Hitting the sweet spot at area golf clubs

We don’t have a lot of public golf courses in the Northwest Corner, but we do have some of the oldest and most interesting layouts in New England.

I have been fortunate enough to play them all and here’s the lowdown. It shouldn’t matter that most of the courses I will mention are nine-holers. A good golf course is, well, a good golf course — no matter how many holes it has. And you can always make two loops. 

A nice aspect of the courses I will talk about is that they are all very “walkable,” which allows the golfer to get his or her exercise while knocking the little white sphere around the fairways.

Golf Digest veteran writer Ron Whitten listed two nine-hole courses in New England (The Hotchkiss School Golf Course in Lakeville and Birchwood Country Club in Westport, Conn.) among his top 25 short tracks in the country. 

Lakeville

I’ve played Hotchkiss and I can vouch for its excellence and charm. Built by Seth Raynor in the 1920s, the private school-owned course has holes that meander over terrain that was untouched by the builders. It presents a number of tricky lies and shots you must think out before hitting to the rather small greens.

The 140-yard par-three fifth hole has a dreamlike quality to it visually. The tee is elevated, and the view beyond the green to Lake Wononscopomuc is magical. Sailboats were floating across the dark blue water as I somehow managed to maintain my concentration and hit a nine-iron just to the left of the green, which again has a cross bunker sitting about 10 yards from its front.

The course is virtually untouched since it opened way back in 1924. Oh, there have been a few changes, such as two new greens to accommodate a new entranceway to the school and an impressive music and arts building that opened only a few years ago, as well as maintenance upgrades. 

But when you walk this sweet little course, you are pretty much following in the footsteps of those golfers who first walked its fairways on opening day back in the heyday of the Roaring 20s.

The layout interested Charles Banks, at the time an English teacher at Hotchkiss, so much that he began a friendship with Seth Raynor, and the two eventually became partners in course design. Banks finished some 30 of Raynor’s courses when the latter passed away at the young age of 42 in 1926, and returned to Hotchkiss to work on several holes in the 1930s.

Go to www.hotchkiss.org/athletics/hotchkiss-golf-course.

Winsted

Green Woods Country Club in Winsted is a formerly private club that went semi-private over a decade ago. Lucky us. Green Woods was built more than 100 years ago as a summer haven for New Yorkers vacationing in the area. 

The well-kept layout is on the short side, with small, tricky greens as its only defense in these days of powerful drivers and juiced golf balls. 

The club actually has 10 holes, as a par-five is played on the back instead of a par-four that winds in the opposite direction.

Go to www.greenwoodscc.net.

Torrington

Eastwood Country Club in Torrington, a course I kind of grew up on, has gained a solid reputation as a place that welcomes all levels of players, from those just starting out in the game to more advanced golfers. The layout has a fun mix of holes that includes a 445-yard dogleg right par-five that even modest distance hitters can reach in two; and the very difficult dogleg left 550-yard par-five ninth, a classic three-shot hole (to get to the green) if there ever was one.

Go to www.eastwoodcountryclub.com.

North Canaan

Nestled in the rolling New England countryside of East Canaan you will find Quarry View Golf Course, a “full service” golf center that has proven inviting for the beginning player. You will not feel intimidated if this is your first time out. And experienced players will enjoy the quick play and the ability to concentrate on improving their iron shots and short game. If you want to expose a spouse, friend, child or grandchild in a relaxed, friendly environment, play Quarry View Golf Course.

Quarry View has the feeling of playing on two unique types of golf courses. Each hole has fairways lined with fescue similar to a links course, while the surrounding woods is typical of a traditional New England golf course.

Go to www.quarryviewgolf.com.

Canaan Country Club on Route 7 in North Canaan is a sweet little course that is wide open on most holes, allowing you to take the driver out of your golf bag and bang away. 

The second hole is a 510-yard par-five that is a true three-shot hole (to get to the green, which is very small). The hole bends right around a river and the putting surface is severely sloped from back to front, making two putts from far above the hole tricky to accomplish.

The sixth hole may be the toughest on the course. The par-four plays around 370 yards and the tee shot must be hit strong and true as the approach is across a small stream that is best cleared with a mid or short iron in hand. The green, again, is small and severely sloped. Par here is a very good score.

The eighth hole is a tough par-three, playing almost 200 yards from the tips. The green is elevated from a hollow. Atypical of Canaan CC, the putting surface is large and easy to find with a true tee shot. 

Go to www.canaancountryclub.com. 

Great Barrington

Just up Route 7 in Massachusetts you will find Great Barrington’s Egremont Country Club, which features a challenging 18-hole course, a fully stocked pro shop and a driving range.

The well-maintained course is surrounded by rolling hills, beautiful views and winding streams. The track is on the short side and there are a number of modest par-fours where birdie awaits after a good tee shot and careful approach. I think the ninth is a real fun short hole, with the par-three playing 165 yards. The tee shot must carry a pond that fronts the green.

Go to www.egremontcountryclub.com.

Two in Copake

Over in New York State in Copake there’s Undermountain Golf Course, which features scenic views of the Taconic Range of the Berkshire Mountains to the east and the Catskill Mountains to the west. The greens are small and the fairways narrow, which presents all the challenge you will want from a nine-hole layout. Still, beginners and higher handicap golfers will find the course approachable and fun.

The course was established in 1976 when owner Jack Shakshober decided to get serious about his golf game. Utilizing the natural terrain and rolling alleyways over the family farm, he developed a course he felt would challenge any golfer. The course remains in the family.

Go to www.undermountaingolf.com.

Copake Country Club, an 18-hole layout in Craryville, N.Y., was designed by Devereux Emmett, a noted designer of the turn of the last century, in 1921. 

The course, which offers nice views of the Berkshires and Catskills and Copake Lake on several holes, is only 6,266 yards from the back markers. But the layout has hidden yardage in that many of the holes play uphill, demanding one or two more clubs than normal to reach the greens from the fairways, which are sloping and offer numerous uneven lies, further complicating navigation. The course has an eclectic mix of holes, as befitting a track that was built moving little earth.

Go to www.copakecountryclub.com.

So, throw the sticks in the trunk and check out these delightful courses just a short drive away while the weather is still warm and the days long.