Private Eyes
Enjoy These Private Courses
With a Subcription to Golfing Magazine
G
olfing Magazine New England has lined up some great private layouts that can be assessed by those individuals who take part in our Course Play Stimulus Program. Let’s take a look at these private courses that are part of our overall comprehensive list. Set in the bucolic hills of Sherman, Connecticut is The Club at River Oaks, a private 18-hole course which opened in 2003. The challenging but fair layout plays to a par of 71 and has some of the most visually stunning holes that the state has to offer. The course is not a “grip and rip” design. It is a track that requires a golfer to use all of the clubs in the bag and think one shot ahead. The opening hole would be a perfect example. A short dogleg right par-four greets your first swing of the day. Typically not a driver hole (except from the tips), the correct play would be to lay a long iron or utility wood down the left side of the fairway. From there, a mid-iron to the green allows the player to be putting for a birdie. Hit your tee shot long left or miss the green with your approach and a bogey, or worse, will be your first number on the scorecard. Hole six has always been one of my favorites. A long-iron or five-wood off of the tee leaves you with a wedge into a sloped, undulating green. A ravine will swallow up all golf balls that travel too far off line. For those feeling lucky, take out the driver and hit a cut shot around the large tree that sits
on the right side of the fairway and go for the green. A perfect risk/reward hole! The 9th is arguably one of the most visually appealing holes you’ll find anywhere in New England. A downhill dogleg left, bunkers await your tee shot at around 260 yards off of the box. A slight draw will leave you with a 7-or 8-iron into the green. Miss short or right and you put yourself in danger of putting a “number” on your card. If you think the back nine is going to get easier for you, think again. You won’t find a better assortment of par-three-fours and fives in the northeast. For the long hitters, eagle/ birdie opportunities await on 13 and 16. In our opinion the signature hole is the parthree 17th. Playing 185 from the tips, the player is required to carry the ball 150 yards over a large pond. Well placed bunkers to the right and back of the green will gobble up errant shots. Walking away with a three on your scorecard will bring a sigh of relief for most players. The last hole is a double dogleg par-five. The best play is to hit a soft fade off of the left side tree line, leaving you with a long iron or wood as a layup for your approach. A short-iron into the ample sized green with leave you with another birdie opportunity to finish out your round. A fully stocked pro shop, led by head pro Glenn Fanara, allows the player to purchase golf accessories and apparel prior to and after the round. Individual and on course lessons are available as well as video analysis and club fitting. Outings and events are welcome.
Contact Glenn at glenn@clubriveroaks.com for more information. Tumble Brook Country Club in Bloomfield, Ct. was named for a brook that flows through the property. It was incorporated and organized in October of 1922 and features 27 holes. Willie Park, one of the foremost golf course architects of the time, was commissioned to design the first nine. A second nine, designed by Orrin E. Smith, was opened to play in the spring of 1949. The third nine, designed by George Fazio, opened for limited play in the fall of 1970, and was eventually integrated with the rest of the golf course in 1971. In 2002 the club began a renovation program for the golf course. Mark McCumber and Associates was the architects for the renovations, and in 2005 the course work was completed. The seventh hole on the “Green Course,” a combination of two of the three nines, is a 440-yard beast where par is an accomplishment for any level of player. Farmington Woods Country Club in Farmington, Ct. was designed by renowned American designer Desmond Muirhead, who also crafted the famed Jack Nicklaus Muirfield Village course in Ohio. The late Muirhead is remembered for his fully integrated course communities like McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale; the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills near Palm Springs, and his six-year partnership with Jack Nicklaus, which produced the
Tumble Brook Country Club 10 10
Golfing GolfingMagazine Magazine• •New NewEngland EnglandEdition Edition
