Den Brae Golf Club

Course was in overall good condition despite drought conditions. The tee boxes were nicely, groomed, and flat. The fairways were nice and green and were not hard causing the ball to run a mile. The greens were very nice and you can see where recent Patrick had been done and this did not affect any kind of putting efforts. However, you can see where there was previous bunkers that would have allowed for a more difficult course. If the bunkers were still there, it would make the course a little more tough. The course is very forgiving with relatively wide fairways, allowing for misfit hits to be played nicely.

Dry summer hasn’t been good to Den Brae. Very dry conditions of fairways and rough.

Layout was interesting on 5 holes with elevation change so maybe early summer may be more fun.

Greens were fair condition but rolled true.

Might try again outside of August.

A few querky holes

Greens ok but some patchy spots

Fairways dry with burnt areas

But still fun for the money

The staff work hard to make sure you want to return, and we do. This will become our "go to" course in the Lakes Region of NH.

Den Brae, situated a few miles from historic downtown Tilton via I-93 , is a quietly isolated, rural, hillside course. There is a welcome variety to these nine holes, with some of the fairways and greens snuggling up to the woods or running through lines of mature trees, while a majority have a more open character–which makes sense, as this was once farmland.

From the first hole, a fairly relaxed vibe is established: it is spacious and nicely rolling, tumbling downhill through a swale and back uphill to the green. It’s a great opener, punctuated by a two-tiered green that will require an accurate approach with a mid or short iron. Den Brae’s excellent routing displays–quite handily–the surrounding mountains; it also supplies almost every angle from which to play a prevailing wind. The course’s rating of 35.4 against par of 36 might surprise a casual observer, but once the game is underway nearly every hole makes its own case against an easy par.

More specifically, much of the rigor of this course comes from three pronounced and repeated aspects. The first is doglegs (at 5 and 6); the second is curving fairways (at 8 and 9). These latter two don’t truly bend as doglegs do, and they function a bit like offset fairways. The effect of both of these features is more strategic play from tee to green, since all four of the holes are par-4s. The third feature is greens set upon rises or more pronounced knolls (at 1, 3, 6, 8, and 9), and they create more exacting standards on approach shots. Add some good greenside and fairway bunkering and the course puts up enough defenses throughout to challenge good players.

Three Key Holes:

1..Signature hole: 7th, par-4, 339 yards: Starting with a dramatic, downhill tee shot into a mountain backdrop, this spectacular and aesthetically pleasing hole plummets to a fairly broad but undulant fairway. Hit your tee shot well and a birdie is within reach. Miss it by much and the next shot will be from out of the trees. Featuring a buried-elephant mound on its right/front quadrant, this 6,500 square-foot green supplies chipping and putting challenges.

2. Most challenging hole: 9th, par-4: Running 410 yards and uphill from stern to stern, this rather brutal two-shotter demands an excellent drive, then an even better approach shot into a raised green with falloff left, hidden bunkers on both flanks.

3. Classic Par-3: 3rd, 175 yards. This Golden Age template hole is a “Volcano” type. It has three X-factors: the left side of the green (avoid missing there); the right side of the green (even more painful); and the green’s front side–from where, like the other two, pitching for an up-and-down is difficult, but less so (Such options are the stuff of Volcano holes). The green pitches from back to front, as well, making par an excellent score on this hole.

This layout also surprises with many atypical points of interest, all of which add to the charm and the challenge. The short, drivable second hole drops downhill to a small and protected green–blind from the tee–which lies not too far in front of the woods. Behind the par-3 third is a tiny cemetery. The beautifully wide, sprawling, and rolling par-5 fourth runs by Weeks Road–behind a line of trees–to the left. At the dogleg right and ultra-tight fifth fairway, a laser straight tee shot is demanded; a “missed” shot (meaning one that finds the fairway’s right side) will mean you face a tall conifer that impedes your line of play into the green. In front of the crowned eighth green is a small but abrupt uprise that rejects less-than-perfect approach shots, along with a tiny, hidden pot bunker. No large water hazards appear at Den Brae, save for the pond on well to the left of tee nine, a pond that has no strategic purpose; yet, lurking in the water is a peculiar-looking gator.

Conditions:

Good overall. The fairways and roughs were mostly very good; the greenside conditions and bunkers were excellent. The one weakness was something that looked to me–I’m no agronomist—like scattered dollar spot disease on many of the greens, although it was moderate at most, having minor effects upon some putts. It’s notable that the greenskeepers have been addressing it.

Some conclusions:

This is among the best nine-hole tracks I’ve played in New Hampshire. It felt great to play here today on a hot but essentially pleasant summer’s day. Admittedly, I favor this old-school, more strategic style of golf over the majority of modern layouts. What stands out is the mostly open, rolling terrain; playing here is not a slog around overly tight, invariably tree-lined fairways. Den Brae delivers nine varied holes of quality, not a single one of them dull.

This is a good local course. I planned on 18 holes and the first 9 went ok. But going into the 10th, there was a big jam-up, waited almost a half hour on the 10th and 11th holes. So we drove to see if there was an open spot somewhere ahead, but there wasn't, so I got only 11 holes in. Just way too slow to continue. My bad, though. It was Sunday and Father's Day to boot and beautiful weather. I rarely if ever play on weekends, so Sunday reminded me of why.

This is a great 9 holer. Early in the season and there was a lot of frost damage on the greens. I couldn't really plan on a putt. But, they were already out working on repairs. Another 2-3 weeks and I'm sure the greens would be playable.

One very tough par 3

One par 5

A couple of blind par 4’s

It’s ok for the $

This is a nine hole course. The pace of play is very laid back. The fairways were in great shape. The sand traps were like powder. The greens were a little rough . What really impressed me with this course was how friendly the entire staff was. From the pro shop to the greens keepers. It’s a great place to get a round in with the wife. I will definitely play this course again when I’m in the area.