Designer: Willie Park Jr. (1900), Orrin Smith (1930, 9 holes), Brian Silva (2015, Renovation)
Location: Madison, Connecticut
History: Madison Country Club is one of the oldest courses in Connecticut, with an original 9 holes credited to Willie Park Jr. in 1900. Orrin Smith supposedly built 9 new holes for the Club in 1930 and Brian Silva completely renovated the course in 2015, adding three new holes. Madison has received the following award:
- #25 Best Course in Connecticut – Top100golfcourses.com (2024)
Conditions: 9/10, Madison is in excellent shape with quick greens and well-conditioned bunkers and fairways.
Value: N/A, This is a private course.
Scorecard:
Tee Par Yardage Rating Slope
Gold 70 6543 72.3 134
Blue 70 6233 70.9 131
Black 70 5827 69.3 126
White 72 5089 70.9 122
White/Green 72 4915 69.9 119
Green 72 4732 68.8 117
Hole Descriptions: Connecticut has a number of quality golf courses, but the vast majority of these are in the New York suburbs west of New Haven. The eastern part of the state spans nearly 60 miles of coastline and while equally beautiful, has far fewer options when it comes to good golf. Madison Country Club is a course that doesn’t get much publicity, but is one of the best courses in Eastern Connecticut. Occupying a flat, compact property on the Long Island Sound, this old-school Willie Park Jr./Orrin Smith design is a charming layout and well-worth a play. Although the course is not long, it uses well-placed bunkers and hazards and tricky elevated greens to defend par. It is a lovely walk with some inspiring views of the Sound and features excellent conditions and a golf-first mentality. Madison is very much an ideal members’ course and is somewhat underrated in my opinion.
The course begins with a pretty straightforward opening hole in the 378 yard par 4 1st. This hole features a tighter, tree-lined fairway with bunkers on either side around 220 yards and another right bunker at 280 yards. This diagonal green slopes back left-to-front right and is defended by a deep bunker short left.
Similar to nearby Fenwick, Madison weaves through a neighborhood and you must walk across W. Wharf Road to get to the 138 yard 2nd hole. This is a neat par 3 with a back-to-front sloped green containing a large middle front swale. Any putt having to navigate this depression is quite challenging and the green is also defended by deep bunkers long and short right. However, the worst miss is long left where a deep swale of tight fairway connects the 2nd green to the 6th.
The next 4 holes run straight and parallel to each other, a possible result of having limited land to build a course. Despite this, these holes play quite differently from each other and are memorable in their own way. The 3rd hole is the longest and toughest par 4 on the shorter front side at 424 yards. With OB and houses left and trees down the right, this long par 4 features a skinny fairway and narrow back-to-front sloped green lined by a left bunker. Par is a strong score here.
Madison plays longer and tougher than it seems, thanks to some very strong short par fours that force the golfer into decisions off the tee. At 338 yards, the 4th hole is the first of these and plays straightaway sandwiched between the 5th and 6th holes. Mounds of fescue begin down the right at around 190 yards but the major danger here is a small pond which begins down the left around 245 yards. Golfers must carry this pond on their approach to a beautiful elevated green that slopes back-to-front with a backstop and is lined by bunkers short and right.
My host was quick to point out that the house behind the 5th teebox was the site of a 2010 unsolved murder which rocked the small town and is the focus of a 2020 documentary Murder on Middle Beach. The 5th hole itself is another shorter par 4 at 333 yards playing slightly uphill. This hole features an immediate 120 yard forced carry over the pond to a fairway lined by OB right the entire way. Longer hitters will need to be wary of a string of left bunkers that begins around 240 yards but there’s really no need to put these in play. This approach continues uphill towards a back-to-front sloped green defended by two bunkers left.
After a bit of an awkward walk past the 4th hole, you arrive at one of two par fives on the course in the 466 yard 6th. Sandwiched between the 3rd and 4th holes, this is a tight, straightaway hole lined by trees down the right and mounds of fescue on the left. Big misses will likely be playing from another fairway. While the teeshot here holds little interest, the hole gets better as you near the green, with strategic crossbunkering beginning down the right about 80 yards short of the green. There’s another long, deep bunker short left of the green and those looking to lay-up will need to navigate these hazards. The putting surface itself is excellent with multiple plateaus and a deep collection area long.
