Dorset Field Club, VT

[John Blain]

I understand that Tyler Rae and Kyle Franz are collaborating on a renovation of Dorset Field Club in Dorset, VT. Not sure when the work will take place but apparently they have completed a Master Plan for the club. As anyone who has played there knows, it is a tale of two completely different nines. The original 9 is one of the oldest courses in America and the new nine was done by Steve Durkee probably 20 years ago or so.The new and old could not be more different from one another and both nines now have a combination of both the original and the new. I always thought it was sort of cool, understated club in a very idyllic setting.


If anyone has any information please feel free to chime in.


Thank you.
-John

[Peter Bowman]

I understand that Tyler Rae and Kyle Franz are collaborating on a renovation of Dorset Field Club in Dorset, VT. Not sure when the work will take place but apparently they have completed a Master Plan for the club. As anyone who has played there knows, it is a tale of two completely different nines. The original 9 is one of the oldest courses in America and the new nine was done by Steve Durkee probably 20 years ago or so.The new and old could not be more different from one another and both nines now have a combination of both the original and the new. I always thought it was sort of cool, understated club in a very idyllic setting.


If anyone has any information please feel free to chime in.


Thank you.
-John

Dorset is an excellent track.  I have played there twice.  The back 9 is indeed very different.  The 12th hole is the most memorable one for me; a narrow uphill par 3 surrounded by large dunes-like grassy hills with a possible blind pin on a crowned green.  The other memorable hole is the Par 3 2nd hole; a steep downhill shot to one of the smallest greens with 2 tiers. I can recall surrounded by numerous circular bunkers.  Birdies are easy and bogeys are even easier.  Pars, less so. 
My understanding of Franz's work tells me he's more in check with the back nine, and Rae's the traditional front.  Perhaps give Franz the front nine and Rae the back and they collaborate from there.I'll be very eager to see their results

[David_Tepper]

Course photo tour here:

https://www.dorsetfieldclub.com/golf

[Tim Martin]

The original nine is great fun to play and I think most of the work would be on the new holes. Brattleboro suffers the same fate with the additional nine at both courses coming  nearly one hundred years after the original. Durkee blended new holes with original holes at both courses with a better finished product at Brattleboro imo.

[Peter Bowman]

The original nine is great fun to play and I think most of the work would be on the new holes. Brattleboro suffers the same fate with the additional nine at both courses coming  nearly one hundred years after the original. Durkee blended new holes with original holes at both courses with a better finished product at Brattleboro imo.

agree 100%.  It's too easy to identify the newer holes at Bratt.  Still a fun course, but the Stiles/Van Kleek holes are generally superior across the board

[Joe Bausch]

I played it last September with pretty good lighting and decent fall colors.  You might like my photo tour:

http://www80.homepage.villanova.edu/joseph.bausch/images/albums/DorsetFieldClub/index.html

[Tommy Williamsen]

I played it last September with pretty good lighting and decent fall colors.  You might like my photo tour:

http://www80.homepage.villanova.edu/joseph.bausch/images/albums/DorsetFieldClub/index.html

Even in the pictures there is a marked difference between the nines in both the terrain and bunkers. The bunkers on the front nine look a tad boring.

[Peter Bowman]

I played it last September with pretty good lighting and decent fall colors.  You might like my photo tour:

http://www80.homepage.villanova.edu/joseph.bausch/images/albums/DorsetFieldClub/index.html

Even in the pictures there is a marked difference between the nines in both the terrain and bunkers. The bunkers on the front nine look a tad boring.

they're "boring" in the sense they're a bunch of circles and beans surrounding the greens and lining fairways.  I wonder if they evolved this way or if they were always with refined smooth edges.  The topo and strategy of the course makes up for any boring bunkers IMO.
I'm curious how Rae and Franz intend to change it?  Hybridize the bunker styles to feel more cohesive?at Hooper I found old photos that show Stiles designed the bunkers to have jagged edges that look more like a frying egg.  Over 93 years the edges evolved to smooth lines.  I'd love to see them restore back to their original shapes.  Obtaining photos has been a difficult task

[MCirba]

I don't  think it's a question of the bunker styles as much as totally different usage of the land between the original architect(s) and the newer nine, which seemed to me to take some very good terrain and and totally reshape it, as if moving dirt everywhere was/is a good thing.

The original nine holes are much more natural and use the existing land and contours much more effectively, IMHO.

[Craig Sweet]

I was a member in the early 70's. The front nine routing is all changed...current #10 use to be #1...#11 was #2....current #6 was hole 3...current #7 was hole 4...#8 was old #5....#9 was old #6....#1 was old hole 7...# 2 was old #8 (big old elm guarded that green)  and #18 is the old finisher #9...Lots of trees have been removed and the bunkers have lost their original charm. Not a fan of the changes.