How Can I Play TPC River Highlands?

Located in Cromwell, Connecticut, just outside state capital Hartford is the long-standing host of the Travelers Championship, TPC River Highlands. 

The par 70 6841-yard course, which opened in 1928, was given a complete redesign by Pete Dye in 1982, before being renovated again just seven years later by Bobby Weed. In between those years, it began hosting the Travelers Championship, in 1984 – a position it still holds today. One of the most memorable tournaments at the course came in 2016, when Jim Furyk broke the record for the lowest score in PGA Tour history with his astounding 58.

As for the course, players will find picturesque rolling fairways lined with mature sycamore, oak, maple and eastern white pine trees. The course’s easy-on-the eye aesthetic is further enhanced by an abundance of lakes and ponds. 

One of those lakes dominates the tough four-hole finishing stretch. The par 4, 296-yard 15th is regarded as one of the most exciting on the PGA Tour, with sand on the right and water on the left. An eagle is quite possible, but equally, risk-taking players can come unstuck and make a bogey – or worse. The gorgeous 171-yard par 3 16th includes a forced carry over the lake. Make that, and players face a narrow, sloping green. 

The finishing two holes are challenging pars 4s. The 433-yard 17th is often a pivotal hole, featuring a fairway bunker to the left and an even more intimidating stretch of the lake to the right. Finally, the 444-yard 18th offers a realistic birdie opportunity if the approach shot avoids the two bunkers guarding the green.

Initiation fees for 2022 are undisclosed, but the course’s 2019 brochure offered a range of packages starting at $10,000 and rising to $25,000. Monthly dues were between $498 and $766. Members were also entitled to bring guests. Once accepted, members can enjoy facilities including the recently renovated clubhouse, a practice facility including a large putting green, a pool and tennis courts.

There is at least one other way to play the course, but it entails becoming a member of Connecticut Bar Association, an organisation for lawyers and the legal profession in the state. Members can play as an unaccompanied guest of the organisation on specific days for an annual fee of $250 minus green and cart fees. Family members and guests can play too.

Perhaps the next best thing to playing TPC River Highlands is to live in one of the houses that famously line the course. That offers lucky residents the chance to get a free view of some of the world's best players each year during the Travelers Championship, often just yards away from the action.