Rocklege Golf Club

Welcome back golfers, it’s Thursday afternoon and the weather is perfect to hit the links. There’s not many days left in the year for golf, so make sure you’re out there playing as much as possible. Today’s blog is focused on Rockledge Golf Club in West Hartford, Ct, located on South Main St. As you drive down S. Main St. the course is right there on the street, you look out onto the course and can see a few holes from the parking lot, and right away you know this course is going to be special. Rockledge was one of the nicest courses that I have visited and played at in awhile. Even in the fall season the fairways were perfectly cut, and the greens were rolling beautifully. It’s a little wet on the course right now from all the rain we’ve been getting but the course was still playing very well.

The first four holes of the course are par 4’s and are relatively short, so make sure you capitalize on these holes for birdies and par’s and you should have a strong round.

The first hole is 351 yards from the championship tees (also known as the blues or blacks) and is a straight shot to the green. Driver is the club to hit here with the fairway wide open and no trouble like hazards or water to worry about. The first green is rather large sloping downhill and right to left. There are bunkers on the front left of the and behind the green, so make sure you either come up short or are on the right side of the green. This is hole is a great way to open up with a birdie.
Most of the fairways on this course are large and fairly wide open. There are not as many trees as Pine Valley which makes this course a lot easier to play. If you find yourself hitting the ball into the rough and trees you should be able to find it and play your shot. The greens are also rather large have many slopes to them.
The second hole is a very short par 4 measuring only 292 yards. Driver might be too long off the tee so go with a long iron or wood. The green is set up on a hill and has bunkers on the left and right. Your second shot to the green will probably be less than 140 yards so this is another hole to birdie. The third hole is the hardest hole on the course coming in at 435 yards and is par 4. When standing on the tee box and walking the fairway I couldn’t really understand why this hole was the hardest. You can crank your driver off the tee here the fairway is wide open, there is a bunker on the left side of the fairway in drivers reach so make sure you play a fade and keep it in the middle of the fairway. Your second shot will travel over a storm ditch that runs across the fairway, but if you hit the right club that ditch won’t be in play. Again, this is another big green with out of bounds about 30 yards behind the green. The green is pretty flat but large so make sure your accuracy hitting to the flag is on, because if not your put could be over 30 feet from the hole. There are two bunkers one on the left and one on the right of the green. If you get par or lower on this hole that’s a great job, if you bogey or worse don’t panic there is plenty of holes left to fix that score. The fourth hole is the third hardest on the course but is a short par 4 measuring 404 yards. This is a straight hole, safe to hit driver off the tee watch out for out of bounds left and fairway bunkers on the right side. The bunker is short in the fairway so if you hit a solid tee shot the bunker should not come into play. Another big green sloping downhill with a bunker short left. Hopefully after the first four holes you were able to start strong; this course I believe is setup perfectly to be under par going into the last part of the front nine. The fifth hole is the first par 3 measuring 189 yards. Its wide open to the green with only out of bounds on the left side, but you really have to hook it good to go OB. There are bunkers on the left and right of this green. This green is very narrow and is longer than wider like the other greens on this course. Keeping the ball below the hole is the best way to make birdie or par because it’s more of an uphill put with fewer breaks. The sixth hole is another first as this hole is a par 5. The fairway is large and wide open so again if you are struggling off the tee you should be alright on this hole. Driver is definitely the club to hit here. The fairway is up hill and is a blind shot over the hill. The fairway moves slightly to the left over the top of the hill so if you hit a nice fade your ball will be in prime spot for your second shot. There is no danger in the sixth fairway and is very short measuring only 486 yards. This hole is perfect to try and go for an eagle. You will have a short second shot to this green and it’s worth the risk to go for it. This green is smaller than most greens on the course and has bunkers left, right and behind it. If you are not scoring well this hole can help turn your round around. The seventh hole is a short par 4 measuring only 342 yards from tee to green. This tee box is raised about 30 feet above a very narrow fairway. Going left will get you in more trouble than if you hit right off the tee box. It is probably safer to hit a long iron or wood off this hole since it is so short and narrow, driver may put you in a bad spot. This green is tough to hit to because there is a hill that runs through the middle of the green and balls roll left and right off the green. There is a bunker right in front of the green and behind the green it slopes downhill for about 25 yards right into water. Your second shot has to be accurate or you can get yourself into a lot of trouble around this green, leaving you with a tough third shot. Eight is another par 3 measuring 188 yards over water right in front of the tee box. This green is also very hard to hit because it is a leveled green. When I was there the flag was in the back of this green, when you play and it’s in the same location make sure you take enough club to get onto the second level of this green, if you come up short your putt uphill is going to be difficult. There are bunkers on the left and right sides of this green. Nine is a great hole to finish the first part of your round. It’s a 505 yard par 5 and is fairly open, driver off this tee is safe make sure you stay away from the fairway bunker on the right side, which is in drivers distance so stay left of that. This green can be hit in two but there are a few things you are going to want to consider before hitting your second shot. I suggest that if you are struggling and are not scoring well then take the risk and go for it, because this could be a momentum booster before you start the back nine. However, if you are playing well I suggest you lay up and play it safe and hit the green in three. The reason I say this is because there is a water hazard short right of this green so if you decide to go for it take enough club because you want to be long instead of short on this hole. If you layup, the spot to aim for is around 100 yards, that will give you a prime third shot to the green.

