Windham Golf Course

The course is undergoing renovations. Very poor signage and confusion getting to the next tee.

This long established course is under renovation, and although the fairways were excellent, the greens need much improvement. The staff was very friendly.

After playing only Windham’s revamped and reshuffled back nine in mid-October, I wanted to try eighteen holes–the full revision–today, partly because I like this course, but also to assess the changes more fully. So here they are:

Alterations (whole course):

–Three of the back nine holes are now history: 12, 17, and 18.

—These have been essentially replaced–in three different spots, as holes 3, 13, and 14. New golfing real estate, so to speak, has been hewn out of the woods to create thirteen and fourteen, both of which are short par-4s. Three is a short par-5.

—The holes that are now gone (mainly all of them to some degree replaced by the new driving range) were a short par four, a long par-five, and a medium-length par-4–the closer. The new closing hole is what had formerly been the sixteenth, a nice, long downhill par-3 with an extremely awkward green. From its deep tee, it is the # six handicap index.

—The last real alteration is the conversion from what had been a long par-3 (the former third hole) into a par-4.The hole’s total length is unchanged. In the current sequence, this is now hole number four. I have no problem with the conversion, as regulation par-3s, according to the USGA, run as long as 260 yards. This hole, then, falls very close to that suggested limit. But that is only their suggestion. It’s also true that the par-3s of most courses seldom exceed 215 yards. The green tee here is 236, the white 197, so all of this makes decent sense to me, even if it's not ideal. What’s wrong, anyway, with a par-4 that’s short enough for many players to drive?

The one real criticism I have of the alterations, as I mentioned in my last review, is that the course is now quite a bit shorter (588 yards) than it had been up until this revampment. That is significant for lower-handicap players. What might offset the distance reduction would be to lengthen a couple of the five par-3s, or any of the other holes, where possible. That might take a little creativity, and include the feeling of a few more trees.

The three new holes are all of good quality, are smartly designed and strategic, and are challenging enough. I don’t think the par-4 fourteenth, however short it may be, is truly the 18 index; it’s far too tricky around its beautifully contoured green that makes pitching to it almost bewildering. In fact, the greens at 13 and 14 might be the best on a course that has always boasted excellent putting surfaces. Are they better than the old holes? Not really, but I like the emphasis on strategy placed on the two par-4s.

Conditions:

Good. With the greens now virtually back to normal after the topdressing and aeration treatments in mid-October, the course was quite playable. The fairways were good and greens very good for November, and most of the tees above average (a few were somewhat beat up). A few of the greenside areas will need some more work next year. Bunkers were well conditioned.

Other:

Today I had the pleasure of conversing with Nolan Devivo. The son of the course’s current owner, Nolan was quite positive about the ongoing improvements the course is making, especially by their new irrigation system. From what I’ve witnessed, such alterations can be game-changing ones. I also sensed the commitment this family-owned operation is making to continuous improvement. This would seem to bode well for Windham’s future, especially when you consider the quality of the new driving range.

Some Conclusions.

My son, who is a driving range devotee, likes the newly created set-up and building here; I haven’t yet tried the range.

As the ancient philosopher said, “Everything is in flux.” And as with everything else, change is constant in the game of golf. Look at just the last five years or so on the pro tours. The bottom line is that Windham still has three excellent long par-4s, a trio of challenging par-3s, and a pair of very fine par-5s at six and fifteen. On top of all of this, several of the short par-4s are quite good here. In the end, golf courses are not all about length.

Having now played the new Windham layout, I didn't feel that it was all that much different than the old. Yes, three holes are gone and three new ones have replaced them. But it’s worth noting that the other fifteen holes here have always been solid, playable, and enjoyable–they represent classic old school golf with lots of ground movement, with good fairways and fine bunkering, and (thankfully, in my opinion) with very little water. It should continue to be popular.

Over the past two years or so at Windham, many, many trees have been cut down to create a greatly revised layout. While most of the holes have been retained, many have not. I played nine here today and got a partial but decent look at what has transpired.

The back nine’s new routing:

To be sure, the whole course has been overhauled significantly. Yet, having only played the backside today (it was all I had time for), I’ll comment mainly on the routing of these holes. The bottom line: the inward half is not bad overall. Still, the negative aspect of the new version, from my perspective, is that a few of the retained (or “old”) holes are shorter, although the gap is larger from the new set of green tees. On the entire eighteen, course plays 588 yards shorter than it used to from the black tees. The green tees are now 848 yards shorter than on the previous layout.

