Western Hills Golf Course

Western Hills, an 18-hole Waterbury golf course that opened in 1960, was designed by the talented and very capable architect William F. Gordon.

1960 was also the year that Arnold Palmer won both the Masters and the U.S. Open. The latter event occurred at Cherry Hills, near Denver, where Palmer famously drove the first green with a downhill drive of 346 yards with a persimmon-headed driver. Palmer, the greatest golfer of that era, was also known as (arguably) the best driver on the PGA Tour during the late 50s and most of the 60s, and he considered driving to be one of his most valuable assets as a golfer– especially when he was on top of his game.

I wondered, thinking about the “Palmer Age,” if William F. Gordon had placed as high a value upon the skill of driving on his golf courses as Palmer did as a golfer (?) The answer is, unequivocally, yes. As this publication has noted, Gordon’s “general style” is in the same vein as that of Robert Trent Jones, Sr., which stressed “precision tee shots and approaches,” among a few other similarities.

This was the first time I had played the front nine in over thirty years (having moved to Western Connecticut), but it was clear that playing Western Hills still fully tests my golf game.

Several of the following comments on the front nine should make the challenges here plain:

Front Side Layout:

Five of the first six holes put an exclamation point on difficulty in fairway design. Holes three, four and six are narrow to the point that you’ll need to carve your tee shots–with draws, typically–to even hit the fairways (which happen to be 20-30 yards wide). Most of these fairways are also tilted, making them harder to hold. The first hole’s tee shot plays to an open fairway, but the tilt is severe enough on the right side that, when the fairways are dry, any push or even mild slice is headed for the bushes. The second hole offers an open driving area, but the demanding second shot is ultra-tight where you want to lay up (at about 100 yards); still, the grass was not mown here to fairway height–instead, it was rough.

On the other hand, there’s the par-three fifth hole, with its straightforward tee shot to a green that is open all around. There’s also an openness, in

general, to holes seven, eight and nine. The par-5 seventh, in particular, plays to a broad, almost field-like fairway over its second half, and it is beautifully bunkered around the hole.

There’s also the generously open eighth hole, whose fairway curves in a consistent arc towards a raised green guarded mainly by a right-side bunker. The par-3 ninth, too, provides ample room to miss around its green, even though, in that case, you’ll probably be chipping or pitching from a strong sideslope.

So over most of the second half of this front nine, Architect Gordon (who likely got a minor assist from Stephen Kay’s 2007 renovations, from what I can tell) has switched it up, providing an equally challenging mix of holes that emphasizes ground movement (notably more subtle fairway movement) and that is far less woodsy. This stretch, then, turns less penal on erring tee shots: You’re far less likely to end up behind a tree, chipping back to the fairway.

The greens, like those on the back nine, have varied shapes, sizes and slopes, and all rolled smoothly. Not only were their breaks mainly subtle, but they were not too steeply sloped–a frequent problem with many courses that are over thirty years old, since most greens are cut to run much faster in today’s game.

Conditions: Good overall.

Superintendent Chris Mauro is doing a very good job with a course that apparently gets heavy play. For the greens to be excellent on a municipal course was impressive. Beyond that, fringes and fairways were good, roughs and bunkers average. Tees were mostly good, but those at eight and nine were dirt, mainly.

Other:

The non-course golfing amenities are a bit basic, given a putting green that was a bit patchy and being without a driving range. This course is popular on weekends and, as well, in the later afternoon: when I left, the parking lot was filled with golfers playing in a league here.

Some Conclusions:

This solid William F. Gordon layout boasts a smart routing and a balance of diverse-enough holes; it is also quite rigorous (even though the challenge is a bit overdone with some of the narrow front-side fairways; I don’t remember holes three and four being twenty yards wide in the more distant past). The bunkering and design of the green complexes adds to the interest of playing all nine.

All in all, this was a positive experience at Western Hills. The back nine, I believe, edges out the front by its playability; I want to come back before long and play the whole eighteen.

