TPC River Highlands

Courses
  • June 22, 2015

This week’s PGA Tour stop is at TPC River Highlands, a private golf club located in Cromwell, Connecticut.

The club is a part of the Tournament Players Club network operated by the PGA Tour and which, since 1984, has been the venue for what is now the Travelers Championship but was previously known as the Buick Championship & Greater Hartford Open.

CLUB HISTORY

The club was founded in 1928 as Middletown Golf Club and became the Edgewood Country Club in 1934 before it was bought by the PGA Tour in the early 1980s

At this time famed golf course architect Pete Dye was called in by the PGA Tour to redesign and reshape the courses to modern-day TPC standards before it was reopened as the TPC of Connecticut in 1984.

And this wasn’t the end of it.

The course underwent further change in 1989, this time by Bobby Weed in consultation with tour pros Howard Twitty and Roger Maltbie, and was then renamed the TPC at River Highlands.

The course has been voted as ‘One of the Top 10 Golf Courses in the State’ (Connecticut) by Golf Digest and the ‘Best Private Course in the State’ by Connecticut Golfer Online for six consecutive years.

Most recently in 2012, TPC River Highlands was ranked No. 25 by PGA TOUR pros in Golf World’s PGA TOUR Course Rankings.

THE COURSE

Its parkland layout sees gently rolling fairways meander over 148 acres through stately corridors framed by mature maple, oak, sycamore and eastern white pine trees.

It has been sewn with Bentgrass from tee to green and is surrounded by a bluegrass fescue rough.

Numerous lakes and ponds add both to the course’s beauty and to the challenge it offers.

It is fully certified in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses (ACSP), which supports ecologically-sound land management and the protection of wildlife habitats.

For all its serenity and beauty, however, is also has teeth, especially on holes 15 to 18.

The 15, 16 and 17th holes which all play around a four-acre lake, were collectively described by Stewart Cink after he won the 2008 Travelers Championship, as being “four of the most exciting finishing holes in a group anywhere in the world.”

If you are a weekend warrior with a highish handicap. don’t let that disturb you. Multiple tees on each hole allow golfers of all abilities to enjoy a round or two at TPC River Highlands.

RECORDS

Patrick Cantlay, then a 19-year-old UCLA college amateur, set the current course record of 60 at the Travelers Championship on June 24, 2011.

The previous record of 61 was co-owned by five PGA Tour pros: Kirk Triplett, Phil Mickelson, Scott Verplank, Brad Faxon, and Kenny Perry.

INTERACTIVE TOUR

If you click here you can go on a Flyover Tour of the Course on the TPC River Highlands website

THE CLUBHOUSE AND OTHER FACILITIES

Steeped in New England charm, the white clapboard Clubhouse at TPC River Highlands offers a unique private club experience via a variety of golf, dining, social and recreational programs for all members with all of its activities underscored by the PGA TOUR’s uncompromising service and high standards.

The Brownstone Pub, featuring a stone fireplace and a mahogany bar, offers casual dining and a dramatic view of the golf course.

The Terrace Dining Room open out into a picturesque Terrace Patio overlooking the first tee while you more intimate setting of the Champions Room is the perfect site for smaller business meetings, luncheons and private dinner parties.

The Outdoor Pavilion can accommodate larger weddings, corporate outings or theme events.

Members and their guests also have access to an award-winning Golf Shop offering the most premier golf clothing and equipment and to some outstanding practice and teaching facilities..

Its 23-acre practice facility, one of the largest and most comprehensive in Connecticut, features:

– A 360-yard driving range
– A 10,000 square-foot putting green
-A 6,000 square-foot chipping green
– And a 13,000 square-foot chipping area.

Along with this the club also provides a variety of private and group instructional programs taught by award-winning teaching professionals utilizing state-of-the-art instructional tools, including video swing analysis.

MEMBERSHIP

The outstanding amenities and exclusive benefits that come with it make a TPC River Highlands private membership one of the most coveted in the Northeast corner of the US

As well as an excellent venue for client entertainment and premier corporate events, TPC River Highlands members enjoy a sense of community, camaraderie and belonging that come with participation in exclusive members-only golf and social events throughout the year.

The club currently offers Corporate Membership, Individual and Family Memberships, Young Professional Membership and social Memberships

In addition to golf, your TPC River Highlands membership entitles you to use of the Clubhouse facilities for your business needs. The Clubhouse features multiple meeting rooms equipped with Wi-Fi and audio/visual technology – ideal for a client meeting followed by a round of golf.

When you’re away from TPC River Highlands, your golf membership goes on the road with you. As a member of a club in the TPC Network, you are entitled to golf privileges at all TPC private, daily fee and resort golf courses nationwide.

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