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The Robert Trent Jones Trail in Alabama fared quite well in Zagat's 2009 guide to America's Top Golf Courses, including the Grand National course in Auburn, which was rated at a strong 26 of 30.

Spring is the season for golf course rankings. Golf Digest published its list a few weeks ago and Zagat's sent me its latest annual "Ultimate Golfer's Guide" the other day; Zagat asks me, as it does hundreds of others, to contribute my thoughts about some of the public courses I have played the previous year, in exchange for which they send me a free copy.
Golf Digest includes both private and public courses in its rankings, but of course the pampered private ones

Golf Digest and Zagat's agree that Pebble Beach is the best public course in the land.

dominate, with Augusta National, Pine Valley and Shinnecock Hills topping the list. (I was fortunate to play them some years ago, and my order is Pine Valley, then Augusta and Shinnecock; breaking 90 felt like a much greater achievement at Pine Valley than at Augusta. As for Shinnecock, the wind was blowing when I played, making it a relentlessly tough slog.) Zagat lists only publicly accessible courses, although it does mention the best private courses in the back of the book.
   One other key difference between the listings: As mentioned, Zagat's includes the opinions of the average Joe to build its rankings. Golf Digest uses "raters," low-handicap players who are well connected enough to be invited to play at some of the nation's finest layouts. The average Joes, actually, do quite well in terms of their judgments when you compare the two lists. For example, the top public venue on Golf Digest's list is almost a cliché, Pebble Beach, at #6 overall. Pacific Dunes follows at #14, the only other course in the top 20. Whistling Straits weighs in at #22 and The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island #25.
   Zagat's guide differs only slightly, with its contributors agreeing that Pebble Beach is the best public course in the land, but putting Bethpage Black, site of this year's U.S. Open, at #2, and Pebble Beach's companion course Spyglass Hill at #3. The next three slots in Zagat's, in order, are held down by Whistling Straits, Pacific Dunes and The Ocean Course.   Bethpage Black ranks #29 on the Golf Digest list. Rounding out the top 10 on Zagat's is Bandon Dunes (#7), Pinehurst #2 (#8), Kapalua Plantation (#9), and The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass (#10).
   In its index, Zagat's includes a wide range of categories, such as those that will appeal to the budget conscious, those with the best clubhouses, the best 19th holes and the courses that are the most environmentally

Ocean Ridge Plantation, north of Myrtle Beach, contributes two top courses to Zagat's list of the best.

conscious. Missing are those courses that are part of residential communities. The guide lists plenty of courses from which they could choose, among them a nice sampling in the southeast. For example, Ocean Ridge Plantation, just north of the Myrtle Beach area in North Carolina, contributes two courses at the top of the overall list -- Leopard's Chase (with a rating of 28 out of 30) and Tiger's Eye (27). Pinehurst #2 hauls down the near perfect rating of 29 (a few of the other Pinehurst courses are highly rated as well). In Georgia, the Great Waters and Oconee Courses at Reynolds Plantation, and The Club at Cuscowilla, across the lake, were anointed with ratings of 27. Among the highly rated community courses in Florida, two Ginn Resort layouts are rated at 27; Ginn, as you have read in this space, unfortunately has run into some financial difficulties.

Note: Golf Digest publishes its rankings online at golfdigest.com/rankings. Zagat's rankings are not available without paying a fee, but if you want me to look up your favorite course, send me a note and I will be happy to.

Oxford Greens offers up interesting doglegs, almost all off them tilting left.

by Tim Gavrich

   My father and I journeyed 50 minutes from our home in Avon to Oxford, CT, to play the four-year old Golf Club at Oxford Greens on Wednesday. Designed by Mark Mungeam of golf course architecture firm Cornish, Silva, and Mungeam, the layout winds through acres of forest and Del Webb cookie-cutter houses.
     Oxford Greens gives names to all its holes, including a "Redan," a "Punchbowl," and a "Double Plateau," all names of template holes fashioned by the classic designers C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor. Their design of the golf course at Yale University is one of my favorites; therefore, I was disappointed not to see some Yale-like features at Oxford Greens. The closest similarity to the Macdonald/Raynor style was the par 3 13th, the "Redan" hole, with a bunker guarding the front and left of a green that slopes from front-right to back-left, encouraging a running right-to-left iron shot.
    There were a few other bright spots to go along with some noticeable weaknesses at Oxford Greens. The following are the good with the bad.

