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4.0
178 Reviews (178)
5 Stars
63
4 Stars
86
3 Stars
23
2 Stars
4
1 Stars
2
Conditions
4.8
Value
4.1
Layout
4.0
Friendliness
4.9
Pace
3.1
Amenities
4.0
98.7%
Recommend this course
164 out of 178 reviews
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4.0
1 Reviews (1)
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1
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5.0
Value
4.0
Layout
4.0
Pace
3.0
Amenities
4.0
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5.0
100.0%
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1 out of 1 reviews
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About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 72
Length 6537 yards
Slope 130
Rating 71.4

Gilead Highlands, or the "New Course," joined the original golf course at Blackledge Country Club, Anderson Glen, in 2000. They share the same parkland setting but the courses are unique in character. The "Old Course" provides a more traditional round while Gilead Highlands is slightly shorter, but also a bit more challenging. The heavily wooded landscape can prove to be quite formidable and there are also a few water features that come into play throughout the golf course. The layout offers an interesting variety of holes from fun par 3s to demanding par 5s. The course begins with one of the front nine's most difficult par 4s. This dogleg right hole requires a tee shot with perfect placement to the left center of the fairway. Long hitters will enjoy this one, but be cautious of the out-of-bounds on the right.

Course Details

Year Built 2000

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range No
Golf Simulator Yes
Indoor Practice Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard Accepted
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes

Food & Beverage

Bar, Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Meeting Facilities, Banquet Facilities

Accolades

Reviews

4.0
178 Reviews (178)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 21
Patio Dining 9
19th Hole Specials 8
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 24
Elevation Changes 24
Narrow Fairways 19
This course/club is great for:
Locals 29
Playing Multiple Courses 19
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 17
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 26
In the 'Burbs 21
Convenient to the City 11

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Reviewer Photos

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 313
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Top 25 Contributor
Connecticut Advisor
Perfect weather
Walked

Enjoyable–as Always

The Blackledge course called Gilead Highlands delivers a subtle and solid–yet not overpowering–front side composed of uphill and downhill fairways, mostly gently doglegged par-4’s and a couple of decent par-3’s that ask for finesse instead of power. Added into the mix are a pair of mid-length par-5s that emphasize careful placement of both drives and second shots, but neither hole is the kind that wants to exert a sort of tyrannical control over your shotmaking choices–unless, maybe, you find yourself well out of position.

Mainly this is a woodsy track with tree-lined fairways, and between their wooded borders the occasional single tree–or a cluster of them–will emerge somewhat, intruding to a degree on the line of play. The greens are nicely sloped here, none of them veering over the edge into ridiculousness. Green nine slopes the most, but several others have enough movement to provide challenges. Greens are often edged by mounding, a few having deep falloffs in the back. I like the way the course architect, Mark Mungeam, has varied the nature of slopes prior to each green, as well.

Some notable holes on Gilead’s front side:

The first, par-4, 435: A complex and demanding opening hole. Its fairway sweeps up and then rightward, then down past a small depression prior to the raised green –without greenside bunkers but not needing any, as the hole’s tee-to-green challenge is already abundant. The opening tee shot is tailor-made for a fade, though you might be able to manage a controlled draw as well. The hole makes you work hard for an opening par.

The fourth, par-4, 320: Another interesting four-par, primarily because the drive must be well-placed to a landing zone that sits partly out of sight from the tee. To find the fairway, you have to appreciate the way it curves leftward over its final stretch toward the green. The ideal tee shot is drawn.

The seventh, par-5, 493 (index 1).
Playing uphill off the tee, this fairway’s second leg bends mildly to the right and is intersected by a waste area as it moves toward the large, skull-shaped green with a bunker on its left flank. Thirty yards short of the putting surface are two large bunkers, each of them squeezing–a bit–the fairway’s run-up area. Going for the green in two is a gamble, but worth the try because the penalties for missing are not excessive. Every course should have at least one par-5 requiring the kind of tactical play that this one does.

Another noteworthy par-4 is nine (par-4, 390), its fairway bending a bit leftward from tee to green, but the slopes become fairly dramatic over the second half of the hole and on every side of the green. A fairway bunker will catch mis-placed fades or mild slices off the tee; another bunker somewhat short of the green will grab approach shots that are on the weak side.

