Loudon Country Club

some of the nicest greens you'll play> very challenging to hit into

Went up to visit a buddy who lives in the area and we decided to play this course. I have played Stonebridge and Canterbury along with a couple of others and this course did not disappoint. Very friendly staff, good food (chicken salad on the turn) and just a solid course. Greens weren't incredibly receptive buy they rolled true. Fairways and tee boxes were in solid condition considering the weather lately. Great layout with elevation and tricky dog legs. Its no Stonebridge or Canterbury, but it also didn't cost as much, which isn't the norm where I'm from. Only complaint was finding the next hole got a little sketchy on a few holes. Arrows would have been nice, especially since most tee boxes weren't far from the previous greens on most holes. I hope to play again soon.

I have driven past this course many times to the Lake. I then learned it is 16th on the local 600 courses . Played 18 in just at 4 hours. There is definitely some target holes and some challenging par 5’s. I will definitely keep this in my rotation of courses to play.

Loudon Country Club, a mile or so down the road from the sprawling stands of the New Hampshire Speedway, stands itself as one of the best public golf courses I’ve played in New Hampshire, a state that boasts, especially for its size, many fine layouts.

LAYOUT, HAZARDS & DEFENSES

Designed by Richard Perrier and opened in 1994, this par-72 track stretches to 6,232 yards, with three par-4s exceeding 400 yards and three under 350 yards, while every one of the par-3s falls within the short to moderate range. But because this is a relatively short course, compensations to increase difficulty are more than adequately built in, and the slope is a respectable 128 from the deep tees.

The two most prominent defenses may be the heavily rolling terrain, which is full of bumps and hills, side slopes and hillocks. Half of the fairways move upward, half down–to varying degrees. About a third of the holes are doglegs or bend a bit. Every par-5 features tightening or angular fairways, mostly designed to put pressure on the second shot. There are also four sizable ponds that come into play on seven holes, a few deep falloffs around or behind greens, and a few holes where single trees–or stands of them–are placed in the fairways or pinch them in somewhat. Bunkering, however, is comparatively light, with greenside bunkers appearing near half of the putting surfaces, and with few fairway bunkers. But the greens themselves more than compensate: about a third are strongly canted–a source, maybe, of putting grief. And a few use the old Donald Ross trick of sloping away from the player’s incoming approach shot, meaning they run downhill enough from their front edges to effectively make them harder to hold. I found this out a few times, ending up on the back fringes. Par, then, is ably defended here on every hole.

BEST HOLES:
Loudon features many excellent holes, so I’ll focus on some that I thought were best among them.

Par-3s: The second hole (203) and the seventeenth (164).
Playing straight uphill to a green set upon a plateau, the second is no easy target when you have a long club in your hands. Three-putting, the green, on the other hand, is quite easy. The striking seventeenth demands a solid mid-iron over a pond, but there’s enough room before the green to miss somewhat short.

Short Par-4s: Fifth (303); Sixth (359).
They are opposites in most ways. Five’s fairway climbs a steep hill to the most awkwardly pitched green on the course, with deep falloffs behind and left. Merely two-putting the green from inside 20 feet will challenge you. From the sixth tee, the fairway plummets drastically. Enjoy the terrific vista into the faraway hills before you tee off. The tee shot is not greatly problematic, but the approach over a pond must be spot-on.

The 12th, par 4, 368.
Short but stealthy, and ready to pick your pocket on any given shot from tee to cup. With its fairway smoothly curving left to right, your instinct is to drive down the left side, but there, some 100 yards from the green, a large tree awaits, situated in the left third of the fairway. You may try to drive past the tree, but this is somewhat risky, because the rough narrows down drastically within 100 yards of the green and slides off into the woods. Stuck anywhere behind the tree, your approach shot may well be a punch, a tricky proposition. The green itself runs away from the fairway, canting left to right as well. A top-notch golf hole.

11th, par-5, 497.
It’s 497 indeed, but plays about 530, moving straight uphill on the tee-shot to a bumpy and rolling fairway. To complicate matters, a huge mound on the right side is to be avoided on the second, and the narrowing fairway puts a premium on accuracy. This should be a three-shotter for all but the very bold player.

CONDITIONING:
Despite the dry conditions, the course was in very good shape, with excellent greens (and their surrounds), along with good fairways, roughs and tees. Well-cared-for bunkers were also impressive.

PLAYING EXPERIENCE:
Matching the course layout, the experience of playing it was equally first-rate. The pro, Ian, proved to be friendly, flexible, and polite in every respect. I coincidentally met and joined up with a member named Bruce for the last ten holes, along with his friend Charlie who met us for the final nine, which happened to start on the first. This was the most interesting group I’ve had the good fortune to be part of in 2022, and I thanked both of them for being great resources (they both happen to be good golfers) about how, strategically, to play the front side–by far the more tricky of the two nines. Charlie is a gifted athlete and easily the best player I’ve ever seen for his age group. He was also very funny, the king of one-liners. Bruce, who came back to playing the game some five or six years ago, is an able player who is extremely personable and has a terrific sense of humor, along with a wide general knowledge of golf and his own domain in the business world. It was quite the day of golf with these two playing partners!

SOME CONCLUSIONS:
It was easy to see why Loudon Country Club has earned its strong reputation and has been a frequent selection as a “Golfer’s Choice” in the state of New Hampshire. In truth, I was bowled over by the layout and its conditioning, the clubhouse environment and service, and above all the friendliness of those I met here. It’s hardly hyperbole to say that I can’t recommend this terrific venue enough.

The course layout is challenging and fantastic and fun. It is one of my favorites in New Hampshire. My only gripe is that the tee boxes need to be completely leveled on every hole, and the green on number two needs to be more forgiving.

Great course and the best deal in New Hampshire on golf now, really great staff, got invited to play in a scramble even. Greens are always amazing fairways are decent too. Only bad part is the sand, too many rocks but other then that it’s the best value around.

Went with a friend of mine, walked the 18 holes. Very nice course, challenging for the occasional golfer. Lots of fun, the staff was friendly and helpful.

My Wife and I play in a Florida country club all winter and come home to New England in the summer and play off GolfNow throughout the summer. We found a Deal of the day and played Loudon for the first time. We received a great $39.99 rate for 18 holes including a cart on a Sunday on 4th of July weekend. Wow. What a deal. The course is beautiful. You could tell it was a holiday weekend because the course rough was long and sometimes made it hard to locate your ball. The course is Not overly long which was perfect. The greens were really nice and ran excellent making putting perfect. The guy in the pro shop was very nice and helpful giving his local knowledge on the course which was really helpful. All in all a terrific day of golf on a sunny day and we will definitely return to this course. Looking forward to playing a day at Loudon after the course is cut by the grounds crew

I don’t review courses often, and I don’t mean to convey a completely negative opinion of the course. I have played this course for over ten years. That being said, for the green fee being what they are the conditions are very poor. Many tee boxes are out of level, lumpy and poorly managed. Fairways are mowed well but sometimes feels like I’m hitting off concrete. Greens are decent but often brown and covered in debris from surrounding trees. Most employees in my experience have been great but the owners/management have never been friendly. Worth playing at least once but with all the other courses in the area I wouldn’t choose to play here again.