Portland Golf Course

Course was crisp, dust and rock hard. To many bare spots and slow greens.

Overall good experience except for a few layout quirks on the back 9. Pretty challenging due to the tree lined fairways but overall great .

INWARD NINE REVIEW (see outward from 10/29)
I played this back nine on a very cool but windless afternoon in the last hour or so before dusk, and walked back to my car in near darkness. My experience was a fine one here at Portland Golf Course.

Scotland is once again the country of inspiration for Cornish and Robinson at Portland GC—a choice in building golf courses, as Cornish wrote in “The Golf Course” (1988), that comprises part of his philosophy. The ground movement of this layout somewhat reminds me, in fact, of a similarly rolling, hilly seaside links located near St. Andrews, called Lundin, which I played last summer. Lundin is quite a bit more open, as it winds through the dunes, but it does have a more pronouncedly hilly section that moves up through woodlands for a few holes. Both courses, Lundin and Portland, are ceaselessly amusing—but also challenging—by their clever variety and by an excellent mix of golfing perks. These include some dramatic elevation changes and angular movement throughout, a few blind shots, artfully positioned greens, and no shortage of well-built and varied bunkers, especially around the putting surfaces.

FAVORITE HOLES: A pair of inventive and strategic holes, both moving down and then up, were the most engrossing to play on this inward half. TWELVE: A 250 to 270 yard tee shot (from the blues) will be required to reach the optimal and flat part of the landing zone for an attacking second shot into the green. Big hitters may go for this green in two, but they’ll need to hit a long, pronounced fade into the green, which departs from a direct line of sight and angle from the far-away landing zone. Most golfers, who’ll play this as a three-shotter, must contend with a well-placed tree, intrusively blocking the fairway’s left side, on their second shots. The ideal play is to draw the ball around the tree, positioning the ball for an approach that opens up the green (on the fairway’s left side). The architects have clearly imagined a hole for all levels of players at twelve. The green is also carefully angled at 45 degrees from the fairway, placing further demands on your iron game. Artful design. THIRTEEN: A back-to-back hole that moves downhill on the tee-shot, then back uphill. The landing zone, which sits at a slight angle from the tee on this left-to-right dogleg, will demand a perfectly-hit fade from the tee box. Hitting from the blue tee, I had to be careful not to hit through the fairway’s bend, for at about 250 yards on that direct line, a pond lies in wait for the unwary—it is blind from the tee. Given that you’ve reached the fairway’s bend, the second will be a straight shot directly up the hill to a deep, contoured green sided by a bunker to the left and backed by another.

TOUGH 4-PAR’s: Beside the thirteenth, three more tough par-4’s can put dents in your scorecard. FIFTEEN: This straightaway driving hole of 371 yards has a broad enough fairway, but a tricky, angular green, conspiring with its pair of large frontal/right bunkers, will make your second shot a toughie. The oval green’s centerline is again angled at 45 degrees from the line of approach. EIGHTEEN: Falling just shy of 400 yards, 18 will play even longer than that for most golfers because they won’t carry, quite likely, the pair of ‘Spectacle’ bunkers (much resembling the famous pair at Carnoustie) that dominate the landing zone. In my case, a 242-yard carry is required to fly these massive traps, set a mere 12 yards apart. Each is about 20 yards long by 12 yards wide. And they angle upward a bit to catch those shots that fall just shy of long enough. Moreover, it is extremely difficult to drive to the side of these spectacle bunkers and land safely. Your approach shot at 18 must cross a large swale on its way to the green, well-bunkered and perched a bit above the last stretch of fairway. ELEVEN: An architectural connoisseur’s hole. Straightaway and short but heavily tree-lined, this uphill hole features a drastically tightening fairway (it becomes pencil-thin) into the green. A perfectly placed drive on the fairway’s right-hand side will open up the narrow green sited on the hilltop. We must guard against going left on this hole from tee to green, as deep drop-offs shall make us pay dearly. The hole is tantalizing but devilish. Fortunately, the final 4-par on this backside is much tamer and shorter at 325 yards and will play as a drive-and-pitch affair for most. It does dogleg, and at its bend is a massive bunker that threatens those who want to short-cut the drive. The green itself is bunker-less but beautifully contoured and slightly raised to reject less-than-excellent approaches, which should come in, ideally, from the fairway’s right, not left, side.

