Our Story

We love our club. Beyond our magnificent landscape and New England simplicity, there is one quality that sets us apart: we are a community of individuals and families who see our club as a neighborhood, a second backyard, and a place to socialize and unwind. Here, your family can feel accepted and safe. Here, children make lasting friendships, and people know your name. This is a place where "friend" is better suited as a title than "member," and where everything you love about this special corner of Connecticut, you’ll find at RCC.

It's no accident that the culture at RCC is distinctly welcoming. Founded in 1965 by Louis Nazzaro, Russ DiFranco, and Nick Nerich, their vision was to build an understated little club in the country where one could enjoy sports, camaraderie, and be proud to entertain guests. Nearly six decades later, the vision of a friends-first club is alive and well.

We are also a club with a long sports legacy. The original club was designed by Ryder & Carlson, who also authored Richter Park and Salem Golf Course. They built 9 holes, tennis courts, and a swimming pool on the site we know today. In the 1970s, the course was dramatically transformed by celebrated architect Rees Jones (Old Chatham, Pinehurst #7, Torrey Pines 2001 Reconstruction), who took advantage of the natural streams, ponds, and precipitous elevation changes to carve out a rugged 6,335-yard, 18-hole course that proves the adage, "Don't judge a course by its length."

Our early reputation for a high caliber of golf was bolstered in 1973 when 13-year-old member Bob Tway won the Men's Club Championship and went on to the PGA Tour, becoming a Major winner when he captured the 1986 PGA Championship. Today, we annually host AJGA events, MGA qualifiers, and have proudly been home to an elite, nationally ranked junior player.

Beyond golf, we have a first-flight racquets program under the tutelage and leadership of a highly decorated NCAA All-American. As in the golf program, from beginner and casual player to the highly competitive, our four Har-Tru courts and two paddle courts are a wonderful platform for lifelong tennis. The same can be said for our modernized pool complex. From family swim to junior team to lap-lane workouts, the RCC sports legacy is evident to all.

Just as we have continually upgraded and expanded our sports venues and our dining and social facilities, we do so with one other quality that sets RCC apart: a membership that carries on our legacy of independence and solid stewardship. Because when you love a jewel like our little club in the country, you do what it takes to care for and polish it.