Blue Fox Run Golf Course – Red/White

Blue Fox Run Golf Course is a public par-72 course measuring approximately 6,205 yards from the tips. The course was originally designed in 1976 by Joseph Brunoli, with the White nine added in the mid-2000s by Stephen Kay and Doug Smith, and is located in Avon, Connecticut.

Blue Fox Run’s history reflects its gradual transformation into one of Connecticut’s few 27-hole public layouts. The original 18-hole course (Red and Blue nines) opened in 1976 and quickly became popular for its flat river-valley terrain and forgiving corridors. By the early 2000s, the club sought to expand, commissioning Stephen Kay and Doug Smith to design a third nine. This became the White nine, a more modern addition that injected contrast into the older, broader-stroked Brunoli design. The White nine introduced bold bunkering, tighter corridors, and even an island green to enhance variety. The Red/White combination is now one of the most frequently played routings at Blue Fox Run, pairing the classic, slightly wooded Red nine with the newer, more penal White nine. While Blue Fox Run has seen ownership changes and varying levels of conditioning over the years, it has remained a staple of Hartford-area public golf. This post focuses exclusively on the Red/White routing. Separate reviews will examine the Blue/Red and White/Blue combinations.

The Red/White layout stretches across approximately 230 acres of river-valley ground along the Farmington River. The Red nine plays over the slightly more undulating sections of the property, using tree-lined corridors and angled greens to create interest. The White nine, by contrast, takes advantage of flatter land but adds sharper hazards: more penal bunkers, narrower driving corridors, and water features that force decisions. The routing style remains parkland, but the juxtaposition of the two nines creates a hybrid design vibe: half forgiving and broad, half modern and target-oriented. Players who enjoy contrast will find the Red/White routing particularly appealing. Beginners benefit from the Red’s wider fairways, while advanced players face true risk-reward challenges on the White. For those who like to test both length and precision, the Red/White blend provides a round of golf that never feels monotonous and highlights the flexibility of a 27-hole facility.

Strategic Test

The Red/White routing demands more decision-making than the Blue/Red combination. The Red nine still welcomes players with ample fairway width, but angled greens and subtle elevation changes reward accurate positioning. The White nine, however, forces choices more explicitly: water hazards guard layup zones, and several bunkers pinch landing areas, creating centerline hazards. A player’s round is often defined by how well they navigate the transition from the forgiving Red to the testing White. One reviewer remarked, “the White nine was clearly designed to be tougher — the fairways are narrower and the greens make you pay attention.” That difference in tone makes the routing strategically diverse, appealing to those who like shifts in tempo across a round.

From the back tees, the Red/White combination plays to a course rating of roughly 73.0 and slope of 128, making it a stern but not overwhelming challenge. From middle tees at about 6,100 yards, the rating is around 70.0 with slope near 120, a playable but testing setup for bogey golfers. These numbers indicate that scratch players will find the course to play a stroke or two over par on average, while higher handicaps will feel the difficulty in recovery situations around the White nine’s bunkered greens. Slope, which measures how much more difficult the course plays for bogey golfers compared to scratch, being near 128 means higher handicaps must manage expectations: avoiding compounding errors is crucial. The rating and slope values show that Red/White is harder than Blue/Red, primarily due to the White nine’s hazards.

The routing adapts differently to each handicap bracket. High handicaps are given wider margins for error on the Red but must approach the White cautiously. Mid-handicaps face the most nuanced test, as they have length to challenge hazards but must decide when to lay back. Low handicaps see the White nine as an opportunity to separate themselves with superior shot-making.

Handicap	Course Strategy
High Handicap (18+)	Forward tees (~5,400 yds) minimize carries. Use Red nine to build confidence, then play conservatively on White. Safer plays off tee avoid bunkers and water.
Mid Handicap (8–18)	Middle tees (~6,100 yds) with slope near 120. Use driver for Red’s width, but club down on White where hazards pinch. Focus on smart layups and two-putt pars.
Low Handicap (0–8)	Back tees (~6,205 yds) with slope 128. Must attack select par-5s for birdies, accept bogey avoidance on White’s narrow par-4s. Accuracy into bunkered greens is decisive.

