Evolution of Baltusrol’s Golfing Grounds



Golf has been played over the grounds at Baltusrol’s for over eleven decades – on its first nine hole golf course, the former “Old Course” and on its current “Dual” courses, the Upper and Lower.

Baltusrol’s golfing grounds have been an evolving landscape. The golf courses have continually changed to stay current with the technological improvements in golf. The history of Baltusrol’s golfing grounds is a reflection of the history of golf in America – from the gutty golf ball, hickory shafts and wooden club heads to today’s golf balls, light weight graphite shafts, and high-strength metal heads.

The first course at Baltusrol was primitive to say the least. It was followed by Baltusrol’s, “Old Course,” which evolved almost yearly into one of the best 18-hole golf courses in
America. To alleviate overcrowding on the Old Course and meet the need of its membership, the club retained A.W. Tillinghast to build the “Dual” 18 hole golf courses, which are in play today. The “Old Course” was not totally lost, as Tillinghast incorporated many of the green sites into the design of the Upper and Lower.

While Tillinghast’s Upper and Lower have been lengthened and strengthened for today’s tournament play, the changes designed after Tillinghast passed, were overseen by two of the most preeminent architects to follow – Robert Trent Jones commencing after World War II and more recently by his son Rees Jones. Many of the recent changes designed under a Master Planning program overseen by Rees Jones have remained true to the Tillinghast design for both the Upper and Lower courses.

Every other early American golf course that still hosts the major championships has also been changed and modernized. The flexibility that Tillinghast designed into Baltusrol Upper and Lower has allowed these two courses to stay competitive without major green redesign, fairway rerouting or new hole construction. Many other early American courses which still host today’s major championships have not been as fortunate – they have had fairways rerouted, green sites moved, and new holes constructed to stay competitive. No such changes have happened to Baltusrol’s Upper and Lower. The Dual courses of today are very much the same, although longer with a few more bunkers, than the courses of yesteryear. The proof is in a comparison of aerial photos of Tillinghast’s Dual Courses in their early years to the Dual Courses today. The routing and overall design are for the most part the same.

Aerial view circ 1935	Aerial view 2005

It has been the Club’s mission to host championships at the highest level of amateur and professional play for Men and Women. To do this, Baltusrol has continually improved its courses over its history. The changes are fairly well documented and are discussed in the next few sections, which have been excerpted from Baltusrol 100 Years, by Trebus & Wolffe.

Evolution of Baltusrol’s Old Course – Pre-1918

When Baltusrol was founded in 1895, Americans were just discovering their passion for golf. At that time there were fewer than eighty courses in the country and the United States Golf Association was not yet a year old. Nearly all of those early courses were primitive affairs, laid out and built by men who had no experience whatsoever. The first professional "Architects" were Scotsmen hired for an afternoon to drive 18 stakes on a golf course site. The greens were often indistinguishable from the fairways, and the most fashionable hazards were steep earthen berms, cop bunkers, fences, and other man-made obstacles. Baltusrol had all those features, but the rapid, dramatic changes to the golf course provide a perfect illustration of the trial-and-error that led to modern principles of course design, construction, and conditioning.

Louis Keller took it upon himself to employ an Englishman, George Hunter, to design Baltusrol's original nine-hole course in 1895. One of Baltusrol's charter members, Hunter designed a course that measured 2,372 yards. Early advertisements proudly announced that the course had “40 foot greens.” Only two holes were more than 300 yards in length, but the ninth hole was a monster that stretched out some 517 yards. According to club lore, Hunter had sited his eighth green too far from the club house and needed a long hole to make the return.


THE FIRST NINE HOLES (1895)


The Long and Short Courses

Under Louis Keller's leadership, Baltusrol quickly became one of the prominent clubs in the Metropolitan area. Baltusrol's nine-hole course was the site of regular interclub, invitational and open tournaments; and the membership grew quickly from thirty to nearly 400. To meet the needs of its members, and to keep its place as leading tournament site, Baltusrol had to expand.

The Chicago Golf Club had opened the first 18-hole course in 1895, and other leading clubs like St. Andrews, Shinnecock Hills and Morris County had soon followed suit. So in June of 1897, the Board of Governors approved raising $500 in debt through a subscription to the members, with the proceeds to be devoted to the opening of an 18-hole course. And on Labor Day, Baltusrol's first 18 holes were opened for play. This course was less than a year old when Keller decided that it needed improvement. In early 1898, he presented to the Board plans for a unique combination course designed by a Surveyor, A. H. Woodruff.



