Smith/Fazio at Tumble Brook Country Club

Tumble Brook Country Club occupies rolling terrain in Bloomfield, a suburb northwest of Hartford in Connecticut's Farmington Valley. The course was originally designed by Willie Park Jr., the Scottish architect and two-time Open Championship winner who brought his links-inspired design principles to numerous American projects in the early twentieth century. Park's work here reflects his characteristic attention to strategic bunkering and green contours that reward thoughtful play.

The layout was later revised by Orrin E. Smith, a regional architect active in New England during the mid-twentieth century. Smith's contributions adapted the course to evolving equipment and maintenance standards while preserving the essential character of Park's routing through the property's natural elevation changes and wooded corridors. The course moves across varied topography that provides both elevation change and natural definition to the holes.

Tumble Brook has served as a traditional private club in the Hartford area for nearly a century. The membership has maintained the course as a centerpiece of club life while supporting updates that balance playability with strategic interest. The club's setting in Bloomfield places it among several historic golf properties in central Connecticut, a region where early American golf development took root in the decades following the game's introduction to the United States. The course remains a product of its architectural lineage, combining Park's foundational design concepts with Smith's practical refinements for New England conditions.