Baltusrol Golf Club

The Baltusrol Golf Club is a private 36-hole golf club in the eastern United States, located in Springfield, New Jersey, about twenty miles (30 km) west of New York City. It was founded 129 years ago in 1895 by Louis Keller.

Baltusrol Golf Club

Clubhouse during the 2005 PGA Championship
Club information
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Location	Springfield, New Jersey
Elevation	160 feet (50 m)
Established	1895, 129 years ago
Type	Private
Total holes	36
Events hosted	List of Major Tournaments PGA Championship (2005, 2016) U.S. Open (1903, 1915, 1936, 1954, 1967, 1980, 1993) U.S. Women's Open (1961, 1985) U.S. Amateur (1904, 1926, 1946, 2000) U.S. Women's Amateur (1901, 1911) KPMG Women's PGA Championship (2023)
Greens	Bentgrass / Poa annua
Fairways	Bentgrass / Poa annua[1]
Website	baltusrol.org
Lower Course
Designed by	A. W. Tillinghast (1922), Rees Jones (2014 renovation) Gil Hanse (2021 renovation)
Par	72  (70 for majors)
Length	7,550 yards (6,904 m)
Course rating	76.2
Slope rating	145[2]
Upper Course
Designed by	A. W. Tillinghast Gil Hanse (2023-2024 renovation)
Par	72
Length	7,348 yards (6,719 m)
Course rating	75.9
Slope rating	151[3]
Baltusrol Golf Club
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark District
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Baltusrol Golf Club Location in Union County
Location	201 Shunpike Road, Springfield, New Jersey
Coordinates	40.70091°N 74.33009°W / 40.70091; -74.33009
Area	474 acres (192 ha)
Built	1909: Clubhouse 1918–26: Courses
Architect	Clubhouse: Chester H. Kirk Courses: A. W. Tillinghast
Architectural style	Tudor Revival
NRHP reference No.	05000374[4]
NJRHP No.	4233[5]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	May 6, 2005
Designated NHLD	August 25, 2014
Designated NJRHP	March 17, 2005

Tom McNamara at the 1915 U.S. Open

In 1985, Baltusrol became the first club to have hosted both the U.S. Open and Women's U.S. Open on two different courses. Both courses were originally designed by A. W. Tillinghast in 1918. The club has been the site of seven U.S. Opens and two PGA Championships.

In 2005, the club was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[6] In 2014, it was further designated a National Historic Landmark in recognition of its importance to Tillinghast's career as a course designer.^[7]

History

Baltusrol Golf Club was named after Baltus Roll (1769–1831), who farmed the land on which the club resides today.^[8][9] In 1831, he was murdered at age 61 on February 22 by two thieves who believed that he had hidden a small treasure in his farmhouse on Baltusrol mountain. Two men, Peter B. Davis and Lycidias Baldwin were suspected of the murder. Baldwin fled to a tavern in Morristown where he killed himself with an apparent overdose of narcotics. Davis was apprehended and stood trial in Newark. Despite the overwhelming but circumstantial evidence, much of which the trial judge ruled as inadmissible, Davis was acquitted of murder. He was, however, convicted of forgery and sentenced to 24 years in prison, and later died in Trenton State Prison.

The land was purchased in the 1890s by Louis Keller, who was the publisher of the New York Social Register. He owned 500 acres (2.0 km²) of land in Springfield Township. On October 19, 1895, Keller announced that the Baltusrol Golf Club would open. The club's original 9-hole course was designed by George Hunter in 1895 and expanded to 18 holes in 1898. This course, which is called the Old Course, was further modified by George Low and no longer exists.

Keller hired A. W. Tillinghast to build a second golf course to complement the Old Course. However, Tillinghast recommended that the Old Course be plowed over and he would design and build two new courses. The club approved his design recommendation and commenced construction of the Upper and Lower courses in 1918. In August 1919, Golf Illustrated declared that "what they are planning at Baltusrol is on a vaster scale than anything that has ever been attempted in American Golf for the opening of the Dual Courses." The Dual Courses, or Upper and Lower, were the first contiguous 36-hole design built in America. Both courses officially opened for play in June 1922. In the years following their opening, refinements were made to prepare these courses for National Championship play. The first national championship held on the Lower was the 1926 U.S. Amateur. The first national championship on the Upper was the U.S. Open in 1936. Tillinghast served as the club's architect until his death in 1942.

