Green at Tunxis Country Club

Think rough and the greens were a tad slow. Other than that, I really like the course. Pace was fantastic. Foursome in just over 3 1/2 hours.

Course was in excellent shape, well worth the price but a little short but excellent.

Round could’ve gone a lot better if they had some water on the course . considering it was a busy Saturday and 90+ degrees. Only saw the cart girl once and not until the 16th hole.

no drinking water on course - they can afford it -

Fun time, good facility and friendly and professional staff.

This is a popular course around here and it’s easy to see why it’s well maintained and relatively cheap. Greens can be fast

Perfect weather. Greens were slower then normal.
Over all a great day.

Paid for 18 holes with a cart. It was my day off and was looking for a nice relaxing round. It has rained heavily the night before, but with a 12pm tee time there shouldn't have been an issue. Was told they weren't letting carts out and we would have to walk. I would have played elsewhere if that was the case. The bothersome part is that had a big tournament on their other course and they were letting all those participant's use carts. To make matters worse, we ended up getting passed out by people in carts by the time we got on the back 9. Apparently they decided to let carts out after all.

Enjoyed the course but were not informed of two tournaments being played. Really slowed it down to such a point we got caught in the rain and had to quit

Spread over a broad expanse of river valley acreage that is devoted to three separate golf courses, Tunxis has earned repute as a Connecticut golfing destination over decades. The Green Course, last of the three to be completed some twenty-eight years ago, is a hybrid parkland/links-styled creation that for me checks all the boxes as a good test. Foremost among them are balance, fairness, and a variety in hole design. Today, the Green impressed, as well, by its improved conditioning, returning to form through the groundskeeping staff’s close attention to–especially–fairways, roughs, and green surrounds.

LAYOUT:
Tunxis begins with a couple of straightforward holes, although the par-5 second is long (#1 handicap index) and punctuated by a raised green protected by big bunkers. At three, you’ll contend a big, leftward pond off the tee; at four, a dogleg left that finishes at a raised, canted green. Nearly every hole from five through ten, however, has some panache, a style inspired less by American parkland design than the central features of British Isles golf: falloffs or large mounds around the greens, hidden bunkers, subtly twisting fairways, greater movement on the putting surfaces, and a generally open feel to the holes, which are less constricted by trees. The openness allows some distant views across the river valley to the hills beyond.

Holes eleven through thirteen are fairly ‘vanilla’ if not quite relaxing. At fourteen, a tricky dogleg right makes for a tough drive, followed by an equally tough approach over a pond and into a bunkered, two-tiered green.

The Green’s last four holes are among its most stirring. A short par-4, the fifteenth nonetheless demands a careful layup to a tight fairway surrounded by bunkers and water, followed by a pitch over the pond. At the long 424-yard sixteenth (number two index) you’ll want to cut loose with your driver, but the strike must be accurate. The 531-yard 17th, which invites you to thrash another driver, and, on its heels, a go-for-broke approach, is reachable because the green is open in front. Eighteen, a beautiful par-3 of 210 but jam-packed with danger around its green, will make you work to finish the round admirably.

DEFENSES & HAZARDS
To be sure, Tunxis is an uncharacteristically flat New England layout, but it compensates by a relatively long holes that comprise this par-70 layout of 6,446 yards from blues, a layout made harder by its diverse, seldom-flat green complexes and the numerous hazards, including plentiful bunkering and ponds in play on five holes. Another compensation is the set of four long par-3’s, all beauties, which have something to do with its solid course rating of a half-stroke about its par. Most golfers, too, will find their line of play blocked by a tree, once or more, before the round is done.

SOME STANDOUT HOLES:
FIVE: Par-3, 205.
Your ball must fly over a thickly vegetated hollow onto a raised green, which is most strongly defended on its left flank (hidden bunker) and behind.

SIX: Par 4, 440 (no. 3 index)
The best par-4 among many strong ones on the Green Course, requiring two strong and accurate shots to reach the surface in two.

SEVEN: Par-4, 362
Dogleg-right makes for a tricky tee shot. Around most of the green: tall, amphitheater-like mounding which swallows golf balls.

TEN: Par 4, 365
Good driving test; approach to a raised green that is beautifully contoured. Short, yet hardly an easy par.

PACE:
Slow, four and ½ hour pace was unnecessary: no rangers.

PLAYING EXPERIENCE:
I was pleased to have paired up with a very pleasant young couple from Middletown, one of whom was along for the ride; we shared interesting conversation throughout the eighteen. On days like this I am thankful that I have made golf my hobby, allowing me to spend an afternoon with people of this caliber. Enjoying their company was absolutely the highlight of my Memorial Day weekend.

BOTTOM LINE:
There are several good reasons that Tunxis has been ranked as high as the tenth best course in New England by GA (2015). I’ve always found this kind of balanced layout to be the touchstone of a fine golf course.

I like the layout, easier and open. I found the rough very fair, greens in OK shape for the Season, wish the fairways were a little more lush. If you get it on a Hot Deal, well worth the money.

The Green course is a quiet, flat, scenic course to walk. It is well maintained, but overpriced considering other comparable courses, like Timberlin and Stanley, in the area ($33-41). The layout is a little confusing, if you haven't played before. They could use more signage indicating where to find the next tee box at some points. Greens were slow and choppy- but still growing in since irrigation a couple weeks prior.

Course is ok condition.... Pace of play good... nice layout and somewhat challenging.... Only real issue I have is checking in,,,, ALWAYS on the weekend only one person checking players in and line is out the door and takes FOREVER.... there either needs to be another person checking people in or a quicker way.... Also they do use Mobile check in with Golf Now which would help but the online fee is for walking and when you do mobile checkin you can't add the cart fee so you need to go through check in anyway ... either have the cart fee in golf now reservation or have a way to add cart fee when you check in