Review: Triggs Memorial Golf Course (Part 1)

The last time I went on a vacation, I went to sunny Florida. The time before that, it was Cape May. Florida's quality as a vacation destination needs no explanation, and while people outside the Northeast may not recognize the name of Cape May, it is most definitely a place where wealthy New Yorkers and Philadelphians (and during the week I was there, a strange number of Quebecians) spend their weekends away from the city. I don't think anyone thinks of Groton, Connecticut as a place to take a vacation. But for several days, Groton was the base of operations for a little, golf-centered vacation for me and my brothers. The weather could have been better, but we got the three rounds at three different courses that I wanted.

We start off our trip to New England with the last course we played. Triggs Memorial Golf Course is located quite close to the center of Providence, Rhode Island. Yes, I know, I just said we were staying in Connecticut, but we're not exactly talking about big states here. It was just under an hour to get from our hotel to the course. Anyway, Triggs Memorial is an old Donald Ross course, built in 1932. That means I was expecting something pretty similar to Dunedin, which I played back in Florida and enjoyed quite a lot. Does Triggs stand up to that? Let's find out, shall we?

The first hole is a mid-length par 4, playing about 400 yards. There is OB left and two fairway bunkers, but the OB is pretty far out of the way and the bunkers are really not in play unless you hit a very poor drive. There is a bunker about 50 yards short of the green, but again, it's really not in play unless you've hit a bad shot somewhere. There is a bunker short-left of the green, and the green itself is pretty straightforward. All in all, this is a fairly mild opening, a typical feature of Donald Ross courses.

The first hole.

It was raining quite heavily as we played the first hole.

The first green.

The second hole is another par 4, playing in the same general direction as the first, and is a bit longer at 425 yards. The hole doglegs slightly left, and a series of bunkers running along the right side of the green and the end of the fairway suggests that the drive is best hit to the left side of the fairway, flirting with the lone fairway bunker. But you have to be careful, because a tree juts out significantly past the left tree line. It can very easily get in the way if you stray even a little too far left. The green has two tiers, and when the flag is in the back, the hole becomes much more difficult. The back tier is not big, and if you go long, you'll probably be making bogey.

The second hole.

The bunkers, for the most part, have fescue along the top.

The second green.

The third hole is by far the longest par 4 on the course, stretching nearly 460 yards. This is very similar to Dunedin, which also featured the longest par 4 on the course very early in the round. The tee shot plays uphill onto a small plateau, and then back down slightly to the green. The dropoff behind the green is obviously a place to avoid. Honestly, this isn't a particularly interesting or good hole. It's kind of a long slog. Fun fact: This hole runs right alongside Rhode Island College, the second-oldest college in the state. You can't see it from the course, but it's there.

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole is the first par 3 at Triggs. It's about 200 yards and plays slightly uphill. The two bunkers are well short of the green and not really in play, but they definitely look like they do from the tee. There's a bit of visual deception going on. And it is a good looking hole too. The fescue that frames much of the course looks very good in general.

The fourth hole.

A slightly closer look. The fescue does make the course look very good.

The fifth hole is a very short par 4, though at 330 yards, it isn't quite drivable. The ideal drive is a wood or long iron that cuts the corner of the dogleg slightly, flirting with a series of fescue-covered mounds. This best opens up the approach to the green, which is nearly surrounded with bunkers. This isn't a hole you want to have a 50 yard approach on. It's much better to hit a full wedge that you can stop quickly.

You can't see too much from the fifth tee.

The heavily defended fifth green.

The sixth hole is the lone par 5 on the front nine. Of the four par 5s on the course, three of them are all about 510 yards. This is the first of the three. The fairway bunker in the corner of the dogleg is obviously to be avoided. The slope is quite steep, and you'll have to use a wedge or short iron to get out. If you hit the fairway, you can take a shot at the green. There are two bunkers left and right of the fairway, a bit short of the green, waiting to catch poorly struck attempts to hit the green in two. Much like the third, long is very bad.

The view from the sixth tee.

You still can't see the green on the second shot. The green is to the right.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is the second par 3 on the front, and is slightly shorter than the third at 190 yards. The tee shot plays over a native area, but you don't have to worry about it unless you top it. Stray too far right and your ball will get snared on the trees and potentially drop into a gully running along the right side and I am definitely not speaking from experience here. The green is elevated, so if you miss short, your ball may very easily run back down the hill. There are two bunkers, one right, one left. This isn't the longest par 3 on the course, but it's definitely the toughest.

The seventh hole.

The eighth hole is another drive-and-pitch par 4 at 340 yards. Unlike the fifth, the driver may be the best club to hit off this tee. You can't see it in the picture, but there's a pond on the left side of the fairway that is definitely in play if you hit a wood or long iron. Use a driver, and it's not as much of a concern. Whatever you do off the tee, the green is small and is protected by three bunkers, two left, one right.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green. I do like the low profile of this green. It looks very natural.

The ninth hole is a mid-length par 4, pretty much exactly the same length as the first hole, but running in the opposite direction. There are four fairway bunkers, two on each side, which is incidentally as many fairway bunkers as Dunedin had. Even more strangely, they're not exactly in play. The farther ones on each side are a little bit of a concern, but even so, they're pretty close to the tee and only an issue if the wind is coming into you. The green is guarded by two more bunkers. This is really a hole where you just want to hit two straight shots. Not particularly exciting.

The ninth hole.

The ninth green.

That's it for the front nine, we'll check out the back nine next week.