Chanticlair Golf Club

The only complaint I have is the tee boxes are in very rough shape compared to other places I have played. Don’t expect to hit irons off the tee box with out a tee. Other than that enjoyed the course greens and fairways in good condition

Love being in this part of CT(Colchester). Course Delivers in every way, although only being 9 holes.

Straightforward course with good condition tee boxes and greens. A little rough around the edges but a very good round of golf.

Over my first few rounds played at Chanticlair in the mid-1990's, it occurred to me right away that this was a straightforward and sound track, but also a golf course infused with several real challenges. Granted, with a slope of 116, it's aimed pretty squarely at intermediate players (most courses are), but better players will find something to like here because there are some stringent holes. Play this nine from the back tees. You'll likely see my point.

Holes 2, 5, and 6 form the foundation of the course. Their difficulty is moderate. If you play them well, if you manage your game sensibly tee-to-green on these three, the reward will be three pars, or, with an especially deft stroke made on one of them, a 'bonus' birdie in the mix. Two runs nearly 400 yards from the blues and sports an open driving area, but several hazards around the green liven things up. Five, a classic, reachable short par-5 with a left-bending dogleg, should have you playing strategically to find its surface in two. Six is another leftward dogleg favoring a draw; the approach to the green is best made from the right side (trees on the left make an approach dicey from that side).

All well and good. Then there are the "green light" holes: distinct birdie opportunities at three, seven and nine, tempting holes each. I usually have the aggressive mentality playing these: "Batten down the hatches, lower the boom, take out the driver! And fire at every pin!" With a wedge in my hand on three and seven and a pair of accessible pins, birdies are within reach.

But when things sound a little too easy or simple in golf, there’s invariably a catch. Here, it is playing holes one, four, and eight from the back tees.

HOPE YOU BROUGHT YOU’RE “A” GAME FOR THESE THREE: The par-three first hole is rigorous from the blues, given that we’re hitting over a pond directly in front of the tee and toward a rather small target some 205 yards distant. So one’s pulse will oftentimes flutter a bit when standing on this back tee. In fact it is all too easy to pull or overdraw the shot left, where a 3-foot embankment snags the errant shot rather savagely, while misses that fall to the right meet slightly better fortunes and make for easier pitches—from his angle—onto a shallow green.

Then there is the island hole at four.

Now, island holes are relatively simple propositions: miss the water, hit the green. But consider the most famous island hole in the world for a wee bit of perspective on this one in Colchester, Connecticut. The back tees’ yardage at Chanticlair’s fourth are virtually identical (138 vs. 137) to those at the famed TPC Sawgrass, Pete Dye’s Stadium Course in Ponte Vedra, Florida. Add to that relatively similar green sizes: TPC is 3,912 square feet; while Chanticlair’s is in the neighborhood of 5,000, or slightly above the average green size—4,500 square feet.

What we have, then, at Chanticlair is a compelling amateur analogue to a hole that surely tests the very best touring pros every year. The going rate to play the Stadium Course is $450, just a bit pricier than Chanticlair. I played a somewhat longer Perry Dye island hole last year in Hawaii (the venue was Makani, on the Big Island). This hole is remarkably similar to his father’s iconic Stadium creation, and the Makani hole (#17) felt to me about as difficult as Chanticlair #4. The carry at Makani's 17th was a bit longer, but the green, somewhat larger, was equally forgiving (or unforgiving, depending on your perspective). Maybe not everyone will be convinced by this. But I've estimated the number of balls the pros hit into the water at TPC Florida's 17th versus those amateurs hit into the water on Chanticlair's 4th. Put it this way: if there were no divers routinely retrieving submerged or 'lost' balls in the pond around this hole, the banks of its green complex would be overflowing with golf balls.

Finally, for a test of the highest precision, there is dogleg-left, par-4 eighth. It is hardly an overstatement to say that this hole induces agony from the back tees when your driver is uncooperative. Hooks, slices, even marginally pulled or pushed drives—all are devoured with an equal ferocity by this 380-yard uphill, tree-lined mini-monster. At some moments, particularly after the tee shot is played, the odds of making par feel about equivalent to those of my purchasing the $4.5 million Lamborghini Veneno roadster. The eighth, it is safe to say, will certainly demand everyone’s best efforts. Hit the drive too short and the approach will need to bend around the corner-hugging trees. Hit it both long and straight enough, however, and your reward is a simple pitch to a beautifully pitched (back to front) and undulating green.

