+ This course is a "5." It's tough, it's wooded, it's very hilly. It's got good amenities, sound tees and baskets, and a couple of man-made structures to tweak the challenge of holes. I drove 2+ hours, and it was worth it



Standout Holes:

+ After a straightforward opening hole with the threat of water along the right, Hole #2 is where Rockwell starts showing off. Standing on the tee, you're looking up a steep hill with a pronounced left dogleg at the top. But wait: the 75' - 100' after the dogleg continues uphill. And hold on: they've built a huge pyramid of logs to raise the basket another 10 feet. OK - this course is serious about elevation


+ Hole #4 is another steep uphill, and it features a structure of walls like the "castle" hole at Maple Hill. The difference here is that the drop off behind the basket is also steep. You can't just overthrow and expect a safe comebacker


+ Hole #6 is a jaw-dropper. The basket is visible - 756' away - across a long, deep valley (water at the bottom right), framed by trees lining both sides. It's a par 4, but you're gonna get miles of glide from the tee with the right throw. But that's only half the challenge, because your approach is going to be uphill, and probably 250' - 350' out


+ Hole #12 is only 240', but it's across a shallow pond and up to a basket perched on a high hill. A great looking hole


+ Hole #15: once you've walked a ways to cross over the parking area, you'll be rewarded with this beauty: a winding OB stream that crosses in front of the tee and then hugs the right side, with the natural slope making every rollaway headed to the water...and a whole bunch of trees looking to kick your disc down into OB


+ Hole #17 is short with a huge drop, to a level green of turf that's been built next to a steep hillside on the right. But there's OB both left and right, so you need to have a touch shot from an unusually steep height. Trees lining either side near the tee add to the challenge, as kicks from this height are almost guaranteed to go OB


+ If you've survived everything else, Hole #18 is a flat, slightly left-turning hole with water all along the right, and then cutting across about 75' in front of the green. If your teeshot is at all to the right on this 763' par 4, your upshot must stay low because of overhanging branches.


+ Even the straight holes have a lot of character: throwing across valleys (like Holes #3 and especially the long #6), throwing narrow wooded lanes (Hole #10)

- If you don't like carpet tees, you're gonna subtract a bit on this point. But the tees at Rockwell are flat, well-built and maintained. I had no trouble with them - but I'm also not a huge run-up guy, and I understand how carpet can be slick right after a rain

- There are one or two spots where the navigation to the next basket let me down, but I figured it out

~ Great signage, Prodigy baskets. Many small touches: #7 is straight and uphill, with high risk of discs rolling back toward the tee on the steep green. Look for the string attached to the basket to help confirm Circle 1. The carpet on the raised platform on the 17th tee changes from green to blue - to warn you of the edge


~ Definitely not cart-friendly. The hills are mostly manageable through much of the course, but getting a cart up to the 12th green and down from the 17th tee would be a nightmare


~ Rockwell is a tough course, but never unfair. As an 800 rated player, I was in a constant struggle for par, and any misstep would threaten double or worse. I think that's exactly what it should be, for a player at my level


~ We could debate whether Rockwell is a 4.5 or a 5. Maybe after I play Idlewild, Harmony Bends, Blue Ribbon Pines and some other "legendary" courses, I'd come back and knock Rockwell down a little bit. The only"missing" feature compared to the few others I've ranked as 5's is a set of alternate tees and baskets, making for a variety of plays. But that doesn't take away from the designed 18 holes at Rockwell and the experience of playing them. I'm sticking with "5", but we can order another round of beers and keep talking about it

Every fairway is fun. This course is variety of layout, looks, throws, and terrain.
The Tee Pads are all excellent, flat built surface, covered with artificial turf, and some benches.
The navigation is easy, because of great tee signs, clear fairways, next tee direction on every basket, to arrow signs that lead to the next tee, even the long walks are easy to follow.
The fairways are so varied, by terrain, throws off the tee, right left balanced. There are a number of standout, unique fairways, with 2 signature holes, and many more great ones, including some that are influenced by a stream, or small rocky river.

No cons on this course rating. But, if everyone who plays this course, picks up 10 pieces of glass, it would all be gone in a summer. But there isn't too much glass.
I've read that the mosquitoes get relentless, So I played it on a 70degree, March 30th.