SIXTEEN, THE ‘OTHER’ PAR-FIVE: Hardly a clinker, this gently arcing hole may be a two-shooter, and far more so at 494 yards, though the driving zone is dangerous with a deep left-side falloff. Its fairway features rolling terrain with a pronounced knob in the left-side landing zone, and a small dale thereafter, from which many will hit the second. The well-bunkered green opens in front, but it’s a mere 12 yards in width.

SOLID THREE-PARS: Cornish/Robinson did not set out to build monsters here, so much as conventionally good, mid-range holes that will challenge the precision of one’s mid-iron (or, contemporarily, hybrid) game. SEVENTEEN: The penultimate hole lacks pizzazz, but it does have three yawning and deep bunkers, all greenside, that will punish errant shots coming in from 190 yards. FOURTEEN: Ten yards longer, this hole opens up in front, but its left-side bunker begs for a draw into this green, which is set of a 15-20 degree angle from the tee boxes. You are given a bit of room to roll a short-flying approach onto the carpet, but you’ll need help from a proper bounce. Semi-blind from the tee, the elegant green complex—and green itself—are among the most beautiful at Portland.

BEMOANING BLIND SHOTS: Yes, reviewers have whined about blind shots at Portland, as there are a few here. The great Tommy Armour is famously quoted on the subject as such: “There is no such thing as a blind shot to a man with a memory.” Armour seems to suggest that we simply ‘Cowboy up.’ I agree.

CONDITIONING: First-rate in nearly every respect. The greens are still essentially perfect in late November, which seems a genuine feat. Some of the rough areas were a bit patchy, but again: it is nearly winter. To expound just a bit, I’m sure the reason behind the standards set here have to do with what one of the owners, Mrs. Laurie Kelley, told me today. To paraphrase, their mission statement is to provide ‘country club’ conditioning to a course that receives much heavier play, throughout the year, than a typical private golf club. By the dint of both superior effort and application, it seems to me that they’ve more than achieved it (no public course I’ve played in the state tops Portland GC).

IN SUM: The back nine and front nine at Portland are balanced and basically equivalent in quality. I can’t pick a better short course (6,184, blues) to play in Connecticut if your objective is a serious golf match that will also be fully entertaining. Given that the course’s tee sheet was almost totally full throughout the next (cool, late-November) day after I played here, I would say a strong number of other golfers agree with me.

Author’s Note: I received no compensation for writing this review from either this website (GA) or the golf course. The incentive refers to entry into a sweepstakes.

FRONT NINE REVIEW
Simply put, Portland offers up a first-rate parkland layout. Virtually every desirable element shows up on the outward nine: there are plenty of bunkers; winding fairways and clever doglegs; varied routing emphasizing tough green complexes; a tumbling landscape comprised of large hills. It is, perhaps, the latter that supplies the most interest to the experience of playing here.

No water hazards appear on the front—they aren’t necessary, anyway. Since shotmaking is the prime weapon for scoring on these splendidly shaped holes, Portland dishes out more than enough challenge for the vast majority of golfers. Consider, too, that the mature trees, intrusive greenside traps, and strongly contoured putting surfaces are all ‘hazardous’ enough.

Portland has improved markedly since the last time I played here (some years ago) in its conditioning. The average tees, fairways and rough that were once characteristic have been upgraded dramatically with meticulous attention to detail. Astonishingly so for a daily-fee public course, Portland is somewhat reminiscent of TPC River Highlands, if not quite so exceptional. It boasts smooth and unblemished fairways and greens, level and nearly immaculate tee boxes, consistent rough, and greenside fringes so manicured and consistent they almost look artificial. The best conditions I’ve encountered in the past year were at an upscale Florida private club—The Legacy in southeastern Florida—and Blackledge (Anderson’s Glen) in Hebron. Portland’s conditioning does not take a backseat to either.

