Woodstock Golf Course
About
Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
---|---|---|---|---|
Back | 35 | 2397 yards | 32.0 | 99 |
Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Back M: 63.3/96 | 170 | 265 | 305 | 304 | 289 | 275 | 211 | 385 | 227 | 2431 | 4862 |
Red W: 62.4/111 | 142 | 193 | 187 | 262 | 235 | 260 | 155 | 370 | 201 | 2005 | 4010 |
Handicap | 11 | 15 | 5 | 7 | 13 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 17 | ||
Par | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 34 | 68 |
Handicap (W) | 7 | 1 | 13 | 15 | 5 | 11 | 3 | 17 | 9 |
Course Details
Rentals/Services
Practice/Instruction
Policies
Reviews
Reviewer Photos
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The third, seen here from behind the green, plays sternly uphill to a raised green complex. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 06/08/2023
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The fourth doglegs at a right angle into its green–which has a woodsy backdrop Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 06/08/2023
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Five is a simple drive-and-pitch hole, but its green is somewhat crowned. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 06/08/2023
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The fairway at six, a short par-4, runs through a depression prior to the putting surface. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 06/08/2023
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Eight is the course’s longest hole, its fairway lined by dense trees. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 06/08/2023
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A few of the greens at Woodstock are driveable, including the ninth. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 06/08/2023
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The second: The large mound hides the green from the teebox on this short par-4. Trying to drive the small green is a bit dangerous. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/02/2022
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The uphill fifth plays much longer than the card-stated yardage (289). Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/02/2022
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The sixth, my favorite hole, is a classic risk-reward hole of 275. I tried, but fell just short, ending at the base of the rise to this green complex. The tree on the left creates issues. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/02/2022
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“The Ravine,” hole 7, is semi-blind from the tee–you can only see the flagstick. Here, I’m standing at the ravine’s final plunge to the green. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/02/2022
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Looking back at green two: An example of the secluded and pleasant backdrop to Woodstock GC. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/22/2021
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The seventh: Called “The Ravine,” this hole plunges down a hill near the greenl. View to the top of the flagstick. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/22/2021
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Eighth: Toughest driving hole and longest on course. A look back to the tee and its narrow chute of trees. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/22/2021
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The eighth green (photo from July 4, 2021). Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/22/2021
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View to the first hole from the clubhouse area (July 4 photo). Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/22/2021
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A close look at green two (July 4 photo). Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/22/2021
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First hole: par-3, 170. It plays uphill from a tee near the clubhouse. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 07/05/2021
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The fifth, a.k.a. “Scylla and Charybdis.” Should be a potential birdie hole after a good drive and pitch. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 07/05/2021
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Six, par-4, 275. Puzzling when you first play it, but the hole is drivable. It’s also quite tricky around the green. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 07/05/2021
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Seven: par-3, 211. This is the well-guarded green at the base of the small valley. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 07/05/2021
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Eight: The small green that concludes the course’s longest hole of 385 yards. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 07/05/2021
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Nine: Par-4, 227. The closing hole finishes close to the clubhouse. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 07/05/2021
Continued Improvement
Woodstock Golf Course, improved over last year, still has lingering issues with the greens. These putting surfaces, however, are considerably better than last year. Some are even good–meaning they have few blemishes or patches–but about half (the eighth green is one example) remain marred significantly by intermittent patchiness. While the improvement shows that a lot of work has been done on the greens, conditions are best on the fairways, nearly all of which are well-covered with grass. It’s even a bit too lush in places and, I’m assuming, needs to be cut more often. Tees varied in quality from good to fair, while the roughs were decent. All in all, it’s an improving situation.
Conditioning aside, I truly enjoyed playing this layout today. What impresses most turns out to be the use of the landscape here in its natural state–as was the practiced norm 125 years ago. The terrain seems to lie ‘as found’--no bulldozing was done to make the holes–and so their fairways run up and down the hills without fuss or contrivance. With the natural humps and dips exploited by their positioning–at, for example, the second or sixth or seventh–it is ground movement that breathes life into Woodstock.
This course has a laid-back vibe, but ownership seems to be taking improvement seriously from several of the small things I observed today. I’m hoping that they’ll continue with this development by finishing the job on the greens, which apparently needs to be done in stages. It’s nice to see them on the right track, and I look forward to coming back.
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The third, seen here from behind the green, plays sternly uphill to a raised green complex. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 06/08/2023
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The fourth doglegs at a right angle into its green–which has a woodsy backdrop Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 06/08/2023
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Five is a simple drive-and-pitch hole, but its green is somewhat crowned. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 06/08/2023
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The fairway at six, a short par-4, runs through a depression prior to the putting surface. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 06/08/2023
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Eight is the course’s longest hole, its fairway lined by dense trees. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 06/08/2023
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A few of the greens at Woodstock are driveable, including the ninth. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 06/08/2023
Improvements Underway
Woodstock, a course distinguished by its clever old-school style, seems to be making some progress in the conditioning battle compared with last year, as improvements are underway with better mowing, the removal of a few unnecessary trees and tree limbs, and better conditioning around the green surrounds. But the greens and fringes themselves are still deficient, and it seems that it may take a while–unless they put the full court press on this– to get these back to where they belong. I found I could not putt the ball consistently on most of them, as they’re still riddled with sizable patches and other forms of imperfection. As such, it was impossible to keep a true score. Some decent progress has been made on many of the tees. But until the greens are where they should be, my belef is that finicky or reasonably demanding golfers will find fault.
