Guilford Lakes Golf Course

Guilford Lakes Golf Course, is a Public, 9 hole golf course located in Guilford, Connecticut

Guilford Lakes Golf Course first opened in 1928 as a two hole pitch and putt designed by Karl Schmidt. In the 1930's, Gardner Wheeler, a 16-year old student at New Haven's Hillhouse High School, thought it would be interesting to build a golf course. The 14-acre property on North Madison Road, which was owned by the Guilford Lakes Estates neighborhood association, had their mini-course: two holes that went up and down the side of the street. With the landowner's permission, Gardner Wheeler planned a nine-hole course, and with a hired laborer to help him he began moving rocks and making fairways. The golf course and its clubhouse served as a hub for social events during the summers.

In the early 1980's, the Guilford golf course fell into disrepair. In the mid-1980's, the Town of Guilford purchased the golf course from the Guilford Lakes Association and incorporated this purchase as part of the Timberlands property. In an effort to keep the course open to the public, the town attempted to lease the facility to several outside organizations, to no avail. In 1989, the town closed the golf course.

In July 1996, residents voted 125 to 22 in a town referendum to appropriate a $725,000 bond issue to finance the reconstruction of the course. Golf course architect, Al Zikorus, died during the project and his son, Michael Zikorus, was hired to finish it. The project exceeded budget estimates, so the town appropriated an additional $150,000.

The golf course re-opened to the public on July 28, 1999. Since it's reopening, the course has been a delight for golfers of all ages, for the residents of Guilford as well as the surrounding communities. Today, the course is a 9-hole challenging par-3 course, just over 1300 yards from the blue tees. It has been recognized by several state and regional industry publications as the #1 par-3 golf course in the State of Connecticut for its playability and its impeccable conditions.

Blue tees: par-27, 1,319 yards,

White tees: par-27, 1,165 yards,

Red tees: par-27, 739 yards,