Woodway

Birdie golfers will enjoy their time at Woodway Country Club...even if they don’t shoot below par! Although it’s not uncommon these days for courses to earn certification from the National Audubon Society, Woodway was the very first golf course to be recognized by the group as a bird sanctuary. The attraction to the fauna is the Noroton River, which flows straight through the property from the Atlantic, feeding a series of ponds and hazards on the property.

The attraction to the golfers is a Willie Park Jr. design that weaves between the wildlife, offering the architect’s emphasis on shot values and deft putting. One of the property’s signature holes is No. 7, a par four that features a tee shot to an “infinity” fairway that seems to drop off the earth; players aren’t at risk of driving it all the way down the hill into the river at the bottom, but they should be sure to glance at the pin location while standing on the No. 6 teebox, to better inform their tee shot.

Although the corridors are wide and the greens are large, take what birdies you can at this sanctuary. And don’t get too greedy: Eagles are still a relatively rare species in Connecticut, in the wild and otherwise.