COMMENTS:
--DEMANDING START. Holes one through four are all about rigor. A 405-yard par-4 opener is played to a tight fairway, which drops down dramatically to a gracefully sloping green, making for a tough two-shotter. This green does allow run-up shots from the extreme left-side of its wide expanse: a large bunker guards the center of this forcefully contoured putting surface. We reverse course at the upward-moving, par-5 second, a long uphill hole that should appeal to the adventurous. This 505-yard bruiser features a serpentine fairway bisected in the landing zone by a lone, tall tree—around which some shots may have to be curved. Another shot-maker’s special occurs on the approach (for big hitters) because a trio of bunkers protects the green. For most, however, this hole is a three-shotter, but your wedge will have to be precisely struck to get close on this green’s curving surface.

The third hole demands a tee shot down the left side for the best angle into this green, as the fairway doglegs to the left and then crosses a swale. This is a hard hole to classify, but it may well be the best one on the entire course. The fourth—no picnic either—is a rock solid par-three, moving 183 yards steeply uphill to a green well-protected by a right-sided bunker, with a tall lip that will punish miscues aimed for the wider back portion of the putting surface.

--BIRDIE OPPORTUNITIES: Holes five and six, both shorter par-3’s, can be approached on your second shots with wedges or short irons. Positioning yourself to hit these shots, however, takes some care. Because approach shots typically must fly into well-protected, cleverly contoured greens in both cases, these are still not routine par holes, as small errors are often punished.

--FINISH: Another tough driving hole wreaks some havoc at seven, having, as it does, a prominent fairway-splitting obstacle, this time in the form of double trees (sounds like a hotel chain). The approach shot—to a green perched on a hill—is no less rigorous. Tee-to-green, this hole presents the front’s most difficult test. Eight is a bit less stringent, but the 150-yard uphill par-3 can be brutal if missed: it is sided on its right flank with a very deep clover-leaf bunker measuring 32-yards long. Good drives at the ninth may often set up a wedge/one-putt combination. The drive at nine must be well aimed and struck to hit a tight (30-yard-wide) fairway and evade the prominent right-side hazards, which may thwart your best-laid plans.

GENERAL: Though some of these holes play long because they run uphill, none of them are enormous. The third and seventh are severe tests, to be sure, as longer and quite rigorous par-fours. Both require patience and are generally intolerant to over-aggressive play. The other factor abets lower scoring is accurate approach shots that wind up at close quarters to the pins; they are crucial at Portland. Hitting the greens frequently will doubtless help your cause, but leave yourself with too many long putts and you’ll pay a price. Likewise, relying too heavily upon your up-and-down game around these greens may yield small dividends. The course is a Geoffrey Cornish and William Robinson product, circa 1974, and I would classify it as one of the duo’s best creations that fall under the category of “shortish,” for lack of a better term. Its length, though, should be seen as a benefit: it is accessible to a wide range of players. On the day I played here last week, I was fortunate to have met the two owners, Laurie and John, both of whom were exceptionally friendly and accommodating in every respect.

BEST HOLE: The first is among the best opening holes in Connecticut. From the hilltop, where most drives land on the fairway, the green below appears tantalizing, but miss the dance floor even slightly on the approach and you’ll be fighting tough greenside contours, as well as a heavily sloping putting surface, to get up and down.

IN SUM: Dollar for dollar, this is among the best golfing values I have found this year. It is high quality golf; it is exciting; its environs are beautiful.

Having played this ever-elusive game in eight states—including Pennsylvania, Hawaii, and Florida—over that span, I would suggest this qualifies as high praise, indeed. Blaze a trail to Portland and play it.

Great value for twilight but don't expect to play quickly. Pace of play is horrible due to several leagues (Monday - Friday).

I’ve had the pleasure of playing Portland Golf Course again today, Thursday DECEMBER 20th!!

The course was in amazing shape! The greens were A+, albeit really fast—probably due to the frozen tundra. Bunkers were in fall/winter shape as expected.