Playing Experience:
Very much enjoyed joining up with three players, all of whom were twenty-five, one a former member of the RHAM High School Golf Team. All three of these young men absolutely bombed the ball off the tee and were very capable players. Fun time!

Conditions:
Excellent overall. Greens were excellent in smoothness and lushness and consistency, if a tad on the slow side (which surprised me somewhat). Greenside areas, including fringes, proved outstanding. Roughs, tees and fairways were all good to excellent. This is also an aesthetically pleasing layout, and ownership takes pride in appearance and the overall ‘look’ of the course.

A few conclusions, whole course:
This front side is not the kind of nine that becomes increasingly tough over the last three holes, but things transition quickly on the Gilead back nine over its tough four-hole stretch on ten through thirteen. With a generally heavier roll to the terrain, it is the inward half that amps up the course’s overall difficulty (rated 130 for slope, which is on the high side). By contrast, the front side allows for more scoring opportunities, though it’s hardly a pushover–absentminded play may cost you some quickly added strokes. Every hole here is a good one, and each seems calibrated for balanced shot values. Excellent conditioning was an added bonus today. I would call either Blackledge course, Gilead or Anderson, a very good bet for most golfers. Certainly, each has been worth playing for me almost every time out.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Walked

Blackledge Gilead Needs Work

This course drains very poorly and was very soggy after the previous day's rain. There are numerous carries over swampy waste areas in the middle of the fairways--ugly and annoying. The bunkers were mud pits. They could have been easily raked out before play. The ranger was worthless and the round took nearly six hours. I do not plan to return to this facility.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Poor
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 11/10/2021

This July was one of the wettest months ever. Golf courses across the state struggled with saturated ground and keeping up with washed out bunkers. I'm sure that if you played under normal conditions, you would find our course to be one of the best around!

Played On
Reviews 313
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Top 25 Contributor
Connecticut Advisor
Previously Played
Cold weather
Walked

Inspiring, but also Fun

FRONT NINE: The Gilead Highlands Course is enjoyable to look at, but no less fun to play. Built in 2000, the front side offered something different from the back. This outward half is not about narrow, twisting fairways, huge cross hazards, or abrupt elevation changes. Instead, it sports a bit more room for error off the tees, along with extra subtlety around the greens. This layout is balanced without being predictable; the use of hazards is strategic; the terrain includes hummocks and little knolls, swales and falloffs, and plateaued or raised greens—all of which add character. Some of this ground was certainly bulldozed to create interesting effects, yet the fairways flow gracefully up and down the larger hills and vales. Even the bunkering, which emphasizes deepness and larger-scaled traps, looks natural. These hazards, employed strategically, urge you to navigate your way around the course by making intelligent choices. And so this nine counterbalances the back, favoring greater playability rather than a more target-oriented form of golf: there are no 25-yard-wide fairways to hit or big ponds to cross.

Though it favors simplicity, the front never succumbs to dullness, largely because designer Mark Mungeam relied on a few tricks up his sleeve to create further interest. Included among these are trees that intrude upon fairways (sometimes they actually occupy them), greens with complex, hard-to-read slopes, and bunkers that front greens by some distance, say, 20 to 30 yards. From a distance in the fairways, they appear as bordering traps. Such optical illusions were popular with Donald Ross and other Scottish classicists. The greens themselves are well-sited, well-protected and well-varied in both contouring and direction of slope. Mungeam favors open approaches from the front of these greens, letting you decide, oftentimes, whether to pitch or run the ball onto the surfaces.

Mark Mungeam is one of the mainstays of New England golf architecture. Nationally, he’s not on a plane with Tom Doak or Jack Nicklaus, and perhaps he’s a bit underrated. Still, he did refurbish Olympia Fields, site of the 2003 U. S. Open and the 2020 BMW Championship. At Blackledge, Mungeam was one of the Gilead backside designers—along with Geoffrey Cornish and Brian Silva. His other Connecticut gems include Oxford Greens and Connecticut National. The quality of each of these three courses is undeniable.

