Richter Park vs. Wintonbury Hills

[Geoffrey_Walsh]

The thread on Wintonbury Hills led me to think about my round at Richter Park earlier this year (during the week of the US Open).  It had been a few years since I played the layout and I was extremely impressed by the design and the condition of the course/greens.  They were the best conditioned greens I had played on a public course since The Black in '02 and you can't beat the twilight price.  IMHO, this course should get more attention.

I think RP would match up favorably to WH head to head, but I can't recall all the holes at WB because I haven't been back since the year it opened.  I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts.

[Dave Bourgeois]

Geoffrey,

I'm moving to Danbury early next year, so it is nice to read a positive review on Richter Park as it will be my new home course.  I'm hoping to get out there in the next few weeks.

[Kenny Lee Puckett]

You'll like Richter Park!!!

JWK

[Geoffrey_Walsh]

Dave,

To say I am envious of Danbury residents is an understatement.  Last I checked, a season pass (50 rounds) cost $1,150 ($23/round).  That IS the best deal around in the NYC tri-state area.

[Brad Klein]

Luckily, Wintonbury Hills doesn't give away it's golf like that. We try to cover our costs, which is why local green fee is $35-$55 (inc. cart) and non-resident is about $55-$70 (inc. cart).

We did manage to get Richter Park's superintendent, Mark Mansur, starting May 1 when our own Greg Dubois left for Portsmouth (N.H.) CC. And we've seen a continuation of very high maintenance standards, inc. very firm greens.

[Thomas_Brown]

not trying to hijack, but when I played Portsmouth during summer 2004 the fairways were consistently soggy.  

The course was one of the softest I had seen in the New England area.

[Tim Bert]

Only played Richter Park once, and it was about 6 years ago.  As a non-resident with a 45 minute drive, I remember thinking "this is nice - maybe a once a year trip."  I never made it back.  Getting a tee time on the weekend was made very inconvenient for those outside of the town limits.

Wintonbury, while probably not as much of a per $$ value, is the course I'd prefer to play all things being equal.  Richter has some holes with great views, but I enjoy the greens at WH much more.

I recall the most bizarre thing about Richter Park being that they were so absorbed with the #1 in CT thing that they ignored the fact that whatever year's rating they were using was outdated.  Everything in the clubhouse either said #1 in CT or top 25 in the US, neither of which I think was still valid at the time.

At the end of the day, I like both courses.  I just thought the fuss ovr Richter was a little over-played in the area.