Manchester Country Club

Manchester Country Club in Manchester, CT is next up for what a restoration effort can look like from above for a course in the Hartford area. Devereux Emmet and Tom Bendelow laid out the course in 1917 where holes 1-2, 5-13 and 18 play on the East side of the road and 1-3 paying alongside Globe Hollow Reservoir. 

Some prime Emmet land can be found throughout holes 8-13 as there’s many elevation changes, big landforms, a stream, and lots of undulations in the fairways that all come into play. Emmet and Bendelow were still able to make the holes with less land movement interesting as you can see with the strategic bunkering on holes 16 and 17.

With tree removal that can bring in additional tee boxes, this 6,339 yard layout can add 321 yards to make it 6,660 yards. Still short, but even the longest hitters will need to make difficult decisions off the tee because of the restored bunkering and big landforms like hole 4 where a giant hill separates the fairway into a lower and elevated fairway. 

One of the biggest finds was the short, roughly 95 yard par 3 8th that got lost overtime because of trees bring grown into the pond that played short of the green. The hole was replaced by a 150 yard flat and simple par 3. Removing these trees and bringing back the pond along with the original hole can improve drainage as well as open up space for new tee boxes on holes 9 and 11. 

A.W Tillinghast also has his name to the course as in 1935 he came to add and remove some bunkering which I incorporated here in the green side bunkering around 6 and 8. In that time from 1934 - 1952, greens lost their true shape and size but little is known if it was because of the Tillinghast efforts. Already a great course can be made into a spectacular one with the proper restoration efforts. So much variety in the course playing along water, having to cross S Main Street 4 times, and the holes that weave throughout the spectacular landforms that can be found throughout holes 8-13.

Sources:

●  CT State Library State Archives

●  UConn MAGIC

https://www.mancc.com/