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No. 57: Baltusrol (Lower)
Springfield, N.J.
A.W. Tillinghast (1922)

For decades, Baltusrol had what it took to run headache-free major championships. After a 2020 restoration by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner, it has that plus so much more. Of particular note, thanks to the reinstallation of some of A.W. Tillinghast’s most imaginative bunkering schemes: one of the game’s finest driving tests is fully back.

Perhaps the best example comes at the 5th, a straightaway par-4 that plays to a well-placed green high on a ridge. Three re-installed centerline bunkers perplex the golfer standing on the tee. To go right, left, short or long, that is the question! From the member tee, the 5th measures just under 400 yards and is as good a hole of that length as exists in this country. That’s important, as such holes – a driver and, say, a 6-iron — are the backbone for membership play.

Additionally, the green expansions have yielded intense, new playing interest. Indeed, if you want to appreciate an architect’s design chops, see what he does on flat land. Three stellar green complexes are found today on the flatter portion of the property, namely those at the 9th, 12th and 16th. Variety is back on the menu at Baltusrol, but the course also has retained its championship grit.

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This unmatched constellation includes works by Donald Ross, Charles Blair Macdonald, Seth Raynor and William Flynn, among other giants of golf ’s Golden Age. But for quantity of layouts within this cluster, one architect outstrips all the rest. He is the author of Winged Foot’s East and West courses and the undisputed titan of the tristate area: A.W. Tillinghast.

And the northeast was not his only stomping ground. Between 1911, when he cut the ribbon on his first course, Shawnee Country Club, in Pennsylvania, and 1936, when he completed Bethpage Black, his triumphant swan song on Long Island, Tillinghast is credited with contributions to upward of 260 courses across the country and into Canada, though Tillinghast biographer Philip Young says that his subject actually had a hand in many more. Prized at the time, his prolific output has only gained prestige. If you take away the Masters, held every year on the same Alister Mackenzie design, Tillinghast tracks have staged more modern-day majors than those of any other course designer after Ross.

As an architect, Tillinghast contained multitudes; some observers argue that a defining feature of his courses is the lack of a defining feature. As a personality, he was hard to pin down, too. Born into wealth in Philadelphia, Tillinghast walked in aristocratic circles but fancied himself a man of the people and lived up to that image as a vocal advocate for public-access golf. At times a tweedy figure of Victorian reserve, Tillinghast cut a raffish society profile. He was a gambler and a gadabout, drawn to high-living and high-proof libations. As hard as he could drink, he worked even harder, the artistry of his projects often matched by their ambition. Outsize in his character and his career, Tillinghast is tough to capture in a single snapshot. But with the national championship returning for the sixth time to his most acclaimed layout, Winged Foot West, it’s worth fleshing out a sketch of him. A look at five other notable Tillinghast projects within striking range of Winged Foot offers different angles on the man and the imprint he left behind.

Go Big or Go Home

Baltusrol Golf Club SPRINGFIELD, N.J.

In 1918, when Tillinghast signed on to work with the club, Baltusrol already had a golf course—a two-time U.S. Open host, no less. And Tillinghast, an accomplished player in his own right, was well acquainted with it; it was where he lost to eventual champion Chandler Egan at the 1904 U.S. Amateur. Now the club wanted its 18 reworked. Tillinghast pushed for something bolder: Scrap the one course and build two in its place. In its scale and price tag, it was as audacious a proposal as the game had seen. But as a salesman and a showman, Tillinghast possessed “P.T. Barnum–like powers of persuasion,” says biographer Young. “If he really wanted to convince you of something, he could.” Baltusrol bit. It was later said that Tillinghast was the first architect ever to be given an unlimited budget. But that claim had the whiff of urban legend. And it was not the case at Baltusrol. In fact, he was given $100,000, which he blew through on his way to spending nearly twice that much to produce the club’s Upper and Lower courses. It was a grand achievement, and Tillinghast referred to it in grandiose terms: He took to calling himself the “creator” of Baltusrol. No doubt the work bolstered his renown. Among those who noticed were members of the New York Athletic Club, who had their own ambitious project in mind. They were looking for an architect to build 36 holes at a Westchester County club they would call Winged Foot.