To complicate matters further, the “new” white tees are ultra-short, checking in at a mere 4,778 yards (slope rating is only 98 from these tees for men, 105 for women). These presumably have replaced the former gold tees, from which eighteen holes totalled 5,365 yards.

On the more positive side, this new version of the back does sport one strong hole of the two added (see below), while the other, 14, seems decent. But it’s also unusual, so I’ll have to withhold judgment on its merit until I’ve played it several times. Another positive is that the holes retained from the “old” course are all good ones; the original Windham layout was of good quality.

Another thing worth mentioning about changes here concerns the two back nine holes that have been lost. These were the ultra-long and quite good seventeenth and the even better par-4 closing hole–both among the best holes at Windham. After further play and after the new holes mature, it will be interesting to find whether they match the old ones.

The two new holes on the back nine:

Thirteen: par-4, 347 (handicap index #10). A solid drive and pitch hole, with an emphasis on the fairway’s rolling terrain–a swale, hidden from the tee, may cause some unpredictable bounces some sixty yards prior to the green.

Fourteen: par-4, 251 (handicap index #18). According to the card, the easiest hole on the course, but in reality probably not so. Only aggressive players will have a go at reaching the green: it’s fortified by a hidden water hazard and big bunker, both to the left. Even when you go right–a bit too much–your ball will find the woods. I laid up with a hybrid, then hit a sand iron into the green, yet came up short after trying to land on the thin piece of real estate that is the green’s right side. Tricky–and then some.

Both of these new holes have been carved from what had been fairly dense woodland, though now the entire area is almost wide open: only a few trees remain. I like the look of openness, even though it runs counter to what has been a consistent character to the eighteen. The nice stress on ground movement—old school style–has been retained, however.

Conditions:

Average overall. The greens seemed good underneath the sand that covered them; they have been topdressed and aerated recently. Judging and striking putts on them with accuracy was impossible to do well, as the sand layer was on the heavy side. Fairways were in reasonably good condition, yet leaves were too commonplace on many. Clearly, a lot of the fallen leaves have been swept off onto the edges of the rough. Not a good situation if you want to find your slightly errant drive. The two new fairways will need months, at least, to mature. Roughs were good in places, yet only fair in several greenside locales.

Some Conclusions:

Play was on the slower side here today, though not bad. Service at check-in was friendly and positive.

The new layout seems to have made some compromises to the former iteration of this Windham track, which itself had been refined to a high level. I’m sure many golfers will reserve judgment on how good this new version will turn out to be. If the large number of cars in the parking lot is any indication, golfers are taking to it so far: the course was packed. I’ll be cautiously optimistic–and I need to play the front nine as well (sometime in the near future), but my general feeling is that the revision will still be worth playing. The state of the art driving range–which now occupies an area that was once fairway seventeen–appears to be a good one and should enhance the value of this facility for many players.

Windham is a nice course. It won’t beat you up. Greens are rolling very nice and true. Sand traps look to have been redone and filled and raked. Most tee boxes were in good shape. Fairways were very good The grounds crew was very visible making improvements to areas that need topsoil and seed. Trees were groomed up. One green has been terrible since created by previous owners on 3. New ownership has made significant improvements and continues to do so. I am looking forward to watching the improvements take effect. Give it a try !

The new holes are not good. The course now has too many very short par 3’s and 4’s.

The old original layout was one of my favorites. The new layout was too gimmicky. I have been playing here since 1973. Not sure if I will go back.

Friendly staff. Fun course with challenges and risk reward holes. Great new driving range.

Hot Deal was $34 under the assumption cart was included; but once at course I had to pay an additional $18 for cart, thus not making it a hot deal. Be careful with this course because their rates don't include a cart and for the condition, etc. not worth the money.

Course is in the worst shape I’ve seen it in 3 years. Greens are ok, but tee boxes, paths, fairways- still under major reno. And they need to open those new holes.

The course has been going through renovations for more than a year now. The front is only par 33, there’s a temporary hole with a spray-painted circle in the fairway. You’re supposed to play too as the green. The fairways and greens are ok, but the tees are pretty bad. And for the price you could play a dozen better courses near by.

Quit after 14 holes which too over 4 hours. Course is not in good condition