Essex Fells, New Jersey
Essex Fells Country Club offers a historic and strategic experience shaped by Seth Raynor’s golden age re-routing. While it lacks the national renown of New Jersey’s most famous courses, it’s a rewarding and challenging local gem with real championship pedigree and an unmistakable club atmosphere.
Check out the panoramic view from the original 1917 clubhouse terrace after your round—members say it's the perfect spot to recount every shot over a celebratory drink.
Essex Fells Country Club blends golden age architectural pedigree with intimate, woodland-enclosed holes that reward accuracy, placement, and decision-making. Seth Raynor’s 1920s rerouting gave the course its backbone, shaping a property-conscious layout that’s distinctive for its stretch of burly par 4s and a variety of green complexes, all tucked into North Jersey’s classic rolling terrain. The course asks you to think your way around – a hallmark of Raynor’s best work. Recent enhancements to practice areas and course length show a stubborn commitment to keeping this member club relevant, tough, and fair—and always a joy for club players who enjoy history on every tee.
Raynor’s work rerouted and transformed the original layout, preserving classic design values adapted to the site’s natural undulation and contours.
A 519-yard par 4 to start the round, this hole is as intimidating as it gets—a rare opening demand for accuracy and length right from the first tee. The fairway invites a confident drive, but the long approach ensures any early round nerves are quickly exposed.
Stay disciplined off the tee—find the fairway and accept that reaching in two is an accomplishment for most.
Miss left and trees plus a long recovery await; any short or right approach leaves a tricky angle to the green.
Course is famed locally for fast, pure greens and well-maintained fairways.
Classic, tradition-infused private club with a welcoming but proud member culture.
Several par 3s and lengthy par 4s demand precise mid- to long-iron approaches.
The course is walkable but has several significant elevation changes; wear supportive shoes.
Driving accuracy is often more important than distance, especially with tree-lined corridors and tight landing zones.
The 2017-upgraded facilities are perfect for dialing in chips and putts before your round.
Club founded by Essex Fells golf enthusiasts with rough nine-hole layout
Full 18-hole course opens
Current clubhouse opens on New Year’s Eve
Hosts first of three NJSGA Open Championships
Expanded practice facilities with double-sided range and short-game area
Hosts 120th NJSGA Amateur Championship
In the 1920s, acclaimed architect Seth Raynor left his mark on Essex Fells, rerouting the course to work with the rugged property and creating its present-day strategic flavor. Members still cherish the 'new' 18th that capped his vision and made the layout what it is today.
Essex Fells traces its roots to a group of local enthusiasts hacking around a rough nine, before evolving over decades into a classic member club with regional championship stature. Its enduring traditions are visible everywhere from the warm pro shop greeting to the wood-paneled 1917 clubhouse.
Decades of New Jersey State Golf Association events have tested the region’s best at Essex Fells, with its lengthy par 4s and subtle greens determining who could out-think and out-play the competition. While few will ever see a tour event here, the course remains a true competitive trial.
A 2017 facilities upgrade brought a double-sided range and expanded practice area, giving members one of North Jersey’s most complete pre-round warmup experiences. This upgrade lengthened the course overall and enhanced the club's year-round appeal.
The present-day 18th hole is the direct result of Raynor’s influential rerouting in the 1920s.
The club’s original nine holes were laid out along Roseland Avenue before modern expansion.
Essex Fells has hosted five NJSGA State Amateur Championships, most recently in 2021.
Its 1917 clubhouse is one of the oldest continuously operating facilities in New Jersey private golf.
The club’s double-sided range and short-game complex are among the newest in the region.
Top-tier public track and a perfect accessible complement to private play
Fun, strategic, and open to all; a design lover’s day out
Strong Donald Ross design nearby with elite pedigree
Highly regarded Ross classic—the region’s platinum standard
True major championship experience if you can wrangle access
Short Hills or Morristown for access to Essex Fells and the best North Jersey courses
Courses with the most similar DNA profile — matched by deviation shape across all eight playing characteristics.
Why it matches: Mountain Brook Club is a natural next stop after Essex Fells Country Club: it a comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character.
Why it matches: Louisville Country Club is a natural next stop after Essex Fells Country Club: it a comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character.
Why it matches: What links these two? A comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character — a familiar feeling, expressed in Interlachen Country Club's own setting.
Community Sentiment
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