The goal was to provide a short course for women and beginners and a long course for experienced players. The long course measured 6,000 yards and the short course 5,128 yards. There were twenty-two greens, fourteen of which were shared by both courses. The work on the combination course was quickly done, and this hybrid 18 opened for play in the summer of 1898. The green committee made the two courses as similar as possible. The short course would shift off the long course at regular intervals to avoid the longest of holes and enable slow players to keep out of the way of the faster ones. For example, the first hole of the short course was routed the same as the first of the Lower, except there was a short green 173 yards from the tee. If two pairs of players met at the first tee, the players on the longest course had the right of way. They would clear the first bunker of 130 yards, and on their second stroke leave the first short hole clear for the short-course players to approach.

Makings of the Old Course

The desire to host national championships would lead to significant improvements to the golf course. Baltusrol had successfully hosted a number of interclub invitational and open tournaments, and Keller and the Board began to lobby the USGA for its first national championship – the 1900 U.S. Women's Amateur. In anticipation of securing this event, a six-inch water main from the Short Hills Water Company was connected to the links for watering the greens. New bunkers were built and changes were made to the fourth, sixth and seventh holes. The fourth was stretched to 501 yards by blending the former fourth and fifth holes. The sixth became the fifth, and a new sixth hole of 350 yards was created with Baltusrol Waybecoming a hazard for a short drive. The seventh was lengthened with a new tee to a distance of 505 yards. This revised long course was shaping into what is known today as the “Old Course.” Despite these improvements, the 1900 Women's Amateur went to Shinnecock. But Baltusrol did not have to wait much longer, for it was awarded the Women's Amateur for the following year.

The 1901 Women's Amateur was played on a combination of the long course and the short course, for the short seventh and eighth holes were used in this event. The green of the short seventh and tee to the short eighth can still be seen today in the woods short of the second green of the Upper. After 1901, the short course was abandoned. One of the reasons for its demise was the latest technological advance – the new lively rubber ball. The Women's Amateur marked the passing of the gutta-percha, or “gutty.” The new rubber ball flew farther and lasted longer than the gutty. In the Amateur, the majority of contestants had used the new ball.

The
Island Green

Prior to the 1904 Amateur Championship, a new hole was put into commission that was to become known as the “Island Green.” The hole was a short par 4 that played downhill to a green surrounded by a moat. In the practice rounds shortly before the tournament, considerable discussion arose as to the merits of the hole. Some contended that it was absolutely impossible to hold the green while others claimed that it was one of the very best holes on the course. The final decision on using the hole for the tournament would rest with a committee of Baltusrol members: Messrs. Leighton Calkins, Wm. Fellowes Morgan and Lionel H. Graham. They accordingly went out and subjected it to a practical test. None of these gentleman possessed championship qualities. Their tee-shots were 40 or 50 yards behind where good players would go. Consequently, their second shots had to be played with a mid-iron (2-iron) instead of a mashie (5-iron), and they found it impossible to hold the green. Accordingly, they voted against its being played in the championship. In its place, the old green was used, which was slightly to the left of the pot bunker on the left side of the fairway.

In the years following the 1904 Amateur, the Island Green came to enjoy both local and national notoriety. It was Baltusrol's “signature” hole. There were two tees for the hole; the first was directly behind the pond and the medal tee was 30 yards up the hillside. These tees can still be seen behind the third green of the Upper. To the best of our knowledge, Baltusrol's Island Green was the first of its kind. Today, of course, island greens are common-place, especially on resort courses.

Consequences of the 1904 Amateur

The 1904 Amateur Championship was extremely important in shaping Baltusrol. In a mere nine years, Baltusrol had transformed its original uninspired nine holes into a course worthy of hosting the most prestigious tournament in the nation. Granted, Baltusrol had played host to the Women's Amateur and the Men's Open, but in these times, the Men's Amateur was the “Championship” What happened after this tournament was more significant than what happened during the week of play – criticism led to a better course.

The defects of the course were bluntly listed by Leighton Calkins, the inventor of the handicap system and noted golf writer of the time.

