UPDATE, July 27 2022:
Rating bumped a full star. The property looks great and it's amazing the progress that has been made in less than a year. Astroturf teepads are in place (3 tee boxes per hole). Signage is improved but still has a way to go, UDISC is accurate. The TIKI Course has been installed to the South of the Collective, an open fun short course that can be played quickly and expose new players to the game. I'll leave the original review un-edited below, though much is no longer relevant.
Let me preface this review by saying it's totally unfair to be reviewing this course before it's finished. This course has the potential to become a rare "Five Star" rating. I live within a 30-minute drive of this course and I plan on updating my review and rating as the course moves toward completion. This rating reflects my opinion as of my latest round and does not factor in "expected improvements".
I've been very impressed with how much this place has improved in just a few weeks. It's carved out of an old abandoned and seriously neglected ball golf course and it takes many manhours of hard work to get the course into playable shape.
-Terrific beauty of the location sandwiched between the west side of Talcott Mountain and the Farmington River. Especially in the autumn, the views are breathtaking. Love seeing the Heublein Tower looming over the property. Wildlife is abundant, recent bear sightings on the course and rumors of big cats coming out of the state park. I had a red-tail hawk enjoying the updrafts on the ridge while I played the back nine.
-Location near downtown Hartford and fairly easy to get to from just about anywhere in Connecticut
-Partnership with the Talcott Mountain Collective brings "country club" style amenities to the course, including fire pits, food & drink options and even locker rooms. I look forward to sitting out on the deck sometime soon with my family, enjoying a cold drink and a lobster roll, listening to live music, and trash talking about all the putts I almost made.
-DiscCatcher Pro baskets on every hole, catch well, well mounted. The greens are free of gimmicks, though some of the shorter holes have some trees to shape putt approaches. The par five basket is mounted on a tree stump to good effect. Gives you a "risk the birdie?" decision because a miss will be down the hill.
-There are multiple layouts to handle a wide variety of skill levels. The layouts line up with the PDGA course par guidelines pretty well (See:
https://www.pdga.com/document...r-guidelines)
-I played the RED Layout only. There currently is one par five and no par fours on the 4,838' layout. Other layouts have more of a mix of par 4's and par 5's. There is potential for some layout revision to bring in many more risk/reward opportunities on the property.
-This course is unique for southern New England, very much an open "ball golf" style track. A nice compliment to all of the nearby "New England Woods Golf" courses in the area.
-This course is blessed with great elevation and takes advantage of it. Some big uphill shots, plus a few downhill bombs. Players better be in shape, especially on the back nine, you'll be getting your cardio workout. Think hiking boots and not flip-flops for this course.
-Terrific ownership that show a passion for the game and a vision for how to take it to the next level.
-Two basket putting green.