Fox Hopyard is a semi private course on my top 3 list. The Roger Rulewich designed course is in East Haddam which is about 20 minutes inland from Old Lyme. The entrance takes you in along side their 5 acre pond with a glimpse of the 18th green. A classic New England style clubhouse sits atop a 30ft rock ledge over looking the 9th/18th greens and the range. Wedged between holes 9 and 18 is the best range in the state which is enclosed by dense fescue lined hills. The fox starts you out with the easiest par 4 all day. After that you will face a tricky uphill slanted par 4 then a tight uphill par 5 both requiring carries over wetlands. Hole 4 is a par 3 that drops 90 feet onto a huge green. With 7 tee boxes club selection is crucial as being long will leave you on a downhill slope  above a downhill sloped green- good luck. I suggest you lay up twice on the par 5 5th and then get aggressive with your tee shot on 6. With more hazards than fairway, hole 7 fits the 1 handicap perfectly. The 8th is a beautiful par 3 that is all carry over the lake onto a wide yet narrow green. Rounding out the front is a short 4 with a multi tiered green. After your hot dog at the turn its off to hole 10 which is almost identical to #1. 11 and 12 are both protected by wetlands in front of the green. Hole 15 is a long dogleg right par 5 that would challenge players on the tour. The 16th is a long par 3, keep it to the left and hope you get a nice kick onto the green. 17 sends you out, setting you up for the BEST hole in the state. The score card says 528 from the blues but if the tee box is up and you get a good roll on your drive it leaves you with a tough choice. Either way you will need a precise shot, as that large lake you saw coming in looks even bigger now.

FoxHop gets a 10 and I suggest checking out their sister course Crumpin Fox in Mass(very similiar but more difficult)

http://golfthefox.com/fox-hopyard/about/

• layout-10
• condition-9
• food- 9
• staff- 9

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