Most Connecticut golfers tend to view Lake of Isles as a luxury on which they are simply not willing to splurge. With the price of gas at an unreasonable high and the economy at an unfortunate low, it is understandable that spending nearly $200 on a round of golf is a bit extravagant. But if you are a passionate golfer, Lake of Isles is a course that you should experience at least once in your golf career.
From the very moment that you pull up to the course, the service and attention to detail are exemplary. The clubhouse, pro-shop, and restaurant are all first class along with the staff members who operate them. Throughout the course, ice cold water bottles are placed in boxes at convenient locations and a cart girl is never far away with complimentary snacks and drinks. The yardage book is an extremely helpful resource and all of the holes have numerous yardage markers so you can feel at ease leaving your skycaddie at home.
The course itself is in fantastic shape from tees to greens. There are five tee boxes available allowing golfers of all levels to challenge themselves while at the same time have a lot of fun. The greens are lightning fast and the bunkers are plentiful so scoring may be difficult your first time out. In addition, water comes into play on four holes, which makes packing a few extra golf balls a prudent choice.
If you are going to spend a lot of money on anything in life you want to be assured that you are receiving a certain amount of value from that purchase. When it comes to golf it is difficult to find value in a $200 round, but not at Lake of Isles. The staff at Lake of Isles never forgets how much you paid and treats you accordingly throughout the day. For $200 you will play a 5 star course and have one of the best golfing experiences of your life. That’s pretty good value for any golfer. There are also discounted rounds available during the week and specials run by the casino on a regular basis, especially if you happen to be staying at the new MGM. So get out there and play this Connecticut gem.
Our Day at lake of Isles:
10:20am: We arrived at the course one hour before our tee time to warm up and take the time to walk around the facility. Everything and every person worked like clockwork to check us in, place our bags, and lead us in the right direction to the range and putting green. We also received a unique ball mark and divot tool, which was a nice touch by the course.
10:35am: We took the cart up a hill and down a path the driving range. At first we were a little disappointed to hit off a synthetic turf instead of grass, but the turf was something I had never hit off before and turned out to be just fine. It was also nice to have one of the bag boys there to clean each club right after we were done hitting each of them. When we were done polishing off a pyramid of balls, we headed back down to the putting green.
11:00am: After chipping and putting, the starter called us to the tee. As was the case with everyone on staff, the starter was informative and extremely courteous. He gave us some pointers for various holes including the first and then asked for both of our full names. (We’ll revisit this at the turn)
11:10am: Time to take on Lake of Isles! The first hole is also the number one handicap hole on the golf course. Named “Spadefoot Toad”, this uphill par 5 requires an accurate tee shot over an environmental zone and two more quality shots uphill to reach the green. Oh yeah, there are also 7 bunkers to fend off along the way. My partner, a 25 handicap drove the ball down the middle while I launched two shots directly out of bounds. I rebounded nicely to save and 8, while my partner bogeyed the “toad”.
1:00pm: Making the turn in less than two hours is always a good sign. Making the turn and receiving new medal bag tags with our names engraved on them was special perk (hence, the reason the starter asked for our full names). A quick sandwich (delicious) and we were on our way to the back nine.
2:00pm: On the 14th hole my match with the 25 handicap comes to a close. Looks like I’m buying dinner…
3:10pm: Our round comes to a close. Both of us hit the ball well, but had a couple of very bad blow up holes. I shot a 94 while my partner shot a 101. You can check out our scorecards on the Lake of Isles course page.
3:30pm: Clubs are cleaned and loaded in the cars. Off to Foxwoods, but can’t wait to take on Lake of Isles again.
Favorite Holes:
“Chain Pickerel” 2nd hole: Hitting your approach shot over water is always a fun challenge. This hole also has a huge bunker to the right of the hole and another one in the back left. We both managed to par this hole, go figure.
“Gray Fox” 5th hole: Par 5 with a severe dog-leg right. There are 7 bunkers to deal with on this hole, including a monster along the left side of the green. This hole is fun, challenging, and creative. If you can hit a cut around the corner you might be able to reach the green with an iron on your second shot.
“Raven” 17th hole: This short par 4 requires a drive over the water with about 210 yards of carry. The hole only plays 342 from the silver so settle your nerves on the tee ball and you should be able to make par here. Great Views from the tee box!
“Golden Shiner” 18th hole: This is one of my favorite holes despite the fact that I scored a 9 on it to finish out the round. It is without question the toughest driving hole on the course and maybe in the entire state. The fairway sets up on a 45 degree angle from the tee box. The further you aim right the less you have to carry over the water, but if you go too far right you will be left with a 200 plus yard shot into the green. By the way that approach shot has to be all carry over a marsh area! Find a club that you hit about 220 yards, aim for the 150 marker and make sure to take an extra club on the approach.