In 1948, Robert Trent Jones was retained to update and lengthen the Lower course for tournament play. The Lower course was lengthened again by his son Rees Jones in 1992 in preparation for the U.S. Open in 1993. He also updated and lengthened the Upper course in advance of the 2000 U.S. Amateur. On both the Lower and Upper courses, Jones and his senior designer Steve Weisser reinstated and restored various Tillinghast design features which had been lost over the years. Some famous golfers to win tournaments at Baltusrol include Ed Furgol, Mickey Wright, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Janzen, and Phil Mickelson. In 1995, Golf Magazine recognized Baltusrol as one of "The First 100 Clubs in America."

Clubhouse

In March 1909, the original clubhouse burned down.^[10] That same year, a new clubhouse was quickly designed by Chester Hugh Kirk, a member of the golf club, in a Tudor revival style and construction begun in June.^[6]

In 1912, it became the first clubhouse to host a President of the United States, William Howard Taft.^[11]

Tournaments hosted

In its history, Baltusrol has hosted 15 USGA-sponsored championships and three PGA-sponsored Championships. It has hosted the U.S. Open seven times, in 1903, 1915, 1936, 1954, 1967, 1980, and 1993. It has hosted the U.S. Amateur four times, in 1904, 1926, 1946, and 2000. It has hosted the U.S. Women's Open twice, in 1961 and 1985, and the U.S. Women's Amateur twice, in 1901 and 1911. The 2005 PGA Championship was Baltusrol's first time hosting a PGA Championship, and it returned in 2016. The 79th Women's PGA Championship for 2023 and the 111th PGA Championship for 2029 were awarded to Baltusrol in a joint deal.

Year	Tournament	Course	Winner	Winning score	Winner's share ($)
2023	Women's PGA Championship	Lower Course	Yin Ruoning	276 (−8)	1,500,000
2018	U.S. Junior Amateur	Medal play – Both Match play – Upper	Michael Thorbjornsen	36th hole	N/A
2016	PGA Championship (2)	Lower Course	Jimmy Walker	266 (−14)	1,890,000
2005	PGA Championship	Lower Course	Phil Mickelson	276 (−4)	1,170,000
2000	U.S. Amateur (4)	Medal play – Both Match play – Upper	Jeff Quinney	39th hole	N/A
1993	U.S. Open (7)	Lower Course	Lee Janzen	272 (−8)	290,000
1985	U.S. Women's Open (2)	Upper Course	Kathy Baker	280 (−8)	41,975
1980	U.S. Open	Lower Course	Jack Nicklaus	272 (−8)	55,000
1967	U.S. Open	Lower Course	Jack Nicklaus	275 (−5)	30,000
1961	U.S. Women's Open	Lower Course	Mickey Wright	293 (+5)	1,800
1954	U.S. Open	Lower Course	Ed Furgol	284 (+4)	6,000
1946	U.S. Amateur	Lower Course	Ted Bishop	37th hole	N/A
1936	U.S. Open	Upper Course	Tony Manero	282 (−6)	1,000
1926	U.S. Amateur	Lower Course	George Von Elm	2 & 1	N/A
1915	U.S. Open	Old Course	Jerome Travers (a)	297 (+1)	(300)
1911	U.S. Women's Amateur (2)	Old Course	Margaret Curtis	5 & 3	N/A
1904	U.S. Amateur	Old Course	Chandler Egan	8 & 6	N/A
1903	U.S. Open	Old Course	Willie Anderson	307	200
1901	U.S. Women's Amateur	Old Course	Genevieve Hecker	5 & 3	N/A

Source:^[12]
Bolded years are major championships on the PGA Tour

Course information

The Upper and Lower courses are very different, being built on two distinct geological formations.^[13] Tillinghast designed them as "Dual Courses" which were to be "equally sought after as a matter of preference."^[14] The Lower is spread out over rolling parkland, the remains of a terminal moraine deposited during the last glaciation about 18,000 years ago. The Upper runs along a ridgeline known as Baltusrol Mountain, the east side of the First Watchung Mountain (Orange Mountain) that was formed from vast lava flows about 200 million years ago.^[15][16][17] Both courses have ponds and other man-made and natural hazards that come into play. On the Lower Course, the 4th hole and the 18th hole have ponds, and on the Upper Course, the 9th and the 13th holes have ponds. The 10th, 13th, and 15th holes have creeks in play. As of 2010, Baltusrol Golf Club holds the distinction of being the only two-course club to ever host both the U.S. Men's and Women's Open Championships on both of its courses.^[18]

