The hardest golf courses in Madison, Connecticut
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Madison, Connecticut, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 28 courses have complete, verified tee data.
The Bridge Golf Club
Bridgehampton, NY, USASlope rating 146, 77.6 course rating, Checkered tees, 7,314 yds
PrivateRees Jones
- 4.9Conditions
- 2.9Layout
- 4.3Scenery
- 2.0Facilities
- Views
- Driving range
- Pristine
Great River Golf Club
Milford, CT, USASlope rating 146, 74.6 course rating, Black tees, 7,060 yds
PublicTommy Fazio
- 3.8Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 3.5Value
- 4.3Scenery
- 4.0Facilities
- Driving range
- Must play
- Fast greens
Black Hall Club
Old Lyme, CT, USASlope rating 140, 73.0 course rating, Black tees, 6,659 yds
PrivateRobert Trent Jones
- 5.0Conditions
- 5.0Layout
- 4.0Scenery
- 4.0Facilities
Pristine and pure RTJ track. With many dog legs and elevated, seriously protected greens, bring your A game
Written by
@greco
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Must play
Laurel Links Country Club
Mattituck, NY, USASlope rating 138, 74.9 course rating, Red tees, 7,018 yds
PrivateKelly Blake Moran
- 4.0Conditions
- 3.8Layout
- 3.7Scenery
- 3.7Facilities
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Restaurant
Baiting Hollow Club
Baiting Hollow, NY, USASlope rating 137, 72.8 course rating, Blue tees, 6,591 yds
PrivateRobert Trent Jones Sr. & Dr. Michael Hurdzan
- 5.0Conditions
- 4.3Layout
- 4.3Scenery
- 3.8Facilities
- Driving range
- Fast greens
- Restaurant
Fox Hopyard Golf Club
East Haddam, CT, USA
Slope rating 136, 74.1 course rating, Black tees, 6,912 yds
Laurel View Country Club
Hamden, CT, USA
Slope rating 136, 74.0 course rating, Black tees, 6,900 yds
Noyac Golf Club
Sag Harbor, NY, USA
Slope rating 135, 74.3 course rating, Blue tees, 6,886 yds
The Course at Yale
New Haven, CT, USA
Slope rating 135, 72.9 course rating, Championship tees, 6,779 yds
Madison Country Club
Madison, CT, USA
Slope rating 134, 71.4 course rating, Gold tees, 6,507 yds
(Player) Lyman Orchards Golf Club
Middlefield, CT, USA
Slope rating 133, 72.7 course rating, Gold tees, 6,725 yds
Long Island National Golf Club
Riverhead, NY, USA
Slope rating 132, 74.2 course rating, Black tees, 6,901 yds
(Jones) Lyman Orchards Golf Club
Middlefield, CT, USA
Slope rating 132, 73.3 course rating, Macoun tees, 7,011 yds
(Woods) Cherry Creek Golf Links
Riverhead, NY, USA
Slope rating 132, 71.3 course rating, Blue tees, 6,565 yds
(TPC River Highlands) TPC at River Highlands
Cromwell, CT, USA
Slope rating 131, 73.0 course rating, Gold tees, 6,852 yds
Gardiner's Bay Country Club
Shelter Island Heights, NY, USA
Slope rating 131, 71.9 course rating, Blue tees, 6,584 yds
New Haven Country Club
Hamden, CT, USA
Slope rating 131, 71.8 course rating, Gold tees, 6,560 yds
Hunter Golf Club
Meriden, CT, USA
Slope rating 131, 71.6 course rating, Blue tees, 6,362 yds
Orange Hills Country Club
Orange, CT, USA
Slope rating 130, 72.1 course rating, Blue tees, 6,511 yds
Friar's Head
Riverhead, NY, USA
Slope rating 129, 73.9 course rating, Blue tees, 7,238 yds
Cherry Creek Golf Links
Riverhead, NY, USA
Slope rating 129, 73.9 course rating, Blue tees, 7,187 yds
(Oak Lane) The Tradition Golf Club
Woodbridge, CT, USA
Slope rating 129, 72.4 course rating, Black tees, 6,680 yds
Indian Island Country Club
Riverhead, NY, USA
Slope rating 126, 71.5 course rating, Blue tees, 6,516 yds
Quarry Ridge Golf Club
Portland, CT, USA
Slope rating 124, 70.9 course rating, Black tees, 6,389 yds
The Tradition at Wallingford
Wallingford, CT, USA
Slope rating 124, 70.1 course rating, Gold tees, 6,120 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Madison, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
The Bridge Golf Club is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Madison, Connecticut at Slope 146 (77.6 course rating · Checkered tees · 7,314 yds). 28 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Madison, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Madison, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 3:53 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
