Springfield, New Jersey
Renovated 2025This course recently completed a major renovation. During this transition, course data may reflect a mix of pre- and post-renovation yardages, hole configurations, or routing. The Caddie Report monitors these changes and periodically reassesses the course as a reliable new baseline is established.
Baltusrol’s Upper Course is a championship heavyweight restored for the modern era—demanding, strategic, and true to Tillinghast’s vision. The 2025 Gil Hanse-led restoration brought back historic strategy, expanded greens, and firmer, faster conditions. Few courses in America serve up so much history, variety, and big-stage drama in one memorable round.
Stop on No. 5 and look east — on a clear day you can see the New York City skyline from the side of Baltusrol Mountain.
Baltusrol’s Upper Course is a masterclass in classic golden age design, routed by Tillinghast across the dramatic contours of Baltusrol Mountain. The 2025 Hanse/Wagner restoration painstakingly recaptured original fairway lines, returned lost bunkers, expanded green edges, and removed hundreds of trees to open up strategic sightlines. The result is a course that now plays faster, firmer, and more thoughtfully than at any time since Tillinghast’s day—a perfect blend of historic intention and modern standards, where every hole asks for brainpower and nerve.
A.W. Tillinghast stands as one of architecture’s all-time titans; Hanse & Wagner’s revitalization lets his template artistry shine as originally intended.
A daunting, scenic, and visually intimidating long par 3, the third hole demands a laser-straight long iron or hybrid to a perched green surrounded by deep bunkers and treacherous slopes. The setting is as breathtaking as it is severe, with the hole often referenced in flyovers as the Upper’s most visually arresting one-shotter.
Take more club and favor the center; par is always a win here.
Miss left or short and you’re tangled in deep bunkers, facing a tough up-and-down.
Fast and firm championship surfaces, well-groomed with expansive modern greens, and immaculate presentation at every turn.
Efficient private-club pace; groups move briskly but enjoy the experience—expect 4 to 4.5 hours.
Classic, exclusive, and tradition-rich; the air is heavy with history and seriousness.
Standard private club golf attire—collared shirt, no denim.
The par 3s and uphill approaches demand precision with long irons or hybrids—practice these beforehand.
Even veteran walkers will find the elevation changes and sidehill lies taxing; prepare for a test of legs as well as swing.
With expanded, perched surfaces, reading the greens and approach angles ahead of time can save multiple strokes—get a map or walk a few before play.
Many holes play much easier from a specific side—use the caddie's experience and avoid hero shots if you’re out of position.
Baltusrol Golf Club founded by Louis Keller
Upper Course opens as part of Tillinghast’s Dual Courses project
Hosts the U.S. Open (Tony Manero wins)
Hosts U.S. Women’s Open on Upper Course
Hosts U.S. Junior Amateur
Reopens after landmark Hanse/Wagner restoration
In the early 1920s, A.W. Tillinghast convinced Baltusrol’s leaders to plow under their original course—not to renovate, but to build two cutting-edge designs from scratch. It was an architectural gambit that transformed American club golf.
The Upper Course holds the honor of hosting major championships just as its sibling does—a rare achievement. When Tony Manero captured the U.S. Open here in 1936, Baltusrol’s hillside bruiser made its mark forever on the national stage.
Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner’s 2025 restoration stripped away decades of change, re-expanding greens and reviving historic bunkers to recover Tillinghast’s original visual drama and strategic challenge. The result is both a loving tribute and a freshly daunting test.
Baltusrol is credited as the first American club to build 36 contiguous holes at once—an innovation that made both the Upper and Lower legendary, and set a trend that countless great clubs would follow.
First club in America to build 36 continuous holes at once.
The only American venue to host both the men’s and women’s U.S. Open on separate courses.
Much of the visual definition and challenge was returned by removing hundreds of trees in Hanse’s restoration.
Greens feature sub-surface air systems for tournament conditioning regardless of weather.
The region’s best public championship venue—brutal, storied, and a must-play challenge.
A top North Jersey muni with a strong layout and great access for all.
A modern, immaculately conditioned championship course—elite private-club feel.
Classic New Jersey architecture on rolling land—another vintage experience for the architecture buff.
Tour-level modern design with striking skyline views for a different flavor.
Short Hills, Summit, or Springfield—convenient to Baltusrol and area clubs, with easy logistics.
Courses with the most similar DNA profile — matched by deviation shape across all eight playing characteristics.
Why it matches: Aronimink Golf Club is a natural next stop after Baltusrol Golf Club - Upper Course: it a comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character.
Why it matches: If Baltusrol Golf Club - Upper Course is your kind of course, Philadelphia Cricket Club (Wissahickon Course) is worth a look because it a comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character.
Why it matches: There is real overlap here. Atlanta Athletic Club (Riverside Course) offers similarly polished playing surfaces, making it a compelling counterpart to Baltusrol Golf Club - Upper Course.
Community Sentiment
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