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- The Country Club of Fairfield
It will be some time before stepping on private course in Fairfield County, if it ever happens at all.
Much like winning the Powerball and spending the winnings on game improvement or course creation, a fellow can dream. For now, especially with an actual cold weather winter on the horizon, I’ll be consuming golf courses through the internet.
After falling back in love with golf a few years ago, my imagined doomsday scenarios were either moving north and losing four to six months of golf each year, or relocating to a pricier Southern city.
What I never considered was the sum of all golf fears: a more expensive
— Quarter Zip Sports (@TheQuarterZip)
8:46 PM • Aug 20, 2025
Top 100 Golf Courses #2 in the State
Top 100 Golf Courses writes, “The Country Club of Fairfield opened for play in 1921 and many reckon it’s one of Seth Raynor’s finest designs despite modifications by A.W. Tillinghast in 1939 and Robert Trent Jones Snr. in 1960.
Flat, windy, exposed and somewhat links-like in nature, Fairfield affords dramatic views, lightning-fast greens and polished conditioning.”
Top 100 Member Reviewer Vinny Lazzara writes, “To the casual viewer, the land looks mundane and uninspiring. However, Raynor maxed out on the site's topograhic potential to create another work of art. The two prominent features of the site are the beach ridge and the harbor…I had the pleasure to play it on an overcast morning with hardly a breeze. The marine layer made for a surreal round that seaside golfers are familiar with, but many of us are not.”
Photo: Patrick Koenig/Top 100 Golf Courses
Golf Digest’s #3 in the State
Golf Digest writes, “Country Club of Fairfield has a topsy-turvy design history. Seth Raynor did the original design, but the clubhouse was never built where Raynor intended it, nor was an island par-4 shown on his original plan…In the early 2000s, Tom Doak was hired to re-establish Raynor greens and bunkering style, turning most of the work over to his restoration expert, Bruce Hepner. Now on his own, Hepner is the club’s current consulting architect, and he has done a noble job instilling the Raynor look and feel to a routing that’s hardly Raynor anymore.”
Photo: Jon Cavalier/Golf Digest
The Country Club of Fairfield: From Marshland to Golf Haven by Doug Cress
On a drive along Sasco Hill Road in 1914, financier Oliver Gould Jennings turned to his son and made a bold declaration: the onion fields and tidal marshlands along Southport Harbor would make for a magnificent golf course. At the time, the area was little more than a swath of farmland plagued by summer swarms of insects—earning it the nickname “Mosquito Hill.” But Jennings saw beyond the marsh, envisioning an exclusive golf retreat that would serve Fairfield’s most prominent citizens.
As a man whose family wealth stemmed from Standard Oil, Jennings had both the influence and resources to bring his vision to life. He gathered a group of like-minded friends and founded The Country Club of Fairfield, setting the stage for what would become one of the nation’s most celebrated golf courses.
The Influence of Seth Raynor
Jennings enlisted Seth Raynor, a protégé of the legendary Charles Blair Macdonald, to design the course. Macdonald, often referred to as the father of golf in America, had pioneered a distinct architectural style based on the classic links courses of the British Isles. Raynor followed in his mentor’s footsteps, shaping a course that replicated iconic golf holes from Scotland and England, right along the shores of Long Island Sound.
Transforming the marshland into a championship golf course was an enormous engineering feat. The project took seven years, requiring extensive landfilling to make the terrain suitable for play. Workmen—including teams from the Barnum & Bailey circus in Bridgeport—camped on the beach while unloading topsoil brought in from Long Island.
By the time The Country Club of Fairfield officially opened in 1921, it was already making waves in the golf world. Hall of Fame golfer Walter Hagen was among those in attendance for the inaugural round, marking the beginning of the club’s long-standing tradition of attracting elite players and prestigious tournaments.
Recent Facebook Review
Zack Buechner just shared some thoughts and photos today in the CT Golf Facebook Group:
Played CC of Fairfield yesterday and wow what a special place. The front 9 here is elite, layout wise, with 4-7 probably the best stretch of holes on the course. In typical Raynor fashion, greens had some wild undulations. Very fortunate to have been invited to play.
Have I played this course: No
Do I want to play this course: Yes
Do they have a great logo: Yes
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