Monthly Archives: March 2014

Tashua Knolls Golf Club

Tashua is a very good muni located in Trumbull. With the perfect mix of tree lined fairways, hills, and water, Tashua is a classic New England style course. I will not g through every hole as there is a great hole by hole walk through with tips from their pro on http://www.tashuaknolls.com/knolls_18.php    My favorite hole there is the par 5 14th.

 

 

Tee times can be made on their site and good luck getting a weekend tee time before noon.  http://www.tashuaknolls.com/

Overall the course gets a 7 and if you only have time for nine after work the executive course there is more than sufficient to settle that craving. There is a range there to hit irons to warm up before your round. Residents of Trumbull are lucky to have this complex that contains a pool, tennis and basketball courts as well.

 

  • layout-7
  • condition-7
  • food-NA
  • staff- 6

 

Tallwood Country Club

Tallwood is a very mediocre course in Hebron. Located right next to Blackledge, this densely  wooded course requires you to be accurate off the tees. The course has plenty of water in all the wrong places, mostly  right in front of hard to reach greens or in 15’s case the whole way. Its not all that long of a track but that doesn;t mean its easy. Don’t get too excited if you make the turn at your all time low,  the back nine is par 37 and with plenty of water….buckle down.

 

 

Overall the course gets a 5.5 and is decent for the price. Decent driving range and practice area.

 

  • layout-6
  • condition-5
  • food-NA
  • staff- 6

 

Sunset Hill Golf Club

Sunset Hill is a short, somewhat hilly, nine hole course in Brookfield CT. The overall feel here is very laid back  and has many regulars. Hole #1 is long and with a tight chewed up fairway it plays very tough. If you include the elevation drop hole 3 is prob the shortest hole in the state. Not much more to talk about here…feel free to leave comments.

 

Tee times can only be made by calling  (203) 740-7800

 

Overall the course gets just a 4 and is for beginners only. I warmed up here before Candlewood but I wldnt recommend it as it may do more harm than good.

 

  • layout-4
  • condition-4
  • food-NA
  • staff- 8

 

Stonybrook Golf Course

Stonybrook is a nice nine hole course located in Litchfield. If it weren’t on a steeeep hill it would be the best nine hole course in the state. The layout is pretty short but has a good mix of straight away holes, slight doglegs and water hazards. As far as condition goes, its excellent especially for a nine hole track where you usually get more beginners that may not know basics(replace divots/ball marks etc).  #5 is the toughest hole there as you need to have the perfect tee shot to leave you with a good angle into the super elevated green. My favorite hole there is #8. Its not all that long but the fairway and green are small and protected by water.

The course has the same owner as Fairview Farms so I suggest playing both and having a great day.

Rating 7.5

  • layout-7
  • condition-8.5
  • food-NA
  • staff- 8

Southington Country Club

Southington CC is a par 71 18 hole course located in the apple valley town of Plantsville. Playing at only 6000yds the course has a rating of only 67/122. The course itself is a perfect rectangle and as seen from google maps looks like it belongs on a NYC block. With that said, they make use of every square inch of land and turn what you would think to be a tight course into a pretty good layout. The front nine goes back and forth, up and downhill for the most part. The back has some twists and turns and some water in play.

Tee times can be made on their website  http://www.southingtoncountryclub.com/teetimes.html

Overall it gets a weak 7 and I recommend playing it in the middle of a hot streak as you can go low and maybe set a new personal record here.

  • layout-7
  • condition-6.5
  • food- 8
  • staff- 8

Sterling Farms Golf Course

Sterling Farms is the better Stamford course and with the limited number in Fairfield County its often packed. Packed means usually one thing- slow play. The tight layout and lack of many hills make it an easy walk. Hole 1 should send you out with confidence as it plays only 337yds downhill and is the easiest hole there. Next up is my favorite hole there. The 500 yd par 5 has an elevated tee box but the green is well protected which makes your long second shot tough. Holes 3 and 4 are both very short but on #4 you will need to play it smart as its a sharp dogleg left. #5 is a very long tough par 3. AT 221 yds hope to be long and right and just make par. The par 5 6th is a short par 5 on the scorecard but plays way longer especially your second shot. Not a fan of the dogleg right handicap 1 hole #7. After aiming left on the uphill par 3 next, you get to close out the front 9 with a short straight away par 4.

The hardest hole at Sterling is the 232 yd par 3 17. The tee box is pretty tight but luckily the tree front left of the green went down in one of the storms.  18 is a very nice plain finishing hole. You should close your round just like you finished it with a birdie!

