Triggs (Ross)

[mark chalfant]

Has anyone played Triggs Golf Course in Providence this year?  I often hear great things about George Wright and Shennecosett, but not much at all about Triggs.


Thanks for any feedback about its design merits

[Jake Marvin]

Mark -


It's a moderately interesting Ross course that could use some love. Most of the property is flattish and boring, but there are some interesting holes (I remember enjoying 6, 14, and 16). The par fives are relatively varied, but I remember being underwhelmed by the par threes and longer par fours, both of which are sort of repetitive. Although it's definitely not overgrown, I think it could be markedly improved with a chainsaw in places, a wider mower everywhere, and a jackhammer on a few intrusive cart paths. That said, the greens are well-preserved and add a ton to the course (based on my limited experience, it's a pretty average set of Ross greens, which is still pretty good). I played Triggs and George Wright on consecutive days a couple years ago, and GW definitely sticks in my mind better. Overall, it's fun but nothing overly special, and a good value if you're in Providence without private access.

[Cliff Hamm]

My take....GW, Shenny and Triggs are largely interchangeable for ranking purposes.  All are largely Doak 5's that some might give a 6.  Comes down to your individual preference, although I suspect most on this board would rank in the order I stated.


Triggs is not flat.  For example, 2 of the par 3's are up hill with another a 'short' downhill.  These three are excellent.


There are not intrusive cart paths.  In fact there are almost no cart paths.


The course is rough around the edges.  Bunkers need sand, rough has too many bare spots.  Trees at times block bunkers and so yes, it needs a chainsaw in places.


Well worth a play and oh, it's Providence so you will get lots of local color, not to mention great Italian food only a 5 minute ride away.

[Cob Carlson]

I have not played Triggs this year, but have played it every year at least once or twice for the past 15 years, both casually and in tournaments. It is an underrated Ross gem. Fantastic routing. You see almost no houses on your round. Yes, it is a little rough around the edges due to a sparse muni maintenance budget. But the bones are so solid, and my guess is that it has been relatively untouched since Ross and crew contracted it.


IT IS NOT FLAT. The first two stout par fours are relatively flat, as well as the incoming 9th and 18th holes. Other than that, there are significant elevation changes on many holes. The set of 4 par threes are extremely challenging. The green complexes are absolutely terrific and very difficult to read.


I count 10 Ross courses in Rhode Island, an amazing amount for such a small state. I am not including Newport on the list. I would rate Triggs between 4th and 6th best.


Always reasonably priced, and yes, Providence is a great foodie city, and a great city for arts activities.

[Brad Tufts]

Count me as a Triggs fan too, Cob...although I have only played it twice, the last time being probably a decade ago.


GW is a solid 6, and better care means it's #1 (non-Taconic) Public in Mass. for me, in an admittedly weak field.  It is head and shoulders better than the other two, with great land, and imaginative holes, apart from #1


I think Shenny is a more interesting layout than Triggs, but both are similar in quality.

[MCirba]

Triggs fan here.  Big hitter, the Triggster.


Terrific muni with appropriate conditioning.  It would look stupid with lush, wall-to-wall greenery, which come to think of it, actually looks (and plays) stupidly on private courses, as well.

[Cob Carlson]

Brad, put Triggs back on your rotation. They have a number of little tourneys you could enter.


The regulars at Triggs boast that Ross' original design has remained intact.


They also now have a fairly recent, mighty fine driving range.


Like all solid Ross tracks, you need to know your angles playing this sweet course.


Pro Rich Beem loves the place, and often goes out of his way to fit in a round there.

[Bob Simons]

Checked out Triggs yesterday while in town. Was a balmy 28 degrees on the first tee and the parking lot was half full! Lots of diehards. I have to say I really enjoyed this place, what a gem for the residents of the area to have access to. One thing that really stuck out to my untrained, novice eye was the way that the land was used to divert water away from greens and bunkers and generally off the playing corridors. Granted there were a few wet spots on the back nine but I imagine this facility has to be very particular about what they spend their budget on. I loved the style of bunkering and the variety of the greens.


One green that really caught my eye was the 13th. Although it’s a relatively short par-5, the green tilts from front right to back left so the approach shot needs to be well thought out. The following drop shot par 3 had great bunkering as well.  I believe it was 16 that is a shortish par 4 with two old trees on the corner of the dogleg that must be taken into consideration depending what route you choose off the tee.


I will definitely return to Triggs next time I’m back up from the Philadelphia area. This place was a lot of fun.

[Cob Carlson]

Right you are Bob. Terrific green complexes throughout Triggs...

[Tim Martin]

For anyone that likes a value proposition I paid $25 to walk yesterday. The course played beautifully for March in New England.

[Ronald Montesano]

I like Triggs a lot. Haven't played Shenny or Georgie, but I have played Mark Twain, a public Ross in Elmira, New York. I haven't done research into the Elmira course, but I would suspect it would rank a distant fourth among the four. It is a pleasant round, but if someone told me it wasn't really a Ross, I wouldn't be shocked.


I never got the sense that Triggs was flat. I'd trade Triggs for all of the munis in Buffalo.

[Tim Martin]

The Ross efforts in Providence including Triggs, Metacomet and Wannamoisett all sit on roughly one hundred acres of land though the routings flow beautifully without the feeling of any holes being being forced or shoved in. Of the three Triggs feels the biggest in scale to me with the inward holes having a fair amount of land movement. I haven’t played Agawam Hunt which has a bigger footprint of one hundred and thirty acres.