Thanks to the hilly/sandy terrain, the snow is gone, and the ground is immediately dry.
This course is an instant favorite. If I lived in Connecticut, I'd play here regularly, early and late season.
The entire Rockwell Park is very nice with many amenities,
I look forward to playing here again!

+ Very visual tee signs with par and distance. A few descriptive sentences at the bottom of each sign offer a bit of extra detail.
+ The bright green baskets pop and catch the player's eye. I've never seen Prodigy brand baskets before. They have a curious web of angled lattice inner chains, which I am guessing helps to cut down on spill-outs.
+ Elevation challenges galore. Massive uphills and stunning downhills await you.
+ The tee pads are long, level and sturdy turf platforms often on top of raised wooden structures.
+ The course feels like an invigorating nature walk and/or hearty hike all throughout. Wear sturdy footwear.
+ There is 'next tee tape' on the baskets and arrows aplenty to guide players to the next holes. I never got lost here.
+ Dense wooded golf forces players to focus on accuracy.

- The course has its players cross roads more often than I would like, but they are secondary and tertiary roads with a slow speed limit. Still, it is a safety concern.
- The nature walk I mentioned earlier can be potentially treacherous if one isn't watching where they're walking. Injury is a real possibility here.
- Lost disc potential is theoretically high here, too. The many hills can result in tragic endless roll-aways, and there might be a lot of overgrowth in the rough areas. I played in late winter - early spring, so I can't say for sure.
- Not many places to wind up and explode with full power.
- I don't remember seeing any trash cans. Bring a plastic shopping bag with you or something. Please don't litter!

My favorite hole here is definitely 6. As soon as I saw it, my jaw dropped. An involuntary, "Whoa!" escaped my mouth. For hundreds of feet in front of you the land drops off steeply and slants sharply down to the right before climbing again to reach the basket. I was in awe of that show-stopper and felt a little nervous about playing it!
My least favorite hole is definitely 18. A road directly to the left and a river directly to the right made for a rather constricted-feeling fairway. I hate throwing that close to a road in the first place, and I frowned at the thought of one of my throws deflecting off one of the trees and into the water below.

As for the course as a whole, Rockwell is a shining example of what woods and elevation can do in tandem.

Each hole is utterly unique with different degrees of elevation and densities of forest within left, right and straight fairways. Never once will the player get the feeling that they've "just played this one." Variety is normally tough to pull off in a course that is mostly wooded, but Rockwell has very many other natural features working in its favor to set itself apart from most other wooded courses I've played such as a little pond to throw above at hole 12, a cliff to tee from at hole 17, and one of the steepest uphill climbs I've ever encountered at hole 7.

On the downside, there is only one tee pad and pin per hole, so any new players who want to get in on the action will not have as much fun due to some of the grueling combinations of distance, elevation and trees. As a result, I think more experienced players will get more enjoyment at this course. And among them, power players will feel a bit constricted here. So, it is definitely geared more towards golfers who enjoy tree dodging and deliberate placement. I enjoyed it, but I acknowledge that the lack of more open holes will cause the course to seem monotonous to those who prefer a balanced course.

The course has a lot of natural beauty, though. It feels like a forest especially made for disc golf. I enjoyed the walks between holes. That downhill hike between 10 and 11 is fun. And between holes 14 and 15, I witnessed the rare and awesome sight of a massive limb loudly snapping off a tree and smashing violently into the river water below.

In closing, I give Rockwell a strong recommendation. I'll admit that it isn't the most accessible course to brand new players and golfers who are unsteady on their feet. The elevation alone really is something to be wary of. To some, the course might feel tedious. To others, it might feel unfair. Come here only if you are eager for a true challenge of hills in the forest. I promise you'll get your fill. Go throw at Rockwell!

I love this course. It is my absolute favorite. It can be very challenging, but that's what makes it great. It is heavily wooded and has quite a lot of up and down. That is a pro to me, but might be a con to others. This is the course I have the most fun playing.

-Nice Turf tee pads
- Great course signs
- Nice baskets
- The scenery and park is amazing from streams and valleys to cool rock outcrops.
-mix of elevation from throwing up hill to throwing down hill
-woods are not to thick and feel forgiving

Shots are mixed from some holes i felt good about griping it and ripping it on to other holes where you feel your playing a placement shot. good mix of back hand and forehand shots. course plays well to those that like overhand shots for getting off the tee and out of trouble.