Lower Course

The Lower course from the black tees measures 7,400 yards (6,767 m) and is a par 72, but for the 2005 PGA Championship, the course measured 7,392 yards (6,759 m) and was par 70. From the blue tees, the course measures 7,015 yards (6,415 m) and is par 72. From the green tees, the course measures 6,652 yards and is par 72. From the white tees, the course measures 6,325 yards (5,784 m) and is par 72. From the red tees, the course measures 5,539 yards (5,065 m) and is par 73. In its listing of the "Top 100 Courses in the U.S.", GOLF Magazine selected the Lower Course as 22nd in 1995, 1997, and 1999.

The three signature holes of the Lower Course are the fourth, a par three of 194 yards (177 m) where the player must hit his or her ball over the pond to a two-tiered green; the seventeenth, a par five of 650 yards (590 m) where John Daly is the only player to ever reach the green in two strokes (later, Tiger Woods fired his second shot over the green in two shots at the 2005 PGA Championship); and the eighteenth, a par five of 533 yards (487 m) famous for spectacular performances by Furgol, Nicklaus, Mickelson and Jason Day.

Lower Course

Tee	Rating/Slope	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	In	Total
Par		5	4	4	3	4	4	5	4	3	36	4	4	3	4	4	4	3	5	5	36	72
Championship	76 / 147	478	378	503	199	424	482	503	374	211	3,552	464	444	219	432	430	429	230	647	553	3,848	7,400
Tillinghast	74.4 / 143	478	371	451	186	395	465	500	374	205	3,425	444	422	202	401	406	415	210	570	520	3,590	7,015
Baltusrol	72.8 / 140	470	362	436	143	375	420	494	360	189	3,249	437	408	188	374	379	383	180	543	511	3,403	6,652
Club	71.4 / 135	456	350	405	130	352	408	465	350	175	3,091	416	397	155	364	370	370	160	525	477	3,234	6,325
SI		11	7	1	17	3	5	13	9	15		2	4	16	12	14	8	18	6	10
Curtis	73.7 / 137	453	300	324	101	282	406	461	342	136	2,805	317	315	151	312	329	325	114	448	423	2,734	5,539
Par	Curtis	5	4	4	3	4	5	5	4	3	37	4	4	3	4	4	4	3	5	5	36	73
SI	Curtis	5	9	3	15	7	13	11	1	17		16	10	14	8	12	6	18	2	4

Upper Course

From the black tees the Upper course is a par 72, 7,348 yards (6,719 m), blue tees par 72, 7,002 yards (6,403 m), green tees par 72, 6,558 yards (5,997 m), white tees par 72, 6,232 yards (5,699 m), red tees par 73, 5,819 yards (5,321 m), gold tees par 73, 5,540 yards (5,070 m). The Upper Course has hosted three of the club's national championship including the 1936 U.S. Open.^[19] GOLF Magazine's "Top 100 Courses in the U.S." selected the Upper Course 89th in 1997 and 74th in 1999.

Upper Course

Tee	Rating/Slope	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	In	Total
Par		5	4	3	4	4	4	3	5	4	36	3	5	4	4	4	3	4	5	4	36	72
Championship	75.9 / 151	490	463	225	445	452	443	252	550	356	3,676	166	618	359	425	400	173	447	595	489	3,672	7,348
Tillinghast	74.7 / 147	485	433	193	412	423	423	225	541	345	3,480	156	596	348	398	395	162	437	571	459	3,522	7,002
Baltusrol	72.5 / 142	468	404	165	395	400	407	192	518	323	3,272	149	540	333	385	372	144	397	523	443	3,286	6,558
Club	70.7 / 140	451	388	160	376	384	372	176	493	288	3,088	138	540	313	342	362	134	374	511	430	3,144	6,232
SI		13	7	17	1	9	3	15	5	11		16	4	10	14	6	18	8	12	2
Curtis	74.8 / 139	445	370	152	300	357	362	149	467	277	2,879	137	444	300	340	307	116	372	425	429	2,870	5,749
Wright	73.1 / 134	371	327	135	300	357	362	149	467	257	2,725	137	444	300	340	307	110	372	425	380	2,815	5,540
Par	Curtis & Wright	5	4	3	4	4	4	3	5	4	36	3	5	4	4	4	3	4	5	5	37	73
SI	Curtis & Wright	7	11	17	3	15	5	9	1	13		8	6	12	10	2	18	4	14	16

