West Orange, New Jersey
Montclair's 2020–2022 restoration returned its Ross and Banks pedigree to the spotlight, reviving golden-age angles, green complexes, and strategic interest. While not a national-bucket-list magnet, it's a must-play in northern New Jersey for students of classic architecture and anyone who values bold, intelligent golf.
Montclair Golf Club is an architectural showcase: a living museum of American golden-age golf with a 21st-century resurrection. Donald Ross’s opening trio of nines emphasizes variety, walkability, and precision—flowing over rolling land with perched greens that reward smart angles and punishing misses. The Fourth Nine, by Charles Banks, adds a whole new palate: big, bold template-inspired features, deeper bunkers, and heroic carries. Brian Schneider’s 2020–2022 restoration brought renewed width, sharper contours, and restored the Ross spirit, peeling back tree cover and reintroducing lost strategic intent. Each nine is a journey, but the through line is classic strategy—now sharper and more rewarding than ever.
Brian Schneider’s restoration didn’t just return classic sightlines; it recaptured the playing values and challenge Ross intended, delivering a masterclass for architecture buffs.
This downhill par 4 asks for a tee shot to a fairway perched on a shelf, guarded by sloping rough and lost-ball potential right. It’s a dramatic early test of both nerves and placement.
Favor the left-centre with a fairway wood or hybrid to stay level and open the green.
Anything missing right tumbles towards deep rough and a brutal uphill approach.
Tightly kept greens, wider fairways, crisp short-grass surrounds; bunker restoration shines through. Expect championship-level surfaces after the 2022 project.
Efficient but club-paced—rarely rushed, but expect a classic four-hour private club round.
Historic but welcoming, mix of privilege and serious golf; four-nines routing keeps the flow intimate and competitive.
Collared shirts, customary private-club golf attire; bring soft spikes.
Elevation changes come early and often—adjust club selection and stance.
Expanded short-grass runoffs mean recovery demands finesse, not flop shots.
You’ll hit every iron and will want all your shot shapes on tap—strategy is ever-changing.
Several greens repel poor approaches—know your best miss and where the benign up-and-down lies.
Founded; becomes the 13th oldest golf club in the U.S.
First 18-hole course opens, attributed to Tom Bendelow
Donald Ross redesigns, expands to 27 holes
Charles Banks adds a fourth nine, completing current 36-hole layout
Hosts the U.S. Amateur Championship
Set to host U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur
Each of Montclair's four nines begins and ends at the central clubhouse—a unique layout quirk that makes every nine playing experience feel like a new round. This routing is both practical and a living throwback to early American club design.
Montclair offers a living dialogue between Donald Ross’s subtle strategy and Charles Banks’s bold features. To play consecutive nines here is to feel golf history sweep under your feet—one round feels strategic and subtle, another is bold and visually dramatic.
The latest restoration peeled back decades of tree growth, expanded fairway corridors, and brought fierce Ross green contours roaring back to life. Members now tackle recovered angles and pin positions unseen for generations.
After a proud past hosting the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women's Amateur, Montclair will welcome back major USGA competition with the U.S. Women’s Mid-Am—cementing its renewed standing in American championship golf.
Montclair is one of America’s oldest clubs—founded just 10 years after The Country Club.
All four nines start and finish at the main clubhouse—a rare American layout.
Hundreds of trees were removed in the recent restoration to revive original vistas and playing angles.
The club will host the 2026 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, a return to national championship stage.
Its Fourth Nine is a rare Charles Banks design in the region, famed for 'template' holes.
The best public access option nearby; golden-age bones open to all
Historic North Jersey golf, storied architecture
Local classic, respected for layout and conditioning
Renowned Ross design, tournament pedigree
Montclair/West Orange or Short Hills for maximum access and easy drives to local public and private gems.
Courses with the most similar DNA profile — matched by deviation shape across all eight playing characteristics.
Why it matches: The Country Club is a natural next stop after Montclair Golf Club: it makes the greens a central strategic puzzle.
Why it matches: What links these two? Puts the same premium on presentation — a familiar feeling, expressed in San Francisco Golf Club's own setting.
Why it matches: What links these two? Demands the same precision once you reach the putting surface — a familiar feeling, expressed in Kingsley Club's own setting.
Community Sentiment
See something inaccurate in this listing?