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The Course

The Ridgewood Country Club, founded in 1890, is one of the oldest country clubs in America. The club enjoys a rich and storied history that includes the tenure of George Jacobus, the club’s Golf Professional from 1914 until 1964. George was the first American-born President of the PGA of America and, through his friendship with Bobby Jones, was able to bring Byron Nelson to the club as his Assistant Golf Professional in 1935. George was also a friend of noted golf architect A.W. Tillinghast, who designed the 27-hole golf course that opened in 1929.

Beginning with the 1935 Ryder Cup matches won by the US, the club hosted numerous local, regional and national tournaments at both amateur and professional level . As evidence of its fair and challenging layout, Ridgewood is perhaps the only club in America to host tournaments held by the USGA, PGA of America, PGA TOUR and the LPGA.

In addition to the Ryder Cup, the club has played host to: the 1953 Senior Amateur (w on by J. Clarke Espie); the 1974 US Amateur (won by Jerry Pate); the 1984 LPGA Coca Cola Classic (won by Kathy Whitworth); the 1990 US Senior Open (w on by Lee Trevino); the 2001 Senior PGA Championship (won by Tom Watson); The 2008 PGA TOUR Playoff event, The Barclays (won by Vijay Singh in a playoff with Sergio Garcí a); and sixteen tournaments sponsored by the Metropolitan and New Jersey State Golf Associations.

It is often said the quality of a course can be determined by the quality of the winners of its championships. If that is the case, the Tillinghast layout is indeed a masterpiece. While earlier events were played over different combinations of the 27 holes, The Barclays 2008 was contested on a new Tillinghast Championship Course, created some 66 years after his death.

The routing of this outstanding golf course consists of a collection of the best 18 holes from the Center, West and East courses. From the black tees it plays to a par 71, stretching to 7,319 yards.

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Adam

This is the most inviting of the opening holes at Ridgewood: a relatively straight par 4 playing 380 yards. There is a cross-bunker that stretches across the fairway from the left side about 60 yards from the green. The large, challenging and well-bunkered green slopes steadily and deceptively uphill and from left to right.

Water

A shot-maker’s par 3, the downhill second hole is played at 190 yards to a green that is protected by bunkers left and right. The green slopes back to front and features some interesting contours. The two bunkers on the left side are deep and need to be avoided.

Gorilla

A classic Tillinghast par 5, number 3 is almost unreachable in two. Out of bounds lines the left side of the fairway, but don’t be fooled, the left side is the key to this hole as it meanders over Tillinghast’s mounds until making a subtle right turn about 470 yards from the tee. Stay left to set up a straight-in approach shot, avoiding the traps left and right. The narrow but deep undulating, multi-tier green is guarded by traps which only the most accurate shots avoid.

Bog

A dangerous dogleg left par 4, OB and deep rough to the left side and big oak trees on the right corner limit the bailout options. A well-positioned drive to the right center of the fairway is important because the green is very difficult to hold on long approach shots. Even if you find the fairway, you are not out of the woods until the putting is over because of the challenging green featuring a false front and hard-to-gauge speed and breaks.

Scoonie

Known as the ‘Five and Dime’, number 5 is Ridgewood’s shortest par 4. The hole plays only 291 yards, yet is one of the most difficult holes at Ridgewood. The approach is a very tricky wedge shot that must be played accurately (with a soft touch) to a small and narrow ‘plateau green’ surrounded by six deadly bunkers. Avoiding the bunkers to the left side is essential. Once on the putting surface, reading the breaks of the green is equally challenging.

Glade

A long par 4, this challenging dogleg requires a long and well-placed tee shot that avoids the towering oak trees on the left corner, yet is long enough to reach the bottom of the hill. Tee shots that fail to reach the bottom will require a long approach shot from a downhill lie to a raised green that is a tricky read. The green appears flat, but there are big swings and pin locations that make two-putting this enormous surface a difficult task.

Briars

Known as the ‘cemetery’ hole, number 7 is an uphill 447-yard par 4. It will take 285 yards to carry the top plateau. The left side of this fairway provides the best access to a small green tucked into a tight corner surrounded by bunkers. Again, the green appears to be flat, but it has sharp breaks and is deceptively fast.

Brook

A long downhill par 3 with a green that runs away from the player, the eighth hole is a classic short hole. It provides a great view from the tee, playing 217 yards from the back tees to a green surrounded by extensive bunkering. Holding this green is difficult, especially with long irons. Shots that fail to reach the putting surface present challenging chip shots, and require a deft touch, especially from the thick rough that surrounds the green.