Nonethesss, it’s an enjoyable round at Woodstock GC. The course was not too crowded today. I had fun cutting loose with my driver off most tees (the only time I used a three-wood was on the finisher, and a five-iron at the fourth). Because of several of the green settings, this track will test your short irons, as well. The more interesting holes seemed to be the second, third, sixth, seventh and eighth, and they generally involve some sort of strategic approach to play well. You need precision, mainly, to score well here; length is strictly secondary. And it’s a nice track for beginners or other developing golfers.
After Fenwick, this is the second oldest golf course in Connecticut. If the conditioning were better, I would call it a four-star course because it’s so much fun to play–a genuine classic from the 19th century. I’m hoping it makes a big comeback.
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The second: The large mound hides the green from the teebox on this short par-4. Trying to drive the small green is a bit dangerous. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/02/2022
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The uphill fifth plays much longer than the card-stated yardage (289). Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/02/2022
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The sixth, my favorite hole, is a classic risk-reward hole of 275. I tried, but fell just short, ending at the base of the rise to this green complex. The tree on the left creates issues. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/02/2022
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“The Ravine,” hole 7, is semi-blind from the tee–you can only see the flagstick. Here, I’m standing at the ravine’s final plunge to the green. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/02/2022
A Quick Romp Around Woodstock GC
Although Woodstock GC suffers currently from the effects of a rainy summer, responsible somewhat for poor conditions on these greens, there are still aspects that make it worth playing:
--The layout, fun to play, features mostly good golf holes. Six and seven--a risk/reward par-4 followed by a tough, well-protected par-3--are both excellent, while 1, 3, and 8 all offer some challenges, respectively: a strongly canted green; an uphill blind shot from the tee, a longish tee shot through a chute of mature trees. And the only tame holes here are two and nine.
--Most players should enjoy the turn-of the-century (20th, that is) old-school design. Without bunkers and quite short, Woodstock is hardly a top-notch challenge, though some low-handicappers will enjoy it. It’s mainly a good senior or beginner’s course, with an eye, as well, to the casual player or anyone who wants to work on his or her skills over a quick nine. Pace was good.
--The setting is beautiful and very peaceful because you’re virtually locked out from the world around: I didn’t hear a single car on the eighth or ninth holes because of the thick screens of trees and lightly traveled road. And as the name of this small, classic New England town suggests, you’re in the woods.
Right now I can’t recommend this course with vigor as many of the greens were patchy and marred, so much so that putts had little chance to hold their lines. The fairway landing zones also have too much crabgrass, even though grass is certainly plentiful, everywhere. Nonetheless I enjoyed playing the layout tee-to-green, as the fairways are serviceable. The sixth hole intrigues me most, where the tee shot is key. I played the ball down the right side of the fairway, away from the large pine tree guarding the airspace and short approach from the left. This worked out well enough. Great golf hole.
I’m hoping that the staff can shake off the effects of bad weather and restore general conditions for better playability. It’s a neat little track that requires solid shotmaking.
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Looking back at green two: An example of the secluded and pleasant backdrop to Woodstock GC. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/22/2021
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The seventh: Called “The Ravine,” this hole plunges down a hill near the greenl. View to the top of the flagstick. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/22/2021
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Eighth: Toughest driving hole and longest on course. A look back to the tee and its narrow chute of trees. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/22/2021
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The eighth green (photo from July 4, 2021). Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/22/2021
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View to the first hole from the clubhouse area (July 4 photo). Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/22/2021
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A close look at green two (July 4 photo). Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 08/22/2021
Pleasant Golf (and a Brief Odyssey)
Opened in 1896 and having the status of second oldest Connecticut golf course, this vintage layout is, unsurprisingly, very short but still creative in design. It has no bunkers but the ground rolls markedly, offering the player a variety of uphill and downhill shots, plus a few over uneven terrain and one across a hollow. Maybe the most pleasant aspect of Woodstock, however, comes from the setting: it is serene and almost utterly secluded, and the acreage is bounded by beautiful northern Connecticut timberland. A nice bonus is the sense of isolation between most of the holes themselves, unusual for a 9-holer, as it winds through pines, firs, red oaks, sugar maples, and birches.
Specifics on the Layout:
Ground movement, a key for turn-of-the-twentieth-century architects, fuels this layout. A few of the greens are set on knolls and some on small rises. At the second, the green is cleverly concealed, from the fairway’s right flank, by a small hillside. The seventh, a long downhill par-3 named, fittingly, “The Ravine,” features a blind tee shot with a final drop, occurring some forty yards short of the green, that plummets down toward the hole.