“During the Championship in that year (1904) there were no side traps, and no traps in close proximity to the greens. There were thirteen cop bunkers (cop bunkers had artificial appearance with straight lines and a crest with steep sides) stretched across the fairway in dull monotonous array; but, except at those particular

points a bad shot was rarely punished because the "rough" had a hair cut, and in most cases the woods could be given a wide berth. The fairgreen generally was in poor turf, thin, and infested with worm casts. As one player remarked, the rough was smooth and the smooth was rough.”

Throughout the next decade, the Green Committee directed continual improvements in an effort to upgrade the Old Course. New tees and greens were constructed. Over 75 new bunkers were built in strategic locations. The old fashioned cop bunkers were removed. Miles of fairway were sanded, top dressed and fertilized. By 1910, the changes had paid off, and Baltusrol was regularly recognized as one of the finest courses in the country. As noted by Leighton Calkins, “Half a dozen years ago Baltusrol, despite its good length and some hard holes, was hardly a championship course. Today it ranks with Fox Hills, Appawamis and
Nassau, and is more difficult than any of them”


THE OLD COURSE (1910)

The Colossal Cross Bunker

Baltusrol did not rest on its laurels. In the years prior to World War I, a massive rebunkering program replaced the old fashioned cross bunkers with modem bunkers built at diagonals to the line of play. Simple as it seems, this principle was radical and modem, for it opened new routes from tee to green and laid the groundwork for strategic design. Other major improvements were also put into play almost every year. On the first hole, now the first of the Lower, a tremendous modern cross bunker was constructed across the fairway to replace the existing cross bunker 30 yards beyond it. The construction of this bunker was exceedingly difficult since it was dug in a clay soil, which often necessitated the raising of a cop, or crest to make it effective; and in raising a cop the danger is that the bunker will become too artificial in appearance. The Green Committee avoided this problem by sloping the back of the bunker gradually into the surface of the ground, and providing an irregular curve to the line of the bunker and its surface limits.

The Infamous Pot Bunker

The pit which guarded the eighteenth hole, and had been a factor in the finish of many close matches, proved to be a mine of gravel that supplied much of the needed material to make concrete for the new clubhouse in 1909. During the excavation, it was expanded into a turfed punch bowl that sloped into a sand bunker with a palisade of massive timbers on the far side holding up the green. Unfortunate players who caught this bunker had to play a shot over the timbers. It was a wonder that no one was ever seriously injured by a ricocheting ball. The architectural use of timber supports was not revolutionary, as this hazard strongly resembled bunkering at North Berwick in
Scotland.

The 1915 Open

The Old Course was improved further and stiffened for the 1915 Open. The Board of Governors wanted no adverse criticism of its links as a championship test. The course was lengthened, several new bunkers were built in strategic locations near greens and drive zones, and an obsolete cross bunker on the twelfth was removed. After the Open in

December of 1915, the Green Committee made the following report to the Board of Governors:

“Since the last Annual Meeting of the Club your committee has made a number of changes in the course. Whether these changes are improvements or not, we leave to the members to judge. In the beginning, in order to avert adverse criticism and also to give the members a chance to express views, we placed a notice on the bulletin board stating that the Committee would be glad to receive any written suggestions in regard to improving the seventh, eighth and eleventh holes. We received just one written suggestion and we did not avert all criticism. In June we held the Open Tournament of the USGA, which was described by the officers of that Association as one of the most successful ever held. A large share of the credit for the improvements and condition of the course is due to George Low, who has been indefatigable and has given much time and thought to it.”

Despite the changes and generally perfect course conditions, the Old Course received some criticism after the 1915 Open, directed primarily at the shortness of certain par 4 holes. The Board of Governors responded. They voted in December of 1915 to substitute new holes for the tenth (Island), eleventh and twelfth. The new tenth and eleventh had roughly the same routing as the current fourth and fifteenth of the Upper. The new twelfth followed a diagonal routing to sixteen Upper, returning to the old twelfth green. Incidentally, the old twelfth tee can still be seen in front of the rain shelter on four Upper. The Green Committee's report of December 1915 explained the proposed changes as follows:

“The Baltusrol links have been criticized adversely for the following four reasons:

Similarity in length of the eighth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth holes.

The fact that a brassey (2 wood) cannot be used after the seventh hole until the fifteenth.

The congestion caused by the proximity of the eleventh and eighth greens.

The objection to climbing the hill a second time.

Your Green Committee believes that all these objections can be corrected by substituting for the tenth, eleventh and twelfth holes the following new layout:

New No. 10 - 410 yards along the foothills practically a continuation of the present No.9, with a tee near No.9 green, and playing lengthwise over the pond.

