The golf course at the Stanwich Club in Greenwich, Connecticut, is to reopen this spring following a recent project led by a team from Fazio Design.
The firm has worked with the club for a number of years, developing a masterplan at one time and following this up with various renovation projects focusing on the course’s tees, bunkers, mowing lines and greens.
In 2017, the club engaged Fazio Design once more to create a completely new first hole, and to rebuild five green complexes on the course.
“The first hole saw a complete re-imagining,” explained Fazio Design’s Tom Marzolf, who worked on the project. “The old hole was a quick dogleg left that had many trees blocking the path around the corner. We looked to improve the options off the tee and allow alternate ways to play the hole. Earthwork to cut the inside corner and open up views to the green have completely changed the feel of the tee shot.
The hole features a new green shape with two separate fairway approaches around one small central bunker.
“The three-lobe green creates a definite left, right and back centre target,” Marzolf said. “Longer hitters may attempt to draw the ball around the corner now. This play will prove to be more difficult than it appears. The smart play is to place the tee shot for a full wedge approach to hold the ball near the flag.”
Work to rebuild five green complexes on the course was done to update variety by adding low cut greenside collection areas.
“On the fourth hole – a par three with a pond nearby – the club elected to move a hole location to the water’s edge,” Marzolf said. “Bringing the water into play was also a feature of the par four fifteenth green rebuild. Work on the eleventh green saw the removal of a front left greenside bunker, and the creation of shaved down bent grass in its place. On the fifth green, the shape of the green was adjusted to elongate new hole locations which bend around a bent collection area on the back margin of the putting surface.”
Originally designed by David and William Gordon in the mid-1960s, the course has a reputation as being one of the more challenging layouts in the area.
The course is set to reopen this April, with a reopening event scheduled for 21 April.