[Noel Freeman]

Blind Brook is a very sleepy club located on the Greenwich/Purchase border.  Sleepy in that it gets about 2 or 3 foursomes a day and if lucky about 30 golfers on the weekend.  Members are captains of industry (IBM's Gerstner/GE's Walsh) and obviously members at other places as well.  To a stranger it would be tough to label BB as Raynor because it has been changed (I believe but not sure by G. Cornish and touched by S. Kay?) and the bunkering is of the cat trap variety--not steep and deep Raynor-esque.  The Biarritz 3rd has been changed I believe as to tee position, the 6th green was a punchbowl but is now perched upon a small hill.  The 9th was a terrific double plateau but one side has been abandoned and the green reorientated.  The 10th is a very good redan but needs a more intimidating bunker in my opinion. #11 I believe is a 2 shot redan or like it.  

BB's property is gently rolling and it has a lot of waves or moguls in the fairways which was not as advertised when I got out there.  Under hard and fast conditions the ball can really get rolling.  It has a lot of tree variety but has enough width and vistas to make it a pleasant experience.

The real reason to see Blind Brook though is the Volcano or almost knoll like 15th short hole.  It is one of the best Raynor short holes out there.  152 yards uphill to a veritable fortress the green is one of the best contoured I've seen.  There is a very deep bathtub/thumbprint in the middle and the back left side of the green has a pimple or bumpback feature to deal with.  I went on to google maps and on the aerial you actually can see the thumbprint from overhead.  Even on the green given that it is a big target there are no easy putts.  When we played two balls found the putting surface and all walked off with 4s.  I've not seen a Raynor hole like this but a Knoll/Short is as unique as a Punchbowl/Alps (Fishers)..

Uncle George Bahto--where are you?  Can you comment on BB and the 15th?   Not sure if the club would want to ever see its Raynor roots somewhat restored but it would be a very nice playable course (which is what they told Raynor anyway to build them) regardless.  It isnt in the Creek's or Piping Rock's class by any measure but I did seem to think who ever did CC of Fairfield's bunkering did BB's.

[Geoffrey Childs]

Noel

The 15th at Blind Brook is one of the coolest par 3's I have seen.  In many ways it is the single most dramatic short hole in the MacDonald, Raynor, Banks collection.

The hole is atop a hillside with falloffs on all sides and in some respects reminds me of "Tank" at Ballyliffin except it falls off on all sides.  The horseshoe feature is as dramatic as the one at Forsgate (Banks) and the back section has more contour.

I wound up with a truly impossible putt to get within 5 feet of the hole.

The property as Noel mentioned is rolling with moguls, humps, mounds and a meandering "Blind" brook that is nicely utilized.  

It would not take much more then the greens expansion and tree removal recently done at Yale to make this a really sporty course.  Its still great fun because of the terrain.  Putting back the bunkers and altering tee boxes a bit (to create a real biarritz for example) would be added bonus.

Some of the memorabilia in the clubhouse is priceless. There is a beautiful portrait of President Eisenhower as well as a photo of Ike and Bobby Jones with Ike presenting Jones with a portrait of him (Jones).  The caption is something like - Blind Brook member presents his work to Bobby Jones."  Very cool.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Bump.

Any new info on this men only club?

Pictures?

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()