Brackett's Crossing Country Club

The golf course at Brackett’s Crossing Country Club is a parkland style track set on a beautiful parcel of gently rolling terrain. The course features seven rated tees or combos ranging from 7,152 yards (75.1 rating, 142 slope) to 5,088 yards (65.9 rating, 121 slope), so can accommodate highly skilled long hitters as well as beginners and weekend recreational golfers. Fairways were moderately wide and in excellent condition on the day we played. The rolling terrain allowed for elevated tees and then uphill approach shots to elevated greens. We could not recall any hole where the tee, fairway, and green were all on a relatively flat plane. The rough was just high enough to cover the ball, making it challenging to hit anything more than a mid iron to advance the ball. Trees were scattered throughout the course, but for the most part were set far enough away from the fairways that they didn’t present any problems. Similarly, the homes that bordered the course were set far enough away that they really didn’t intrude on play. An interesting aspect of a long course like this is that there were very few fairway bunkers to be found. There was no fairway where two bunkers pinched the fairway in the landing area or guarded both sides of a dogleg. On the other hand, water was a feature to be avoided on at least a third of the holes, with several forced carries to the green. The greens were fairly large, undulating and fast. They were in excellent condition, with hardly any unrepaired pitch marks to be found. This was my first time to play the course, and I found most of the holes to be interesting and challenging, but several did stand out. The par 5 third is a 505 yard (from the middle tees) dogleg right with a pond guarding the inside of the dogleg. A large oak tree flanks the right side of the fairway about 220 yards out. Your tee shot must be long enough to pass the tree, or you must end up short of the tree and hit your second shot over the pond to the fairway. The tenth hole is a 379 yard par 4 that plays from an elevated tee to a fairway that narrows in the landing area with water on the left and OB on the right. There is another, smaller water hazard short and right of the green. Two members of our group found the water on their tee shots and a third found the water on his approach. The par 5 fourteenth is 474 yards on the card, but plays longer because of the severely elevated green that can’t be seen from the fairway. The club has posted a flagpole with their flag behind the green on this hole, so golfers can know approximately where to aim their approach shots. As you leave the green, be sure to take in the view of this truly attractive course. Brackett’s Crossing is a private club, so not accessible except by member invitation or by participating in an event. I highly recommend looking for these opportunities, because this is really a fun and challenging course to play.