New No. 11 - 135 yards at right angles down to small foothill.

New No. 12 - 500 yards back to the present No. 12 green, the fair green skirting the red barn.

These changes with the lengthening of the No. 2 - 20 yards; No. 3 - 32 yards; No. 4 - 20 yards; and No.

7 - 20 yards would add 188 yards to the course, making it 6,400 yards long.

This change would involve the taking of additional land owned by your Secretary”

These new holes were begun in 1916 and completed in early 1918. It is believed that George Low was responsible for the design and construction. The new tenth, which followed the routing of four Upper, was criticized so vociferously for the steep grades on the green and fairway that the hole was substantially reworked that winter. The green was regraded and the approach was widened. During these alterations, the former Island Hole (tenth) and the Hill Hole (eleventh) were utilized.

The Island hole may have been the first island green inAmerica, but it may have also been the shortest lived too. In a few years, Tillinghast would resurrect the green as the site for the 16th green of the Lower course.

The Post-1918 Tillinghast Courses

In 1916, the seeds for the Upper and Lower Courses were sown. The popularity of golf was spreading, and Baltusrol was feeling the growing pains. The membership of the Club exceeded 700 and the congestion on the golf course had become unbearable at times, particularly on Saturdays and Sundays. Many golf clubs of the time were also feeling the strain on their facilities because of the enormous popularity of golf. But the usual decision was to build merely a second course, often one that was decidedly inferior to the fist, on land that was left over. The approach that Baltusrol would follow was certainly more courageous and has paid huge dividends over the years.

Keller’s Vision

Recognizing the need for a second course, Louis Keller submitted a letter to the Board suggesting a new course and lease extension. Keller offered Baltusrol the pick of a site for a new course from 500 acres he owned behind the club- house on top of and beyond
Baltusrol Mountain. In response, the Board passed a resolution to begin negotiations with Keller, formed a Committee on the New Golf Course, and set to work. Committee members C.E. Watson, Parker Page and William G. McKnight reported back to the Board in early 1917 with two solutions to relieve the congestion on the golf course:

“Two plans have been suggested to meet the situation, the first being a reduction in membership, but after consideration, we do not feel that such a plan is feasible or could be carried out successfully. It is the playing membership that must be reduced in order to relieve congestion and although a large increase in the dues would result in a considerable number of resignations we do not believe that playing members would resign. The only alternative which suggests itself to your Committee is the establishment of another eighteen hole golf course and we recommend that your Committee be authorized to continue its efforts in this direction.”

To Buy or Lease?

The Committee on the New Golf Course also made a recommendation that would lead to one of Baltusrol's most significant decisions – to purchase the land for the new course and the existing course. The Old Course was owned by Louis Keller. In 1908, he leased the property to the Club for a term of twenty-five years. The Committee believed that no considerable expenditure should be made on the clubhouse, new construction on the present golf course, or acquisition of additional property until a new arrangement was made with Louis Keller. In October of 1917, Mr. Keller offered to sell to Baltusrol the land for both the existing and new course. The purchase of the existing course of approximately 140 acres was made at a price of $1,000 per acre, and Louis Keller accepted a purchase money mortgage. For the additional land, Louis Keller had obtained rights and options to several tracts adjoining the present course, totaling approximately 170 acres for approximately $52,000, which he offered to the Club at his actual cost. The additional properties were:

1) The McKellar tract of approximately 65 acres adjoining the old fourteenth fairway.

2) The Bodinsky tract of approximately 60 acres to the south of the new tenth and eleventh greens, on the Old Course.

3) The Holmes tract which was covered with underbrush, lying south of the Bodinsky tract and of approximately 33 and 1/2 acres.

4) The Dengler tract of approximately fourteen acres adjoining the Bodinsky tract to the east. This was a part of the Dengler farm of approximately 39 acres.

Louis Keller's offer and the plan to finance the purchase was ratified by the membership in a special meeting. In raising the additional revenues for the new course, the Board of Governors resolved that there would be no increase in the number of members without express instructions from the members of the Club.

Golf Course Architects That Might Have Been

The Committee also had toured the land behind the clubhouse that Keller had originally offered, but they had doubts about its suitability for a golf course. They therefore recommended hiring Donald Ross to inspect the property, but for reasons unknown they hired Seth Raynor instead. In June of 1917, upon examination by Seth Raynor and the Committee, this was deemed unsuitable and the property adjacent to the Old Course was recommended for the new course.

