A day at Aspetuck Valley, Weston, CT

    As a member of the Junior/Senior Golfing Society of Connecticut, I have the opportunity to play a handful of private golf courses in the state each year that I might otherwise have to beg to play.  The Society is a few decades old, and the "junior" part refers to those under the age of 60 but over the age of 40.  I qualify for the Senior division and today, at the up and down, beautifully manicured Aspetuck Valley Golf Club in Weston, CT, I felt old indeed.

    The course is one of those not especially friendly to first timers, with blind tee shots and many false fronts on the

modestly sized greens.  Driver can stay in the bag on about half the par 4s and 5s without any sacrifice, but on those holes -- especially the ones with the severely elevated greens -- and long tee shot will help a lot with the approach.  Distances were especially hard to calculate, despite the two sophisticated range finders in our group.  The least little breeze through the Connecticut hardwoods that lined the fairways seemed to knock down even the most crisply hit shots.  Lots of "damns" uttered in our group today.

    The food as Aspetuck was exceptional for club food, the chef a recent import from California's Napa Valley where food expectations are as high as they are in France.  It showed at lunch and dinner, where the steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare.  It sat under a skewered couple of grilled shrimp and above a spinach and fillo dough square that probably should have been pushed off to the side (or off the plate entirely).  Nevertheless, the food and bonhommie made me forget the five golf balls I lost in woods, water and heather, and the slight dizziness from the ups and downs of a tough day of golf.  (Photos below were all taken with an iPhone).

Top to bottom at Aspetuck Valley, the 1st hole, a par 3 on the back nine, and the attractive stone walls that frame some of the greens and fairways.