Golf in East Bethel

Designed by course architect Kevin Norby, The Refuge Golf Club cleaves through 350 acres of woods and wetlands to frame an 18-hole, par 72 course. Native grasses, wooden cart bridges, and immaculate bluegrass fairways characterize this northern-style course, which challenges golfers with tight tree lines and abundant sunbathing opportunities for losing shirts in sand traps. If golfers haven't spotted much wildlife throughout the course, they might find a gallery of hawks, deer, and feral caddies watching at the 17th, the course's second-most-difficult hole. Clubbers must blast tee shots over a forced carry before safely landing on an open fairway that leads to a green flanked by bunkers on both sides. Players can warm up for rounds at the 20-stall driving range and contoured putting green, and PGA professionals help golfers hone their game during private lessons. Meanwhile, a 13,000-square-foot clubhouse built of rock and cedar beckons for post-round revelry in the facility's restaurant, bar, and pro shop.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Total length of 6,534 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 71.9 from the back tees
• Course slope of 139 from the back tees
• Five sets of tees per hole

With 27 challenging kentucky-bluegrass fairways in front of lush bentgrass greens, The Ponds challenges golfers to play a trio of nine-hole courses or combine two of them for three unique 18-hole rounds. Water hazards make for an especially difficult approach to the green on the Red Course's signature first hole, whereas the White Course's ninth hole ends with a green flanked by sand traps. Wetlands and sloped greens make up the Blue Course, which players can travel in new electric-power carts.

Before hitting the fairways, golfers can warm up at the driving range, chipping green, putting green, or pleading-with-your-clubs green. After the round, replace any golf balls that got away at the pro shop, which stocks brands such as Nike and Titleist.

Red Course at a Glance:

• 9-hole, par 36 course
• Length of 3,380 yards
• Four tee options

Blue Course at a Glance:

• 9-hole, par 36 course
• Length of 3,453 yards
• Four tee options

White Course at a Glance:

• 9-hole, par 36 course
• Length of 3,401 yards
• Four tee options

Characterized by tall oak trees, ponds, and streams, Monticello Country Club's 18-hole course stretches across 6,453 yards of fairways and greens. The course plots a winding path through the landscape, featuring multiple doglegs that favor golfers who can shape their drives or throw a 270-yard curve ball. Those looking to fine-tune their swings can employ the swing-honing powers of golf pro Kristi Dostal, who uses the club's facilities as her outdoor classroom for private and group lessons and junior camps. Name-brand gloves, clubs, hats, bags, and other course-ready gear line the racks of the club's pro shop, where players can stock up on golf accoutrements. After rounds or lessons, golfers can unwind at Otter Creek Bar & Grill with a steak sandwich, barbecue-chicken pizza, and other eats from its menu of casual American food.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course

• Length of 6,453 yards from the farthest tees

• Course rating of 71.7 from the farthest tees

• Slope rating of 125 from the farthest tees

• Five tee options

• Scorecard

Soaring drives splash onto three-dimensional greens at Inside Edge Golf, where nine aboutGolf PGA Tour simulators set the scene for year-round golf and revelry. Stunning, realistic graphics reproduce more than 50 world-famous courses on the facility's sprawling screens, summoning golfers to carefully tread the ocean-side vistas at Pebble Beach or eschew diminutive jeers from the wind-swirling pixels that plague St. Andrews.

On The Back 9, players trade electronic courses for an 1,800-square-foot practice green outfitted with chipping areas, breaking putts, and a mini flop hedge. Leagues throughout the winter crown champions with simulated green jackets, and Kitchen, which is open year-round, sustains swing strength with snacks, sodas, and beers.

Breezes from Big Butternut Lake coil through the surrounding hardwood forests, sweeping piney air across the fairways of Luck Golf Course. The 6,093-yard, par 71 course rests on the lake's southern shore, where undulating terrain offers scenic vistas of the lake's glassy surface. Though tree-lined fairways are a constant throughout the course, golfers will notice a shift in terrain midway through the round. Ten holes snake through pine trees and hardwoods, while the other eight regular holes and six black holes roam over rolling countryside dotted with maples and oak trees. Water hazards also come into play on 12 holes, including on the seventh—a par-four rated as the course's most difficult hole—where a pond fronts the green to summon errant approach shots and golf carts in need of a bath.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 71 course
• Length of 6,093 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 70.9 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 126 from the farthest tees
• Five tee options
• Scorecard