Changes at Silver Spring Country Club Polish Charm and Improve Play
Silver Spring CC in Ridgefield, CT is a favorite of many people I’ve talked to. It is not terribly long, not necessarily difficulty but this private 18 hole equity member golf club sits on 300 acres, 160 acres of forested land. The front nine is bordered by thick mature stands of hardwood growth, while the back nine, once farmland, is edged by a variety of younger growth hardwood, ornamentals and pine. Although it is set in a residential area the lack of homes on the course, only five and size of the property creates a very private setting.
This Robert White design opened for play on 18 holes in 1930 as a par 70. Additional land was purchased, adjacent to the par 4 11th hole, prior to a 1968 redesign by Arthur H. Tull. The work included extending the 11th to a par five. The par 71 currently plays to 6,548 yard with a Course Rating of 72. and Slope Rating of 132 on Bent/Poa Grass. The narrow, Silver Spring course is characterized by its well maintained conditioning, tree-lined fairways and subtle rolling greens. There are no water hazards, but the terrain, also rolling, produces some uneven lies. The 68 bunkers offer additional obstacles and challenge.
The Roger Rulewich Group was brought on to renovate and make changes to the golf course that would complement a major clubhouse renovation and 14,000 square foot addition to the clubhouse, reopened May 2006. The approved master plan calls for an assortment of tee work, as well as the repositioning and addition of fairway bunkers. The rebuilt putting green, in front of newly renovated clubhouse, and a short game practice area were done in 2005. Work, in progress, on the number one handicap, par 4, seventh hole includes a new drainage system, filling to raise elevation of the area, redoing all bunkers, moving and rebuilding the existing large tee, adding a new back tee and a bunker on the right side of the green.
Dave Fleury, Design Associate and Shaper stated, “The sculptured land forms created by Robert White at Silver Springs are unique. The bunker shoulders have very straight lines. There are pedestal greens with hard edges. We quickly realized that we would be doing a rennovation project with a restoration flare. Although some changes are needed because of today's play, for maintaining consistent playing surfaces and better turf quality we felt that this course was so good it was imperative to keep the design style.”
Peter Rappoccio, Property Manager for the golf course, tennis courts, clubhouse and grounds, is excited about the changes and work being done. He shared, “Additional work will be done in stages. The specific schedule is to be determined. It calls for repositioning all other fairway bunkers to meet the demands of modern day equipment and playing abilities. The future work will incorporate adding and or enlarging four back tees, reshaping 8 or more green side bunkers, as well as laser leveling all existing tees and expanding some smaller forward tees.”
Established in 1996, The Roger Rulewich Group, a golf course design and construction firm based in Bernardston, Massachusetts, is considered among the best in the industry. Roger and the Group have provided design and construction services worldwide, on more than 170 courses. Their work includes Fox Hopyard, Silver Spring , Rock Rimmon, Rolling Hills, Quinnatisset, and Yale in Connecticut; Saratoga National, Albany CC, ad Anglebrook in NY; Crumpin-Fox and Ipswich in Massachusetts; Adare Manor, Ireland; Celtic Manor, Wales; Playa Grande, Dominican Republic; Tuckers Point, Bermuda; Valderama, Spain; The Robert Trent Jones Trail, Alabama. Roger Rulewich, chief architect and principal, spent 34 years as a design associate with Robert Trent Jones Sr, 21 as senior designer. The Rulewich team includes Roger Rulewich Partner and Designer; Partner, Design Associate and Shaper David Fleury; and Marshall Victor, President . For more information about The Roger Rulewich Group contact Dave Fleury at 800- 465-3668; Info@rrulewich.com or visit www.rrulewich.com
