Windham Golf Course

Course was in very good condition and greens were speedy. Great value for this time of year. Good pace of play as a single. Only issue was the leaves but that's New England golf for you.

I’ve been wanting to play this course for the last three years, but it never seemed the right time to take the hour and 20 minute drive each way to play. We were looking for a half way course to have a friend from Connecticut join us and this was it. Check in was smooth and easy in the pro shop and we were off. The first tee from the two back tees has you going over a public road, which spooked one of the players in our group, so we started off on the senior tees on this hole only. Afterwards we moved back to the green tees, which results in a 6,200 yard round, which is 200 yds more than I care for. All of the tee boxes were in good shape, as were the fairways and greens. I found the greens a bit hard, and most of my shots would end up rolling to the back of the green or sometimes off. I think if I played this course a couple more times they could be mastered. There are a couple 440 yard par 4’s, which is a bit long for me . There are also 3 par 3’s that are over 200 yards. We all hit driver on the longest one. All in all, it was a pleasant day and I wouldn’t mind playing it again. I think the next time I will mix the green tees with the senior tees and try to get the yardage down to around 5800 yards. The senior tees are at 5400 yards, which is too short.

Windham offers textbook old-school golf: well-proportioned fairways that bend and swerve; greenside falloffs on either their sides or backs, plentiful bunkering, some big humps and a few chocolate drops, and finally subtle movement on and around the well-guarded greens. In the classical mode of, say, Walter Travis, some holes here will favor strong draws, others big cuts. Showing up in places are a couple of modernist features, as well. These include the pond which guards the front of green twelve, along with, at seventeen, some Pete Dye-like contouring--especially the greenside embedded bunker and falloff on the left. The Windham fairways are bordered mainly by mature, majestic oaks and pines. Except on the first few holes, you’ll feel quite secluded, apart from civilization.

The course’s routing starts with a few fairly tame holes, then toughens progressively. While the front nine is anchored by a stretch running from three through seven, all testy but fine holes, the inward half simmers until you reach fourteen, where things go pedal-to-the-metal right through the fine finishing hole. A couple of 200-yard par-threes punctuate these stretches (and the rest of the three-pars--6, 10, and 14--are hardly pushovers).

One of the most impressive holes here is the long, fairly brutal par-5 seventeenth. And wow, can it be punishing if misplayed! The key is to land your second shot well left, on the outside of the dogleg’s elbow. Some may disagree, but I like courses that have at least one monster hole like this one.

Conditions:

Not ideal, but still good. Fairways (some were patchy) and roughs good; greeside areas closer to average; greens very good with smooth surfaces. The fairways did not seem as manicured as they were when I played here last fall.

Playing experience:

Had a great time with my two playing partners (initials A. and J., a husband and wife who are pictured;) and our conversation never lagged. Very personable and friendly. as--by the way--were the staffers I met here in the pro-shop. The starter, too, was a gentleman and very helpful. Nice atmosphere, once again, at Windham!

Some conclusions:

From the standpoint of design, this ranks among the top older layouts across Connecticut. The terrain rolls beautifully here, and no two holes are alike; overall, my interest seldom wavered. Another bonus: longer hitters shouldn’t feel constrained about using their drivers regularly. This challenge is less about adventurous play and more about balance and good shot values; playing it well means being careful as well as hitting accurate full shots. You’ll also want to get the most from your short game around the greens.

If your looking to play something different than the norm this is it. Interesting layout... Not a plush course but generally good condition.

Quickly becoming one of my favorites. Staff was great. Tasty lunch and good cold beer in between 9s. Course in good condition. 17 tough. Keep it left.

Have played alot of hack courses in my time, but must say this is a overall nice course with long grass greens. Never have I played such long slow greens.

Have played here a bunch of times, but course was as nice as it’s been. In great shape. No issues. Started out alone. Passed a couple groups. Last 10 holes with one group. Nice people. Pace of play was great.

They charged us more than the regular price

$81 with carts

Charged the group s off the street $61

Very upsetting played badly due to situation

Had course to myself. Good conditions. Pace of play super. Little buggy . One of my best rounds.

Fun course, used every club. Hitting drive over a road intentionally is always fun. Greens were in great shape and putted true.

Paid $45 with cart with a discount. We arrived at 1030 for our 1100 tee. They let us out early and got done in 3 hrs and 30 min. Course had free water and beverage cart. Greens were pretty slow and in decent condition. Bunkers were hard packed and needed grooming. Old tee signs needed replaced from course redesign several years ago.

Great staff, conditions okay. Ran into a traffic jam on 12. Ended our round there.