Performance, Hidden In Plain Sight

RIDGEFIELD, CONNECTICUT | I had never thought much about the golf facility near my home in upper Fairfield County. When I first saw the place some 20 years ago, it appeared to be rinky-dink and rundown, with a wooden deck driving range and a mini-golf course. Being the sort who has long preferred playing to practicing, I had no interest in stopping by. And those sentiments did not change even after I noticed a decade ago that a new owner was dramatically upgrading the operation.

But my thinking changed during a recent call on a completely unrelated subject with Rob Collins, the course architect who with his partner Tad King created the cult favorite Sweetens Cove course outside Chattanooga, Tennessee. After learning that I had long lived in the Nutmeg State, Collins told me that one of his first collaborations with King was a short course at that place I passed by on occasion.

“It’s a cool spot,” he said. “You should check it out.”

Golf Performance Center

So last week, I did just that. What I discovered was not only a stat...