Breaking the Mold

Somerset Hills Country Club BERNARDSVILLE, N.J.

Like Charles Blair Macdonald, Tillinghast spent formative time in Scotland. But unlike his fellow American designer, he did not return from the British Isles bent on reproducing what he’d seen. Where Macdonald was the king of architectural homage—Road holes, Cape holes, Punchbowls and the like—Tillinghast mostly turned his back on tributes. Though he did have a penchant for repeating certain features (he proudly claimed to be the father of the “double-dogleg”), those signature touches were his own. More traditional templates held little interest for him—unless, he said, the land cried out for them. Somerset Hills was a rarity, a site where Tillinghast heard that call. The course, which consists of two contrasting nines—the front side meadowy, the backside wooded—has been hailed as a museum piece for its striking display of templates. On the par-4 13th hole, a Principal’s Nose bunker—a nod to St. Andrews—sticks its sandy schnoz out of the fairway, roughly 60 yards in front of a Biarritz green. The 16th, a midrange par 3 with a sloping green guarded by a deep bunker, evokes, for some, an Eden hole. (Others dispute this.) Most notable is the long par-3 2nd, which plays over a valley to a green that tilts down and away from its daunting front-right point of entrance. It’s a Redan, and many say it surpasses the original at North Berwick. In Tillinghast’s hands, it wasn’t imitation; it was emulation at its most inspired.

Playing the Trifecta

Ridgewood Country Club PARAMUS, N.J.

In one of many magazine articles he authored, Tillinghast described the ideal setting for a golf course as sandy, contoured seaside land. Yet unlike Mackenzie, Ross and others of his era, he was never given a world-beating coastal site. That he made hay farther inland, often coaxing greatness from mundane locales—Winged Foot is widely seen as a prime example of an A-plus course on C-plus terrain—stands as one of many testaments to Tillinghast’s genius. Another of his talents was rising to the challenge of his clients’ demands. In the case of Ridgewood, the mandate he was given was a first of its kind: Not only did the club want three separate nines—a rarity in itself—it wanted three nines of equal caliber, without a red-headed stepchild in the bunch, all slated to open at the same time. On top of that, because the trio was meant for mix and matching, each nine had to work back to the clubhouse. “That’s six holes starting or ending from essentially the same point,” Young says. “The difficulty of the entire project is astounding.” It had never been done, but Tillinghast did it, working up, down and along the property’s wooded ridge, spreading artistry evenly around the grounds. The balance he achieved is punctuated by the fact that when big-time tournaments like the Barclays are held at Ridgewood today, the East, Center and West courses each contributes anywhere from five to seven holes.

A Study in Contrasts

Quaker Ridge Golf Club SCARSDALE, N.Y.

For a succinct, spot-on assessment of another of Tillinghast’s major works, take a spin through time to the 1974 U.S. Open at Winged Foot, where Jack Nicklaus was asked if he believed that the host site was the finest layout in the world. “That may be,” Nicklaus replied. “But there is quite a golf course down the street.” Across the street, more like it, no more than a short par-4 away. First opened for play in 1918, Quaker Ridge was overhauled by Tillinghast seven years later, so its vintage is similar to Winged Foot’s and its parentage is the same. But as with many siblings, the two properties have vastly different traits.

At Winged Foot, where Tillinghast was given a flat expanse and asked to build a beast, the architect obliged by building some of the world’s most fearsome greens, rising from the fairways, bold, defiant. Quaker Ridge, by contrast, has much calmer putting surfaces but the land itself is far more lilting. A former Quaker Ridge head professional was fond of saying that at Winged Foot you made bogey from the fairway—you have to be deadeye with your approaches—where at Quaker you made bogey from the tee. On this more rollicking terrain, Tillinghast deferred to the contours as he found them. His light touch reflected his conviction that you shouldn’t try to manufacture nature when nature had already done a fine job on its own.

Power to the People

Bethpage Black FARMINGDALE, N.Y.