If I had one takeaway after playing the back nine today at Western Hills for the first time in years (I now live in eastern Connecticut), it was that this design is still quite competitive with more modern tracks. What supports such an assertion? I’ll cite the course’s playability, its careful design and variety, and its general challenge.

BACK NINE SUMMARY

The back nine’s strengths are highlighted by a stretch of four holes running from thirteen through sixteen. A good par-5, thirteen opens from a high tee, challenges you on the second shot again with its tight, tree-lined fairway, and concludes at a heavily bunkered, canted green. Fourteen, also woodsy on the drive, is a long par-four playing uphill to a huge green sloped back to front. Another tough and tight par-five comes at fifteen, where the green is reachable from the plateau driving zone, but the second shot must be almost perfect. Sixteen is a standout par-three where you’ll need to judge and hit the tee shot very accurately just to land somewhere on the green, elevated some twenty feet or more above the tee.

The rest of the holes may be a bit tamer, but they’re still well-designed. The short twelfth is a drive and pitch hole to an elevated green, fronted by a pond and best approached from the fairway’s right side. The seventeenth, ideally played with a fade off the tee, features a tricky approach, which often will be hit from a pesky sidehill lie.

COURSE HAZARDS & DEFENSES

A vintage 1960 layout created by the late William F. Gordon, Western HIlls does not have a water hazard on every other hole, but it’s perfectly fine with the single one it does have. The beauty and challenge of this course is nearly spelled out in its name by the word “Hills.” Drive up the road to the clubhouse and the plunging fairway on hole one (to your right) makes that immediately apparent . But the other major defense to par is the mature and often towering trees. If you have a wild-military-golf day out here, it will be reflected in your scorecard. Yet it’s not necessary to be laser-straight off all of the tees: basically straight is good enough. WH also features enough nicely-groomed and strategically-placed bunkers around the greens; they favor those, generally, who hit high approach shots. The doglegs here curve gently (no right angles).

THE COURSE DESIGNER:

Although not a household name among golf architects, William F. Gordon was a seriously talented designer. Consider this: The founder of Golf Digest, William H. Davis, cited Gordon’s Stanwich Club in Fairfield County as the ONLY Connecticut course in the Northeast as among “The World’s Best Golf” (a Golf Digest publication, 1991). Stanwich still ranks number one in the Golf Digest 2021–22 Best Courses by State. Of course, precious few golf courses rival the near-perfection of a layout like Stanwich, but it’s clear that Gordon knew a thing or two about what makes a respectable golf course. And this is the single William F. Gordon public track in Connecticut. Western HIlls has several impressive holes and no bad ones. More importantly, it will test both your ball-striking and short-game skills on every one of them. Difficulty? The facts speak for themselves: the slope is 129, the stroke-rating 1.5 shots lower than par.

CONDITIONING:

Good on the greens and bunkers; decent on the tees and fairways except for the landing zone around the pond on twelve; average to poor in the roughs, notably at 13 where I had to hit a shot in the hilly left rough from what was bascially gravel. Overall, about average for today’s muni, and better than what I remember from the 70’s and 80’s when I regularly played here. A big plus are the new cart paths (although I walked).

AMENITIES:

I didn’t have time to try it today, but I’ve been told that the bar is good, and the patio where it’s situated is spacious and provides a nice vista over the closing holes.

SOME CONCLUSIONS:

I like Western Hills for the intelligently designed Gordon layout. Conditioning is decent–typical of most munis–and quite good around the greens. The environment here, as always, is friendly and low-key. I found this track a great deal of fun to play again, as well as a firm challenge.

Granted we played in the end of November, but the cart paths are full of ruts, the fairways are very rough and there are piles of leaves everywhere. The greens were in pretty good shape.

When arriving the manager was surprised to see how much more I paid with golf now rather than dealing with the course directly. I’ll know better next time

Course is a bit difficult because you are always either above the ball or below. Pretty hilly too. Always meet nice people there.