Today's Experience: Enjoying a Game with some Good Golfers: This was an interesting day because I began by joining up with Bob, a Chanticlair member and very capable player, who left after hole 5 (the pace was slow for him; I couldn't blame him). On hole six I joined with two twenty-something power hitters—both named Matt (surnames Fresk and Dominioni), who later both smashed their drivers within fifty yards of the par-4 seventh. Nice to have a little speed in one's downswing. We enjoyed each other's company, and I learned that this was their first outing at Chanticlair (they went on to play a second nine), and I asked about what other courses they liked. Both are fans of Tallwood and Blackledge (AG), along with Lyman-Jones. Hmmm, they share my tastes. Interestingly enough, Matt Fresk's father is David Fresk, who worked closely with one Mr. Pete Dye, and was involved in—among other projects—TPC River Highlands. I was also pleased to meet Harsh Patel on the tenth tee (he joined up with the other two affable young men) where we talked golf a bit before I left. Mr. Patel, another guy with a power game, gave a firm endorsement of Chanticlair because he believes if you can play some of the tight holes here, "you can play almost anywhere else." Take a look at the photos and you'll see these three playing the first hole.

Slow play, unfortunately, was the only issue: over 2 hours and twenty minutes to play nine. I did see the clubhouse attendant out monitoring the seventh and eighth fairways for the problem's source, so I've left 'pace' out of the ratings. I know that both of the Stollmans—Carey and David—do their utmost to combat slow play at Chanticlair, having witnessed them doing so here earlier this year.

STRONG CONDITIONING: Today, above all, Chanticlair was impressive for its excellent overall conditioning. The fairways are lush and consistent; the rough smooth, the tee boxes groomed, and greenside fringes and rough excellent. One weakness, however, was slow greens; they didn't seem to have been cut for a few days. I could see everyone's footprints—far too distinctly—on the greens. Still, each putting surface was basically consistent, relatively smooth, and unblemished. And the entire course has a manicured look; it's as good as I've seen it.

Course was difficult from the Blue tees.
Starts with a 205 yard par 3, followed by a 410 yard par 4. I am an intermediate golfer-about a 14-15 handicap, so those first two holes are a tough start.
Island green is fun to play. The green is very large so it is not too hard to hit.
#5 is a tough dogleg left hole. You can drive it through the fairway straight if too long or be blocked out on left if too short. Second shot in is 170 from middle of fairway.
7 and 8 are narrow. Must be accurate off the tee.
9 is the easiest hole on the course, although OB on left if you hook it off the tee.

I enjoy playing here. Decent price, casual, good experience. Only complaint is that better signs at each tee would be nice to explain where the green is.

Course is good for walking. Layout is ok with some challenge to it. Tee boxes, fairways, and greens are in rough shape. Course was crowded but played nine holes in under two hours. If you are just starting out playing golf and don’t want to play a championship level golf club this is the place for you.

Chanticlair Golf Course is an unpretentious but likable 9-hole track. Possessing old-school character and a mix of solid holes, it has much to recommend it. This layout's calling card is the fourth hole, featuring a testing island green that will try your skill with an iron. We shouldn't minimize the value of the other eight, though, not to mention the beauty of this rolling, wooded terrain. Above all, what puts Chanticlair a cut above the norm are two facets: its playability for golfers of diverse handicaps, and its inclusion of enough challenges on fairways and greens to satisfy better players.
This is one of those courses that does more with less. It doesn't have six bunkers per hole; its greens are not set on big plateaus; its elevation changes tend to be gradual rather than forbidding; the fairways are mostly smooth and flowing, not bumpy or eccentric.

Challenges at Chanticlair, however, are centered on some fairly pervasive threats. Six holes have water in play, either prominently or lurking at the margins. Trees are also plentiful. Some are placed sporadically to catch errant shots; others may interfere from certain angles with approach shots; oftentimes woods line the fairways, causing you to ponder your "big miss."

The first three holes here lie on a flat, plateau-like piece of terrain similar to tableland. You may be lulled by the first hole's apparent ease, but the green on this testy par-3 itself is a relatively narrow one to hit from 190 yards. Hole two is the course's longest 4-par, maxing out just under 400 yards. It is a straight affair, simple at first glance. There is, though, a crossing fairway stream, a tree protecting the green's entrance, and other scattered hazards to keep you fully engaged. The 3rd it is flat and spacious, its green modestly defended.

Given its penal, island green, the fourth hole is transitional, but mainly because this begins a stretch of challenging holes comprising the heart of this layout. And the tee shot at four may have your heart pumping; yet its green is fairly proportioned for a 140-yard approach.

What hits me about the next two holes is their complexity. Five is the proverbial 'short-but-tough' five-par, its right side guarded heavily—off the drive—inside this dogleg-left. You may play short of the right-hand bunker on the dogleg's corner (the right side is the safest route) or you may want to fly it. Either one or the other is advisable, because the bunker pinches the fairway, creating a small bottle-neck. It takes two excellent shots to find this fifth green, bunker-flanked but flat enough for a good birdie chance.