It is worth noting that Baltusrol had for the first time sought the advice of established golf course architects. Previously, changes to the course had been carried out under the supervision of George Low, whose duties as a pro included course maintenance and construction. Gradually some of these pros had demonstrated a flair for designing golf holes and became the pioneers of a fledgling profession. Donald Ross was one such person, having made a name for himself as the architect of the famed resort courses at Pinehurst.

Seth Raynor had followed a different route, learning the architect's trade as the engineer for C.B. Macdonald, often called “The Father of American Golf Course Architecture.” Both Ross and Raynor were prolific designers and consummate professionals, and their services were in demand. By the second decade of the century, thanks to men like Ross, Raynor and Macdonald, golf course architects had made changes in the way that golf holes were designed and built-and thus in the way the game was played. We would have had completely different layouts today had either Ross or Raynor been retained for the design work.

Tillinghast Gets the Nod

In May of 1918, the Chairman of the Green Committee, C.E. Watson, was authorized to retain an architect for the new course. He selected Albert Warren Tillinghast, often referred to as “Tillie the Terror” Baltusrol would be asking its architect to provide not merely one course superior to the Old Course, but two. This would be a tall order. An impossible order, one might be tempted to say, since the design of a golf course is far from an exact science. It has more in common with writing a novel or composing a symphony; for no matter how much care is lavished upon the work, there is no assurance that the result will be a masterpiece. Still, if there was a right man for the job, a man whose remarkable talent and supreme confidence might make him equal to the task, it was A.W. Tillinghast.

The First Design Consideration

Tillinghast always expressed himself with absolute authority on the theory of golf course design, but golf course architecture is never a matter of pure theory. The architect has to begin by reckoning with the facts, and at Baltusrol one of the inalterable facts was the position of the clubhouse at the extreme end of a long, essentially rectangular shaped property. The shape of the property lent itself most naturally to a traditional,
St. Andrews configuration of holes, with an outward nine carrying a golfer to the far end of the course, and the inward nine bringing him home. If such a routing was not ideal, it nevertheless had psychological advantages, which Tillinghast spelled out in his thoughts on the “Turn.”

“That the turn exerts a pronounced psychological influence cannot be questioned. Some literally play their heads off until the Turn is reached and then they seem to crumple up and perform on the home journey in a distinctly inferior manner. Some quit running when the Turn is reached, while others find the feet and speed briskly away from the ruts and rough going of the first nine holes.”

The Second Design Consideration

The next fact of paramount importance was the character of the property. Its western border was formed by the steep, wooded slopes of
Baltusrol Mountain, down which the land tumbled to a relatively flat, open expanse. On the eastern side, the property included a tract, roughly in the shape of a square projecting out from the rectangle, that had previously been farmland. It was gently rolling land with trees in isolated groves and along the fence lines. How could this site be used to its greatest advantage? Now that the Upper and Lower course have been in play for more than 70 years, the answer seems inevitable. In 1919, however, when Tillinghast set down his original plan for the routing, the concept was far from self-evident. As Tillinghast wrote, “In planning 18 holes there were thousands of combinations, each offering a mute appeal for recognition.”

At Baltusrol, rather than designing a second course, as was his original charge, Tillinghast designed two. In doing so, he recommended that the Old Course be discarded, and he would salvage what he could. This was a bold recommendation. For Tillinghast could have decided to keep the Old Course and let the new course range up and down the slope and in and out of the woods, combining the features of the landscape - as the Old Course had - thus giving each lay-out the greatest possible variety. His decision, however, was to tuck the Upper Course into the slopes of the mountain and to spread the Lower Course out on the flatter land. This arrangement determined once and for all the character of the golf courses. They were to be “Dual Courses” and they might very well be equals, but they would be as different from each other as a brassie from a birdie. And they would be “equally sought after as a matter of preference.”

Presenting the Plans

Tillinghast's plans for the Upper and Lower were presented to the Board in December of 1918. The Green Committee recommended acceptance of the plans in January of 1919. The plans were approved as submitted with one improvement – Louis Keller informed the Governors by letter that he could obtain the Collins property skirting the old fifteenth hole for a length of 785 feet. This acquisition provided needed elbow room. As described by Keller “by simply advancing the present Fourth Green, which is going to be the Fifth Green, sufficiently, so as to make it a short walk around the comer to a tee for the new Sixth, which would be located on the Collins Plot.”

