Fairchild Wheeler Golf Course

For the value I would play again but pace of play was slow almost 5 hours to complete the round. Tee boxes and fairways in okay shape. The greens played slow but in good shape.

This is the absolute worst excuse for a golf course in the state of Connecticut and possibly the entire northeast. Where to even begin? Every tee box is full of crab grass, barely mown, and uneven. Every «fairway» has more bare spots than the desert. The staff are generally awful. The carts are old and falling apart. And yet it still costs $ 35 – 50 on average. Avoid at all costs. You’ve been warned. I wouldn’t play it for free.

I’m happy to say that Fairchild Wheeler has made a huge comeback in the last few months! After being in poor shape in July, this muni-​public course is in great shape AND is very affordable. «If you want a deal, go to The Wheel!»

Driving range is not great.
The black course is not bad.

Fairchild Wheeler golf course pretty much spent my entire afternoon making their best effort to piss me off. They succeeded.
I showed up to play on a weekday afternoon with my friend. He brought his girlfriend, who just wanted to watch, and was gladly willing to pay the cart fee. Here’s the rundown of what ensued…
Point of infuriation #1: The plainly ABSURD dress code. This is a public golf course, not Augusta National. The manager actually demanded my friend’s girlfriend go home and change clothes because she didn’t have a collared shirt. What else can you say when a public golf course lives by the social norms of the 1920s?!
Point of infuriation #2: The starter was one of the most horrible human beings I have ever had the displeasure of doing business with. Nasty, impudent, holier-​than-​thou attitude… especially towards my friend, who is a new golfer, and needed some help with the cart. Instead of help, he received sneers and general douchery.
At this point, my friend gave up and demanded his money back. When asked why, he replied to their faces, «everyone I’ve come in contact with has been an enormous asshole to me since I got here.» He was right.
Meanwhile, I made a very poor choice by actually playing the round without him. Which brings me to…
Point of infuriation #3: The completely UNACCEPTABLE condition of the course. All the greens had been aerated, and had sand carelessly dumped all over them. In a word: un-​puttable. I don’t need my greens to be made out of Egyptian cotton, but good god, this was like putting on a cobblestone walkway. I was not warned, I was not charged a lower rate… I was just flat out cheated.
You’ve been warned about this circus of a golf operation. I surely won’t be back.