The sixth is for me the most exhilarating hole here. By its leftward curve, the hole seems to give you an invitation to attack its left side, yet that is the weaker position from which to approach. Aim your drive instead for the right/center, which opens up the green. I usually try to manage this with high, mild cut or a small draw. A pond, a copse leftward, a green ringed by thick, towering pines—these are the next problems on the approach, all conspiring to thwart weak shots. About the time you’ve figured out how to play this hole, you may also notice how beautifully it is set, beginning from a high tee, then rolling and curving downhill over a small pond and into the pines.

After another scenic tee shot downward into the valley of the 350-yard seventh, your short iron/wedge approach that follows may need to fly one of two burly greenside traps. Deadly wedge play is essential to attack the pin on this elevated green.

The eighth hole’s narrowness may inspire ire in some; others may love the way it puts a premium on accuracy. In any case, the fairway narrows to seventeen yards at one juncture, with OB (the road) left. Nine, too, is about fairway-finding. This “runway” styled hole seemed nearly obligatory for the 60’s/70’s golf course (Chanticlair opened in ’72). You’ll need two powerful blows to reach the green. There is one deadly threat on this final approach: Stollman Road, 20 yards left of the green.

A big plus here involves course conditioning. One flaw I could find was on some of the tees, which were a bit rough and patchy in places; others were good to excellent. The varied greens here (some are mildly undulating; some have more severe slopes) are well-kept. They also roll smoothly. Course conditions, in fact, are currently superior Minnechaug or Black Birch, tracks with which Chanticlair deserves comparison.

A second major plus at Chanticlair is the friendliness of the staff; they never disappoint.

Having been a member here for several years in the nineties, I can say that this layout holds up. I have never tired of it, even after hundreds of rounds—more than any other course I’ve played over a lifetime of golf. The course’s variety, then, may be its standout feature. It all sounds to me, as I write it, like a solid endorsement, and the course’s popularity in Colchester seems to confirm it. My son, a member here now for several years, loves it here. Chanticlair also has an enduring beauty, primarily the work of its late designer, Mr. Hymie Stollman, who clearly sought to produce a natural routing that flows gracefully over its hilly terrain.

Fairways back to back and dangerous. Lot of “four” calls.

I had brought my 14 year son with me on that day. It was a great par three that I never knew was there. It was a great find.

It's 9 holes and it is challenging from the "first cut" and basically impossible from the rough. If you hit fairways, it isn't a long course by any means, even from the back tees. Fairways decent but not spectacular. If you are just off the edges, you can play this rough okay. But my lord, a few more yards left or right and it's crazy deep and basically unplayable. Too easy to lose balls, even within 8-10 yards from the fairway. 7 of the 9 greens were very good (but slow), and the maintenance crew was working hard at 7am when I played. I will play it multiple times because it forces you to focus on find fairways and be sharp. Tee boxes need to be fixed. Cart paths are really bad. But cheap, so you get what you pay for and knowing that expectation, it's an okay round.

A nine hole course. Played here for the first time then returned the next day for another 9 and I will be back many, many times. Great thing about this course is that it is less than 30 minutes from the Hartford routes 91-84-2-3 interchanges and just 5 minutes off a Route 2 exit. Rates are very reasonalbe. Paid $20 w/ cart through my Golfing Magazine membership. A good value though senior rate is $21 weekdays so I only saved a buck. Course is well maintained (although the 1st cut was high and balls were lost when they should have been found). Fairways are wide, sand traps minimal, rough between fairways mostly mature trees without junk under them, greens mostly flat with some back-to-front slope, layout is challenging and staff is great, especially Cary in the pro shop. Short first hole could lure player to think course is a piece of cake, which it isn't. Most early holes are pretty flat but later holes have some elevation changes. Island green on the par 3 fourth is their signature hole. TPC Sawgrass island green is easy compared to this hole. Shot to green could be over or near a fairway tree. Yardage ranges from 100 to 145 dependign on tee box used. Forunately green is big, although the margin of error is small. Club house is very simple with minimal amenities. Course has the feel of a family-owned facility; friendly, competitive and inviting. I like it.

Great variety and memorability throughout. Conditions were excellent as was the scenery. Very friendly and professional staff. Would happily play there again any chance that I get. Also offer excellent PGA private instruction along with group and beginner/intermediate weekly clinics and summer junior camps.

Not a bad course for the value if you're walking. Unfortunately its only a 9 hole course and the hole locations are almost always the same. Wish the greens were more challenging.