Connecticut is a compact state with topography ranging from the foothills of the Berkshires to the lowlands along the Long Island Sound in the south. Outside the coastline communities along I-95, most of the population is concentrated in the middle of the state around Hartford and New Haven where small rivers and streams with basalt ridges are common.

The best public golf courses in this guide and map for Connecticut range from those bordering the I-95 corridor's established communities like Great River Golf Club, and the Yale Golf Club near New Haven or around Hartford with Wintonbury Hills, but include smaller community settings such as Lake of the Isles in North Stonington and Fox Hopyard in East Haddam. There are a number of special, historical layouts noted in this guide like Shennecossett and Fenwick on the Sound to the Hotchkiss Golf Course in the foothills of the Berkshires.