This course was the sought after place at 5 pm on weekdays while at UBS. With that said it was dirt cheap for residents only. Now because of lack of play like everywhere, they offer frequent play discount cards to non residents.

Tee times can be made on their site or GolfNow. They have a very nice 2 tier driving range here as well.

http://www.sterlingfarmsgc.com/

Overall I give it a weak 7.

  • layout-6.5
  • condition-7
  • food- 8
  • staff- 7

Spring Training

This past week I was on my annual Spring Training trip down South. This year I was joined by my best friend John Porzio. We flew into Atlanta, surprised my 2 nephews, had dinner with them, my brother and his wife then started our drive back home. First stop was Tanglewood in North Carolina(home of the 1974 PGA championship). Upon arriving there, we were greeted with about an inch of snow that delayed opening until 12pm. On the fly we decided to skip Tanglewood as we were on a tight schedule the next couple of days. Next stop was Primland resort in Meadows of Dan Virginia. This resort is ranked #21 in golf digest public course list and is now home to a Tavistock Cup team and consists of a lodge and a  very large hunting ground. After driving on a country road for about 20 mins you arrive at a gate and must buzz in. Once through the gate you have a 8 mile drive up the mountain on a very windy road that takes about 30 minutes; its worth it. The lodge,pic below, is stunning and has neverending views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Next stop was the Pete Dye River Course at Virginia Tech. This course runs along side of the New River, which is the oldest river in the country and the second oldest river in the world behind the Nile. Don’t ask me how they age rivers but I guess they do. The river is wide and runs fast, and I am sure is home to tons of wildlife in the Summer. We saw a mink on the course; first time I ever seen one of those. As far as the course goes, the holes feel repetitive and the greens are as small and tough as they come. Its a flat links style course and is one of the best college courses in the country.

The final stop on this short trip was Spring Creek in Gordonsville VA. Spring Creek is #58 on golf digest’s list and is deserving of that. They are in the middle of finishing a beautiful club house that will make this a top class country club. The pro there, Kevin Haney, no relation to Hank, was very accommodating and the members there are lucky to have him. The never flat fairways here make this course very tough .

Overall the trip was great but too short. I am thinking about doing another one this year; maybe Williamsburg or Ocean City. Stay tuned.

IMG-20140308-00508

Stanley Golf Course

Stanley is a 27 hole course located in New Britain. The course is a traditional, old New England layout with tree lined fairways, not much water, and not much length.

Holes 4 and 5 on the white nine are the toughest. They bend back and forth, raised greens and have plenty of water in between them. Hole 7 on the Blue 9 is my favorite.  A good drive should put you right in front of the mini river running across the fairway.

They have specials on their website  http://www.stanleygolf.com/

Overall it gets a weak 7 and has a nice range with some covered stalls to use if the weather is bad. Like always, if there are more than 18 play more than 18.

  • layout-7
  • condition-6
  • food- 8  great hot dog at the turn!!
  • staff- 8

Gear up at Golf Galaxy

As many of you, like myself, are heading South for spring training, make sure you stop into Golf Galaxy before you go. This chain superstore has EVERYTHING you need, including clubs, balls, shoes, clothes and now carrying the TW clothing line. All of this years clubs are now in store so stop in and take advantage of the best deals in the state. If you are looking for used clubs, they have plenty of those as well so stop in periodically to see the ever changing inventory. With that said make sure you bring your old clubs to trade in as well.

If you are shopping for new clubs have Mark Ashby or Ed “shaftman” Tayag  fit you for the perfect set.  They will have you hit many diff settings in one of the 2 simulators there. Cody’s sense of style will get you looking like a parking lot pro, and  Bill, Chris, Gary, and  Mary  will be happy to help with anything in the store.  GM Pat has done a great job with the store and keeping the above mentioned all in line ha.

If your thinking about lessons before your trip schedule a couple with PGA pro Mike Gramelis. His “classroom” is in the store so you will stay warm while he fine tunes your swing on the slowmo screen. He will give you tips to improve your game and work on during your trip.

I recommend  joining their advantage club as its free and provides great specials and earns in store credit. 10$ for every 300 you spend

  • Address: 1355 Boston Post Rd, Milford, CT 06460
    Phone:(203) 783-3028
    Overall the store gets a 10. Many golfers think they are on the tour and above chain stores. Golf Galaxy Milford has the expertise of a seasoned boutique with the supply and price of a box store.  Be sure to stop in soon!
    • layout-10
    • condition-10
    • food-  I wish
    • staff- 10