- put on your hiking shoes this course is very hilly and has stumps and rocks sticking out everywhere.
-be prepared to look for your disc on the longer par 4 holes as the valleys have a decent amount of growth in it.
- only one flat grass hole number 18, the rest of the course plays on a hill side/ mountain with lots of elevation, streams, rocks and stumps.
- Bring bug spray as they were bad when i was here.

-fairways could use a little more clean up but this course is amazing.
-someone had a dream and some $$$$ and it shows. The tee pads are amazing with elevated tee pads on lumber with turf. makes a very nice run up surface.
- Baskets are pro prodigy lots of chain, will kick out soft putts, catch hard putts.
- The island hole number 17 is worth the stop to this course alone. From the elevated tee pad with turf to the island green boxed in with lumber and turf all on the green. Its a short down hill throw (200ft) but just looks so cool when you go through the woods and come up to find that.
- I love traveling the country playing courses i come across and this one will always be remembered!

Great addition to the area. Really pretty course, feels like a good hike where you get to throw a disc. Lots of elevation changes... not too tough to walk, but maybe not possible for a cart/stroller. Some really long holes (#6, 11, 18), some short but unique and challenging (#4, 12, 17). Indeed, some of these are some of my favorites in CT.
- Nice tees and baskets.

Few holes that are wide open, if that is what you are looking for.

Great course!

+ A very challenging course, where par really feels like an accomplishment. Each hole is a challenge, and walking away with a birdie feels awesome. There are no gimmes.
+ Longer holes with an opportunity to really stretch out your arm. Big arms are rewarded on several holes.
+ Beautiful scenery in a gorgeous, expansive park. Lakes, beautiful trees, and a rushing river.
+ Right next to a dog park, so a good opportunity to bring your dog to the course.
+ Prodigy baskets are brand new and catch really well. Dead center putts will always stay in.
+ Long, grippy turf teepads. Pads are all 12 feet long and are grippy in all weather conditions that I've played in (Includes snow and rain)
+ Several signature holes (6, 17, 18) worth traveling to the course just for those holes.
+ Hole 17 is one of the coolest holes in CT. On an elevated green with an elevated teepad. Only 190 or so feet, but it's still really difficult to get the birdie 2.
+ Hole 18 might be the best hole in Connecticut. Very challenging with the risk/reward decision coming into play on every shot.
+ All the par 4's are true par 4's, where a 4 feels like a great score and a 3 makes you really happy.

- Still a little rough around the edges. Stumps sticking out of the ground here and there, and some of the fairways could use some trimming.
- Definitely a tough walk, but nothing crazy like some of the reviews are making it seem. If you're not in good shape, you'll definitely be out of breath walking up some of these hills, but except for the walk up 7 the walk up to 16, and the walk down to 11, it's fine.

--> Rockwell provides a wonderful foil to the shorter Page Park, which is just 10 minutes down the street.

18 holes consisting of nice level turf tees, bright lime-green Prodigy baskets, and informative tee signs. Good variety mixing of pars and hole distances and fairway shaping for advanced-pro level players. Mostly tight well defined fairways and steep elevation changes which are the main features of this course. Strong club presence and love with the rough surprisingly well maintained, not much underbrush or thorny stuff off the fairways.

Basically one big loop - long 14 hole loop and short 4 hole loop back to parking lot. Long walk between 13, 14 and 15. No alternate tees or basket positions, brutal course for novice players. Navigation was tricky in a couple places, bring a map. Hole 1 plays down a walking path and hole 18 plays along a park road. Moderate chance to lose a disc in places. Some very steep and dangerous terrain in places. I don't recall any restrooms or portapotties.

Things that may vary/change - Wasn't the cleanest and quietest course, it plays along train tracks, and I saw a junked washing machine among other litter. The mosquitoes were absolutely atrocious, I had a cloud of them following me the entire round even fully soaked in deet. I had my first encounter ever with a skunk here on hole 6, I almost stepped on Pepe Le Pew and he growled at me while I was searching for my drive, luckily he didn't spray.

Starting off my GPS took me the baseball field parking lot, I asked the county cop sitting in the lot if he knew where the disc golf was and we were looking at the dg course map I had and figured out it was just across the foot bridge. So after finding hole 1 it took me even longer to find hole 2, go uphill pass basket 14 and go right down the park road. Hiking uphill on the sand dune with basket #4 perched on top it on was hell, this was also my last course on my 5 day road trip so my legs were already beat.

