Private Eyes
Enjoy These Private Courses
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With a Subcription to Golfing Magazine
s if you needed extra incentive to sign up for Golfing Magazine’s Free Golf program, what with all the great daily fee and resort courses we have lined up. But we also have some superb private courses you can play if you join. We have around 130 courses this year in our program, all with no greens fees. To take advantage of this tremendous offer, call 860-563-1633, or visit www.FreeGolf.net. Let’s take a look at these private courses that are part of our overall comprehensive list for 2021. A premier addition to our lineup of private courses is The Golf Club at River Oaks, located on the Sherman/ New Milford town line in western Connecticut. River Oaks has a number of holes on its back nine that hug the Housatonic River, which is visible through the trees in late autumn or early spring. The look from the tee box on the par-four dogleg left ninth hole reminds one of playing golf in northern New England rather than Connecticut. Many consider this to be one of the top two or three courses in the state. PGA star Phil Mickelson was said to have called it a superb layout when he visited.
so don’t be fooled into thinking even the white markers, around 6,100 yards, are easy. They are not, even for the better players. The finishing holes at River Oaks are all very good, which adds to the satisfaction of playing the course. A well-designed golf course should always reach a stirring climax and River Oaks does that. After a nice parthree in the woods at 15 there’s a short par-five (503 from the tips) that can be reached in Farmington Woods Country Club two by the big hitters, and then comes the course’s signaRobert McNeil designed the course that ture hole in my estimation, the opened in 2003, and he built into it chal- 210-yard par-three 17th that plays across lenge and fairness. The fairways are rather a pond to a narrow green. It’s a great look generous on the par-fives and longer par- from an elevated tee. fours and tighter and strewn with fairway Farmington Woods Country Club in bunkers on several of the shorter par-fours. Farmington, Ct. was designed by renowned The greens are fairly large and kept on the American designer Desmond Muirhead, fast side. The rough is manageable and who also crafted the famed Jack Nicklaus the greenside bunkers challenging yet not Muirfield Village course in Ohio. unfair. The late Muirhead is remembered for While the course is no push-over, it is his fully integrated course communities like eminently playable for any golfer, as long McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale; the Dinah as you tee it up from the proper markers. Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills The tips play 6,730 yards with a slope near Palm Springs, and his six-year partnerof 138 and a course rating of 73.8. The ship with Jack Nicklaus, which produced layout plays to a par of 71 and has five par- the aforementioned Muirfield Village. threes, which cut into the overall length, The layout is unique to the Farmington
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Golfing GolfingMagazine Magazine• •New NewEngland EnglandEdition Edition
