Chicopee Woods-Public golf course

STAFF: Jim Arendt is the PGA Director of Golf; Jeff Frasier is the PGA Director of Instruction.

PAR/YARDAGE: Chicopee Woods is a 27-hole facility with three nines, all playing to a par of 36. Each has four sets of tees. The nines range from 3447 to 3561 yards (Gold tees); 3231 to 3328 (Blue); 3000 to 3050 (White); 2400 to 2513 (Red).

COURSE RATING/SLOPE: Average of the three nines – 72.7/133 (Gold); 70.8/128 (Blue); 68.0/122 (White); 67.6/115 (Red).

ABOUT THE COURSE: Among the state’s top public golf facilities for more than two decades, Chicopee Woods is part of Atlanta based golf course designer Denis Griffiths’ lengthy list of quality layouts in Georgia. The course opened with 18 holes in the mid-1980s and has since added a third nine. The newer nine (Mill) is a bit shorter and friendlier than the original nines (School and Village), but only by a fraction, and meshes well with the other two. No matter which of the three combinations you play, Chicopee Woods is a very solid test of golf, with some length and plenty of rolling terrain, but not a large number of hazards. The challenge at Chicopee Woods starts on the tee, with average length hitters facing a number of holes with ascending landing areas that require some well-struck drives to reach plateaus. Those who try to play the course from one tee farther back than may be advisable will likely face a number of lengthy approach shots over rises, with the Blue tees a strong course for the bogey golfer. For the most part, the fairways are on the generous side, allowing you to take a healthy rip from the tee, and the greens complexes are not overly demanding, although the newer Mill nine’s putting surfaces have a little more movement than their predecessors.

Most of the greens are on the large side without a great deal of trouble around them, with the course known for the consistently excellent condition of its putting surfaces, along with very reasonable rates and a friendly staff. Among the three combinations, Mill/School provides the least stressful opening, with an inviting downhill par-5 first hole, followed by a par 3 and par 4 of minimal length, although neither is a pushover. The sixth hole on the School is perhaps the most dramatic on the course, with water in play off the tee and on the second shot, which is straight uphill to a green with all sorts of roll. The School nine concludes with a long and perilous par 5, with the third shot having to clear a pond fronting the green that makes for a great view but an imposing shot.