Hole 6 is probably the signature hole here, and standing on the tee I really liked what I saw, but hidden beneath the beauty is a very small landing area straight ahead, the left side slope next to the train tacks is extremely steep and loose ground and hard to traverse and harder to throw a standstill shot without tumbling, the right side off the fairway has more rough and trees and makes you play further uphill, I imagine there will be more many more 6s than 3s on this par 4, probably plays closer to a par 5.

I really liked hole 8 which is a par 3 421' downhill hyzer. Hole 11 was a fun par 4. Hole 17 was fun and unique, short downhill touch putter shot to an elevated island. Hole 18 is a tough long par 4 and the only hole that may resemble open or flat, it plays down the park road as OB left and the basket is basically situated on a tiny island.

Overall I have some mixed love-hate feelings about Rockwell, there are some really cool holes here, but as a traveling player playing here for the first time, it kind of felt more like work than play with the amount of time spent on navigation issues and searching for discs, and the amount of hiking involved, and the mosquitoes constantly buzzing me. I'd recommend this course to in-shape intermediate and above level players, and travelers with the caveat to allot for some extra time.

Variety of holes
The course is challenging yet fair
Turf tee boxes
Fantastic baskets

Lots of elevation (if you are not in shape, this place will eat you up)
Potential for lost discs in the fall

This is a challenging but fun course. Bring water and stay hydrated.

There has obviously been a lot of work done on this course. The built-up tee boxes on some holes are very impressive. The baskets are a bright green color, which was very noticeable. Although the entire (except hole 18) course is in the woods, all of the fairways are well-defined and have been cleared nicely. There are descriptive signs on every hole showing lengths and the standard flight path. Hole 17 is an incredibly unique hole. You're teeing off from the top of a cliff, down to an elevated platform jutting out from the base of the cliff. It's under 200', so it seems like you should be able to birdie it, but it's so tricky to hit that platform, I'd bet there's more bogeys than birdies here.

The course is built on the side of a pretty steep hill. In the world of disc golf, you've got to make do with the often less-than-ideal plot of land you're afforded. And I normally love elevation changes, as they can provide for many unique hole opportunities. But this course is a little extreme. Just walking the course straight down the fairways would provide a pretty strenuous hike, but unless you're a perfect golfer who hits every fairway, you'll be doing a lot of extra work getting to and from your errant tosses. Combined with the length of the course, it makes for a physically demanding round of golf. I do a bit of hiking and like to think I'm in pretty good shape, but I was so drained by the time I hit the back nine that my game (and enthusiasm) was noticeably deteriorating as the holes wore on.

It might have just been the time of year, but this course can be very hazardous, for both you and your disc. As I mentioned, it is entirely in the woods, and there was a very thick layer of leaves everywhere. Combined with the steep terrain, my son and I were slipping and falling downhill all over the place. We were searching for discs buried under leaves on almost every hole, definitely very lucky to not lose any. There are also a few areas of standing water that I didn't notice marked on the tee signs, and are completely hidden by the leaf cover (holes 6 and 12, I believe), so be careful where you step! Print out the course map and bring it with you, or have it ready to go on your phone. There are many long walks between holes, and some of them have some arrows, but not all. It's easy to get lost looking for the next tee. As much as I love the concept of Hole 17, I'm still trying to figure out how to get down the cliff. I'm assuming there must be a way down other than falling and trying not to break anything, but at that point in my round I was done with sliding down hills, so I ended up backtracking to hole 15 where I could then walk back up the road to get to 17's basket.
All in all, with Page Park so close by, I don't know if I'll ever go back to Rockwell. If anything, I may try it in the spring/summer and see if my opinion changes with less leaves on the ground. If so, I'll update my review here.

--new prodigy baskets
--par and length seemed just right (6700, 58)
--amazing teepad platforms (never slipped once)
--several signature and VERY enjoyable holes (favorites were 2, 4, 6, 9 12, 15, 17, 18)
--great use of terrain, elevation, and fairways.
--plays mostly in the woods and can be tight at times (especially off the tee) however most holes had enough room to attack the pin from different angles.
--most holes play fairly straight, and in my opinion is more righty friendly then lefty, although a few dog legs did exist.
-aside from the walk between 1 and 2 (see cons) overall signage and flow was great

--walk between hole 1 and 2 (didn't seem to flow right signage was poor for it).
--still needs real teepad signs.
--few fairways could open up a little.

