Representative image Photo: Stuart Logan · CC BY-SA 2.0
Baltusrol Golf Club
Springfield, New Jersey, United States
18 Holes · Private club — no published green fee; play is by member invitation · Parkland
— About
About Baltusrol Golf Club
Baltusrol Golf Club is a private club in Springfield, New Jersey, and this page leads with its Lower Course, the layout that carries the club's championship reputation. A. W. Tillinghast designed the Lower and the Upper together, and the pair opened in 1922 as the first 36 holes in America designed and built at the same time. Gil Hanse finished a full restoration of the Lower in 2021, widening fairways, enlarging greens and reinstating bunkers to bring the course closer to Tillinghast's original intent. The Lower is also the course that will host the 2029 PGA Championship.
- Seven U.S. Opens have been played at Baltusrol, the first in 1903 and the most recent in 1993.
- The club has staged the PGA Championship twice, in 2005 and again in 2016.
- Four U.S. Amateurs have been played here, the most recent in the year 2000.
- The U.S. Women's Open has visited twice, in 1961 and in 1985.
History of Baltusrol Golf Club
Louis Keller founded Baltusrol in 1895, and its first U.S. Open followed in 1903, only eight years later. The championship came back in 1915 and 1936. Between 1918 and 1922 the club rebuilt its golf around Tillinghast's two new courses, which opened together in 1922 and carried the club through the Opens of 1954, 1967, 1980 and 1993 and the PGA Championships of 2005 and 2016. Hanse's work on the Lower reopened the course in May 2021, and the Upper Course reopened after its own restoration in 2025.
Signature holes at Baltusrol Golf Club
Three holes define the Lower. The 4th has a green that Hanse's restoration expanded to the right. The 17th is guarded by a large sand-hazard complex that dates to Tillinghast. The 18th is where Jack Nicklaus hit his famous 1-iron in the 1967 U.S. Open, and a stone marker in the fairway commemorates the shot.
When to play Baltusrol Golf Club
Baltusrol is a private club, so the practical answer is whenever a member invites you. The next championship scheduled for the Lower is the 2029 PGA Championship, which will be the third PGA Championship the club has hosted, so that year is the one to watch for anyone hoping to see the course as a spectator.
Playing Baltusrol Golf Club: tips
Ask your host which of the two courses you will play, because the Lower and the Upper are separate 18-hole layouts, equal in stature but different in style. Both have been restored by Gil Hanse with larger greens and wider playing corridors, so either course should sit close to its original design. Because the club is private, confirm guest arrangements with your host before you travel.
Visit Baltusrol Golf Club
201 Shunpike Road, Springfield, NJ 07081
Springfield, New Jersey, United States
— FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about Baltusrol Golf Club
Has the Upper Course hosted major championships too?
Yes. The Upper held the 1936 U.S. Open and the 1985 U.S. Women's Open, and Hanse used aerial photographs from the 1936 Open as a guide when restoring it.
Is Baltusrol a National Historic Landmark?
Yes. The club was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2014, which gave Baltusrol formal recognition as a site of national importance in American golf history.
When was Baltusrol founded, and by whom?
Baltusrol was founded in 1895 by Louis Keller, who is better known as the man behind The Social Register.