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Ran Morrissett

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Country Club of Fairfield profile is posted...
« on: December 09, 2008, 02:19:32 PM »
...under Courses by Country and under Raynor in Architecture Timeline.

With money at a premium, private clubs need to be sure-footed in their care of their course.  Now more than ever, sloppy work or poor use of funds won’t be tolerated by memberships. Yet, clubs that act as good stewards remain the exception rather than the norm.

One rare example of a club taking the time to get each and every move right is Country Club of Fairfield. Since signing on with Renaissance Design and Bruce Hepner in 1999, they have gradually made a series of decisions that yields today’s course, which I think, all things considered, is the best that the course has ever been.

Importantly, the club board knows when to leave well enough alone and the question ‘what would the shepherds do?’ has helped them avoid over-thinking what needs to be done. Consequently, as you will see in photograph after photograph, man’s hand in no way subtracts from Fairfield’s coastal setting. Just look at the first few photos in the course profile – is that a pure golf landscape or what?! At the same time, work continues and two great features will soon be restored. The first is the horseshoe bunker presently being recaptured around the thirteenth green while the left plateau of the Double Plateau green will make its return later in 2009.

One interesting aspect to their work – and I don’t understand why this doesn’t happen more – is that the course is SHORTER today than it was forty years ago. Not many contestants in the 2008 Metropolitan Open probably appreciated this fact given that the average score was 74.83 (i.e. the finest amateurs in the area were nearly five strokes over par per round on this 6,400 yard course). Two of Fairfield’s par fives (the second and the twelfth) were shortened in the 1960s to par fours, which turned out particularly for the best at the twelfth where its open green yields one of the most interesting approach shots on the course. Too many clubs that possess Golden Age courses try to add length and cram tees into the far reaches of their properties. Costs escalate as such clubs pander to the less than 10% of the golfers that play from the back markers. In addition, such tees invariably increase the length of green to tee walks, which stretches out the time it takes to play a round. Fairfield has never fallen prey to such nonsense and with a tight par now of 70, it is a much tougher test relative to par than if it was one hundred and fifty yards longer with a conventional par of 72. In addition, eighteen holes played in less than three hours at Fairfield is :D commonplace.

Particularly noteworthy, and a real testimonial to the Club board, is that they instructed Hepner to add shorter tees on two par threes on the back nine. The benefits of the new "shorter" tees at the 14th and 17th were two fold. First, they added variety to the length of the three par threes on the back (previous to the new white tees, the three holes all fell in the 170-180 yard range). The shorter tees also allowed a few more interesting hole locations to be utilized on a more consistent basis. In short  ;), the shorter tees made the holes more interesting. As Hepner is the first to point out, Fairfield does an EXCELLENT job of managing their golf course for its membership rather than having their course manage the membership! Making the course more enjoyable for more players while still maintaining its challenge for such events as the Met Open is a sure sign that that have struck the perfect balance between enjoyment and challenge.

Here are two photos courtesy of Stephen Ellis, who is helping the club with its club history. If these  :o don’t make you want to grab your clubs and head straight out, nothing well and you need to find a new sport. The first shows the course’s setting which is nearly impossible to beat and the second features its incomparable Redan (some consider it better than the original).



 




Country Club of Fairfield has quietly brought their course back to where it is one of the most engaging spots for a game in the golf rich northeast – it is great to be able to share their story now.

Cheers,

JC Jones

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Re: Country Club of Fairfield profile is posted...
« Reply #1 on: December 09, 2008, 02:30:35 PM »
WOW :o

This looks great Ran, thanks for the work you put into it.
I get it, you are mad at the world because you are an adult caddie and few people take you seriously.

Excellent spellers usually lack any vision or common sense.

I know plenty of courses that are in the red, and they are killing it.

Michael Ryan

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Re: Country Club of Fairfield profile is posted...
« Reply #2 on: December 09, 2008, 02:40:05 PM »
Ran,

I have never played CC of Fairfield, but recently we moved into our first home about 4 minutes down the road.  Thanks for this detailed look at what seems like a perfect golf setting.  As I drive past CC of Fairfield on a Saturday morning to our town course (Smith Richardson), the only 3 hour round I am concerned with is the front nine. 

It's great to see a Club understand what it has and evolve in a way where it doesn't lose sight...

Well done.

Mike

Jimmy Muratt

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Re: Country Club of Fairfield profile is posted...
« Reply #3 on: December 09, 2008, 04:06:53 PM »
What a wonderful setting for golf.....

Ran makes an excellent point and one that could yield some good discussion in that the CC of Fairfield is shorter today than it was 40 years ago.  I think this is the best way to combat the onslaught of technology and the onslaught of long, boring golf courses. 

Shorter golf courses would be beneficial to the game of golf in so many ways:

- more fun to play for the mid to high handicapper
- quicker rounds (the average round of golf has gotten much too long)
- on new courses, more attention could be paid to the greens and green surrounds (more short game interest)
- for championship golf, it always puzzles me how the answer is always to lengthen the courses, this just gives the longer hitters more of an advantage
- many of our classic era courses would no longer have to be stripped of all their character
- I think we would see an increase in the creativity of modern designers if they had to rely on something other than length to present challenge to good players


Mike Sweeney

Re: Country Club of Fairfield profile is posted...
« Reply #4 on: December 09, 2008, 04:27:50 PM »
What a wonderful setting for golf.....



I have not played the CC of F, but I have played the South Pine Creek Par 3 course on the right with my son a bunch of times. It is a great atmosphere down there.

Thanks for the review.




Jim Sweeney

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Re: Country Club of Fairfield profile is posted...
« Reply #5 on: December 09, 2008, 05:04:01 PM »
It is a fabulous spot. There may not be a better 8-9-10 combinqtion anywhere. Used to be that when the sky was clear one couls see the World Trade Center form the clubhouse veranda. Wonderful clubhouse, too. The course appears to be virtually treeless now, compared to when I played there in '96.
"Hope and fear, hope and Fear, that's what people see when they play golf. Not me. I only see happiness."

" Two things I beleive in: good shoes and a good car. Alligator shoes and a Cadillac."

Moe Norman

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