Designer: Ralph Barton (1924), William F. Mitchell (1951, Redesign)
Location: Hamden, Connecticut
History: Sleeping Giant opened as a 9-hole course in 1924 designed by Ralph Barton. Barton, a former schoolteacher and Seth Raynor’s associate, almost certainly built the course in his spare time when he wasn’t working on nearby Yale Golf Course. Sleeping Giant has apparently undergone several changes over the last century including a 1951 redesign by William F. Mitchell.
Conditions: 5/10, While the greens roll true and teeboxes are well-maintained, the fairways and rough are fairly burnt out and dry with barren patches.
Value: 5/10, At $22 to walk, Sleeping Giant is a bit expensive for what you get as a short 9-holer but certainly not the worst deal around.
Scorecard:
Tee Par Yardage Rating Slope
Blue 35 2671 32.7 103
White 35 2572 32.0 102
Red 37 2216 32.3 104
Hole Descriptions: The Nutmeg State is home to several historic 9-hole courses I’ve already chronicled (Fenwick, Hotchkiss) and Sleeping Giant is yet another one being built almost a century ago. With that being said, I don’t think the design at Sleeping Giant is nearly as appealing as the aforementioned courses with a bizarre set-up including a par 3 opener and back-to-back par fours at 7 and 8 that are basically glorified par threes. It also seems as if the design has been tinkered with over the years with the 1st, 4th, and 5th holes being added to accommodate the range leading to an awkward routing.
Sleeping Giant does have some merits, however, with a gorgeous setting at the base of the very popular Sleeping Giant State Park and some strong individual holes with classic small, undulating greens. This is an excellent course for beginners and seniors with an easily walkable layout and short yardage. My friend who went to nearby Quinnipiac University also described Sleeping Giant as the “perfect Sunday morning hungover round” which I think is a compliment, but not entirely sure.
The opening hole is an 130 yard par 3 that feels very out of place tucked on the left side of the clubhouse. While not a bad hole by any means, it’s not common to have a wedge on the first swing of the day. This hole plays over a valley to a kidney-shaped, back-to-front sloped green defended by a bunker left and false front short.
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