Manchester Country Club stays true to their invite on their site, "Come play Manchester Country Club not only due to the great condition our golf course but for good times, good people and good fun." Manchester CC was designed by Tom Bendelow and Devereux Emmet in 1917, with a redesign by A.W. Tillinghast in 1935. This course was touched by some of the greats in golf course architecture and has not lost its luster.
Manchester Country Club is not a golf course that a golfer can overpower, nor does it try to bully golfers into hitting specific shots. There is not just one play for every hole, but perhaps a couple of different options that allows golfers to play to their strengths. It is not a course where a driver is needed on every hole. It is 6300 yards from the back tees to 5276 yards from the forward tees. Most of the decisions on the course will be how to play the second shot. The greens are petite, leaving little room error. Any missed approach shots will leave golfers is difficult situations as the greens appear as perplexing puzzles.
There are also entertaining loops to play that do not follow the exact hole numbering. Members will tell you that there are many ways to play the course. Some members will pull up to the turn and play 10, 8, and 9, or they can play 10-13 then 5-9 as a nine-hole track. Some prefer to play only 6 holes can play the course across the street starting at either 14th or the 3rd hole and golfing 3, 4, 14, 15, 16, 17. Lastly, there is the 1st, 2nd, and 18th hole loop around the clubhouse.
It has the "classic New England golf course" look with trees lining wide fairways with small undulating greens. There are very few penalty areas, but there are plenty of places to lose a ball. You must play the holes from the green backward, which is obviously more difficult if it is your first time. The biggest opponent to scoring well here is nature and the topography of the land. The architects used Well placed trees, winding fairways, and elevation changes to challenge golfers and thwart aggressiveness.
The par 4s offer plenty of variety with shorter par 4s (only two par 4s over 400 yards) brings in more mental challenges for a golfer. Go for a short wedge shot to a hole or keep it around the 150-yard marker. The long par 5s are a fair test for longer hitters as well as shorter hitters. The changes in elevation are usually to the benefit of the golfer. There are not many forced carries and only a bit of water on the course. Set up for your second shot on this golf course well and you will score well.
Greens were in marvelous shape for the early season, running smooth and hard while holding spin. Fairways were greener than most golf courses around the area. Tee boxes were in good shape as well. The bunkers were filled with the white beach sand that makes zippy spin out of the traps. Most of the traps were good looking and complimented the course well.
Excellent to walk with gentle elevation changes that will not have you out of breath before a shot. Most of the holes are well spaced without being able to see more than two or three holes at one time in certain areas. The course flows from one hole to the next without the need for a lot of signage.
The aesthetics of Tom Bendelow's touch can be seen all over the Manchester Country Club. His approach was that of a naturalist's, in that he strove to use the natural features of a piece of land to maximum advantage. Teaming up with Devereux Emmet, who could not see a piece of land as anything, but a golf course must have made them a great team. This is most likely the reason Manchester Country Club is as entertaining as it is attractive to golf.
Exceptional value for the conditions and type of golf the course offers. There is strong membership that will make it complicated to golf early on the weekend. However, the golf here is worth the wait and money.
It is hard to conceptualize the feel of a course. It is not about the members and how they are welcoming or the way the course set up for how one can play this course. It is the way the golf course feels as you walk down the fairway noticing how it wraps around the terrain and moves past the trees. The feeling that this course gives you is exemplified best by the par-4 7th hole. Embrace the feel of this golf course as you stroll through the course during your round and you will feel what I am writing about.
Conditions: Conditions are superb.
Difficulty: The difficulty lies around the greens and how well you execute your short game.
Practice Green: There is a practice green located next to the first tee that also allows for chipping.
Value: The fantastic price is well worth your time and your money to play here. It is under $50 to walk this course.
Range: There is no range at the course.
Wear a hard hat: No hard hat is needed. The course is laid out well and well-spaced.
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