Milford Welcomes the LPGA
Milford’s own Great River Golf Club is again hosting the LPGA qualifying Epson Tour this summer, with a four-day event that helps bridge women golfers with LPGA professional play. The tournament, officially the Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship, will take place July 10-13.
Women’s golf has become enormously popular. About seven million women and girls played on a course in 2023—close to a record—and female golf participation increased by 25 percent in the five years prior, according to the National Golf Foundation. In that same time, male participation increased by five percent. 
The sport’s professional growth has largely been driven by the LPGA. Since the founding of the Ladies Professional Golf Association in 1950, the organization has expanded to include a presence at the Olympics, and this yea, the organization has more than $131 million in prize money to award. North of the Merritt, off Coram Lane, Great River now plays a part in that story. The club is one of 20 venues this year hosting the Epson Tour, where the top 15 players move on to compete in the 2026 LPGA Tour.
When Jason Loomis joined Great River as general manager six years ago, he knew the facility would be ideal for high-caliber play. The 72-par course hugs the Housatonic River and was designed in 2001 by Tom Fazio, the renowned golf course architect.
“It was one of my missions when I got here,” Loomis says. “The course is very hard and built for championships, but it really didn’t have much of a resume for that. It’s still a very young course.”
Indeed, Great River boasts some of the hardest par 3s in Connecticut, and the riverside location presents unique contours, regular breezes, and water challenges. Over the years, it has been ranked as one of (ital)Golf Digest’s 100 greatest public courses.
Along with attracting championship-level play, Loomis also zeroed in on growing the club’s women’s membership. The Epson Tour presented an opportunity to achieve both goals. “We only had six women members when I started,” Loomis says. “Now we have over 40.”
In 2015, Sacred Heart University purchased the 18-hole Great River course. It’s now a semi-private club, owned and operated by the university and home to the Sacred Heart men’s and women’s golf teams. The club is also a perk for Sacred Heart alumni, faculty, and staff.
The Epson Tour event, however, is open to anyone eager to watch future LPGA pros in action. The tournament is family-friendly, Loomis says, and the players aren’t roped off from spectators. Tickets are just $10 for adults and free for children aged 17 and under. The adult ticket fee goes directly to First Tee of Connecticut, a golf-centered youth development program.
“It’s a great event for kids and families, and we have a perfect venue for this,” Loomis says. “It does test these women. It’s long and challenging, and you have to be very precise to play here.”
For more information, please visit greatrivergolfclub.com/lpga-epson-tour
-Suzanne De Vita