The Good -- The variety in the lengths of holes was a plus at Oxford Greens. From the back tees (just under 7,200 yards), the par fours range from the 335-yard 6th to the 458-yard 18th. Likewise, the par five 3rd is a true three-shotter that runs over 600 yards uphill, while the penultimate hole rewards a well-struck drive with the

Although homes surround the course, they are sufficiently set back.

"Opportunity" (the name of the hole) to reach the green in two. The par three holes range from the 170-yard 16th up to the 221-yard 9th. In terms of turf conditions, the fairways were in very good shape, running firm and fast. Playing certain shots along the ground to take advantage of fairway contours is possible -- and sometimes the preferable strategy -- at Oxford Greens. Even though the course is routed through a residential community, the houses are sufficiently distant from the holes they border; we saw very few out-of-bounds stakes defining the backyards of the homes.

The Bad -- There was very little variety in the movement of the holes. Oxford Greens is the only golf course I have ever played where the first 16 holes have the majority of the trouble on the left side, leaving the right side for bailout. Only the 17th and 18th holes provide room to miss on the left. Despite good variation in the lengths of the holes, the sameness of the movement of the land made the golf course feel monotonous until the home holes. Also, many holes are quite narrow, meaning that high-handicappers might lose a few more golf balls than typical. The only other significant quibble is that the greens were not in great shape when we played (see yesterday's post below), having been aerated a few days earlier. By the looks of the greens, even in their punched condition, they should round into very nice shape in the next few weeks. As always, be sure to ask about conditions when you call to book your tee time; we didn't ask when we called, and the Oxford Greens pro shop didn't offer.

We paid the early-season weekday rate of $45 (cart included). Beginning in May, the rate reverts to $55 weekday and $89 weekend. Oxford Greens does offer different annual membership plans, including one that

Oxford Greens could be an unhappy experience for happy hookers.

provides unlimited green and cart fees for $3,850 annually. Those willing to play just on weekdays will pay $1,100 less for the year. Given that the Connecticut golf season lasts until at least the end of October, a four-day a week player could get his or her money's worth. The club charges no initiation fee.
All in all, the Golf Club at Oxford Greens provides a nice mix of fun and challenge despite the relentlessness of holes with trouble left and relative safety right. The staff at Oxford Greens tries hard on and off the course to make you feel special, fetching your bags from the bag drop and satisfying a request for some forgotten pain relievers before the start of the round. Although the golf course might prove exhausting for those happy hookers who can't keep the ball on the right side of the fairway, Oxford Greens is worth a go for anyone traveling Interstate 84 just south of Waterbury, CT.

Tim Gavrich, a sophomore English major and golf team member at Washington & Lee University, has contributed articles to GolfCommunityReviews over the last few years. He is also a frequent contributor to GolfClubAtlas.com, a web site dedicated to golf course architecture.

*

The Village at Oxford Greens is a Del Webb community and is centrally located in the hills of Connecticut. Homes begin in the low $400s at 1,800 square feet and many feature views of the golf course. This is what is commonly referred to as an "active adult community," which means only those 55 and older need apply and the club arranges for a wide number of activities for its residents. The homes were without any architectural interest, and seemed almost pre-fabricated, surprising at the prices. We walked through the 14,000 square foot clubhouse, with adjoining indoor pool, and found a number of card tables filled by ladies who appeared to be well into their 60s and early 70s. Their ages and the layout of the clubhouse reminded me of the assisted living center where my late mother-in-law lived for a couple of years. For those who want most hours of their days planned and do not want to work too hard to get to know their fellow residents, I suppose places like The Village at Oxford Greens would be a fine choice -- but not for this 60 something. -- Larry Gavrich

Landing areas and greens are well protected at Oxford Greens.

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