Gil Hanse, the golf architect who restored many of Westchester’s finest courses as well as Oakmont, this year’s U.S. Open venue, has completed a seven-year project at nearby Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, NJ. The club’s Upper Course, site of numerous national championships, reopened for play this spring following a complete $23 million reconstruction of its greens, bunkers, tees, approaches, and fairways as well as a new irrigation and drainage system. The Lower Course received the same treatment and reopened for play in 2021.
“The restoration of these two golf courses sets the club up for the next fifty years,” says Baltusrol president Doug Rotatori.
Hanse commenced restoration of Baltusrol’s two A.W. Tillinghast courses in 2018, the year after he finished updating Winged Foot’s East and West Courses. In addition to Winged Foot, Hanse has worked extensively on Sleepy Hollow, Quaker Ridge, and Fenway. In a historical sidenote, Tillinghast started construction of Winged Foot’s courses in 1921 while he was finishing the two courses at Baltusrol, which opened in 1922. Both Baltusrol and Winged Foot have been named National Historic Landmarks by the National Park Service.
The historic context strongly influenced the project. Hanse says, “It is our firm belief that a restorative approach to the great classic courses of our country yields the best results in the long run because of the genius of the original designers like Tillinghast and their respect for the land upon which the courses were built.”
Baltusrol’s Upper Course was restored as closely as possible to the original Tillinghast design based on an in-depth study of original drawings and historic photographs. Modifications like the addition of tee boxes and re-siting of fairway bunkers that adapt the layout to the modern game were seamlessly molded into the original design philosophy. As was done at Winged Foot, the subtle contours of the original greens were replicated with laser scanning technology. A major modification unseen but greatly appreciated by players is the PrecisionAire subsurface system installed under all greens to control moisture on the putting surfaces.
As the name implies, the Upper Course is built on higher ground than the Lower. It sits along the slope of a ridgeline known as Baltusrol Mountain, a geographic factor that needs to be taken into account when reading putts on the huge, slick greens. Water comes into play on five holes. Six sets of tees are available for regular play, measuring from 5,000 to 7,000 yards. The championship tees stretch the course to 7,400 yards.
The restoration of both the Lower and Upper Courses should ensure that Baltusrol continues its preeminent position in championship golf. The club, founded in 1895, has hosted seven U.S. Opens, two U.S. Women’s Opens, four U.S. Amateurs, and two U.S. Women’s Amateurs. In 2023, the club was on the world stage as the site of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Baltusrol will host its 20th major when the PGA Championship returns in 2029.
Jack Nicklaus won two of his U.S. Opens at Baltusrol, and Phil Mickelson won the PGA Championship there in 2005, as did Jimmy Walker in 2016. Kathy Baker won the U.S. Women’s Open on the Upper Course in 1985.
Scarborough native Cameron Young, who recently finished T-4 in the U.S. Open at Oakmont, won the Carter Cup, the MGA’s premier stroke play tournament for teen golfers, in 2011. He’s now in his fifth year on the PGA Tour. Baltusrol was one of the founding members of the Metropolitan Golf Association and has hosted several MGA major championships including the Met Open and Met Amateur.
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