Golf courses as “mankillers.” Credit Tillinghast with that coinage and that concept, which he fleshed out in an article of the same name. The original “mankiller,” he wrote, was Pine Valley, his pal George Crump’s acclaimed layout in New Jersey. It could break you physically with its shot-making demands, even as it shattered your heart with its beauty. Tillinghast dreamed of spawning such a creature.

In the mid-’30s, at Bethpage State Park on Long Island, he got his chance. All the better, as he saw it, the Black Course was a man-killer for the Everyman. Monied by birth—his father owned a successful rubber goods company—Tillinghast was keen on extending the game’s reach beyond the wealthy. That most of his commissions were for private courses was more reflective of the era than of his leanings.

Travel

In his writings and other pronouncements, the high-living course designer proved himself a champion of golf for all. Bethpage married his abilities and his interests. The job required a massive effort on par with his ample ambitions: He was hired to build three courses, the Black, Red and Blue, and overhaul a fourth, which became known as the Green. According to Philip Young, never has a single architect had a hand in so many courses at one site at one time. Of the bunch, the Black Course was Tillinghast’s baby, and a brawny one at that. He took special pride that it was also a muni, a fitting closing act in an astounding career, a man-killer destined to endure.

Flag Hunting

Tillinghast, Ross and Macdonald and his disciples went wild in the tristate (NY, NJ, CT), creating, arguably, the most astonishing cluster of marquee courses in the world — and this map doesn’t even include the titans on the tip of Long Island: Shinny, National, et al. Hit a drive from any highway here and it might find a Top 100 fairway. *map key below*

A.W. Tillinghast

1. SOMERSET HILLS CC Bernardsville, N.J.

2. BALTUSROL GC Springfield, N.J.

3. RIDGEWOOD CC Paramus, N.J.

4. BETHPAGE BLACK Farmingdale, N.Y.

5. WINGED FOOT GC Mamaroneck, N.Y.

6. QUAKER RIDGE GC Scarsdale, N.Y.

7. FENWAY GC Scarsdale, N.Y.

8. PARAMOUNT CC New City, N.Y.

Donald Ross

9. PLAINFIELD CC Edison, N.J.

10. MONTCLAIR CC Montclair, N.J.

11. MOUNTAIN RIDGE CC West Caldwell, N.J.

12. SIWANOY CC Bronxville, N.Y.

C.B. Macdonald, Seth Raynor and/or Charles Banks

13. FORSGATE CC Monroe Township, N.J.

14. MORRIS COUNTY GC Morristown, N.J.

15. ESSEX COUNTY CC West Orange, N.J.

16. PIPING ROCK CLUB Locust Valley, N.Y.

17. CREEK CLUB Locust Valley, N.Y.

18. BLIND BROOK CLUB Purchase, N.Y.

19. SLEEPY HOLLOW CC Scarboroughon-Hudson, N.Y.

20. WHIPPOORWILL CLUB Armonk, N.Y.

21. CC OF FAIRFIELD Fairfield, CT

22. YALE GOLF COURSE New Haven, CT

Notable Others

23. GARDEN CITY GC Garden City, N.Y. (Devereux Emmet/ Walter Travis)

24. DEEPDALE CC Manhasset, N.Y. (Dick Wilson)

25. WYKAGYL CC New Rochelle, N.Y. (Tillinghast/Ross/ Lawrence Van Etten)

26. WESTCHESTER CC Harrison, N.Y. (Walter Travis)

27. CENTURY CC Purchase, N.Y. (C.H. Alison)

28. THE STANWICH CLUB Greenwich, CT (William and David Gordon)

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Many of you will remember that week at Baltusrol Golf Club, for good reason. Jack Nicklaus set a scoring record en route to his fourth U.S. Open victory. For me, it was an unforgettable experience with my dad that sticks with me to this day.

My love for the game was already clear to me, but seeing golf played by the greatest competitors under the most challenging conditions was unlike anything I had seen before. It didn’t feel like a normal tournament — and it wasn’t supposed to.

