US Mid-Atlantic Division Best in State Rankings 2020

US Mid-Atlantic Division Best in State Rankings 2018 Our Best in State biennial re-ranking process for the United States of America is almost finished as we’ve now completed eight of the nine divisional revisions. In this edition, we re-appraise three Mid-Atlantic states located in the north east of the country, namely New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. We feature a total of 170 courses across the three states, with no fewer than twenty-five of these layouts listed in our US Top 100. Indeed, fifteen of those tracks also reside within our World Top 100 so describing this is as a high-powered golfing region is by no means overstating its importance in the national and international scheme of things. New Jersey In the Garden State Top 50, sixteen courses move up or remain in the same position, twenty-five fall down, and nine drop out to be replaced by new entries. At the top of the table, Pine Valley Golf Club retains its number 1 status and in Volume 3 of The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses book, it was one of only three courses to score full marks (10 out of 10) from Tom Doak and each of his three co-authors. The architect had this to say about George Crump’s timeless masterpiece: “If you believe that a golf course is the sum of its holes, then there is no course that dares challenge Pine Valley: any one of its 18 holes would be a welcome addition to almost any other course… the most overlooked aspect of Pine valley is its terrific set of short par-4 holes. Their inclusion has actually helped the club not overreact to changes in technology, and make it the complete design.” A couple of 18-hole tracks make admirable upward moves in the New Jersey chart and both have attracted very positive reviews from our regular contributor M. James Ward. The first of these layouts is the Banks course at Forsgate Country Club in Jamesburg (up nine to #14) where he finds it “particularly shocking that many self-proclaimed golf cognoscenti often gloss over [its] qualities.” The second layout is the Bay course at Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club, close to Atlantic City (up nine to #41), which “is blessed with a quality routing that constantly keeps players moving around.” Rising thirteen spots to number 20, the highest climber in the new state standings is Montclair Golf Club in Essex County, where 27 holes laid out by Donald Ross in 1922 were supplemented by another nine holes from Charles Banks six years later. Our regular contributor Paul Rudovsky visited the club recently and commented as follows: “The property is extremely hilly and given I was planning on playing 36 holes or more, I took a cart as it would be a very tough walk otherwise. I played the Banks Nine (#4) then #2 because these were the two nines used when the 1985 US Amateur was held here. Being a Ross design, #2 certainly felt different to #4. The lack of geometrical lines was very obvious but of course the greens were diabolical.” The highest placed newcomer arrives at number 25 and it’s the Short Course at Pine Valley which was brought into play for the members in 1992. The ten holes of this layout were designed by Tom Fazio and Ernie Ransome to emulate a number of the holes on the main course. “Eight of these ten holes are close reproductions of approach shots on the big course,” according to Tom Doak, “and the ‘tees’ are fairways so you can play from anywhere you like. It’s an excellent solution for the club, because no original design was going to be good enough to get regular use.” Rank/ Click the link to see full details of all courses in our latest New Jersey Best in State rankings New York The top three places in the Empire State listings are unchanged from the chart that was published two years ago, which means the course at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is still the state number 1. Host to this year’s US Open, this stellar track from Howard Toomey and William Flynn rides very high in our American and global Top 100s – only Cypress Point sits above it in these rankings – and it will be the focus of world-wide golfing attention when the USGA’s flagship Open event is held here again in 2026. It’s a particular favourite of Matt Ward who wrote this about the course last year: “Shinnecock is blessed with ideal land – rolling but never so abrupt as to distort shots to the point where luck, rather than skill, is the determining factor. The routing is second to none. You’re taken to all corners of the property – all the attributes of the land are brought to the forefront… Shinnecock mandates control with not only various clubs – but with knowing when to shape shots and apply the appropriate trajectory to secure the desired result. The final element is conditioning which cements the first three characteristics… it means a linking of turf quality to what the game of golf calls upon.” There’s not much movement within the Top 10 positions for New York but, just outside the top tier, three courses make notable progress. Wykagyl Country Club near New Rochelle (up eight to number 15) has been renovated in the last few years by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. The landscape is fairly rugged in that part of