus far, the course is challenging while cutting you some slack: the shot values are balanced enough so most of the tougher shots are followed by relatively more forgiving ones. The only flawed hole is the ninth, if only in one respect, with a driving area so sloped on the right side that a slight fade or push will almost certainly bounce hard-right into gnarly rough or the woods. The rest of the hole is fine, and nine’s green is a beauty, set upon a large knoll with a huge bunker embedded in its right flank.

Conditioning, good overall at East Mountain, could be better in the roughs around some of the greens (mainly) and in some of the fairway roughs. But the fairways themselves are good, the tees fine for the most part, and the greens close to excellent–except for a few, like the third, which had distinct flaws.

The scenery impresses everywhere around this wooded, mainly tree-lined course. There are stretches of openness, as well, that give the course visual balance. The sixth, in my opinion, is one of the most attractive par-4’s in Connecticut. It doesn’t feel all that removed from some of the more intriguing par-4s I’ve played in in Scotland–and is yet another positive mark of a Stiles layout.

Even though I grew up in western Connecticut, I hadn’t heard much about East Mountain when younger, or even in recent years. Having now played it twice, my perspective has changed: it’s an underrated gem.

Do not play this course. The staff is out of touch and had no idea what GolfNow even was. They told me they would not honor my reservation. Not one person was wearing a mask, and the course is simply not worth playing.

Pace of play on hot Summer day was very good. Course was in great shape, especially with the heat. Staff very friendly. Social distancing was maintained on course. This course is always a challenge with length and dog legs on some holes!

the course itself was good as usual but how they are handling the pandemic is not. 2 in a cart and masks not mandatory not good. Also the area outside the clubhouse was full of people drinking and close as if nothing had happened, no masks visible at all. DO NOT GO HERE if you have any issues.

the only thing they do is quickly spray each cart before you go out. Tough course if you are older to walk in certain areas.

Course is fairly flat, some long holes, many open fairways. Pace of play can be slow as no rangers to insure all golfers keep up with pace otherwise can be enjoyable day on the course. Allows variety of club selection because of length of holes.

We really had a great time. We played with one guy that just started golfing abyear ago and he really did great and had alot of fun playing here. This course is really good for every level of golfers. If you live in Connecticut or Massachusetts, you should drive to Waterbury and play this course, I guarantee you' LL love this course!

The course itself is in good condition but they are doing poor covert 19 conditions. only course I have played in past two weeks that does not put only one person per cart and not enforce masks if two people in cart that are not together. they do clean each cart before use however. Also no masks or distancing outside at clubhouse. DO NOT RECOMMEND going here at this time . Very disappointed !!!!!!!!

A group of us get together at least once or twice a week to get some excersize, fresh air and fun. Golfing seems to be the best way to achive these goals. The course was in great shape it was busy but not backed up. We will try to get a return visit within the next couple weeks.