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Wintonbury is in great shape. Greens rolled true, fairways and rough alike were lush and green. Impressive given the lack of rain we've had the last month or two. They seem to be navigating Covid protocols well.

The Shark Experience, allowing you to play music from the cart is awesome.

$56 for a Saturday late morning tee time isn't bad. Pace of play was great for about 5 holes, then ground to a halt. Was more often in a 5-hour round pace than a 4-hour or less. That was really the only downside. Everything else was fantastic.

Course was in beautiful shape considering the lack of rain this summer. Some hardpan and dead grass spots here and there, but mostly a well-maintained course. Greens rolled true and the bunkers were in great shape. Carts ran well. The cost of $60 for an afternoon round is just a little higher than what you're getting, but didn't feel like robbery or anything. 9th hole stand only takes cash, wish they took cards somehow. Overall, a great day on a really nice course.

Minnechaug is what it is. It's a solid little 9-hold course to get your fix if you dont' have 4+ hours to carve out, or are playing with less experienced golfers.

In regards to Covid protocol, it was a little disappointing that they wouldn't let my wife ride in a cart with me, since we live together and all. I get the reasons behind it, safety first and all, and the course is particularly visible being off a main road and winding through an affluent neighborhood and all.

As for the course, it held water pretty well for having poured all day the day before. Greens rolled true, were mostly great, with some patchy spots here and there.

Pace of play was fine considering how many people were out there. We offered to let a single behind us play through, but they insisted on taking their time.

Value can't be beat. $20 for 9 holes and a cart on a weekend? Fantastic.

Another solid day at Minnechaug.

Pros: Super friendly staff, course is well-manicured, pace of play was fantastic.

There's really only one con. The layout is not really fun. Too many forced layups, random doglegs, impossible shots. #9 is a great example. We both hit great drives from the blue tees. Over 250+ yards and in the fairway. And are still left with 220, over water. On a par 4.

If you're a really long hitter, this course is probably great. We're not slouches, either. Low-to-mid teens handicaps, depending on the day.

That said, again, the staff were very welcoming, the conditions were wonderful for October, and I love that there are several pace of play reminder clocks on the course. Those should be on every course.

Had an extremely positive experience at this course. With GolfNow discount, the value was fantastic. Greens and fairways were in very good shape, and the staff was super friendly, honest, and knowledgable.

Only negatives were the layout really favors fades/slices versus right to left ball flights, and some of the cart paths are a little iffy. But overall I definitely would return at this price.

The positives: Pro shop staff was very polite and friendly. Greens were in decent shape and rolled true. Sadly, that’s about it.

There is virtually no difference between the fairway and rough. All crab grass. Tee boxes were in rough shape. I see they’ve cleared some trees on the back nine and lengthened it a bit which is nice, but overall just in very poor condition.

$30 for 18 and a cart felt like a bargain going in, but not so much coming out. If you’re just there to hack around and have some beers with friends, it’s serviceable. Otherwise, look elsewhere.

Let's start with the positive. For late morning on a Sunday, $32 is a really good price for 18 and a cart. The greens roll true, the front desk attendant was very nice, and the beer selection on tap at the clubhouse was a nice variety. Pace of play was average at about 4 hrs 15 mins on a busy Sunday morning/afternoon.

As for the negative, the cart was a disaster. No padding in the seat and the handling was awful. Made worse by the cart paths being not just non-sensical, but actually legitimately dangerous. Full of large, jagged rocks. The layout is questionable at best. I hit the ball long, but on #14, hitting driver/7-iron to get on a par five in 2 is a joke. #15 makes no sense at all. Seems like the kind of place that maybe was great in the 60's and 70's.

If you're a good enough player where course condition matters to you, I wouldn't play here. Great place for beginners or people who want a cheap 18.

While quite pricey normally, we found a great GolfNow deal for $50 during midday on a Sunday. The facility was outstanding, start to finish.

Pace of play was fantastic for the front nine, okay on the back. Anytime you finish in under 4 hours is a good time.

Conditions were good, greens rolled true. A little overwatered in some areas, but that's a small complaint. Course is challenging, but fair. A few too many blind shots made it a little tough on a first-timer. Found the par fives to be pretty easy (-2 altogether) for a longer hitter like me.

Food at the turn was prepared fresh and very quickly. Staff very friendly as well. I look forward to coming back someday.

Found a great GolfNow deal for Wintonbury, $37 for 18 holes on a Saturday at 5pm.

Course was well-maintained as always, place of play was good. Usually the wait time was only a minute or two on each tee if we didn't struggle on the previous hole.

Bunkers were in great shape, greens rolled very true. Pin placements were overall not too difficult. #13 was a really tough one, but none were unfair.

Staff was great in helping me locate a wedge I left behind on the course.

The one criticism I have is that the carts are way too over-sensitive in regards to the auto-shutdown program near rough and off-limits areas. One time it warned us to get back to the fairway while we were still IN the fairway.

But other than that, another fantastic round at Wintonbury. One of the best and most accessible courses in CT, IMO.

Course in okay shape, really liked the greens. Rolled slow, but true. Tee boxes and fairways were pretty good. A little more hardpan in the rough than I'd like to see, but good for distance.

The one problem was pace of play. The way the first couple holes are set up (Short Par 4, Driveable Par 4, Dogleg Par 4) lends itself to a logjam. The problem was compounded by the groups in front of us merging into a six-some. I had read about this in earlier reviews but apparently management turns a blind eye to this? Because it happened to us as well.

If you stay out of bounds, it's not a tough course. Good for all skill levels. The pro was very nice when I arrived, giving me advice on the greens and sending our group off quickly.

19th hole staff was very nice too. Liked the $1 mini Coors Lights.

Pros: Pace of play was fantastic. Anytime a round is under 4 hours despite a foursome in front of you, that's a great speed. The staff were also very friendly and welcoming.

Cons: The condition of the course is flat-out bad. Diseased fairways and greens, uneven tee boxes, lots of weeds in the rough. Very overpriced for the condition of the course.

I understand that Billy Casper golf has taken over after the disaster that was MDM, and that is a cause for optimism in the years to come, but there's still a LONG way to go. I'm going to wait a few years before I consider returning. They do great work up at Wintonbury, so I will eventually give this course another chance someday when they get to improve it to their standards. Until then, I'd stay away.

My friend and I play Blackledge regularly. The greens always roll great, the course is in very good condition, and the price is very reasonable.

The only drawback this week was the absolutely unmanageable 5 hour round. We saw a marshal once or twice on the course, but it wasn't enough. Spending 5-10 minutes waiting at the tee box was routine. This isn't normally the case, but it seems to be happening more.