Texas Children's Houston Open

Memorial Park Golf Course



Baltusrol Golf Club: Upper

Springfield, NJ Private

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. Gil Hanse will begin work on the Upper at the end of the 2023 season.

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.
2023-'24 ranking: 80th.
Previous ranking:
63rd.
Highest ranking:
58th, 2015-2016.

Best in State: Ranked in Top 5 in New Jersey since 2011.
Current ranking (and previously): 4th.

Panelists

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

4.5

100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES

Shot Options
7.5528
Character
7.8479
Challenge
7.6095
Layout Variety
7.5547
Fun
7.5231
Aesthetics
7.5448
Conditioning
7.8612

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