Westchester County and our US Consultant Fergal O’Leary terms the terrain “rocky and undulating, which is glorious for golf as it offers endless options for doglegs and exciting greensites.” Three hundred miles further northwest of Wykagyl, just outside Rochester, Monroe Golf Club (up six to number 20) is an old Donald Ross design that has been tastefully reworked by both Brian Silva and Gil Hanse over the last thirty years. Beautifully routed, with many of the greens tilted back to front, it’s a largely undiscovered gem that’s only now becoming more widely known. A reviewer summed the course up a while back by stating: “Monroe shows that grand New York State golf is not the sole domain of the New York City metro area.” On the North Shore of Long Island in Suffolk County, the Devereaux Emmet-designed course at St George’s Golf & Country Club (up six to number 19) is shoe-horned into a tight tract next to the State University of New York Stony Brook Campus. Paul Rudovsky visited the club recently and had this to say about a layout where Gil Hanse has been consulting since 1999: “Viewing the course from adjoining roads made me salivate… this place looked incredible... and it was. Firm and fast in near perfect condition, it has rolling, wide fairways (except for #12) which offer great strategic options, brilliant bunkering and interesting greens with every trick in the book“. A little further down the table, three other courses make a significant double-digit leap up the chart. First of all, there’s a pair of century-old Donald Ross designs at Glens Falls Country Club in Warren County (up nineteen to #26) and Tuegega Country Club in the foothills of the Adirondacks (up seventeen to #43). Then there’s Paramount Country Club (up fourteen to #36), which was built for the founder of Paramount Pictures by A. W. Tillinghast in 1920 and restored within the last five years by former Tom Doak associate, Jim Urbina. The highest new entry at number 39 is the course at North Shore Country Club on Hempstead Harbor, where C.B. Macdonald, Seth Raynor and club professional Robert White worked together on the redesign of the original Glenwood Country Club layout in 1915/16. Featuring trademark replica holes from Raynor such as a Cape at the 7th, Redan on the 9th and Eden at the 10th, the course is under the watchful eye of Tom Doak and his Renaissance Golf Design company as they’ve been consulting here for some time now. Click the link to see full details of all courses in our latest New York Best in State rankings Pennsylvania The top three positions in the Keystone State chart haven’t altered since we began compiling Best in State rankings in 2012 so Oakmont Country Club comfortably holds onto its number 1 billing. The father and son architectural team of Henry and William Fownes devised this titan of a tough track back at the start of the 20th century and it’s been testing the best golfers in the world ever since then, evidenced by it hosting nine US Opens, five US Amateurs, three PGA Championships and two Women’s Opens. This extract from a recent Matt Ward post sums up the allure of such a golfing behemoth: “Oakmont has always been about a penal style of architecture – the Fownes were not interested in treating half-hearted shots with anything other than tough love… But the aspect that elevates Oakmont beyond the torture chamber reputation is the pedigree of the [tournament] winners who have been able to climb the Mount Everest in golf in America. In many ways, Oakmont rivals Muirfield in being able to identify those with the most consummate of golf skills.” Bursting into the state Top 10 at number 4 after an eleven-place jump, the Old course at the Country Club of Scranton comprises the original Walter Travis-designed Pines and Willows nines from the late 1920s, which were renovated six years ago by Tom Marzolf. Despite misgivings about some of the bunker work carried out in 2012, our man Fergal O’Leary thought last year that “the club doesn’t get the praise it truly deserves as it’s certainly a US Top 100 golf course.” Well, twelve months down the line, the Old course now hurtles up the Pennsylvania state chart with a national ranking position of number 86 for good measure. The highest of five new entries debuts at number 32 and it’s the North course at Stonewall, near Elverson in Chester County. The Old course was the first 18-hole layout to open at this golf facility twenty five years ago when it was one of Tom Doak’s first golf projects, designed along with Gil Hanse. The North course was unveiled a decade later, playing from a separate clubhouse, with Tom Doak partnering Don Placek this time to create a more open layout than its older sibling, allowing golfers a wider range of options off the tee. According to the architects, greens on the North course were built to permit “more changes of strategy due to hole to hole locations than the original 18 holes”. Click the link to see full details of all courses in our latest Pennsylvania Best in State rankings We don’t produce definitive rankings but we do publish what we believe to be the most informed listings that you’ll find anywhere. Your opinion matters to us so if you think we could have done better with any of these three newly revised US Best in State charts then please click the “Respond to this article” link at the top or at the bottom of this page to share your thoughts. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses

