The course at Quaker Ridge Golf Club is one of the most unheralded layouts in the USA and only those in the know have heard of it, and only the lucky few have played it.
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The course at Quaker Ridge Golf Club is one of the most unheralded layouts in the USA and only those in the know have heard of it, and only the lucky few have played it.
Quaker Ridge Golf Club
Golf was first played on the Quaker Ridge site in 1915 and in those days it was a modest nine-hole layout known as the Metropolitan Golf Links. The club soon fell on hard times and a small band of businessmen stepped in during 1916 and founded the Quaker Ridge Golf Club. A.W. Tillinghast was called in and he redesigned seven holes and built eleven new ones. The new course opened for play in 1918 and it’s known lovingly as “Tilly’s Treasure”. Tilly returned in the mid 1920s to refine the layout.
Quaker Ridge is one of the most unheralded golf courses in the USA and only those in the know have heard of it. Most clubs obtain their fame from hosting important events and yet Quaker Ridge had until recently only hosted one “major” event in recent times, the 75th Walker Cup. The 1997 event ended with a resounding US victory over Great Britain and Ireland, 18 points to 6.
Needless to say, Quaker Ridge is an exacting test of golf, which is set in undulating heavily wooded country. Look out for the great oak tree to the right of the 10th. According to folklore, George Washington slumbered underneath it prior to battling with the British the next day. Quaker Ridge has also produced its own home-grown winners of some repute, including Jess Sweetser and Willie Turnesa, winners of both the US and British Amateur Championships. But the most celebrated Quaker Ridge member was also the country's most famous composer, George Gershwin, who held a very respectable 10 handicap.
Gil Hanse has been working at Quaker Ridge Golf Club since 2002. Since then a “significant” number of trees have been removed and the bunkers restored back to how they might have looked in the Roaring Twenties. Needless to say, the restored course was a fitting stage for the 2018 Curtis Cup matches, which the home team dominated.
Quaker Ridge has received many accolades over the years and we’ll leave you with Ben Crenshaw’s comments: “It is so much of a treat to play. There is such a beautiful mix of holes at Quaker Ridge; it is truly a Tillinghast Gem.”