Baltusrol Golf Club
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| Baltusrol's clubhouse during the 87th PGA Championship | |
| Club information | |
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| Location | Springfield, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Established | 1895 |
| Type | Private |
| Total holes | 36 |
| Website | Baltusrol |
| Lower Course | |
| Designed by | A. W. Tillinghast |
| Par | 72 (70 for majors) |
| Length | 7,015 (7,392 for majors) |
| Course rating | 74.5 |
| Upper Course | |
| Designed by | A. W. Tillinghast |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,750 |
| Course rating | 72.9 |
| Course Record | |
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Baltusrol Golf Club
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| Location: | 201 Shunpike rd., Springfield, New Jersey |
| Area: | 474 acres (192 ha) |
| Built: | 1909 |
| Architectural style: | Tudor Revival |
| Governing body: | Private |
| NRHP Reference#: | 05000374[1] |
| Added to NRHP: | May 6, 2005 |
The Baltusrol Golf Club is a private 36-hole golf club located in Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey. Among the many prestigious tournaments it has hosted, Baltusrol was most recently the site of the 2005 PGA Championship. The course architect is A. W. Tillinghast, though the original course (which no longer exists) was designed by Louis Keller.
Normally, the Lower Course is a par 72, but for major championships, it plays to par 70.
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[edit] History
The land that Baltusrol is on was purchased in the 1890s by Louis Keller, who was the publisher of the New York Social Register. He owned 500 acres (2 km²) of land in Springfield Township. On October 19, 1895, Keller announced that the Baltusrol Golf Club would open. The land is named for Baltus Roll, who was murdered at his home on February 22, 1831, at age 61.[2] In 1909, the original clubhouse burned down. Its replacement became the first clubhouse to host a President of the United States, William Howard Taft. In 1922, Tillinghast oversaw the construction of the Upper and Lower Courses.
In 1952, Robert Trent Jones redesigned the course. The course was again redesigned by Rees Jones in 1992 in preparation for the 1993 U.S. Open and possibly the 2005 PGA Championship. Some famous golfers to win tournaments at Baltusrol include Ed Furgol, Mickey Wright, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Janzen, and Phil Mickelson. In 1995, Golf Magazine recognized Baltusrol as one of "The First 100 Clubs in America".
[edit] Tournaments hosted
In its history, Baltusrol has hosted 15 USGA-sponsored tournament and one PGA tournament. It has hosted the U.S. Open seven times, in 1903, 1915, 1936, 1954, 1967, 1980, and 1993. It has hosted the U.S. Amateur Championship four times, in 1904, 1926, 1946, and 2000. It has hosted the U.S. Women's Open twice, in 1961 and 1985. It has hosted the U.S. Women's Amateur twice, in 1901 and 1911. The 2005 PGA Championship was Baltusrol's first time hosting a PGA Championship. On August 6, 2008, the 2016 PGA Championship was awarded to Baltusrol.
On the second day of the 2005 PGA Championship, a branch off of a red oak tree on the par three fourth hole fell down, injuring a spectator and two employees of CBS Sports. This happened while the grouping of Michael Campbell, Kevin Sutherland, and Tiger Woods was on the hole. Thunderstorms suspended the fourth round twice. Play was resumed on Monday August 15, and Phil Mickelson was the victor.
[edit] National championships hosted
| Year | Tournament | Course | Winner |
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| 1901 | U.S. Women's Amateur | Old Course | Genevieve Hecker |
| 1903 | U.S. Open | Old Course | Willie Anderson |
| 1904 | U.S. Amateur | Old Course | Chandler Egan |
| 1911 | U.S. Women's Amateur | Old Course | Margaret Curtis |
| 1915 | U.S. Open | Revised Course | Jerome Travers |
| 1926 | U.S. Amateur | Lower Course | George Von Elm |
| 1936 | U.S. Open | Upper Course | Tony Manero |
| 1946 | U.S. Amateur | Lower Course | Stanley E. Bishop |
| 1954 | U.S. Open | Lower Course | Ed Furgol |
| 1961 | U.S. Women's Open | Lower Course | Mickey Wright |
| 1967 | U.S. Open | Lower Course | Jack Nicklaus |
| 1980 | U.S. Open | Lower Course | Jack Nicklaus |
| 1985 | U.S. Women's Open | Upper Course | Kathy Guadagnino |
| 1993 | U.S. Open | Lower Course | Lee Janzen |
| 2000 | U.S. Amateur | Medal-U&L/Match-U | Jeff Quinney |
| 2005 | PGA Championship | Lower Course | Phil Mickelson |
| 2016 | PGA Championship | Lower Course | TBD |
Source[3]
Bolded years are major championships on the PGA Tour
[edit] General information
The pro shop is open from 6:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. The course is not open to the public. Guests are permitted to play with a member. The dress code states that denim is not allowed and that a collared shirt is required. Metal spiked shoes and fivesomes are not allowed. Only long pants (khakis) can be worn, except for July 1-September 1 when Bermuda length shorts are permitted. Moreover, cellphone use is not permitted on the course or on club grounds except in one's car. The course is open year round. The green fees for guests of members are $150. Players are required to use a caddy between the hours of 7am and 2pm. The fairways and greens are bent grass. The greens are aerated in April, late August and November, after the season ends, and there is overseeding of Penn A4 Bentgrass.
