Raceway Golf Club is a public par-72 course measuring approximately 6,663 yards from the tips. The course was originally designed in 1947 by Donald Hoenig and is located in Thompson, Connecticut.
Raceway Golf Club carries a fascinating origin story as one of the more unusual golf facilities in New England, sharing its property with Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park since its inception. The course was designed and built by John Hoenig and his son Donald J. Hoenig in the mid-1940s, with the original nine holes opening in 1947 on what had been the Hoenig family dairy farm. The original 1700s family farmhouse still stands adjacent to the 16th green, providing a tangible connection to the property’s agricultural heritage. During the early 1960s, the second nine holes were constructed to complete the current 18-hole layout. Over subsequent decades, the facility has undergone numerous green, tee, sand trap, and fairway renovations, along with the addition of comprehensive irrigation. Notably, the 16th green remains the last surviving original from the 1940s construction, built in true New England push-up style. The course now operates under the ownership of Tri-State Golf Company, which also manages Melody Hill Country Club and Harrisville Golf Course. Spanning an estimated 140 acres of rolling terrain characteristic of northeastern Connecticut, Raceway presents a classic New England parkland routing with tree-lined corridors, old growth hardwoods, and historic stone walls defining the playing areas. The layout favors strategic positioning over raw distance, with multiple risk-reward opportunities on the back-to-back par-5s on the front nine, including one double-dogleg hole that requires carrying water to reach the green. The design philosophy emphasizes corridor golf through mature trees, rewarding accuracy and thoughtful course management. Players who appreciate traditional New England golf architecture, interesting ground movement, and a walkable layout will find Raceway an engaging test that doesn’t rely on excessive yardage or artifice.
Strategic Test
| Handicap | Course Strategy |
|---|---|
| High Handicap (18+) | From the white tees at 6,154 yards with a slope of 120 and rating of 69.3, higher handicappers face a manageable yet honest examination that requires accuracy over power. The slope differential indicates moderate penalty areas and recovery options, making course management essential for avoiding big numbers. Hole 5, the par-5 measuring 536 yards from the whites, provides an excellent scoring opportunity as a reachable three-shotter where keeping the tee ball left-center avoids the massive tree on the right side. The generous fairway width on this hole allows for positional play, and a well-executed second shot leaves a short approach to a long green complex. Club selection might include driver, fairway wood or long iron for position, then wedge to the green. This hole exemplifies the strategic accessibility built into Raceway’s design, offering clear visual targets and reward for smart decision-making rather than punishing minor execution errors. |
| Mid Handicap (8-18) | Playing from the white tees or blue tees (6,663 yards, slope 124, rating 71.6), mid-handicappers encounter the course at its most strategically interesting. The increased slope rating from the tips reflects tighter corridors and more demanding angles off the tee, particularly on the longer par-4s where tree encroachment narrows landing zones. Hole 10, a 522-yard par-5 from the blues, serves as an excellent strategic canvas where players must decide whether to challenge the fairway’s architecture for advantageous approach angles. The hole rewards aggressive but controlled tee shots that set up potential eagle or birdie opportunities. From the whites at 486 yards, mid-handicappers can reach this green in two with proper execution, making club selection critical—typically driver, mid-iron or hybrid, then precision wedge work around the green complex. The hole’s design creates genuine decision points about risk versus reward, particularly regarding the second shot’s trajectory and landing area. |
| Low Handicap (0-8) | From the championship blue tees at 6,663 yards with a 124 slope and 71.6 rating, scratch golfers face a course that demands precision shotmaking and strategic sophistication. The rating indicates a stern test that plays above its yardage due to tight tree-lined corridors and cleverly positioned hazards. Hole 8, a substantial par-4 measuring 423 yards from the tips, represents the course’s most demanding strategic challenge. This hole requires a well-positioned tee shot that avoids trouble while setting up an optimal angle for the approach into what is typically a firm, contoured green complex. The length combined with accuracy demands means low handicappers must execute driver or strong 3-wood off the tee, followed by mid to long iron approach requiring both distance control and directional precision. The green’s subtleties reward players who can shape shots and control trajectory, making this hole an ideal examination of complete game management. Strategic players who can work the ball both ways and adjust trajectory will find scoring opportunities that straight hitters might miss. |
Nearby Course Alternatives
Connecticut National Golf Club in Putnam offers a distinctly different architectural experience approximately 8 minutes southeast from Raceway, presenting one of the region’s premier daily-fee options. Measuring 6,935 yards from the championship tees with a slope of 133 and rating of 72.9, Connecticut National represents a significant step up in difficulty and modern design philosophy. The course underwent complete transformation in 2007 under architect Mark Mungeam’s vision, evolving from the original 1994 Putnam Country Club layout into a links-parkland hybrid spanning approximately 180 acres. The routing showcases dramatic elevation changes, expansive fairway corridors bordered by native fescue, and large undulating greens that reward precise approach play. The par-5 opener climbs significantly uphill before the layout descends through varied terrain, culminating in a dramatic downhill closing par-5. Mungeam added over 700 yards to the original design, installed 44 bunkers, created 33 tee complexes, and implemented sophisticated shaping throughout. The course has consistently earned top-25 rankings among New England public courses and regularly hosts USGA qualifiers and regional amateur championships. Players who seek modern strategic architecture, prefer generous playing corridors with recovery options over tree-lined tunnels, and enjoy courses with significant elevation variation will favor Connecticut National over Raceway. The conditioning typically runs a notch higher with pristine fairway lies and faster green speeds averaging 11-12 on the stimpmeter. Mid to low handicappers particularly appreciate the multiple strategic angles available on approach shots and the premium placed on three-dimensional shotmaking around complex green surrounds.