Other notes, comments & opinions:
A) Kevin Higgins, Director of Golf, was personable, friendly and welcoming—as always.
B) Pace of play was, overall, a bit above average.
C) Wet conditions, though course drains well. Greens have undergone aeration, though in recovery stage. Rest of course in average condition (rough) to good (fairways).
D) Check-in today was done across street at Anderson’s Glen; parking in that lot.
E) Even on a cloudy late-November day, it’s one of the more beautiful courses across Connecticut.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 45
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Front 9 In Disappointing Condition

I've played Blackledge weekly throughout May-September & was very surprised to find the front 9 in poor condition today. Course had not removed leaves it quite some time, making it difficult to find balls hit in fairways & rough on many holes. My foursome lost 5 balls hit in fairway on front 9, very frustrating. Bunkers had also not been maintained in some time, greens had not been cut today. Back 9 was in better condition.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Over 4 hour rounds!

If you are a weekend golfer and tee off AFTER 630 am, be prepared for a 5 hour round. We feed off at 12:50 pm and did not finish 18 until 5:32.. to be exact.

Beautiful course in beautiful condition.

Conditions Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Poor
Default User Avatar
Commented on 10/21/2020

I agree 4 hours 40 minutes is too long. I'm not sure what happened the day you played but I do have to say that we have found by spreading our tee times out
to 10 minute intervals this year has made 4 hour rounds more common no matter what time of day you start.

Played On
Reviews 30
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Slow pace

Took over 5 hours and 15 minutes nightmare no ranger to keep pace of play reasonably not happy they overbooked course like that unprofessional

Conditions Average
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Fair
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Default User Avatar
Commented on 10/21/2020

While I agree a 5 hour 15 minute round is far too long, I just wanted to let you know we did have a ranger on that day, and we only book times every 10 minutes. We actually have found that spreading our tee times out this year has led to an overall improvement in pace of play. I don't know the specifics of what happened with your group but I can assure you it is far from commonplace for us.

Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Tough par 5’s

Good course, rewarded for hitting straight. A couple of challenging par 5’s. Pace of play was nice 4 hr round.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 21
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Great layout

Greens are superb
Not long but challenging holes
Need to be accurate off the tees.
Need to leave driver in the bag on some short par fours.
Greens are very firm and roll well. High iron shots with backspin stick and stay on the green.
A wonderful course

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

As good as it gets

For a public course, it doesn’t get any better imo. We live almost an hour and a half away and we came back a week later after playing here for the first time. We are from southern R.I. and are surrounded by some great courses but didn’t bat an eye at the thought of coming back to Gilead Highlands for another round, especially after gaining some much needed knowledge on a few of the more difficult holes. The course conditions are as good as any and better than most atm. The layout is amazing with each hole secluded and original. Those two things are most important to me so this course is now easily up there with my personal favorites.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 313
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Top 25 Contributor
Connecticut Advisor
Previously Played
Windy weather
Walked

Beautiful and Masterful

Gilead Highland’s front nine, which impresses most for its variety and playability for all golfers, should satisfy altogether. It has beauty, it’s not overburdened with hazards—they are used shrewdly—and there are plentiful tee-to-green challenges, often demanding finesse and strategic thinking.

Both Blackledge courses simply inspire me to play solid golf. This layout (GH) doesn’t quite measure up to Mark Mungeam’s best Connecticut course, Oxford Greens, but it’s still stellar. Mungeam shows on every hole that he is no common designer. Although the front is endowed with two incredible short par-4's in four and nine that bring the course to life, the greatest energy comes from the two five-pars..

One of these, the adventurous seventh, makes allowances for both good and average golfers, who may play this hole with quite different routes to the hole. Why? Its design features a landing strip of 100 yards prior to the green, a strip that follows a forced carry over the marsh on one's second shot. Ten varying ways routes all lead to pars on this exceptional hole.

But the standout par-five—hole three—comes on like a tougher alter ego to the seventh, especially because of clever angular movement over this hole’s second half. The third fairway is comfortably wide but fully wood-lined. Ideally, the drive's line is to its left side, leaving a far better angle for an attacking second shot, not a defensive one. The reason? You've simply steered wide of the mature, gargantuan tree inhabiting the fairway's right side. What’s especially interesting here is that you now need much less shot curvature when approaching from the left side, assuming you’re bold enough to go for it in two.

