Rutland is considered by golf aficionados as the best public course in the Green Mountain State. Its architectural pedigree dates back to 1927 when Wayne Stiles and John Van Kleek added nine holes and remodeled the existing nine. It’s a great example of their work and exudes classic New England charm.
Your imagination is captured as soon as you arrive to the course.The second hole comes back to the clubhouse and a large outcropping separates it from the third. This natural feature is just yards away and stares at you as you make your way to the first tee.
(The huge rock outcropping on the left separates the second and third holes, and more importantly, hides most of the green of the 170 yard par three third...
...viewed from the right, one sees how high the rocks are. The green slides off the outcropping from high back left to low front right. Hitting the putting surface is the first challenge. Two putting is the second. It’s an excellent hole!)
(The 481 yard par five fourth plays down and up to this perched green. It’s just on the cusp of being reachable in two if you can carry it to the putting surface. Most will layup over the brow of the hill and take their chances with a short iron.)
Rutland is blessed with a terrific piece of property which allowed Stiles and Van Kleek to design a wide variety of holes. It’s elevation deviates throughout, defended by unique and unusual hazards including East Creek which flows through the middle. Three bridges transverse the bucolic stream, adding to Rutland’s serene environment, and the golfer is asked twice to drive over the fast moving water.
(The 223 yard par three fifth plays uphill to a green that rarely is hit in regulation. This is the first time East Creek makes an appearance although it is just a spectator as we tee off above it. A huge granite rock backdrops the green.)
(By now one should be realizing they have stumbled onto a gem of course! The uphill 361 yard par four sixth demands a strong tee shot over East Creek. It is a gorgeous view!...
...and this view looking back at five green and six tee box is just as awesome!)
(The 372 yard par four eighth doglegs right and plays to this green shelved next to the rocks. The deep bunker left pinches the approach shot to this narrow target.)
Stiles and Van Kleek formed a partnership in 1924. Most of their work is found in the New England area. They had a knack for finding natural high areas to place their greens. If Rutland is an example, they also had a knack for producing a great routing. The way it hopscotches down to the creek and then back up before meandering over to the upland is classic.
(The 204 yard par three twelfth starts the stretch of upland holes. Look how beautiful the green is pushed up into the hillside with a deep bunker cut into the base on the left.)
(The uphill 539 yard thirteenth is the second of the two par fives at Rutland. The green is angled with deep bunkers cut into the front slope. Par is a good score.)
(The 407 yard par four fourteenth is the climax of routing. The view is spectacular from the tee, and the fairway crawls up the hill with rock outcroppings poking through the earth. The green sits atop a ledge with a fall off on the right. Hitting two good shots and walking away with four is satisfying.)
It’s a shame Rutland isn’t better known. The national golf publications have hitched their wagons to the modern designs at the ski resorts and a look at their state rankings confirms this. A more accurate list in my opinion is found at www.top100golfcourses.com.
Statistically, Rutland is not a long course. It’s 6,223 yards par 70. However, the uphill holes are much longer than their listed numbers, and sometimes it takes two or even three extra clubs to reach the green. There’s only two par fives but several short par fours for the birdie opportunities. The par threes are excellent. I believe the golfer will hit every shot possible here.
(The view from seventeen tee overlooking sixteen green shows the natural beauty Rutland possesses. On several of the upland holes, these expansive panoramas are afforded to the golfer.)
Vermont is a beautiful state, and whether one is enjoying Lake Champlain, or the Green Mountains, or even the Adirondacks in New York, a trip over to the city of Rutland to play here is advisable. I give Rutland an 8 (excellent)(worth a weekend visit). It enjoys all the qualities one seeks in New England golf and is a true hidden gem.
[We payed $60 to walk the day we played here. I believe it was $82 to ride. Either way, it’s an absolute bargain.]
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