Harrisville Golf Course in Woodstock provides an intimate alternative approximately 10 minutes northwest, offering a completely different scale and character as a 9-hole layout. Measuring 2,814 yards for 18 holes (par-70) with a slope of 113 and rating of 35.0 per nine, Harrisville presents classic New England short-course architecture designed by Aimee Salvas in 1929. The routing occupies roughly 60 acres of rolling terrain with dramatic elevation changes uncommon for courses of this length, creating a British inland aesthetic with heathland and parkland characteristics blended throughout. The design incorporates template holes reminiscent of strategic golden-age principles, including an Eden-inspired second hole and a risk-reward par-4 sixth measuring just 275 yards that tempts aggressive play toward an elevated green complex. The property features mature conifers and deciduous trees framing corridors without creating the claustrophobic tree-tunnel effect found at some northeastern layouts. Recent ownership under Tri-State Golf Company has elevated conditioning standards dramatically, with bentgrass greens running true at medium speeds and well-maintained fairways providing excellent lies. The seventh hole, known as The Ravine, offers a semi-blind par-3 where only the flagstick is visible from the tee, creating one of the region’s most memorable short holes. Players who value strategic variety over length, appreciate golden-age design principles, prefer walking golf on undulating terrain, and enjoy the pace and intimacy of nine-hole facilities will favor Harrisville. Higher handicappers particularly benefit from the manageable yardages combined with sophisticated green complexes that teach proper approach play and short game execution without punishing distance limitations.
Final Word
Raceway Golf Club maintains solid practice amenities befitting a traditional daily-fee facility, anchored by an extensive driving range featuring both grass and mat hitting stations along with target greens for distance control work. The range accommodates players seeking pre-round warmup or extended practice sessions, complemented by a regulation putting green and short-game area allowing players to dial in their scoring clubs. The facility’s unique positioning adjacent to Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park creates an atmosphere unlike any other golf venue in the region, where the sounds of racing occasionally provide ambient energy during summer weekends. The Raceway Restaurant and Banquet Hall serves as the social hub, having provided quality food and beverage service to the northeast Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts communities for over 70 years. The restaurant operates from 7am to 7pm daily, offering breakfast, lunch, dinner, and full bar service in a comfortable atmosphere that welcomes both golfers finishing their rounds and motorsports enthusiasts from the adjacent track. The banquet facility accommodates groups up to 300 guests, making it a popular venue for golf outings, corporate events, weddings, and private functions. Bogey’s Ice Cream stand adds family-friendly appeal with over 30 flavors available, creating an additional amenity rarely found at public golf facilities. The pro shop stocks essential equipment and apparel while offering instruction through PGA professionals, including private lessons, junior programs through PGA Junior League, and summer camps for developing players. What distinguishes Raceway as particularly valuable within Connecticut’s competitive public golf market is its unpretentious commitment to providing authentic New England golf character without manufactured difficulty or excessive grooming demands. The routing’s inherent strategic interest, born from the original Hoenig family’s thoughtful use of existing farmland topography, creates genuine decision-making on nearly every hole while remaining accessible to players across the skill spectrum. The 16th hole’s surviving push-up green stands as architectural testimony to a bygone construction era, offering modern players a tangible connection to post-war American golf design philosophy. For players seeking traditional New England golf values where shot placement trumps power, where stone walls and mature trees define playing corridors naturally rather than artificially, and where a round concludes with quality food and genuine hospitality, Raceway Golf Club delivers an experience that honors its seven-decade heritage while serving contemporary golfers’ needs.
David is an avid golfer who loves walking Connecticut’s courses and playing alongside his family. He’s passionate about golf course architecture and one day hopes to play at Pebble Beach.