Knuckle

Playing 440 yards uphill with a fairway sloping left to right, this par 4 requires a strong uphill tee shot to a generous landing area, with two bunkers on each side of the fairway. Avoid the tendency to stray off-line, enticed by the hole’s left-to-right slope. The second shot is played to a plateau green, surrounded by deep bunkers. The green is very deceiving, with subtle breaks accounting for the difficult putting.

Cobra

This par 3 is as tough as they get. Number ten is played with a long iron to a back-to-front sloping green, surrounded by bunkers. The shot plays downhill at 230 yards from the back tees. A well-struck shot is needed to avoid the cross-bunker on the right and the small pot bunker on the left. For a front pin, a bit of luck is needed to keep the ball from running ‘hot’ to the back of the green. Otherwise you will face a scarily fast, double breaking downhill putt.

Stockton's Lair

Uphill, this dogleg left has a sloping left-to-right fairway to a ‘plateau’ green. This par 4 plays 467 yards from the back tees. Both the tee shot and the approach to the green play steadily uphill and fall left to right. Be sure to take an extra club for the second shot to account for the uphill slope. The fairway is protected by five bunkers that line both sides. The plateau green is protected by deep bunkers on the left and right. Players using long irons for their approach shots need to account for a severe left-to-right swing on a very fast and tricky putting surface, one of the toughest at Ridgewood. This par 4 often plays like a ‘tough’ par 5 for the average player.

Fingal

A long par 4 that puts a premium on strength and accuracy, playing 475 yards from the back tee to a fairway climbing steadily uphill for over 250 yards. This mighty par 4 requires a strong tee shot and an equally strong second shot to an elevated, fast green, which is as tough to hold as it is to putt. Deep bunkers surround the greens and will collect many errant shots. The New York City skyline is often visible from this green.

Muckle

At 626 yards from the back, this par 5 opens with a downhill tee shot with bunkers in play on the right and heavy trees lining the left side. Hit a solid drive and you will be in position to strike a strong second shot over a series of heavily rough covered moguls that run on an angle for about 70 yards mid-hole, ending 175 yards from the green. This leaves a mid-to-short iron shot downhill to an understated, deceptively fast and well-protected green. Make any mistakes along the way, and you’ll understand how naturally clever Tillinghast was. This design holds a place among the Sports Illustrated ‘Top 18 Tillinghast Holes.’

Nub

This is the toughest approach shot at Ridgewood. The big hitters can manage the distance and the difficulty associated with positioning the drive and hitting the tough second shot uphill to a steeply elevated green… but even they have trepidations. The fifth is simply one of the most challenging holes on the golf course. It provides a generous landing area for tee shots, but long drives need to avoid the cross bunker on the right side of the fairway and the deep rough on the left. The elevated triple-tier green has a severe slope from back to front and left to right, and it is common for putts to roll downhill off the front of the green into the fairway.

Beeches

This hole offers one of the prettiest tee shots on the course. The fairway bunker is the line here and the long hitter should consider a fairway wood or long iron to remain short of the sand. As the hole turns from left to right, the best advantage is to be gained from the left-centre of the fairway to this two-tier green set among the trees. The approach shot is very slightly uphill and the safe spot to miss the green is on the left.

Sneak

Rewarding an accurate drive and a confident ‘blind’ second shot, this par 4 features a relatively tight landing area for tee shots. It is an inviting tee shot on the surface, but penalizes inaccuracy with heavy rough and protective pines to the right side. The tee box is elevated and a good, accurate shot will leave a player with an 130-yard blind approach shot to a green that sits below the fairway. Avoiding the many greenside bunkers may be the key to making par on this hole.

Tipperary

Dogleg left and long, this is one of the great par 5s in the game. Long drives from an intimidating tee box must cut the dogleg to avoid very deep rough and trees to the right where the fairway makes a sharp left. A strong second shot is also needed to avoid the cross bunker on the left side of the fairway, and/or to pass the giant tulip tree that sits imposingly on the corner of the right side of the fairway. The third shot requires power and accuracy to reach a small green, carry past the false front, but not carry off the back of the green. One final characteristic to avoid is the severe right-to-left swing that can channel a ball steeply downhill into dangerous bunkers. This is a tough green on which many matches have been decided.

Gabriel’s Horn

Back to the ‘hall’ of the mighty oaks. This great finishing hole ends with an imposing dogleg right par 4 that plays 470 yards from the back tees to a fairway lined with mighty oaks on the left and right. Be accurate with your drive. Cut the dogleg too sharply on the right and it will take three shots to reach the green. Hit the ball too long to the left and you will find yourself trapped among these massive trees. Position ‘A,’ left side of the fairway, provides the best angle to a green that is guarded on the left with deep traps and features a putting surface that swings right to left and runs quickly to the back.