General information

Marker identifying Baltusrol Golf Club as a National Historic Landmark in 2014.

The pro shop is open from 7:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. The course is not open to the public. Guests are permitted to play with a member. The dress code states that denim is not allowed and that a collared shirt is required. Metal spiked shoes and fivesomes are not allowed. Moreover, cellphone use is not permitted on the course or on club grounds except in one's car. The course is open year-round. Players are required to use a caddy between the hours of 7 am and 2 pm. The fairways and greens are poa annua and bent grass. The greens are aerated in late March to early April, late August, and November after the season ends, and there is overseeding of Penn A4 Bentgrass. The rough is Kentucky Bluegrass.

Audubon certification

Audubon International has designated the Baltusrol Golf Club a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. First bestowed to Baltusrol in 1999, Audubon International recognizes that Baltusrol manages its lands with concern to the environment. Audubon International uses criteria of environmental planning, wildlife and habitat management, chemical usage reduction and safety, water conservation, and water quality management.^[20]

See also

• New Jersey portal
• National Register of Historic Places portal

• List of National Historic Landmarks in New Jersey
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Union County, New Jersey

References

1. "PGA Championship" (PDF). GCSAA. Tournament fact sheets. July 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
2. "Course Rating and Slope Database: Baltusrol Golf Club - Lower Course". USGA. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
3. "Course Rating and Slope Database: Baltusrol Golf Club - Upper Course". USGA. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
4. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
5. "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Union County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. April 26, 2016. p. 11.
6. Watson, Penelope S. (May 6, 2005). "NRHP Nomination: Baltusrol Golf Club". National Park Service. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) "Accompanying 20 photos". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
7. Litterst, Mike (September 30, 2014). "Secretary Jewell, Director Jarvis Announce Nine New National Historic Landmarks Highlighting America's Diverse History and Culture" (Press release). Washington. U.S. Department of the Interior.
8. "The Roll Family Genealogy". Retrieved July 31, 2014.
9. "The Murder - The Name".
10. "BALTUSROL CLUB SWEPT BY FLAMES; Several of Its Buildings Reduced to Ashes in an Early Morning Fire. CHEF INJURED BY A JUMP One Sleepy Member Makes His Escape by a Window, Minus Clothes and $40". The New York Times. March 28, 1909.
11. Strauss, Robert (June 18, 2000). "IN PERSON; Join the Club (if They'll Let You in): The State's Golf History". The New York Times.
12. "Championship Tradition at Baltusrol Golf Club". Archived from the original on May 23, 2009. Retrieved July 6, 2009.
13. Richmond, Vince (1997). "Natural History Courses (golf, that is)". Early Golfer. p. 11-13. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
14. "A Brief History of Baltusrol Golf Club". Baltusrol Golf Club.
15. Hargraves, Rob (1997). "Natural History Courses (golf, that is)" (PDF). New Jersey Outdoors (Fall 1997). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection: 11–13. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 9, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
16. "Natural Resources Inventory - Township of Springfield: Geology" (PDF). Springfield Environmental Commission. 2011. pp. 3–7. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 2, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
17. "Baltusrol Golf Club bedrock and surficial geology". NJ-GeoWeb. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
18. "World-class field ready to test Baltusrol". Retrieved July 13, 2010.
19. "Championship Tradition at Baltusrol Golf Club". Archived from the original on May 23, 2009. Retrieved July 6, 2009.
20. "Member profile details: Baltusrol Golf Club". Audubon International.^{[permanent dead link]}

External links

• Official website
• The Upper Course at GolfCourse.com Archived September 30, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
• The Lower Course at GolfCourse.com Archived August 9, 2005, at the Wayback Machine