Review: Shennecossett Golf Course (Part 2)

It's time for the back nine at Shennecossett, here's the front nine if you haven't seen it yet.

The back nine opens in a rather stern fashion, with a 425 yard par 4. Tee shots hit down the right side will face second shots with the golf ball significantly above their feet. Hitting left will provide a flatter stance, but of course, a pair of bunkers threatens the left side of the fairway. The green is small, very well guarded with four bunkers, and quite undulating for a green of its size. Like I said, the back nine gets off to a fast start.

The tenth hole, with the drive back over the road.

A better look at the fairway, with its significant right to left slope.

The small and uninviting tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a mid-length par 4 with a very blind tee shot. The hole is essentially straight, but the drive is best hit down the left side, flirting with the OB. The green has a small bunker behind and a very large, intimidating bunker right. That is not a good place to end up. Not a complicated hole, but a strategically sound one.

You can't see much from the eleventh tee.

A better view of the eleventh hole.

The bunker right of the green is quite large and not a good place to be. Guess where I went.

The twelfth hole is a tiny little 125 yard par 3. It should be a simple hole, it's just a wedge, how hard could it be? That elevated green is not large, and there are several bunkers around it. It's either a good birdie opportunity or work for par. It wasn't particularly windy when we were there, but I can imagine this hole gains an extra layer of difficulty when the wind is up.

The twelfth hole.

The thirteenth hole is a short par 4 with another blind drive. There's nothing stopping you from using a driver, but we all used shorter clubs, this isn't a wide hole. Really, you just need to get the drive in play, as the approach is the shot of particular importance here. While the front of the green is at the same level as the fairway, the back of the green is significantly built up from the tenth hole, which is behind the green. Long is extremely dead, as is being even with the green but left or right. The only decent miss is short. If that wasn't enough, the green is separated into two distinct tiers. This isn't the easy birdie opportunity you might expect.

The thirteenth hole from the beginning of the fairway.

The second shot into 13 doesn't look too difficult...

But you definitely don't want to go long.

The fourteenth hole is a 420 yard par 4 with yet another blind drive. The payoff when you get over the plateau is very worth the third blind drive in four holes. Yes, for the first time, the Thames River comes into view. A bad drive brings a cross bunker 50 yards short of the green into play. Otherwise, the second shot is anything from a wedge or short iron into a green guarded with bunkers short right, short left, and long. Much like the last hole, the green is crowned and falls off very significantly behind the green, so long is a very bad place to miss. I would say only the fourth hole rivals this one in terms of difficulty.

Another semiblind drive on 14.

14 from the fairway. The Thames River is finally visible.

The fourteenth green is a very tough target.

The fourteenth green from a slightly different angle.

The fifteenth hole is a nearly 200 yard par 3, playing downhill over a native area to a green guarded by three bunkers. This is the first of the three new holes on the west side of Eastern Point Road, and I would say this is the weakest hole on the course. Maybe it's a little bit of frustration and disappointment because you can't really see the river at all. After the last hole I was ready for some scenic views, and there weren't any. I also felt like this hole didn't really fit in with the rest of the course. It felt a little different, though I can't put my finger on why I felt that way. Don't worry though, the next hole is much better.

Let's be honest, this is just a convenient way of getting to the sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth hole is not the best hole at Shennecossett in terms of architectural quality. But that hardly matters when the backdrop is as good as this. The golfer starts off back in a marshy area, which doesn't come into play, luckily. The hole doglegs to the left, and if you can hit a draw in between a row of three fairway bunkers left and various trees and mounds right, you'll be in excellent shape. Under normal circumstances, the second shot is a wedge or short iron to a large green with two bunkers on the left side. But with the river and Long Island Sound lurking in your peripheral vision, it's difficult to focus and hit a good shot. I still think Atlantic City Country Club is the most scenic course I've ever played, and the views there are more consistent, but nothing there beats the view from this green.

The tee shot on 16 goes over a marsh.

The row of fairway bunkers left of the fairway.

The sixteenth green.

More river views.

Boats sailing down the river.

It was hard not to look.

The most scenic hole I've ever played.

From the ocean side of the green.

The seventeenth hole is a short but uphill par 4 that plays away from the river. Unless you're an extremely short hitter, a driver is completely unnecessary. The fairway is pinched about 80 yards from the hole by a marshy area and OB runs down the entire left side of the hole, so a fairway wood or long iron will be plenty. A good place to be is near the second fairway bunker on the left side, that will leave you with a good angle into the elevated green.

The view out toward Long Island Sound.

Looking upriver from the seventeenth tee.

The seventeenth hole.

The elevated seventeenth green.

One last view of the river.

The eighteenth hole is a 500 yard par 5. To get the best angle to go for the green in two, the drive needs to be hit down the right side, flirting with the large fairway bunker that cuts into the middle of the hole. From there, a draw to the semiblind green will serve you best. The green has five bunkers around it, some quite small, but if you want to miss, short and right is your best bet. Like 13, this green overlooks the tenth and there is a steep (though not quite as severe) drop-off behind the green. This is not a tough hole, and it is an excellent opportunity to finish the round with a birdie.

The left bunker isn't in play, but the right one is.

The semiblind second shot on 18.

This is another hole where long is no good.

The eighteenth green.

Shennecossett, much like Keney Park last month, is the type of golf course that most others should aspire to be. Sure, not every course is located on a coast, but this would be a fantastic golf course in any location. There is strategy everywhere, the noncoastal holes are just as good, if not better, than the coastal ones, the course is completely walkable, and you can play a classic Golden Age design that has been well taken care of for only $40 on a weekend morning. That is a fantastic deal. If you're ever in Connecticut and looking for a round, I would highly recommend it. I know I'd be more than willing to go back.

Now that we've reached the end of our little excursion to southern New England, it's time for the big question: Which course did I like the most? Obviously, not Triggs Memorial. It is a tough choice, but you may have guessed from the order in which I've done my reviews that I preferred Shennecossett to Keney Park. It's extremely close between the two, Keney Park is an excellent golf course and it was incredibly fun to play despite being completely soaked. It had plenty of flash and quirk, and I appreciated that a lot. But when given the choice between a golf course routed through a forest and a more open golf course next to the sea, I'm probably going to go with the seaside course. There's just something about playing near the ocean that elevates a golf course. And I really dislike trees. That's a bit of personal bias, but I still think Shennecossett is ever so slightly the better course.

And with that, we've reached the end of our last golf course review of 2018. If you're curious to see how they all stack up against each other, come back next week.