Shennecossett Golf Course
Designed by Donald Ross
History
Groton in 1898 was a working town, its identity tied to the Thames River and the naval interests taking root along its banks. Into that setting came Shennecossett, laid out in the final years of the nineteenth century as one of the earliest golf grounds in a state where the game was still finding its footing. It would go through several lives before the one it holds today.
The course as golfers now know it owes its shape to Donald Ross, who took on the property during the era when his name was attached to more American golf courses than any architect of his generation. Ross worked on Shennecossett’s land near the Long Island Sound, and his routing became the foundation for the layout that survives into the present day. His touch here fits the pattern of his New England work — a builder who traveled constantly and left his mark on courses from Maine to the Carolinas, Shennecossett among the coastal properties that bore his signature.
Ownership eventually passed to the town of Groton, which has operated Shennecossett as a public course, keeping Ross’s design accessible in a way that many of his private-club layouts are not. That municipal stewardship has defined much of the course’s twentieth and twenty-first century identity, preserving a piece of Ross’s portfolio for daily-fee play rather than restricting it behind private membership.
Playing Notes
Bring a windbreaker regardless of the forecast — Shennecossett sits close enough to the Thames River and Long Island Sound that breezes off the water shape club selection on the back nine more than anything else on the card. The terrain stays mostly flat and walkable, so this is a good stop if you're carrying your bag or skipping the cart, though the open layout means there's little tree cover to hide from that wind once it picks up. Ball-striking consistency matters more than raw distance here; the greens are the real test, and lag putting on the practice green before your round will save you strokes once you're on the course. Pack extra layers in cooler months and expect a round that leans on patience with the elements as much as with your swing.