New Haven

New Haven Country Club enjoys a particular place in the history of American golf. It was founded by Yale professor Theodore Woolsey and other alumni of the school, including President William Howard Taft. That older generation quickly tired of students overcrowding the course, and thus they ruled that students would no longer be allowed to play at the facility. The result, of course, was the creation of the Yale Golf Club, which is now considered by many to be the finest route in the state.

Still...the faculty who stayed put at New Haven Country Club were hardly suffering. This Willie Park Jr. design puts a heavy emphasis on the putter, and on players to give themselves the best angle to the correct quadrant on these large putting surfaces. Among the most intriguing are some of the shortest par fours on the course, Nos. 4 and 8, which while playing around 350 yards, feature greens that wobble constantly.

The same can be said for New Haven's short holes. The most photographed hole at the course is probably No. 12, which requires a carry across a creek that wraps the green, which in turn requires players to cross a railing-less footbridge to reach the putting surface.