--scenic views throughout the park along a winding creek
--conveniently located near gas stations and fast food
--easy off and on route 84 and not far from Wickham, Vernon, Tolland
--designed and created by local disc golf enthusiasts (way to #growthesport!)
--overall very enjoyable, might be one of the best in Connecticut.

Scenic
In Nice Park
Long holes
Interesting terrain varied
nice hardware baskets and platforms
Good signage and directions

Brutally steep in some parts
A Couple comically difficult holes
Sand dune
Throwing across roads
Potential for lots of lost discs.

I liked this course in general but wow is it hard in some spots and very steep in some spots. Bring hiking shoes or boots no sandals here. Many holes and trails on inclines with loose footing so it can be very wearing. Very long overall walk I bet it is over 2 miles and lots of vertical.
I was not in great shape at the time and was having knee issues and wow did this place exasperate that. My point is if you are not i shape or have some medical issues this may not be the course for you.
Lots of bottles i do not know why disc golfers are such pigs.

Very beautiful setting i would come to just walk or hike hole 17 is a hoot with he platform nature. This course will need lots of maintenance otherwise nature and vandals will take over.

Directions on this page to parking are good do not park at main park lots you will never find course.

1) Signage - right off the bat, the DGCR description was perfect for getting me to the first tee, tee signs gave solid descriptions of the holes and even had some designs detailing the path to the next hole which was neat, there are grey signs with black arrows that are a bit small but direct you perfectly throughout the course if you keep your head up
2) Flow - the course felt very natural and although some pathways did cross over each other there really wasn't any feeling of the course being crunched into the space, naturally being a young course, there was no one there to wait on or to interrupt your round
3) Parking - since this course is already in an established park, parking is not a problem at all
4) Baskets - new Prodigy baskets had great chains and caught all the putts that it should have, and even some iffy ones too
5) Tee pads - they were a fake long style grass tee pad that felt really great under my feet, it also really fit with the aesthetic of the course being in a forest and keeping a natural feel, tee pads aren't just placed on the ground but actually are set on wood platforms and gravel, there are even some wooden elevated tee pads (holes 16 and 17 I believe) and that seriously raise the quality of the course
6) Signature holes - for me hole 17 and 18 come to mind as some extremely nice holes, hole 17 is a tasty island hole with a wonderfully built up island that is far down a hill from the tee, it is extremely amazing to walk up to at the tee and definitely made me throw my bag, it reminded me of hole 2 at Lufbery Park for those who know, hole 18 is easily a top pro level style hole, amazing fairway and water that comes into play twice on the hole

1) Baskets - the Prodigy baskets are a green color and that can sometimes make them harder to find if you want to get a look at the basket from the tee
2) Tee pads - this may have just been my situation, played the day after rain, but the pads were a bit slippery and I thought they would have drained a bit better
3) Walkways - on some of the holes, there are sand walkways that are pretty sketchy, namely hole 4 and 6 which have sand walkways with some serious elevation change

I tried to keep my pros and cons as objective as possible and for this reason I didn't add in my poor experience disc searching. I usually can zip through a round in 50 minutes since I usually play alone and this round took me an hour longer than that simply because of lost discs (still have a Star Tern down on hole 6). I am not sure if that is a common thing for other players so I left that part of my experience out of my cons section. Naturally it took quite a bit away from my round but with that one factor gone, this was an amazing round and course.
Giving a comparison to local players, I personally found this course about the same difficulty to a little easier compared to Page Park. I finished -1 my first round there but may have found it a bit easier since my home course, Camp Brook, is even tighter than Page and Rockwell.
I see a ton of potential in this course and it is obvious there is a dedicated volunteer group working on the course which will prove well for its future. I was extremely pleased to see another course go in in CT, but granted more will always be better.
Despite my lack of many cons of this course, I am not going to reward a "4.0 - excellent" rating because I wasn't wowed by the course as a whole. There were quite a few holes that I truly enjoyed but the course for me personally didn't bring me to give it a "4.0 - excellent" rating but I am positive that with more work, Rockwell Park will be getting that rating frequently. I am extremely grateful for the work that has been done already and for the people who pushed the idea through the red tape.