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Genesis Scottish Open

The Renaissance Club



    Baltusrol Golf Club: Upper

    Baltusrol Golf Club: Upper

    201 Shunpike Rd

    Springfield, NJ 07081-2160

    United States

    Overview

    It’s believed that when A.W. Tillinghast began constructing the Upper and Lower Courses at Baltusrol in 1919 (replacing Baltusrol’s existing 18 holes), it was the first contiguous 36 holes built at the same time in America. Because of the Lower’s tremendous major championship record, most consider the slightly shorter Upper to be a secondary course at the club. But between the two, it was the Upper, not the Lower, that hosted the first U.S. Open (and third in the club’s history) in 1936, won by Tony Manero. The Lower didn’t get its first Open until 1954, won by Ed Furgol. Baltusrol Mountain, just 200 feet high, looms above the right flank of the Upper, complicating drives and putts with a landscape that tilts more than appears to the eye. Just like he did at the Lower, Gil Hanse and his team finished a complete restoration of the Upper in 2024, the fruits of which won't appear in this ranking until 2027.

    About

    Holes 18
    Length 7348
    Slope 151
    Facility Type Private
    Year Opened 1922
    Designer A.W. Tillinghast/(R) Robert Trent Jones, Sr., ASGCA/(R) Rees Jones, ASGCA/Gil Hanse & Jim Wagner (2024)

    Awards

    100 Greatest
    Best Courses in Every State

    Ranking history:

    100 Greatest: Ranked since 2013.
    Highest ranking: 58th, 2015-2016.
    Previous ranking:
    80th.
    2025-'26 ranking: 84th.

    Best in State: Ranked in Top 5 in New Jersey since 2011.
    2025-'26 ranking (and previously): 4th.

    Golf Digest Logo Panelists

    Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists

    4.5

    100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES

    Shot Options
    7.5954
    Character
    7.8658
    Challenge
    7.6282
    Layout Variety
    7.5888
    Fun
    7.5253
    Aesthetics
    7.5563
    Conditioning
    7.8003

    Reviews