Course was in very good condition for our weather. Kudos to grounds crew! Slope and distance here always provides a good challenge to your game. Pace of play was good for the number of people on the course.

Tee boxes need work. Cart paths need to be grated or replaced . My only concern during this time of Covid 19 is that the carts needed to be cleaned better; there were rakes still in the sand traps and the holes on the greens were not raised up. Have played East Mountain (sister course) several times over the last few weeks and feel they are adhering to the Covid guidelines for play much better.

When the discount golf program I subscribe to had Western Hills Golf Course in that program I thought I’d give it a try, having never played there. None of my buddies had either so I looked for reviews but couldn’t find anything helpful or recent. The ones I did find were several years’ old and mostly bad. I was skeptical but curious, so a buddy and I booked a tee time, prepared for the worse and hoped for better.

Bottom line, Western Hills is a better than those old reviews state. It’s not fantastic but for the price (see below) it’s fine and I’d definitely play there again. This 18-hole municipal course is located five minutes off I-84 (exit 18) in Waterbury, CT at 600 Park Rd. After getting off the exit there are 3 ways to go at the traffic light – left, center or right. We turned left and got lost. Go straight (center) across West Main St to Park Rd. The course is about a mile further on the right up a hill. There are signs stating “Public Golf Course” with an arrow.

It was still early in the growing season so we were not expecting pristine conditions for this mid-April round. The grass was just starting to develop, and the temps were about 60 on a cloudless, windy day. We also learned that their in-season maintenance staff was still arriving so I expect conditions to get better as the season runs on. When we arrived we found a small pro shop and a nearby practice putting/pitching green area. Their greens fees are average (see their website) and on-line and other discounts are also available. We used our discount program and were very satisfied with the price - $15 each for 18 holes with a cart. I recommend using a cart unless you are fit as the course is hilly with undulating fairways, both up & down and side-to-side. The 366 yd (blue tees) first hole is a good example. You’ll be hitting from an elevated tee into a left-to-right sloping valley. The green is uphill. I also suggest packing extra balls. And, before you leave the pro shop ask what the pin placement is for the day (1, 2 or 3) then refer to your scorecard for the location: front, center or back.

From the blues tees the course is 6376 yards, white 6136 and red 5237. I would suggest a fourth set of tees around 5900 yds as the reds are too short for some people and the whites too long. The layout is standard with four par 3’s ranging from 138-162 yards, four par 5’s from 458-527 and ten par 4’s from 305-391. The course is tucked into a hilly, heavily wooded area with most holes separated by mature trees. There is only one water hole, the dogleg left par 4 twelfth. There is a pond at the far end on this dogleg so don’t overdrive the fairway. A layup is necessary. Many fairways are quite wide with a minimal number of small sand traps protecting the greens. All traps had deep, soft sand. Most greens were tricky to reach and keeping the ball on the putting surface, on longer approach shots, was challenging on some holes. Almost all the greens are undulating and difficult to read (some optical illusions), but all were in good condition for this early in the season.

As stated earlier, the fairways are undulating so you’ll need to play the roll off the hills to stay in the fairway. You’ll also be hitting many up/down and side hill lies. I'm certain the regulars know where to hit the ball. The holes are clearly marked and for the most part the asphalt cart path was in good condition. There are 200 and 150 yard stakes in the fairway and 100 yard red saucers in the ground. The pace of play was great. We got off right on our tee time and never were pushed or held up on any hole. We played in four hours but could have made it in 3.5 if we didn’t hit a couple extra balls on most holes. This was a practice round for us and the foursome behind us was two holes back. After the round we hit the 19th hole “Verdie’s” a full-service restaurant, bar and banquet facility. The sandwiches looked delicious and the guys next to us said the food is really good and reasonable.

I trust this updated and detailed review will be helpful. I would have given a 3.5 rating but I would like to see how the course looks at different times during the season.