Baltusrol Golf Club – Upper Course (Springfield) Ĭarved into a small mountain, the first six holes provide a master class in side-slope architecture. Add in a talented greenkeeper with a keen appreciation for architecture and this Golden Age course epitomizes a Ross design that plays better today than it ever has. The 8th, 11th and 18th greens are all works of art. Much of the golf is played down below and after two plus decades, Ron Prichard’s meticulous restoration has fully exposed both Ross’s talents as well as the expansive nature of the property. Mountain Ridge (West Caldwell) Īptly named, the two nines start and return to the imposing Clifford Wendehack clubhouse located majestically high along a ridge line. Let hazards be hazardous! The par-3 4th and 12th are its most famous holes, but no education on Travis is complete without studying the 6th, 7th, 9th and 16th green complexes. A good stance and easy swing are far from guaranteed in some of these pit-like bunkers, which is the way it should be. The relatively modest topography and Travis’s tight green-to-tee routing makes it a walker’s delight while the manmade features (i.e., greens and bunkers) lend the course special playing qualities. Some of the best hazards and greens on any inland course are found here once again, thanks to recent restoration work by Renaissance Golf Design’s Brian Schneider. Walter Travis would be thrilled if he could see his course today. After building Ridgewood, Tillinghast played it regularly as a member, and his granddaughters said it was his favorite course of all he designed. Both nines feature terrific green complexes and play from the stunning Norman Revival clubhouse, where Byron Nelson once worked as an assistant pro. The northern New Jersey classic isn’t as well-known as Tillinghast’s other great tri-state designs (Winged Foot, Bethpage Black, etc.), but it’s just as challenging and offers a greater variety of holes. Ridgewood has played host to senior majors and is a frequent late season stop on the PGA Tour. Ridgewood Country Club – West/East Course (Paramus) ![]() Gil Hanse’s current renovation should fix that. Opens (Balty’s other three Opens were on the Upper course) and two PGAs, but with no more Opens on the schedule, some wonder if the course has fallen off the USGA’s unofficial rota. Over the years, the Lower has played host to four U.S. The layout is a Tillinghast classic, with undulating fairways, challenging greens and back-to-back par-5 beasts that close out the round. Jack Nicklaus has called Baltusrol one of his favorite courses, and it’s easy to see why - he won two U.S. ![]() Baltusrol Golf Club – Lower Course (Springfield) Plainfield oozes history - a Revolutionary War battle was fought on the site and Leighton Calkins’ created the modern handicap system here - but the course is in no way stuck in the past. The 145 yard 11th may be his best short par-3, and the 12th and 16th are epic par-5s. Designed by Donald Ross and expertly renovated by Gil Hanse, the course features blind shots, challenging bunkers and some of Ross’s finest holes. Women’s Open and two recent PGA Tour events. One of America’s oldest clubs, Plainfield has hosted a U.S. A die-hard New Yorker remarked, “It’s enough to make one want to live New Jersey.” 3. Its two nines are quite diverse, the first being on more open land while the second jumps into the woods where Tillinghast incorporated natural water features to perfection. ![]() Some even trumpet it as Tilly’s finest design for regular play. ![]() Thanks to a 25-year-long restoration effort with meticulous attention to detail, Somerset Hills has reached the point where it joins Winged Foot and San Francisco GC as exemplars of Tillinghast’s enormous talent. Remember when Tiger Woods was once voted the most underrated player on tour when he won three majors in a year? Same applies here, with Pine Valley’s only benchmark being itself. Throw in a wonderful routing that hopscotches from one island of turf to the next across the rolling, sandy landscape and you have a course that hasn’t budged from the No. Pine Valley excels at all three, with many contending it has the most formidable hazards and sophisticated green complexes in golf. To state perhaps the obvious, one simple but effective way to judge a design is by the quality of the course’s property, its hazards and greens. Best New Jersey golf courses (2020/2021) 1.
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