Fairways were awesome, again — Mother Nature played a major role in some of our awesomely LONG drives. I was actually pin high on a par 4 today thanks to a fortuitous bounce off the fore mentioned frozen tundra.

The staff is incredibly warm and welcoming. The gentleman with the beard, sorry I didn’t get his name, was a pleasure to interact with.

I plan on playing this course OFTEN in 2019!! Suggest you do as well‼️

Portland continues to present a beautifully maintained golf course in spite of all the heavy rain. Greens were amazing! (And challenging). Fairways were playable. Leaf control was spot on. Staff was very cordial.
I plan on playing a lot of winter golf here!!

Under the circumstances… Great! We’ve gotten so much rain that I was very impressed with the course. Great job!

Arrived on time to find out my tee time was in the middle of a golf tournament. Curious as to why they would offer one that way. Play was slow due to tournament players in front of us. Recently aerated greens were bumpy, slow, and had damaged areas.

This was a really hard course for me. I’m a 20 handicap or but it was a good challenge. The greens were aerated so it made it hard putting and some of the fairways were a little rough and bumpy for the carts but overall a good course

Very disappointing...this course was in very poor condition. Numerous areas in the fairways were roped off with major damage to the grass. The remaining areas had whatever grass there was scalped down to a tenth of an inch. Large areas of hardpan with absolutely no grass. On top of this, they decided to aerate all of the greens without any notification on Golfnow. When I asked the person in the pro shop as to why they were allowing play with all of the equipment on the course, he said it was a "Business decision". I won't be back.

This golf course has some of the best greens you will play in the state. The condition of the rest of the course is very good as well with a nice restaurant to grab a beer or bite to eat after your round. I would recommend this course to all! Great work to the staff of PGC!

My advice?  Skip this course. There are much more enjoyable courses very close nearby.

I'm never going to play Portland GC again. 

First of all, the course design is stupid.  If you love NOT knowing where to aim and NOT seeing your ball come down, and endlessly searching for the ball on every hole ... Then you'll love this course.

BUT That's NOT EVEN THE WORST PART!   There are no aiming guides and nonexistent or hidden markers!!  For crying out loud, buy some 4x4's and white paint.  Or at least some 1x1 stakes in the fairway.

Today they put the wrong colored flag on #8 Par 3 today.  GREAT PRANK, guys.  I went up one full club for the hill, struck the ball perfectly, right at the flag, and came down short, in the sand trap.   They had a white flag when the hole was cut in the back right portion of the green. 

And who aerates their greens in JULY ?!?

All the greens were punched with an array of holes -- but apparently, Management doesn't consider this to be "aeration".  

When I booked the round, the course gave NO warning about this "mini-aeration" AND when I complained to "the tee-time reservation service" THE COURSE TOLD them that THERE ARE NO HOLES IN THE GREENS.  I should have taken pictures ...

It was SO AGONIZINGLY PAINFUL playing this course that AFTER ONLY 8 HOLES, I took my bag down off the cart and WALKED BACK TO MY CAR and left.

Now, yes, the grass is lush because they get so much rain in this part of the state.

But it is a miserable experience playing here.

Course was in IMMACULATE shape. A few minor issues. One is there are a ton of blind tee shots where I swore the ball would be in the middle of fairway only to notice some fairways are 10 yards wide at popular landing spots twisting into the rough. Guess you need to play a few rounds to become familiar with alternative approaches for birdies and pars. The second was that the maintenance crew seemed to follow me for 8 holes (not cool). Otherwise I was happy to play here and only regret not living in the area as the membership prices are 1/3 that of my hometown with a better layout! Any hoo, hopefull to be back!

Played on an extremely humid day that happily for me, seems to have kept everyone else away. A member joined me to play one and two to finish his round. Other than that, I was alone. A lovely course in wonderful shape, with immaculate greens. Not long but very enjoyable. Highly recommended.

Played today 7/20/18 - greens & fairways very lush. Course requires you to use all of your clubs. Very fair layout