US Mid-Atlantic Division Best in State Rankings 2016 Three states in the Northeast Region are re-ranked in the eighth of nine US divisional updates We continue our Best in State re-ranking process for the United States of America with new listings for courses situated in the Mid-Atlantic division. This eighth and penultimate article in our series of US reappraisals snapshots the very strong golfing states of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. As part of our review strategy, we’re extending our coverage of courses in the USA and this expansion will be reflected across just about every state in the country. For example, in this Mid-Atlantic division, we’re adding forty new tracks across the three states, representing an increase of 30%. New Jersey The top five positions in the Garden State remain exactly as they were when we last updated our standings two years ago, which means Pine Valley is still the number 1 course. After ten years at the top of our World Top 100 chart, this George Crump classic was displaced by Cypress Point as the best golfing layout on the planet when we revised our global listings in November last year. Such a fall from grace is relative, of course. Climbing three spots to number 8 in our new state chart, Hollywood is a Walter Travis Golden Age design that has been worked on by a number of architectural firms down the years, most recently by Tom Doak’s Renaissance Golf Design. Last month, a reviewer describer his playing experience on the course in the following terms: “I could happily be a member here and never get bored of the course… Hollywood plays over sandy ground that provides firm and fast playing conditions. The layout itself feels grand and is routed across a large canvas.” Essex County Country Club makes a prodigious leap up the New Jersey table, rising eleven places to just outside the Top 10 at number 12. Formed in 1887, the club is one of the oldest in the country, moving to its present location in 1916. Seth Raynor and Charles Banks reworked A. W. Tillinghast’s original design a decade later and the course has been modified a number of times since then, most notably by Brian Silva when he upgraded the fairway and greenside bunkers. The highest new entry appears at number 15 and it’s Morris County, another Seth Raynor design that dates back to 1916. Originally listed on the Top 100 website as a GEM, Morris County Golf Club started out in 1894 as a women-only club and had played host to both the Women's and Men's US Amateur championships before the turn of the 19th century. One of our contributors commented as follows: "As soon as I saw the first fairway, I knew I would love the place and I did. That fairway and many others reminded me of the land at Minneapolis GC and White Bear Yacht Club in MN... rolling with huge mounds and nary a flat lie anyplace, wonderfully roly-poly and Humpty Dumpty." Rank/ Click this link to see full details of our 2016 New Jersey Best in State rankings New York The top thirteen courses in the Empire State are all nationally ranked – indeed, all but two of these top tracks are included in our World Top 100 chart – which is a fair indication of the high quality of courses that you’ll find in this part of the country. Shinnecock Hills remains virtually unchallenged at the top of the state chart and this brilliant old William Flynn layout will once again play host to the best golfers in the world at the US Open in 2018 and 2026. Swapping places, A.W. Tillinghast’s West course at Winged Foot drops down one spot to number 4, with Seth Raynor’s fabulous Golden Age design at Fishers Island rising one place to number 3. It’s quite remarkable to think this fabulous old track was largely overlooked by many golf publications in their rankings until recent times. Thankfully, this special seaside track is now getting the recognition it fully deserves. Further down the newly updated New York chart, two near century-old Donald Ross courses make significant upward moves: Whippoorwill (up thirteen to 19) lasted only two years before it was redesigned by Charles Banks in 1930 and Wykagyl (up ten to 23) has been revamped many times since its debut in 1920, with the latest Coore & Crenshaw makeover mainly involving the addition of bunkers and removal of trees. Another big climber is St George’s Golf & Country Club, up nineteen positions to number 25, situated on the north shore of Long Island. Laid out by Devereux Emmet in 1917, the course has undergone a really positive transformation in recent years, thanks in no small part to the restoration skills of Gil Hanse and the application of the architect’s masterplan by Superintendent Adam Jessie, who arrived from Shinnecock Hills a decade ago. Click this link to see full details of our 2016 New York Best in State rankings Pennsylvania The Keystone State listings are headed by the Henry and William Fownes-designed Oakmont course, where this year’s US Open was held. It’s a notoriously tough track but a recent reviewer had this to say about his playing experience: “fairway landing areas are generous… only a few greens – generally on the shortest