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Review: Fox Hopyard Golf Club
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The semi-private Fox Hopyard Golf Club occupies a quite a scenic plot of land in East Haddam, Connecticut. The par-71 course is part of the Fox Golf company, along with Bernardston, MA’s Crumpin-Fox Club and New Port Richey, FL’s Fox Hollow Golf Club. All three courses were designed by Roger Rulewich of the Robert Trent Jones, Sr. design firm.
By the Numbers:
Peak rates: $120 (weekend mornings in summer/early fall, including cart)
Black tees: 6,912 yards/74.1 rating/136 slope
Blue: 6,512/72.6/131
White: 6,109/70.7/124
Gold: 5,657/68.5/119
Red (W): 5,111/70.9/127
Setting and Routing—Fox Hopyard sits on a fairly severe piece of land, but is nonetheless carved out to provide adequate width in many landing areas. Due to some very hilly terrain on the front nine, walking Fox Hopyard is not a realistic possibility. It is a more modern station-to-station type of golf course. The individual holes themselves do not appear to fight the land, and rise and fall sensibly and, at times, very dramatically.
Tee-to-Green—Golf courses out of the Robert Trent Jones stable tend to draw criticism for being somewhat monotonous, with mostly longer, straight holes that demand long, straight shots. Fox Hopyard contains much more sophistication in terms of shot values, taking advantage of its setting to provide many different looks at holes off the tee. It can tend to be on the narrow side at times, with driver being taken out of the player’s hands on quite a few holes (in my round there, I hit driver on eight of the 13 non-par 3s). There are a few nice risk-reward opportunities off the tee, such as at the short par 4 6th hole, where players can choose how much of an expanse of wetlands they want to carry in order to have a short second shot. The two par 5s on the front nine are reachable in two, making for some potential early-round excitement.
Green Complexes—While they may occupy a high square footage, to say the greens at Fox Hopyard are large would be very misleading. Almost all the putting surface are amoeba-shaped, with numerous fingers and extensions such that most pins are no more than four or five yards from the fringe. They have large contours that can separate them into two or three small, distinct sections. Failing to leave one’s approach shot in the correct section of greens will make putting nightmarish, but if one can place his or her ball on the same level of the pin, putts will be significantly easier. Greenside bunkers range in depth, from the fairly tame sentinel to the left of the 13th green to the nasty pits that guard the 4th green. Many sideboards and backboards allow players to hit some creative shots around the greens, adding a good deal of fun to a difficult golf course.
Highlight/Lowlight Holes—Fox Hopyard boasts a preponderance of solid holes without too many that leave players scratching their heads. The one hole that stood out to me as being less pleasing was the par 4 7th hole. It forces players to hit a long iron or hybrid off the tee, followed by an approach shot with a mid iron to a very narrow, severely contoured green hemmed in by sand and water. If there was the possibility of having a wedge into the hole, it would be better but the fact that the target is so difficult to hit makes the hole more nightmarish than most would prefer. It is not enough to ruin one’s view of Fox Hopyard, however, and is more of a hiccup than an offense. Fox Hopyard’s best holes let it shine. Its five par 3s stand out in particular. The 4th is regarded by many as the course’s signature hole, as it drops a breathtaking 90 feet to a green guarded by deep bunkers and chipping areas. The 249 yard 16th hole features the largest green on the course, at almost 50 yards from front to back, with some of Fox Hopyard’s most dramatic contours. It takes a fairway wood that must trundle up and over a couple hills in order to find the proper section of the green. It is a difficult but eminently fair test of golf.
Maintenance/Course Conditions—Fox Hopyard enjoys some of the best conditions of any public course in the state. Roughs are thick and lush, which actually helps some balls from rolling into the woods, but make for very difficult approach shots. The fairways are cut fairly tightly and are allowed to grow firm, rewarding good drives with ample roll and allowing run-up shots to greens that are open in front. I found the greens to be the equal of some private clubs in terms of smoothness and speed. They were very firm to boot, making it a rule of thumb to try and land one’s approach shots well short of the middles of the putting surfaces.
Facilities—Fox Hopyard provides a “country club for a day” experience to outside players, with a friendly, attentive staff and a complete set of amenities. The clubhouse, which sits 30 feet above the course in the middle of the property, offers great views as well as the On The Rocks Tavern and Restaurant, serving very good lunch and dinner, as well as a well-stocked bar. The attractive, well-furnished pro shop is located in a separate building, closer to the 1st and 10th tees. The practice facility is one of the best I have seen in the area, with a large grass driving range, excellent putting green and serviceable chipping area.
Overall Rating—Fox Hopyard makes a very strong case for inclusion high on a list of New England’s top public courses. Its difficulty might be frustrating for higher handicappers, but as a scratch player, I find the golf course to be the equal of Gillette Ridge, but Fox Hopyard’s facilities and excellent conditioning earn a Doak 7 from me. With Connecticut’s beaches, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos, as well as Gillette Castle close by, Fox Hopyards is in an excellent location for vacationers to one of New England’s most scenic areas. The golf course alone would be well worth a day trip from points further out as well.
Cheers.
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