The Club was founded in 1895 by Louis Keller, also known for founding and publishing The Social Register. In their pre-golf days, the grounds were used by Keller and his society friends as a country refuge for weekend escapes from the hustle and bustle of New York City.
When golf started to take hold in America in the 1890s, Keller had the perfect property for a golf course. Originally farmland worked by the Roll family in the early to mid-1800s, the Club is named for Baltus Roll, a family patriarch who was brutally murdered at his farmhouse during a robbery attempt in 1831. Some sixty years later, Roll’s farmland would be converted to a golf course, and the new club would contract his first and last names to form its name, Baltusrol.
The iconic view looking over the green of the par three 4th hole. This is a stunning par three. One of the criticisms that could be levelled against the course, is that all of the par threes can, and in tournament play, usually do, play at around the same length. All being able to extend to over 200 yards.
After starting with nine holes and quickly expanding to eighteen as the game grew in popularity, Keller hired Scotsman George Low in 1903 to be the Club’s professional and greenkeeper. Low enjoyed a long tenure at Baltusrol, tinkering with the design and layout of the “Old Course” often. It would become a highly respected course, and hosted five national championships from the 1901 Women’s Amateur to the 1915 U.S. Open, won by Jerry Travers.
But with the game exploding in popularity and play improving, the Old Course soon outgrew its usefulness. Keller and the Board of Governors brought in A.W. Tillinghast in 1918 to re-make the course, employing principles of design which had developed as course architecture became more refined. What followed over the next four years was nothing short of bold, and launched Baltusrol on a new path to greatness in the game.
Instead of just re-working the Old Course, Tillinghast proposed that it should be plowed over to make way for two new courses. Such a venture, touted as the “Dual Courses” project, was a bold step for the Club to take. It meant destroying a course which had earned prominence hosting national championships and numerous regional events, and building two new courses side by side at the same time. It had not been tried before.
Mike King firing his tee shot towards the green at the par three 12th hole.
Upon opening in 1922, Baltusrol’s Dual Courses elevated Tillinghast’s stature as a golf architect to one of the most eminent in the country. In fact, shortly after the opening of the Dual Courses, Golf Illustrated hailed Tillinghast as “The Dean of American Born Golf Course Architects.”
The Lower Course, is what our host member referred to as a "Big Boys" course. And that it is. The course has been lengthened some 900 yards since Tillinghast first created it. And that has been done without moving any greens, or routing changes. Nice to have that sort of space. The par five 17th measures a whopping 650 yards from the back tees.
This is the view you get at 650 yards. Just slot it through the 15 yard gap between the trees wont you?
Andrew Cookes driving here at the par five 18th hole. Back to back par fives are a nice way to finish, after the course has beaten you up.
The view up to the 18th green, and the clubhouse behind. The original clubhouse was the old farmhouse for the property, but that was lost in a fire in 1909. Member Chester H. Kirk was tasked with designing the replacement building, and it is his design, with some adjustments and extensions, that remain today. Unfortunately another fire has caused damage to this clubhouse. In June this year there was a clubhouse fire, with the majority of damage coming as water damage. It is currently being repaired / restored.
A nice photo of the group, including our Baltusrol member hosts, on the terrace after our game.
Marilyn Cookes was our winner today.
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