holes – are completely surrounded by bunkers. So unlike other difficult courses… playing a running approach is quite feasible – or even preferable – in many cases.” There’s not too much movement at the top end of the state rankings, except for a couple of notable Saucon Valley climbers: the 1960s William & David Gordon Weyhill course (up six to number 8) has undergone a recent Fazio Golf restoration whilst the Grace course is another highly regarded co-design by the same father and son architectural team and it hurtles fourteen places up the Pennsylvania standings to number 16. Another significant climber is A. W. Tillinghast’s Wissahickon course at Philadelphia Cricket Club (up seventeen to number 19), which was closed for twelve months in 2013, allowing Keith Foster to carry out an extensive renovation of the layout. The highest newcomer on the chart is Gulph Mills – a Donald Ross design that opened in 1919 – where Gil Hanse has been consulting since the start of the new millennium. Click this link to see full details of our 2016 Pennsylvania Best in State rankings As always, we’re delighted to receive feedback when we carry out a re-ranking exercise so please feel free to tell us what you think about our three revised US Best in State charts. We’d like to think you’ll concur with our published listings but perhaps you have a different view of things. Whatever your thoughts are, please click the “Respond to this article” link at the top or at the bottom of this page to let us know your views. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses

US Women's Open marks ongoing stature Golf in the Garden State by M. James Ward New Jersey is the 46th largest state in area in America – but its reputation in the golf arena clearly exceeds its limited geographical size – both historically and carrying through to the present day. This week's US Women's Open at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster marks the 7th time the Garden State has served as host of the premier event in women's golf. The event also marks the 61st USGA Championship hosted in New Jersey – only three other states exceed that total – Pennsylvania, California and New York and each is considerably larger in overall size and in total courses. The first USGA Championship held in the state goes back to 1896 when Morris County Golf Club in Convent Station hosted the Women's Amateur. Leading the way in the Garden State is Baltusrol Golf Club. The Springfield-based club’s role in staging major golf championships stretches back to the earliest days of golf in the 20th century. After staging last year's PGA Championship, Baltusrol has hosted 17 national championships, including seven US Opens and two PGAs. Originally designed by A.W. Tillinghast, the formidable Lower course was updated by Montclair resident and world-renowned golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Senior in the early 1950s. RTJ’s work proved so demanding members suggested he play the strengthened par-3 4th hole prior to the 1954 US Open with its daunting water carry. Jones came to Baltusrol and proceeded to hit a 4-iron into the hole. Without skipping a beat he pronounced, "Gentlemen, as you can see, the hole is eminently fair!" NJ is also home to Pine Valley Golf Club – consistently rated among the top 2-3 clubs in the world. Located in the southwestern corner of the state, Pine Valley opened in 1913, the brainchild of hotelier George Crump. Born in Philadelphia in 1871, Crump was an avid golfer and his only design sprung from ideas adapted following his golfing trips to Britain and Europe. Unfortunately, Crump died before the final four remaining holes opened – completed after his death at 46 years of age. The English architect H.S. Colt played a major role in finalizing efforts. The aura of Pine Valley has only grown over time, as the course possesses an array of stellar holes. Renowned designer Tom Fazio has recently modified the layout and he also created a short course, which mirrors the approaches played to holes on the main course. In 1954, Arnold Palmer, in his first visit to Pine Valley, arranged a significant wager to recoup money spent on an engagement ring for his wife Winnie. Palmer fired scores of 67, 69 and 68, securing nearly enough money to pay for the ring. A few years later Jack Nicklaus played the course on his honeymoon, however, new bride Barbara waited in their car since the club was a men’s only bastion. Beyond the likes of Baltusrol (Lower) and Pine Valley, the Garden State has seven courses currently ranked among the Top 100 Golf Courses of the USA. Only two other states (California and New York) placed more. The New Jersey list includes Plainfield Country Club in Edison, Somerset Hills Country Club in Bernardsville, Baltusrol (Upper) in Springfield, Ridgewood Country Club (West & East) in Paramus and Galloway National Golf Club in Galloway. A few Garden State factoids In 1887, Essex County Country Club in West Orange, organized as NJ’s oldest country club, with 36 holes to open shortly thereafter. Bobby Jones played an exhibition on both courses and highlighted the 15th hole on the former private West course (now called Francis Bryne) among the strongest par fours he had ever played. In 1903 the term "birdie" was coined at