History - Baltusrol Golf Club was named after Mr. Baltus Roll, an immigrant from England who lived in Summit. He was murdered in 1831 by thieves in search of his "treasure" outside of his house. Locals found two of the would-be thieves and one was hanged by them and the other turned himself in.
[edit] Audubon certification
Audubon International has designated the Baltusrol Golf Club a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. First bestowed to Baltusrol in 1999, Audubon International recognizes that Baltusrol manages its lands with concern to the environment. Audubon International uses criteria of environmental planning, wildlife and habitat management, chemical usage reduction and safety, water conservation, and water quality management. Only 526 golf courses in the world have been designated as Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries.[citation needed]
[edit] Course information
Both courses are similar in that they have undulating greens, the upper more than the lower, and rolling terrain. Both courses have two ponds coming into play. On the Lower Course, the 4th hole and the 18th hole have ponds, and on the Upper Course, the 9th and the 13th holes have ponds. As of 2010, Baltusrol Golf Club holds the distinction of being the only two-course club to ever host both the U.S. Men's and Women's Open Championships on both of its courses.[4]
[edit] Lower Course
The Lower Course normally measures 7,015 yards (6,415 m) from the blue tees and is a par 72 with a course rating of 74.5 and a slope rating of 150. For the 2005 PGA Championship, the course measured 7,392 yards (6,759 m) and was par 70. From the white tees, the course measures 6,652 yards (6,083 m) with a course rating of 72.7 and a slope rating of 139. From the gold tees, the course measures 6,325 yards (5,784 m) with a course rating of 71.3 and a slope rating of 137. From the ladies' tees, the course measures 5,981 yards (5,469 m) with a course rating of 76.1 and a slope rating of 135. In its listing of the "Top 100 Courses in the U.S.", GOLF Magazine selected the Lower Course as 22nd in 1995, 1997, and 1999.
Three signature holes include the fourth, a par three of 194 yards (177 m) where the player must hit his or her ball over the pond to a two-tiered green, the seventeenth, a par five of 650 yards (590 m) where John Daly is the only player to ever reach the green in two (Tiger Woods actually hit it over the green in two shots at the '05 PGA Championship), and the eighteenth, a par five of 533 yards (487 m) famous for spectacular performances by Furgol, Nicklaus, and Mickelson.
[edit] Upper Course
From the blue tees, the Upper Course is a par 72 and measures 6,866 yards (6,278 m) with a course rating of 72.9 and a slope rating of 131. From the white tees, the course measures 6,449 yards (5,897 m), with a course rating of 71.0 and a slope rating of 128. From the red tees, the course measures 5,895 yards (5,390 m), with a course rating of 74.8 and a slope rating of 133. Of the two courses, the Upper Course has the narrower fairways and greens, as the first six holes and the final two are built on the side of a hill, part of the Watchung Mountain Range. The Upper Course has hosted three of the club's national championship including the 1936 U.S. Open[5]. GOLF Magazine's "Top 100 Courses in the U.S." selected the Upper Course 89th in 1997 and 74th in 1999.
[edit] References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ "The Murder - The Name". Baltusrol official site. http://www.baltusrol.org/club/scripts/section/section.asp?GRP=9747&NS=PCH.
- ^ "Championship Tradition at Baltusrol Golf Club". http://www.baltusrol.org/club/scripts/section/section.asp?GRP=9749&NS=PCT. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ "World-class field ready to test Baltusrol". http://www.worldgolf.com/newswire/browse/3366-World-class-field-ready-to-test-Baltusrol-in-87th-PGA-Championship. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
- ^ "Championship Tradition at Baltusrol Golf Club". http://www.baltusrol.org/club/scripts/section/section.asp?GRP=9749&NS=PCT. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
[edit] External links
- Baltusrol Golf Club
- Official 2005 PGA Championship website
- The Upper Course at GOLFCOURSE.com
- The Lower Course at GOLFCOURSE.com
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