Even if the choice on the second shot is to lay-up from that left side, the angle into the green is far better for a wedge on the third, because a substantial opening allows us to take dead aim on most pin positions (or come in more easily) without fear of coming up short. Approach this green from the right, however, and a yawning bunker must be carried to stop the ball on a fast green. Better have a ball that bites—viciously. Only the actual playing of this third hole allows us to see why it's a premier 5-par with a decidedly strategic bent. It's the kind of challenge that makes golf the great game it is.

Other Notes, Facts & Opinions:
1) Conditioning: Greens, very good (fast and rolled smoothly); turf around greens, good; fairways, above average; tees, average. Course seems to have endured heavy play lately.
2) Pace: Somewhat lethargic; in 2020, slowest nine I’ve yet to play in 9 outings: lots of waiting.
3) Front Desk: Leon was outstanding: conversational, personable, knowledgeable about coronavirus issues. They have the right attitude, awareness, and setup here for pandemic. (A+)
4) Amenities: Considerably better over at sister course, Anderson’s Glen.
5) Blackledge should be on your bucket list as a top Connecticut venue. Anderson's Glen received recognition in the national golf media with the 1992 publication of Pedroli and Teagarden's "The American Golfer's Guide" (foreword by Curtis Strange). Here, only two Connecticut courses (out of 500 nationwide) were featured; they were Lyman Orchards and Blackledge/Anderson's Glen.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 46
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Beautiful Day

At 1:30, there weren’t any carts. As I finished the front 9, I wished I got a cart. The back 9 is not a course you want to walk without a bag cart. Beverage cart wasn’t out at all in back 9. Wished I brought more water. The back 9 is less forgiving if your don’t hit it straight. It’s weird how you have a ways to walk back to car if you parked by the club house across the street from main club house. I enjoyed it and would play again but not on the weekend when there’s a shortage of carts. Back 9 is a little challenging. Fun course, though.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing

5.7/10 Blue Tees

Blackledge: Gilead (5.7)
Conditions: 6.5
Greens were slow and a bit bouncy. Greens were receptive and fairways did not roll. Looks in great shape from afar, but details were not very clean.

Layout: 4
Some confusing course layout. Next holes are not very obvious and no signage to speak of. Would have struggled without players who have previously been there.

Design: 7
Really enjoyed some hole designs. Spectacular Par5 on the back with some good par 3s. Most par 3s required the same club 7/8 iron. Good variation of par 4s, but none that stand out as exceptional.

Amenities: 3.5
Strange out of the way parking lot for this course. Clubs house is literally a White House. No range, practice green was okay.

Feel: 7.5
Felt great here. Felt like golf. Possibly because I played well. But holes are secluded and wooded. Tight holes but not unreasonable. Some target golf on the back. Would certainly play again.

Overall: 5.7

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 16
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

First time playing wow

we have played Blackledge many times and we have always played Anderson's Glen but this time we decided to play Gilead highlands. Wow this is a much better course . The Tuesday Worcester traveling group will be back all 16 of us had a great time and loved everything about it

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Previously Played

Speed golf

Went as a foursome and after first hole we let a twosome play through. We noticed behind are foursome was 3 groups of twosomes and a single. Then ranger who had no personality came up to us and said he was getting complaints that play was slow we needed to pick it up. We played front 9 in 2 hours. Why wouldn't you pair up twosomes ? Felt rushed rest of the round. Played round in exactly 4 hours. Guess they expect under 4. Won't go back

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 12
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Beautiful Fall Golf Course

The Gilead front 9 greens were still healing from aeration. But the rest of the course was in good shape. Had to wait 10 minutes while daily maintenance was done on one of the holes. With the fall colors the course was a picture. It was fun to play a New England course in the Fall again. The food in the restaurant was subpar.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 9
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing

Nice place

Played with a 2pm tee time, nice time of day. Often no one working at the snack shack, cart girls where nice but never saw them on the back 9, could have used another drink... otherwise very nice course

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great round of golf

Definitely worth the ride. Fun course, great condition and very nice staff.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
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