Dye donates design skills to public course in Connecticut
By Tim McDonald,
National Golf Editor
(July 2, 2004) - The only Pete Dye-designed golf course in Connecticut recently opened. The
Wintonbury Hills Golf Course is in Bloomfield.
The renowned golf course architect, who normally charges up to $750,000, billed the city only $1 for his
services because of his
commitment to more affordable golf.
"To keep golf going, we have to build courses people can afford to play,"
Dye told The Hartford Courant.
Dye's wife, Alice, is president of the American Society of Golf Architects,
and asked society members to donate their services for $1 on five
municipal courses. Wintonbury Hills is Pete Dye's fifth.
Rates at the city-owned course range from $25-$70, with the city
giving lower rates to residents.
Dye,
best known for his radical design at courses like the TPC at Sawgrass,
the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island and Teeth of the Dog in the Dominican
Republic, told the paper his design style has changed.
"I've had to change dramatically," said Dye, 78. "I used to try to build two
or three short par-3s, but the only way you can get a good player to hit a
long iron any more is to build a long par-3."
The new course's par-3 No. 17 is 190 yards from the back tees. Golfers
hitting short should be right and to the right of the sloping green.
No. 7 is a 185-yard downhill par-3, with water on the left and pot bunkers
on the right.
Dye said another change involved designing sloping greens.
"You used to have slopes from back to front, but if you do that now, the
ball just rolls right off the green because they're so quick," he said.
The par-70, 6,600-yard layout was an eight-year undertaking for the city,
which hopes the course will draw more visitors.
It's laid out on 290 acres on the site of an old dairy farm. Course
officials describe it as a combination of open "links-style" and
"traditional tree-lined holes." It has rolling fairways and 125
bunkers.
The new course includes a clubhouse, grill and pub and pro shop, with a
driving range still under construction.
It is managed by Billy Casper Golf, the sixth-largest gold course management
company in the United States.
The course was opened for preview play last year and Golf Magazine named it
one of the "top 10 new courses you can play." About 270 courses were
eligible to make the list, and it is the only course in New England to have
that distinction.
Bloomfield has three other courses, all at the Tumble Brook Country
Club.
Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.
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