After a fairly easy front nine the back nine can be where you save your round or turn it into one of your best golf days ever (hopefully). The tenth tee box is raised above an open fairway that slopes slightly uphill so you do have a blind shot off the tee, but driver is safe because over the slight hill the fairway is open. The green is large and wavy so being accurate to this green is very important, because you don’t want to leave yourself with a 30 foot putt or maybe longer. Eleven is a dog leg right and is a short par 4 measuring only 317 yards. Hitting a driver is not a bad idea here but you want to make sure you fade the ball, if you hit it to straight you could go through the fairway. So, if you’re not the golfer who hits a good fade, a long iron off the tee is the safest way to go. There are two fairway bunkers on the right side if your drive is long enough they will not come into play. A large flat green with a bunker on the left side you should have no problems holding this green. Hole number twelve is a par 5 coming in at 508 yards, and is an open fairway. Crank the driver on this hole as long as you don’t hook right you will land in the fairway. Another green that can be hit in two and I suggest that it’s worth the risk going for it, because there are no hazards to watch for and the green is fairly large with bunkers located front left and right of the green. Thirteen is a 171 yard par 3, hitting to a big green that slopes right to left. Don’t go long on this hole there are woods right behind the green, if you’re going to miss, miss short. Fourteen is the last par 5 so try and take advantage of getting a birdie here. It measures 529 yards and is an open fairway. Driver is safe off the tee, but you do have a blind shot as the fairway moves slightly to the right. This hole I do not recommend going for in two. The green is not connected to the fairway and there is a large hazard right in front of the green. The best thing to do is layup, and your third shot will be a pitching wedge or sand wedge over the hazard. The green slopes right to left down to the hole, play your shot to the green to the right side so it rolls down to the hole, this will make your putt a lot shorter. Fifteen is a short par 4 measuring only 373 yards. This is another hole that you can capitalize on and hopefully birdie. Fairway is open and moves slightly left with trees on the right side, driver is a safe here and can put you in a prime spot to hit a short chip shot to the green. Sixteen is a par 3 that is wide open to the green, this green is again rather large sloping downhill so make sure you land your ball below the hole so your putt is easier going to the hole. When the green is sloped downhill you always want to keep your ball below the hole, this makes for a straighter putt to the cup. Seventeen is another short par 4 measuring only 390yards. This is a straight fairway with no real danger so again driver is safe off the tee. When hitting to this large green, make sure you come up short if you’re going to miss, going long will put you in the rough or in the second fairway. The eighteenth a par 4, 401 yards, a great hole to end your round on. A straight shot off the tee box, kind of a blind shot since there is a slight hill in the fairway, but no danger over the hill. Green is large with bunkers on the left and right. This hole is a great way to end the round and hopefully you can end with a birdie or par.

I was blown away by Rockledge; the course was in perfect shape the employees in the golf shop were extremely kind and helpful. I would recommend this course to any level golfer; this course can really boost your spirits and at the same time challenge your game to the fullest. Right now the course is in fall green fees so make sure you get out and play this course, I know I will one more time before the golf season ends.

Remember hit it long and hit it straight.