Atlantic City Country Club in Northfield and shortly thereafter "eagle" was also born. Not far from ACCC the first PGA Championship was played in the state in 1942 at Seaview Country Club in nearby Absecon. A blossoming golf star named Sam Snead earned both his first Wannamaker Trophy and first of seven major titles. Snead bested Jim Turnesa – who was serving the U.S. Army with literally a battalion of fellow GI’s rooting for him from nearby Fort Dix. Sam later mentioned how much he gained from the experience given earlier failures in winning major events. Interestingly, a year prior at the 1941 PGA Championship, a Rumson native, Vic Ghezzi, claimed his first and only major championship. In 1946 Ghezzi would lose the US Open in a playoff, yet his stellar career play garnered him a spot in the PGA Hall of Fame in 1965. Morris County Golf Club, located in Convent Station, started in 1894 and it’s the only club of its kind in the USA organized and managed by women. One of NJ's most important contributors was George Jacobus. Born in Brook Lake the head golf professional at The Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus served as President of the PGA of America from 1932-39. Jacobus rose from the caddie ranks to become the first association president native to America. Ridgewood hosted the 5th Ryder Cup Matches – won by the American side 9-3 and led for the final time by playing Captain Walter Hagen. One of the members of the USA squad (Craig Wood) would later become a member of Ridgewood and add triumphs in 1941 at The Masters and the US Open. Jacobus attended the 1935 Masters and identified a developing player named Byron Nelson. Jacobus hired the Texan as his assistant and during his brief stint won the NJ Open in 1935 and the Met Open one year later before commencing his Hall-of-Fame career. In 1913, Weequahic Park in Newark opened, the oldest publicly owned course in the Garden State, which was coincidentally designed by George Low the Baltusrol club professional at that time. With clubs teetering during The Great Depression, Jacobus convinced PGA leadership in 1935 to hire the talented architect A.W. Tillinghast (the man responsible for NJ courses such as Baltusrol and Ridgewood) to provide no cost consultation services to PGA-member courses to bolster their designs and provide member clubs with a clear reason to keep PGA members on staff when many were let go because of the plunging economy. Tillinghast eventually visited over 400 courses nationwide. The plan was a success. Keeping the PGA of America relevant and having Tillinghast upgrade various courses in serious need of his design talents. Jacobus served Ridgewood for 50 plus years and was elected posthumously to the PGA Hall of Fame in 1965. In 1920 Shady Rest opened as the first African-American golf and country club in the USA. John Shippen, a superb golfer, competed and finished 5th in the 1896 US Open at Shinnecock Hills. The property is now called Scotch Hills Golf Course, owned by Scotch Plains Township and open to all. Another Jersey resident emerged years later as President of the PGA. This time the issues were more internal than external. Leo Fraser, long-time owner of the Atlantic City Country Club, assumed the leadership mantle in 1969-1970. During his term an ugly divorce between players competing in weekly tour events and those representing the bulk of the membership was brewing. Fraser played a key role and the resulting solution meant the creation of the PGA Tour. The two entities continue to this day as separate but affiliated organizations. William Lowell, Sr., a Maplewood dentist, is credited with marketing the first wooden tee in 1921. Growing the game has been a consistent clarion call to present day efforts. In 2012, the New Jersey PGA Section received the Herb Graffis Award from the PGA of America for its exemplary effort in player development. Founded in 1931, the NJPGA was lauded for an initiative called Golf in Schools, starting in 2009 and impacting 95,000 boys and girls at elementary and middle schools throughout the Garden State at 168 schools, the program has been a model for all 41 PGA sections across the country. Funded through the New Jersey Golf Foundation (the charitable arm of the Section) is offered at no cost to school districts. The Champions Tour debuted in 1980 when Atlantic City Country Club hosted the Atlantic City Senior Invitational, won by Texan Don January who earlier claimed the 1967 PGA Championship. Coming up in late September is the bi-annual President’s Cup Matches. Hosted at Liberty National Golf Club located in Jersey City with sensational views of the NYC skyline and Statue of Liberty. The USA squad, captained by Steve Stricker, and the world team minus Europe, captained by Nick Price, will tangle on a design from the late Bob Cupp with input from PGA Tour star and 1992 US Open champion Tom Kike. Liberty National, along with such courses as Plainfield and Ridgewood form the trio of clubs that rotate host roles for the Northern Trust Open (formerly the Barclays) the first leg of the Fed-Ex Cup Playoffs. The Garden State has been ground zero for a good deal of meaningful golf history. This week’s US Women’s Open Championship only adds to that impressive portfolio. New Jersey Best In State Rankings