Home Course features Great Neck Country Club, Waterford, Connecticut & Rich In The Tradition Of Waterford, Ireland

Great Neck Country Club, Waterford, Connecticut & Rich In The Tradition Of Waterford, Ireland

6 years ago by Bernie McGuire Comments Off

An afternoon inspecting the adorable beaches of Niantic Bay in Connecticut led to joy of finding the Great Neck Country Club in nearby Waterford.

It is no surprise Waterford, Connecticut was named after Waterford, Ireland.

On a map, the town is located immediately north across the water from the easterly tip of Long Island that juts out from a 8pm to 2pm position from New York City.

Waterford, Ireland boasts such golf courses such as Waterford Castle, Dungarvan and West Waterford and home club to PGA Tour star, Seamus Power and also Gary Hurley.

The Waterford and New London region of Connecticut features golf courses such as Cedar Ridge, Goosee Run and Great Neck.

And those familiar with the Irish courses in and around Waterford, Ireland will be delighted that the best of Irish inland golf is to be found at Great Neck Country Club.

Off the tee at the first and beware of OOB down the entire right side. (Photo – www.golfybytourmiss.com)

The first hole at Great Neck Country Club (Photo – Great Neck CC)

In introducing myself to Great Neck PGA professional, Kevin Shea, and the Head Pro at the club since 1997 and who I note on the club’s website aced the par-3 7th hole just over three-years ago, I was advised the club was founded in 1925.

It is a private 18-hole par-71 lay-out featuring three par-5s and with two of the par-5s being the 17th and final holes while there is 11 par-4s and four par-3s.

Great Neck offers players the choice of five tees – Black (Measuring 6,640-yards), Blue (6,140-yards), White (5,680-yards), Yellow (5,330-yards) and Red/Ladies (5,105-yards).

For those teeing-off the Black the longest hole is both the 515-yard par-5 second hole and also the similar length par-5 17th hole while the shortest hole is the 160-yard par-3 14th.

Great Neck’s No. 1 index hole is the par-4 13th measuring 455-yards off the Black tee, 420-yards off the Blue, 360-yards off the White, 355-yards off the Yellow while the No. 1 for the ladies is the 290-yard 10th hole.

The club’s website describes the 13th: “This dogleg right is the longest par 4 on the course with O.B. running down the entire right side. Aim for the far left fairway bunker and don’t try to cut off too much of the corner. Your long approach shot is hit into the largest, sloping green on the golf course. Stay below the hole. Par is an excellent score, but don’t feel bad with a bogey.”

The par-3 7th hole (Photo – Great Neck CC)

The easiest or No. 18 index hole at Great Neck is the par-3 seventh hole measuring 195-yards off the Black tee and 30-yards shorter off the Yelloew tees and five yards shorter from the Ladies.

The club described the hole: “This downhill par 3 has a lot of trouble left, right, and long. Favor the middle to right side of the green to avoid the bunkers on the left. Any shot that finds this green is well played. A good place to miss would be short.”

The standout and signature hole proudly features on the front of the club’s scorecard – the par-4 10th hole – a gem of a hole measuring only 375-yards off the Black tees, 360-yards off the Blue, 325-yards off the White and 320-yards off the Yellow tees.

The par-4 sixth hole at Great Neck CC. (Photo – www.golfybytourmiss.com)

Great Neck CCs signature hole – the par-4 10th hole (Photo – Great Neck CC)

But it’s not the tee shot that should be the concern but the approach shot as the club explains: “This breathtaking par 4 is our signature hole. The tee shot is very demanding, which requires accuracy to avoid the fairway bunker on the right and water on the left. Your approach shot is entirely over water. Aim for the middle of the green and don’t miss short! Bogey isn’t a bad score”.

In my visit to Great Neck I was impressed with the superb condition of the golf course with the well-grassed fairways so different to the conditions so prevalent just a month ago in reporting on the Scottish Open and the 147th Open Championship at Carnoustie.

Indeed, there was a Scottish look to parts of the golf course with long, whispery grass mounds to be found just off fairways including both left and right in playing your approach shots into the 18th.