There are few clubs in the U.S. with as much as history as Baltusrol Golf Club. In 1919 as A.W. Tillinghast was hired to build two new courses (on an existing course that had already hosted five USGA events), Golf Illustrated called it "the most ambitious golf course development conceived in America." The club's Upper and Lower courses have hosted seven U.S. Opens, two U.S. Women’s Opens and two PGA Championships. In fact, Baltusrol is the only club to have two of its courses host the men’s and women’s U.S. Opens.
The club completed a full-scale renovation to its Lower Course in 2021 to further solidify its stature as one of golf’s great venues. Gil Hanse and his team reclaimed the shape and size of A.W. Tillinghast’s glorious putting surfaces, in addition to recapturing lost bunkers and updating irrigation. The Lower Course will host next year’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the 2029 PGA Championship. The Upper Course will undergo a similar restoration by Hanse’s team in 2024.
In the below video, Golf Digest architecture editor emeritus Ron Whitten takes a closer look at the updated Lower course.
