Rutland

The course at Rutland Country Club started out in 1901 as a 9-hole layout designed by Carnoustie-born George Low, who laid out more than twenty courses whilst still the professional at Baltusrol. By the middle of the 1920s, the membership had doubled in size so a decision was made to bring in Wayne Stiles to revamp the original holes and add another nine. The first three holes of the Low layout were retained and the other six holes upgraded with new tees, bunkers and greens. On the upland portion of the property, a new nine was brought into play.

In the book The Life and Work of Wayne Stiles by Bob Labbance and Kevin Mendik, the authors have this to say about the course:

“Everything about the Rutland Country Club – from the routing, to the architectural features to the diversity of holes – puts it in the top echelon of courses designed by Wayne Stiles and John Van Kleek. Add in a stunning natural site, top quality staff, noteworthy members and a tradition of excellent maintenance and management and you have one of the premier golf clubs in New England.

“There are so many prized holes it’s hard to single out one or two for commendation. None are flat; all feature flowing fairways, diverse greens, attractive and confounding bunkering and hazards that can be easily avoided but exact a stout penalty when tactics fail. Roadways, rivers, bunkers, tall rough, magnificent trees and terrain deviation all factor into the challenge – yielding a 6,134-yard test that still protects the par of 70 in the face of the state’s best players when the Vermont Amateur comes calling.

“There could not be a better set of par threes. The 170-yard 3rd plays to a small, slanted squirrelly green set in a pocket with a rock wall to the left and plenty of bunkers elsewhere. The 5th is 223 yards of pure carry from an elevated tee, across the river to a steady upsweep concluding at a perched slippery putting surface. The 205-yard 12th may be the easiest, but nobody hits enough club into this hole and two ball-eating bunkers wait short right and greenside left. The good news is that the final three is only 129 yards; the bad news is it drops about 40 feet over that short span.”