Wintonbury Hills Golf Course in Bloomfield, Connecticut, is a beautifully conditioned Pete Dye course managed by Billy Casper Golf. The course is Pete Dye's first championship design in New England. The 6,711-yard, par-70 layout features a combination of open links-style and traditional tree-lined holes that provide golfers a challenging and delightful round of golf.
In a Pete Dye designed golf course, there is a balance of shots. Some golfers hit right to left, while others hit left to right. There is a balance to the golf hole to not reward one player over another. Golfers can choose to take one of two routes to the hole, and that can depend on the shot shape to which they favor off the tee. Which is incredibly accurate, as exemplified by the par 4, 6th hole.
The lack of trees on the course and the expansiveness of green complexes made recovering from errant shots feel a bit easier. The green complexes were accepting of most shots while the pressure of trying to only hit a straight ball throughout the course was open to the creative shot-maker and allowed the golfer to get to the hole by their preferred route.
The course is a walker-friendly golf course. There were smooth transitions to elevated tees and greens, and routing was such that it didn't seem like a course that should only be played in a golf cart. Walking was a must at the time. However, I would not suggest to anyone to take a golf cart, or that one was needed to play this course, even from the back tees.
The conditions are immaculate. Billy Casper Golf does an excellent job of keeping the fairways tight, the greens capable of accepting spin from irons and smooth to keep putts on-line. The golf course takes a practical approach to the surrounding wetlands. It is certified as Cooperative Sanctuary by Audubon International. The course is committed to protecting the local environment, conserving natural resources, and providing wildlife habitats.
Pete Dye's designs like to create drama for each shot. They want to make the hole look hard, but have it play easy. Some of that can be seen in the heavy bunkering of landing areas, but there is still width to the fairway that is not cut down by the large bunkers. Using sloped fairways but keeping the dense brush to the left of it to keep golfers from mentally using the slopes.
Pete Dye once said, "You don't build every golf course hard." The course will not make you work for birdies, and it rewards good shots. The course fits the property well and uses the land well to take golfers on a pleasurable walk around the golf course, making them feel isolated enough that they can enjoy their round without the feel of being surrounded by others on the course.
The variation of golf holes keeps the golfing intriguing. Pete Dye uses terrain and hazard features that play well, such as the vertical bunkering on the 6th hole. Some holes are attackable and look birdie-licious from the tee, while others tried to give a golfer a bogey if they did not play it thoughtfully. The back nine may feel like the same course, but it does play differently as there is more length to the holes and more tree-lined golf holes than the front 9 holes.
Play this course for its beauty, conditions, and incredible value. This Pete Dye design seems to be offered at a discount at only $50 during the week or $60 to play on the weekend. This is a golf course that should undoubtedly be put on the must-play list for 2020.
The most memorable part of the experience of playing this course was how there were always options. There were decisions to be made that were not necessarily meant to overwhelm the golfer but instead challenge them to make the best decision according to their game.
Conditions: They are immaculate.
Difficulty: Challenges all types of golfers for different reasons.
Practice Green: Yes, there is a practice area that is open to all.
Value: Amazing value at $50 during the week and only $60 on the weekend.
Range: There is a range on-site. However, it was not open at the time.
Wear a hard hat: No need to bring a hard hat to this course. The course was wide open but well-spaced.
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