What makes a destination course great? It depends on who you are as a golfer. Some crave high drama, seeking out courses that test their mettle and offer bragging rights. Others want lots of play options and a set up that’s all about the golf; 36 holes a day, a quick bite, sleep and repeat.
Me? I’m the type of player who wants a blend of playable yet not too straight forward. A course that makes me think and challenge myself but also lets me stay in vacation mode. A track that doesn’t just hand me a low score but also doesn’t beat me up end to end.
I like a spot with history and lore to learn ahead of time and an interesting town or city to explore off course. Destination golf is becoming a favorite of mine.
For those of us in the northeast, there’s a newly revamped destination course that, for me, is a perfect spot for some destination golf.
Mohegan Sun Golf Club (https://mohegansun.com/mohegan-sun-golf-club.html) in Baltic, Conn., debuted its multi-million dollar upgrade this spring, a project that rethought cart paths, tweaked tree lines, redesigned bunkers, and in the case of holes 3, 6 and 11, entirely new designs. All that is serviced by completely new irrigation and drainage systems.
I took a mini destination golf trip there and found the one-two combo of fun golf and a casino overnight experience to be the perfect-for-me destination golf escape.
Better yet? No planes, trains or stress: Mohegan Sun and its golf is just a two-hour drive from the greater Boston area.
I chose a midday tee time, allowing me to point my car that way at a perfectly reasonable 7 a.m. and still arrive in time to use their decent practice area and poke around a little bit. Since I was golfing alone, I was lucky enough to be matched up with Tim and Bill, two delightful regulars who not only play the course twice a week, they revel in sharing tips as you play.
If you’re a first-timer here, I suggest finding yourself a Tim and Bill; while the course is relatively forgiving, it’s also filled with surprises. It’s the kind of course you always play better the second time around.
The front nine is forgiving, with wide fairways (for the most part) and plenty of chances for par. I found it built my confidence as I played along. The doubled up par 5’s on the fifth and sixth holes combine the chance to swing pretty freely with moments to finesse – creeks, bunker-guarded greens and super front-to-back greens await you. The second nine gets more tricky, but you’re ready for it.
The fairways were in great shape and the greens excellent, rolling true and with challenge. I’m weird this way: I love the process of reading and attempting tricky putts on unique greens. Mohegan has that, with that front-to-back common and lots of undulations to consider.
The course setup is great – there are plenty of cold water stations and the beverage cart came by more times than we even needed. At the intersection of holes 8,9 and 10 you’ll find the Triple Tee Snack Bar, an easy stop for a bite or sip (or both) along your round. I ordered my obligatory on-course hot dog (I’ll rate it high– and they had Gulden’s mustard for the win).
One of the guys ordered a burger, making me assume we’d be waiting. Nope. They whipped it up in a snap and it looked full-on fabulous.
Mohegan Sun Golf Club is a terrific, and close, destination for players. (Moira McCarthy photo)
The course honors the heritage of the keepers of this land with the new Sky Bear statue, visible from the same area as the Triple Tee. The statue represents Native American folklore about a small boy who pierces a bear’s flank with an arrow, and a bear that sacrifices itself to Orion each fall, its blood changing the leaf colors.
My round went quickly – coming in at just past four hours even with a little waiting. This is by design; a big goal of the revamp was to speed up playing time.
This works well because on site you find the Greenside Grille & Pub, serving up great after-round drinks and an impressive menu.
And then there’s the casino itself. About a 20-minute drive away, I arrived in the daylight with plenty of time to spiff up and head out to gamble, sip, shop and nosh.
Plenty of fairways are open, giving you confidence to really swing at Mohegan Sun Golf Club. (Moira McCarthy photo)
I loved the Secret Garden cocktail bar installation; a cool setting after my sunny golf day. And after toying with some gambling, I savored an incredible meal at Tao. From the chicken lollipops so well-suggested by my server to the Miso black cod main course, it was sublime.
I found some comedy performance fun and a little more gambling. The next day I took that same easy drive home, wishing I’d booked another round. Next time I will do just that.
I was back home in a flash but with a feeling of true golf destination joy. A quick drive for some great drives. Sounds like a destination success to me.