9 Holes at Tunxis Plantation Country Club -- Farmington, CT

The Facts
What: 9 holes walking
When: June 30th at 4:30 PM
Cost: $21
Where: 89 Town Farm Road, Farmington, CT 860-677-1367

Tunxis Plantation offers 45 holes (two 18 hole courses and one 9 hole course). It is a fully public course, but it can get quite busy on weekends so tee times are recommended. I am quite familiar with the course since I play in a weekly league that meets there every Monday. Tunxis offers a full service bar and restaurant, a full pro shop, a grass driving range and 2 very large practice greens. It's a behemoth of central CT golf.
The course is primarily known for three things; being in great shape, being flat, and being relatively forgiving to spray hitters. The conditions today lived up to Tunxis' reputation. The greens, fairways, and sand traps were all in impeccable shape. The course is quite flat and wide open. However, the greens are generally well protected to help make up for the forgiving fairway layout. There are also several "decision holes" in which you have to make the decision to go-for-it or lay up.
This course is indeed flat. There is hardly much elevation on any of the 45 holes. This can sometimes make for a boring golf experience if you play Tunxis often, but on the plus side it makes it an easy course to save some dough by walking instead of springing for the cart.
Tunxis is one of the most consistent courses I have ever played. It's a workhorse that always puts out a good golf experience. I recommend the course. Conditions are excellent right now, per usual.
As for my league match today; I certainly did not have my A-game. However, I did a good job scrabbling and got out of there with a 45. Good enough for a 2-up match win. It was a good win against a strong, trash talking opponent.

Heublein Tower and Talcott Mountain State Park -- Simsbury

The Facts
Where:

Park spans the towns of Avon, Simsbury, and Bloomfield
When:

6-28-2008

Driving along route 10 from Avon to Simsbury you can see the Heublein tower atop a ridge to the right. Conditions were perfect this Saturday morning to take the 1.25 mile hike from the parking area just off route 185 to the tower. The trail is rocky with a slight uphill grade. It's clear and easy to follow. Our group included a 3-year old, a 5-year old, and a 8-year old. Even on a 88 F degree day all the kids made the hike without much trouble. Only caution is to be aware of rocks and roots along the trail, but overall the trail is in good shape and easy to navigate. On the way to the tower the trail passes along the mountain ridge. There are numerous spots that provide over-look points. The ridge gives an excellent view of the scenic valley. A great photo opportunity.
The hike to the tower takes about 30 minutes. The tower includes some exhibits from the original occupant. There are several picnic areas. The tower has bathrooms, water, vending machines and even a dog watering station. The dog watering station is especially appreciated, and a nice touch.
One of the best features of a short, non-strenuous hike like this is that everyone on the trail is in a friendly mood. Pleasantries are often exchanged with the people you meet along the trail. The trail is a great stress reliever. My family and I make it a habit of making the trek at least on an annual basis.
Check the DEP website for more information: http://www.ct.gov/dEP/cwp/view.asp?A=2716&Q=325272

Keney Park -- Hartford

The Facts
Place: Keney Park Golf Course, Hartford
Date of Play: 6-25-2008
Time: Teed off at 6 PM
Cost: $15.50 walking

My buddies and I grabbed 9 holes after work this past Wednesday. This was my first time playing Keney Park Golf Course. The course is nestled in the back of a public park in north Hartford. The park is quite large and continues on both sides of the street, so finding the golf course can be a bit tricky since you have to travel quite a distance through a park road before the course comes into view. I eventually found it. The club house is small, but gets the job done. The course was short, but interesting. It featured numerous hills, swales and contours not always typical in central CT golf courses. Definitely not a flat course. Most of the holes are short but the greens are fairly well protected to make up for the lack of distance. Fairways and tees were in good condition. Rough was short and forgiving. My primary criticism with the course was the condition of the greens. Naturally soft and slow, they were uneven with many pock marks. Getting a true roll was a crap shoot. Considering the amount of rain we've received this spring-summer season, the greens were not in the best of shape. They were not terrible, but there was definitely room for improvement. However, overall the course provided the standard municipal golf course experience. If you are in the area it's worth a try, but I would not consider traveling any distance to play this course. Certainly a public or muni course in your area would likely be on par or better than this course. The scores in my foursome included something in the neighborhood of 2 44s a 54 and a 55.
OK, that's the standard write up, now for a little story:At the first tee, the course has an "Ambassador" apparently to keep order. As often seems to be the case, this starter was an older gentleman, probably retired, working at the course for some extra cash. Well, give an old guy a cart with an "Ambassador" stamp on it and he suddenly becomes Idi Amin from The Last King of Scotland movie. The starter felt the need to show his power by yelling at me for "practicing" on his tee. I was just swinging the club back and forth to loosen up like nearly every golfer at every course does on the first tee. When I asked where I was supposed to practice, he replied "At home." I bit my tongue, but if you've ever played golf for any length of time, I'm sure you've run into the grumpy-old-man-starter-guy. The story continues...after the group ahead of us got sufficiently ahead, the first guy in our group teed up and hit. He was immediately scolded by the starter because he did not wait for his go-ahead. Fortunately everyone in the group was able to take a deep breath and let it go. We got off the first tee and had a fun round of golf, including a couple of cold beers. Players beware of the starter-Nazi if you decide to take a trip to Keney!

First Entry!

This is my first entry just to set this up. Look for content regarding all sorts of outdoor activities in Connecticut in the future. Activities covered should include hiking, fishing, hunting, ice fishing, paddle sports, wildlife watching, camping, and more.