Every hole benefits from this kind of ground movement. The first five holes are all short, somewhat straightforward, and without great difficulties, so it makes sense that the course’s website calls this a “facility that serves the needs of golfers of all skill levels with an emphasis on novice and high handicap golfers.” For lower handicap players, it is six through nine that supply the spark.
Six, aptly called “The Dipper,” really impressed me as a thinking player’s hole. You might take a shot at driving it, but a dip or deep swale just before the green will play havoc with a mishit that travels leftward, where you might encounter, as well, the lone pine tree in the fairway. The sixth green is well elevated above the ‘dip’ and backed by woods. Eighth is a very solid par-4 and the course’s longest hole at 385 yards. Yet its offset fairway feels like an awkward target, and it rolls markedly toward a green which is blind from the driving zone. The ninth is short but somewhat tight, and it’s landing zone is totally blind from the tee. But it’s a good birdie opportunity.
The course’s Achilles heel, however (Greek mythology may clearly be the theme of this review--see below), is conditioning. While the grass is growing well here, the fairways and rough are indistinguishable on many holes, and the greens were patchy and bumpy. The fairways, infested with too much crabgrass and clover, were cut such that they played more like light rough. Most of the blue tees I played from were in poor shape, some primarily dirt and some sandy.
Each hole of the course has a name in the old-school tradition, and I’m guessing the architect here was a Scotsman. The most colorful were, for me, the third’s “Poor House Hill,” the fourth’s “A-Flat,” and the eighth’s “Long Tom.” Why almost no modern courses use this clever device, in any case, seems baffling.
Some Conclusions:
I enjoyed my round and felt that the layout was compensation enough for the conditions. The routing and the design of most holes kept me engaged. From tee to green are several good driving holes, two decent par-threes, and some tricky approaches that require accurate iron shots.
The course also features a driving range as part of the facility. Woodstock GC should be a nice place to play a round with kids, especially those who like ice cream, as that happens to be a course specialty.
Added Note: A Curiosity
I found the fifth to be a curious hole, named, as it was, after the Greek mythological pair of monsters (see: Homer’s “Odyssey”) named Scylla and Charybdis. I was hard-pressed, however, to identify two hazard/monsters on this hole. Yes, there’s a kind of huge, semi-monstrous tree, now dying, not far from the green’s right side, which may be likened to the six long heads and necks of Scylla. But there is no corresponding hazard on the other side of the green for Charybdis. Hmmm.
Much stranger, as I was driving home on I-395, a car passed me having the license plate, “IMNOBDY.” And “Nobody” is who Odysseus tells the Cyclops he is when the monster asks him his name. Now for me, that makes two Odyssey allusions encountered over the space of two hours. Uncanny, and the odds of this happening on any given day seem about a million to one.
Woodstock’s fifth hole, by the way, can be birdied with a good tee shot and accurate short wedge.
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First hole: par-3, 170. It plays uphill from a tee near the clubhouse. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 07/05/2021
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The fifth, a.k.a. “Scylla and Charybdis.” Should be a potential birdie hole after a good drive and pitch. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 07/05/2021
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Six, par-4, 275. Puzzling when you first play it, but the hole is drivable. It’s also quite tricky around the green. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 07/05/2021
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Seven: par-3, 211. This is the well-guarded green at the base of the small valley. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 07/05/2021
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Eight: The small green that concludes the course’s longest hole of 385 yards. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 07/05/2021
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Nine: Par-4, 227. The closing hole finishes close to the clubhouse. Photo submitted by AptlyLinked on 07/05/2021
Miss led
Misled I didn't realize the course was only nine holes the greens were Immaculate the fairways were mostly crabgrass and very rough as were the tea boxes the course was very short. Other than that the staff was very friendly the people on the course were very nice but I would not recommend it
"Perfect for beginners"
From the moment I walked in "Anne" , the golf pro, knew me by name. After the first hole I realized I had left my wedge in my back yard and Anne quickly resolved the issue for me by presenting me with a loaner wedge. Excellent customer service all around. The course itself was very unique. Never experienced anything like it before or after. If you like nifty par 3's and short pat 4's this course is for you. I would definitely go back. The only real issue is the pace of play. She did say in their defense that the in house tee times weren't syncing with golfnow.com consequently double booking various time slots. Anyway give it a shot! I didnt go wrong selecting this deal!!
almost an executive course
great course for a senior with a 150 or 200 yard drive.
super easy, short course. greens are small but in great shape.
Anne was terrific
When I arrived to the course I was confused. There was a ladies outing. I wasn't sure if I was gonna get out. I went into the club house to see Anne checking at least 15 ladies in. I went out to the deck to check the layout. Anne came out and asked me if I was golfing? I said I had a tee time but was not aware of the outing. She said not to worry and grab a cart. She was able to get me out right away. It did take a little longer than 2 hrs to play 9 holes. That maybe due to not knowing the course. There are a few blind shots. I recommend driving up to see the holes first. Anne was great!!! Course is very short.
9 hole course playing eighteen.
A Groupon special and worth the drive. Not a stick out of the crowd course, but one you can have fun with.
The first nine were interesting due to not knowing the course... but the second nine made it fun because you could know where to hit your shot over that hill or around that corner.