You cross back over W. Wharf Road again to the main portion of the property and the 7th hole. At 346 yards, this is another short but tough par 4 that forces you into some interesting decisions. The initial fairway here is on the narrower side and bends slightly to the right around rocks, trees, and a bunker at about 170 yards. There’s a creek that runs down the left and empties into a small pond that begins around 200 yards on this side. To carry the pond and make it to the next slab of fairway requires a nearly 270 yard carry and is not possible for most golfers. The result of this is a lay-up off the tee and longer approach than you’d expect into a back-to-front sloped green defended by bunkers short and right. While this hole technically gives the golfer options, it is a bit too restrictive in my opinion and is probably a deserving of its 4 handicap.
The 8th hole runs in the opposite direction as another quirky short par 4 at 340 yards. This hole plays straightaway for the first 275 yards with fescue down either side before making a sharp left turn towards an elevated green that plays almost as an island. The green is narrow, slopes hard right-to-left and is lined by a deep right bunker.
The 9th hole offers the best views of the Long Island Sound playing that direction as an 159 yard par 3. This windy, exposed hole plays somewhat in an open field with a large green defended by a left bunker. The front portion of this green slopes back-to-front while the back portion slopes mostly right-to-left.
Madison’s back 9 is almost 400 yards longer and much more spread out than its shorter, quirkier front side. Despite this, the 10th hole is the shortest par 4 on the course at 310 yards. This hole is reachable under the right conditions and features a snaking fairway lined by fescue down the left the entire way and numerous bunkers down the right. This green is subtle and defended by a bunker right and collection area left. The 11th hole is a longer par 3 at 198 yards playing to a right-to-left sloped, Redan-like green lined by bunkers short and right. Like the 9th, this hole can play difficult in the wind.
While I liked Madison up to this point, the stretch beginning with the 12th hole takes the course up a notch with better land movement and some great golf holes. At 423 yards, this number 1 handicap is an epic dogleg right par 4 beginning with a semi-blind teeshot to a fairway that bends to the right around 260 yards. OB lines the left side the entire length of the hole while fescue runs down the right. A well-placed crossbunker at around 250 yards on the right is likely a popular destination. This approach is a gorgeous one, playing downhill over a pond towards a green that slopes back left-to-front right and sort of sits in a natural hollow with bunkers flanking it.
From an elevated teebox, the 13th is another excellent hole as an 185 yard par 3. This is another Redan, with a giant right-to-left cant and skinny bunkers running down either side.
At 580 yards, the 14th is by far the longest hole on the course and a true marathon par 5. This hole features a skinny S-shaped fairway with tall trees and OB running down either side the entire way. The first turn to the left occurs at about 285 yards with the fairway then bending back to the right with about 100 yards remaining. This back-to-front sloped green is well-defended with a hazard short right and bunkers left and short.
The 15th hole is another strong par 4 at 430 yards. This hole plays straightaway and begins with a generous fairway lined by fescue down the left and two right bunkers at 260 and 280 yards. A creek bisects the fairway at around 340 yards and this approach plays at least a club uphill to an elevated, well-bunkered green that slopes hard towards the front left. Par is a great score here.
The 16th hole runs back the opposite direction and is perhaps the prettiest hole on the course as a dogleg left 400 yard par 4. Playing downhill from an elevated teebox, this hole features an exhilarating teeshot over a pond for the first 170 yards to a wide fairway that turns to the left. A unique, nearly 50-yard long bunker runs through the center of this fairway, essentially creating a double fairway and giving this hole some character. This green is on the flatter side but is narrow and flanked by bunkers.
Unfortunately, the 17th hole was undergoing renovation when I played so we had to play to a temporary green. The actual hole is a quirky 355 yard par 4 featuring a large left pond and numerous bunkers on either side beginning around 220 yards. The bunkering on this hole looked beautiful and I hope to get a chance to play it someday.
Madison’s closing hole is a long but straightforward par 4 playing back towards the clubhouse at 430 yards. With a brief forced carry over a pond, this hole plays level and straight with fescue and rough down the right and a left crossbunker at 280 yards. This subtle green is long and narrow with bunkers on either side.
General Comments: Occupying a small, compact property weaving through neighborhoods, land is limited at Madison and the only practice option is a small short game area. Madison is a golf-only Club as well with limited other amenities. It is a pleasant and easy walk and pace of play was strong when I played.
Verdict: An old-school Willie Park design playing along the Long Island Sound, Madison is short, compact, and quirky but features plenty of charm and is an excellent golf-only members’ course. I would classify this course as an underrated hidden gem and one of the best options in Eastern Connecticut.
