Great River Golf Club

GREAT RIVER GOLF COURSE

It’s an oasis of athletic challenges sandwiched between the Housatonic River and the woods.

That might be the most appropriate way to describe the Great River Golf Course, which has been owned and operated by Sacred Heart University since 2015. Another ample description could be a finely manicured roller coaster of fescue that leads to undulating greens in a variety of shapes and sizes that run toward enough water to make you happy in sand.

Let’s not forget about the spectacular views of the river and the sounds of active train tracks running between the woods and the course, a par 72, Tommy Fazio design that carries a slope rate of 146 from championship tees that stretch to 7,000 yards. The home of SHU Golf since 2003 opened two years earlier as a public venue.

Great River, annually ranked among Golf Digest’s best public courses in the U.S., is a tale of two sides. The front nine has all the water, including passing boats, while the back side is more wooded with tighter fairways and high grass “hazards.”

All-American Ben James (University of Virginia, class of 2026), a Milford native, owns the course record with a 64 in May of 2020, while SHU’s Nathan Kim ’22 had a 65 in April 2019, the best collegiate tournament score at GRGC.

The lure of Great River includes a staff featuring five-time U.S. Open qualifier and three-time Korn Ferry Tour winner Andrew Svoboda (head pro), legendary teaching professional Tom Rosati, seven-time Northeast Conference Coach of the Year Matt McGreevy and long-time Yale Director of Golf Peter Pulaski. These iconic golf professionals are managed by executive director Jason Loomis, a certified golf professional who was named 2021 Connecticut PGA Merchandiser of the Year.

Link to GRGC site