Equinox Resort

Having played several of the legacy clubs over the last few weeks, it is apparent that some of them are resting on their laurels and this one is no exception. The routing is dramatic and the numerous elevated tees make for great views, but the conditioning doesn't justify the prices. The tees, fairways, and greens were erratic and the bunkers were unplayable, being mostly rock and having little sand. This is another Troon golf disappointment where I expected better. It is relatively short, however there are many elevated tees making 2nd shots more difficult. The gas carts were definitely on their last legs. Glad I played it but doubt I would play it again unless it underwent a serious upgrade.

Every time I come to VT, I stay at the Norman Rockwell home, and I golf at the Equinox. It's an absolutely amazing experience, so much history and beauty here. The course is very well taken care of, and the staff is ultra friendly!! Pace of play was perfect, my wife and I are here for our honeymoon, and they allowed her to join as a spectator for no extra fee, we had a blast!! I had a nice round shooting 80, though I plan to play one more round before I leave.. I must shoot par!! Also if you get a chance, the Marsh Tavern is quite good as well if you work up a hunger after play!! All in all, if you golf, and you haven't played here, you must, an absolutely wonderful course..

This is always one of my favorite course to play year in year out but this year is the worst I have seen the greens I know the winter was bad but summer is almost over and the greens are not up to standard overall it is still a good course I do recommend it just wish they would pay more attention on the greens.

THE HEAD PRO WAS ALSO HEAD PRO AT WINGED FOOT. A WOMAN ( Joan ) excellent. Expensive but worth it.

We had played Equinox last fall and thought it was in excellent condition. However, this time we found many of the greens to be very rough and bumpy (a summer fungus perhaps?), and some of the sand traps were in quite poor condition - not something you expect from a Troon-managed course. Nonetheless, the holes are interesting and the views, especially on the back nine, are fabulous!

very nice course well groomed. tough around the holes with many sand traps but beautifully laid out.

The course was fun to play and very challenging. However, my husband and I were not happy that as we were about to tee off they put another couple with us without even asking. The starter informed us that they would be joining us. As we arrived early, we observed that there were several twosomes that teed off before us so they definitely allow twosomes to play. The starter knew we were waiting around and we should have been asked if we minded.

The Golf Club @ Equinox had been on my must play list for many years but living in the Albany , N.Y area
where there is a over a dozen good courses under $50.00 kept me from driving the 90 minutes and spending considerably more. Golfnow made it worth the trip. I am now sorry that I waited so long. The classic layout reminded me of the Sagamore which is tucked in the Adirondacks overlooking Lake George. Like The Sagamore Equinox is shaped gracefully into the natural terrain not bulldozed into a manmade creation. And nature did well. Unlike the Sagamore the views from every hole are spectacular. The Green Mountains of Vermont seam to surround you . I played the middle tees, my wife the forward . I'm a 12, my wife a 20.
The front has some shortish par 4's which allow you shot pretty well if your hitting the well. Then the back throws a few 400 yarders at you that can be quite the test. 18 is awesome, 395 slight dogleg right to left increasingly uphill all the way. The huge oak(?) on the corner creates a great risk reward shot from the tee. I managed to get over the right side of the tree landing in the center of the fairway with my best drive of the day ( usually about a 250 poke) only to find I still had an uphill shot of 177 to the hole. Bunkered it,
took a bogey which I was fine with. Shot an 83
which I was quite happy with. Now the Golf Course @ Equinox has become a must play again course and soon.

Nicely maintained, mature course with fantastic views of the Green Mtns. I'm sure this will vary, but I played 18 in a little over three hours. Only one knock, and this would not be an issue once you become familiar with the course, but the three different tee markers are all identical. You have to find all three markers before you are sure you are teeing from the correct one.

Wonderful course! Magnificent views, really can't get any better.

We greatly enjoyed ourselves as always at Equinox. I thought I should note that 2 or 3 greens had some major problems (perhaps damage from the harsh winter). But at the retail price of this course in Summer I think they need to fix the greens with severe issues.

Although some of the greens were suffering from winter kill, the overall playing conditions were very good. The value was very good using golf now, it cut the cost of playing more than 50%. I payed $49 vs. guest price of $99.

Great facility greens in very poor condition rest of course excellent friendly staff mountain views on every hole

Greens not in very good shape, bunkers full of rocks and gravel, not sand. Great views, fun holes. 3.5/5 stars

Great round! Too bad it was not a great day, drizzled through out round. Only negative is the greens were not in the best shape..but that was because of the tough N.E. winter weather..I expect they will improve this summer.

Not bad for early season golfing. Greens were fast but need water and sun.....got stuck behind embers who were slow and never offered us the option to play through....horrible etiquette on a course with such high membership fees. You would think the rich know better. Other than that tee boxes and greens need love in a big way....but it's early season and expected.

Disclaimer!: I played late in the year, so it was probably pretty close to closing for the season. I'm definitely taking that into consideration, so I don't feel like I had unrealistic expectations.

THE GOOD
Fantastic views of the surrounding area, especially on Hole 14 which is at the highest point on the course. Take a camera! Many of the holes on the Back 9 have lots of elevation changes.
For late in the season, the course was in pretty good condition. The greens weren't slick, but they held good lines, so I couldn't complain at all.
The fairways were also in good condition but had a high number of unfilled divots. Once again, understandable if the course is close to closing for the season.

THE BAD
The GoflNow rates were $105 or $65 for a Hot Deal. The Hot Deal price would be at the upper end of what I'd want to pay for the quality of the course. It's probably closer to fall/shoulder season prices when the course is in nicer shape.
There weren't any rakes for the bunkers, so a few times, I had to use my foot to do my best raking with my shoe!

THE UGLY
The biggest black eye to this place is that there's NO DRIVING RANGE! That makes it really tough to hit the opening teeshot on Hole 1 (fortunately, it's a short Par 4 where you can hit iron/hybrid off the tee).
The cartpaths were mostly gravel and had a lot of washouts. I would expect a higher standard from a Troon/resort course.
The carts were gasoline and the governer set to 2mph (I might be able to push my clicgear cart faster!).

This Troon course in Southwest Vermont was a perfect birthday gift.
In true Vermont fashion, this course flows with the land. Every hole gives you majestic views of the mountains surrounding Manchester Village.
The staff was helpful & professional.
The course. The reasons you go to this course are the community, the staff, the views. The reasons you come back; well I'll give you 18 of them. From start to finish, she'll be nice. Then she won't. Fantastic challenge of a course built into and with the land. Some holes from Tee to Flag its 3/4 shots then on to the next. Next thing you know its a blind tee shot or a 2nd shot on a 5 that crosses a road, uphill.
I'll be back. Hope to see ya there.

On a gorgeous November afternoon, we had the course to ourselves. The entire track was nearly leaf-free, the course was in great shape, except for a few of the bunkers, and the layout offers all the challenge you need and then some.

The course played well, especially for early November. Pace of play was good even after a huge rain storm the day before.