The mental, physical and emotional toughness and human triumph that I witnessed that week fueled a lifelong passion for the game that is as strong now as it has ever been. I knew then that I wanted to be part of it, and it was powerful when I realized that I actually could be part of it.  

That is the pure beauty of this championship. It’s open. It’s the ultimate meritocracy and why “From Many, One” is so powerful in describing this unique and unparalleled major championship. Any golfer is worthy of competing based solely on their ability to play the game. There are no judgments based on who you are or where you come from. Successfully navigate the U.S. Open qualifying process and you’re in — that’s it.

It is difficult to imagine a more important time in our country’s recent history to remember this simple ideal of equality. Those who came before me, the USGA leaders who had the courage to insist that the 1896 U.S. Open be conducted with John Shippen and Oscar Bunn in the field despite great opposition, understood that. It reminds me that the game is at its best when it’s open to everyone.

Despite my best efforts as a competitor, I never did make it into the field, but the ideal of having the opportunity to try is what makes the U.S. Open unique in golf.

That’s why eliminating qualifying this year has felt like a gut punch. The USGA has the good fortune of providing a platform for athletes to chase their dreams. When we had to take away that platform, those dreams, we took it very hard. We join the 10,000 hopefuls in feeling a sense of loss, and we hope we will never have to do this again.

We will forge ahead, however, because we believe that conducting this U.S. Open is important to the players, to the game and to our country. We will fill the field with as many worthy glory-seekers as we can. Amateurs. Club pros. Touring pros. The best the game has produced. Each will have earned his place in the field by meeting rigorous criteria. We know it will be different, but we will conduct a U.S. Open in 2020 that we can be proud of and one that produces a champion worthy of joining the elites who have come before.   

It is also important to everyone we serve. It might seem like the U.S. Open story ends on Father’s Day, but the meaning and spirit of the championship run much deeper throughout the game, and its impact is felt long after the final putt drops.

Thanks to the U.S. Open, the players who compete in it, the partners who sponsor it, the fans who watch from home or on-site, and our broadcast partners, the USGA is able to have a meaningful impact on the game of golf. The U.S. Open inspires the next generation of golfers by fueling programs that provide a pathway into playing the game. Junior programs like LPGA-USGA Girls Golf, The First Tee and Drive, Chip & Putt. Career pathways like the P.J. Boatwright Jr. Internship Program.  

The U.S. Open helps keep the amateur and recreational game strong and growing, and plays a vital role in elevating the women’s game by providing opportunities to compete at the highest level.

It means that the on-course experiences of every recreational golfer can continue to improve, thanks to research, tools and education that promote sustainable golf course practices.

Features

And it provides an opportunity to add to the rich storybook of golf, one that starts with the players who compete, and celebrates the culture that has shaped the game through time. Art, architecture, science, breaking barriers, overcoming the odds — they are stories worth celebrating and preserving.

Those efforts, together with our dedicated volunteers, USGA Members, Foundation donors, and host communities, are what make U.S. Open week so memorable. And why we feel a responsibility to deliver it.

As I sit in my family room for the first time in 30 years on Father’s Day with my son, I will remember that first one I attended with my dad. I will remember that the glory each champion receives is worthy of the grit and determination it takes to win a U.S. Open. And I will remember that the U.S. Open, and the impact it delivers, will help ensure a healthier game long after the trophy is hoisted.

It is how we champion and advance the game. And it is why the U.S. Open is our championship — not the USGA’s, but everyone who loves this great game.

A great U.S. Open means a great game. And I can’t wait for the 120th installment in September at Winged Foot.

Mike Davis is the CEO of the United States Golf Association.

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The PGA of America announced on Saturday that the 2023 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship will be held at Baltusrol, as well as the 2029 PGA Championship on the men’s side.

Baltusrol, located in Springfield, N.J., previously hosted one other women’s major, the 1961 U.S. Women’s Open won by World Golf Hall of Fame member Mickey Wright.

A total of seven U.S. Opens have been played at the club, and two recent PGA Championships in 2005 and 2016. Phil Mickelson captured his only PGA title there in the 2005 event. The club has also played host to four U.S. Amateurs, the most recent in 2000.

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