A particularly memorable hole on the Red/White routing is the par-4 16th, a classic dogleg right, measuring 400 yards from the tips. From the back tee, a bunker sits 240 yards away just past the apex of the corner, dictating a choice: lay back short for a safe approach, or challenge the bunker line for a shorter wedge in. The prudent play leaves about 118 yards to the green, but strong hitters can gamble by cutting the corner entirely, flying the pond at roughly 281 yards to leave only a short pitch. For low-handicap players, the temptation is to take on the carry when conditions favor it, while mid-handicaps will often aim safely short of the bunker and trust their wedge game. High-handicaps should favor the wide left side, accepting a longer approach but eliminating the water and sand from play. This hole captures the essence of the Red/White routing: blending Brunoli’s openness with Kay’s strategic hazard placement, it demands both calculation and execution.

Nearby Course Alternatives

The Red/White combination shares the same excellent practice facilities as the other layouts at Blue Fox Run, featuring a driving range for distance work, a quality putting green to dial in your speed control, and a particularly well-regarded chipping and short-game practice area where you can master those delicate touch shots around the green. After your round, Mulligans restaurant and bar in the clubhouse provides a welcoming spot to review your scorecard over food and drinks, while the on-site golf shop carries essential equipment and apparel. For golfers seeking to test their skills against different architectural styles and more demanding championship layouts, Bloomfield—just northeast of Avon—is home to two of Connecticut’s premier public courses that represent distinctly different design philosophies.

Wintonbury Hills Golf Course in Bloomfield, located just 13 minutes northeast of Blue Fox Run, stands as Pete Dye’s first and only championship design in New England and has earned recognition as the #2 course in Connecticut on Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play list. Playing 6,711 yards from the championship tees at par 70 with a slope rating of 141 and course rating of 72.3, this 2005 Tim Liddy and Pete Dye collaboration routed across 80 acres of environmentally sensitive terrain moves seamlessly through wetlands and forests adjacent to the Bloomfield reservoir. The layout features Dye’s signature design elements including pot bunkers, railroad ties, and subtly sloping greens that make chipping and pitch shots the most challenging aspect of play, combined with significant elevation changes that range from moderate slopes to some severe uphill climbs. The front nine presents a more open, links-inspired character while the back nine transitions into traditional tree-lined holes, creating a diverse playing experience that includes three par fives and five par threes. Designed specifically as a walking course with greens and tees positioned in close proximity, Wintonbury Hills rewards strategic thinking and precise shotmaking over pure distance, though the course’s length and difficulty from the back tees provides ample challenge for skilled players. Golfers who appreciate modern championship architecture, enjoy navigating dramatic elevation changes and pot bunker complexes, or seek a more demanding test with tournament-caliber greens and slope ratings will find Wintonbury Hills a significant step up in difficulty compared to the more forgiving Red/White combination at Blue Fox Run.

Gillette Ridge Golf Club in Bloomfield, also positioned 13 minutes northeast of Avon, represents Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay’s only public design in the Northeast and sprawls across 229 acres of the Cigna headquarters campus. This bold 2004 layout plays 7,191 yards from the championship tees at par 72 with a slope rating of 133 and course rating of 72.2, capitalizing on the property’s dramatic natural features including mature forests of towering maples, oaks, and elms, multiple streams and lakes, and significant elevation changes throughout the routing. Palmer crafted a target-style design that demands accuracy and strategic course management, with water hazards coming into play on numerous holes, well-placed fairway bunkers that require precise tee shot placement, and several spectacular carries that showcase the property’s natural beauty. The course has hosted prestigious events including the LPGA Futures Tour Cigna Golf Classic from 2005-2008 and the PGA Tour Travelers Championship Qualifier from 2010-2012, testament to its championship credentials and conditioning. While some holes were redesigned after opening to increase playability for mid-handicappers, the course remains supremely challenging from the tips at over 7,000 yards, though multiple tee boxes allow golfers of all abilities to find an appropriate challenge. The 14th hole, a long par 4 playing along the town’s water retention reservoir, exemplifies the course’s dramatic aesthetic and demanding shotmaking requirements. Players who seek a true championship test with significant length, appreciate Palmer’s bold and daring architectural style with risk-reward opportunities, or prefer courses with tournament pedigree and dramatic visual appeal will find Gillette Ridge offers a more muscular challenge than Blue Fox Run’s shorter, more accommodating Red/White layout.

Final Word

The Red/White routing at Blue Fox Run offers perhaps the most strategically diverse 18-hole combination on the property. The Red’s forgiving corridors ease players in, while the White introduces bold hazards and architectural teeth. Together, they produce a round that shifts in tone and tempo, rewarding adaptability and thoughtfulness. Blue Fox Run’s value pricing and 27-hole flexibility strengthen its appeal, but it is the Red/White combination’s ability to test multiple aspects of a player’s game that makes it stand out. For golfers seeking a round that feels like two distinct design eras blended into one, Red/White is the routing to choose.