TILLINGHAST DUAL COURSE CONCEPT SKETCH

The audacity of the Board's decision to accept Tillinghast's plans can hardly be overstated, for no club with a comparable history had ever undertaken a challenge like it. Baltusrol was one of the most celebrated clubs in the country and the Old Course was a landmark. It had earned its spurs as a worthy test of championship golf – hosting five USGA National Championships – and Baltusrol was now prepared to plow it under! Having reached the top rank in golf, and after twenty-five years of improvements and investments in the Old Course, Baltusrol was taking the risk of starting all over again.

As Golf Illustrated declared, “they are planning at Baltusrol on a vaster scale than has ever been attempted in American golf for the opening of the Dual Courses.” These two courses were to be equal in every respect-equal in length, difficulty, shot values, and attractiveness. Both were expected to give pleasure in member play, and at the same time to meet a standard that would enable them to serve as tournament sites. With each hole playing at different angles, Tillinghast provided thirty-six different challenges. This provided variety to the members who often made golf an all day affair. Members and their guests, typically traveled by train or motor coach from
New York City, played eighteen in the morning, had lunch, and played eighteen in the afternoon.

Opening the
Forest

Tillinghast was a hands-on builder who came to work at Baltusrol in a style befitting a Wall Street tycoon. He arrived in a chauffeur-driven limousine, and typically supervised his construction crew dressed in a suit, necktie and hat. Today's architect would probably prefer less formal attire, for the first tasks that needed doing were basic and dirty. Once the preliminary stakes had been set, showing both the Upper and Lower courses beginning and ending at the club- house, the great work started. Clear the trees. Move the dirt. Grow the grass.

By November 1918, Tillinghast had the oldest hedge rows brushed up and the forest cleared to permit the laying out of the new courses. Incidentally, some 100 cords of wood were gathered for consumption in the clubhouse. Tillinghast made every effort to save fine specimen trees and groups of trees. Not only did he have sentiments about trees, but he incorporated them in his designs to create doglegs and elbows, serving a definite purpose in playing the game.

As if it wasn't challenging enough to design and construct two course simultaneously, Tillinghast was instructed to keep 18 holes in play during the construction period and utilize as much of the existing links as possible. In doing so, he used all the fairways and greens of the Old Course. Some green sites were used although the holes were routed completely different; the rest of the greens had their turf lifted and moved to new green sites.

Eliminating Hills

Tillinghast eliminated the hilly Old Course holes that had played alternately up and down
Baltusrol Mountain at right angles to the general east-west deployment of the new courses. Tillinghast's working of the Upper along
Baltusrol Mountain was masterfully done. Along the second through the sixth holes he provided wider fairways where the ground slopes from the right to the left side and he graded parts of the fairway to offer a check against the ball moving fast from the natural side slope on the right. The slopes of hills were cut away, twisted and turned and graded to a most satisfying fairway, approach or green. To guard against wash – surface water guttering new earth and washing away turf, topsoil and young grass – ditching was constructed above the fairways to carry the water away without causing damage.

It should be noted that the only fairway not graded was the second of the Upper. Tillinghast originally contemplated locating the tee to this hole short and to the left of the current first green. The angle of the tee shot would have minimized the slope of the Mountain. We do not know whether this tee was ever built. However, we do know that the first hole was originally a par 4 to the old sixth green. Shortly after opening in 1922, the first hole was stretched to a par 5 with the construction of the existing first green.

A "Mighty" Turf Grass Experiment

The tree and stump removal continued through the winter and was completed in June of 1919. Then came a bold new experiment. The new fairways were sown with soy beans and cow peas that were treated with a secret fluid guaranteed to hasten the nodules that attract bacteria, a process called inoculation. The objective was to stimulate the soil, accelerating the normal two to three years required for woodland soil to gain the nutrients required to support turf. Within weeks these virgin fairways were covered with a carpet of green-but, alas, it would take years to establish first class turf.

Trees and the Course Beautiful

In constructing the Upper and Lower, Tillinghast would plead guilty to the removal of many old trees, but he never would have “given instructions for the destruction of a fine one without genuine regret.” He had a soft heart for trees. He used trees to add comfort to teeing grounds, twist and turn fairways, frame holes and provide attractive vistas. His cardinal principle on trees though was “that every possible beauty be featured so long as it does not interfere with the sound play of the game.” It was fine to “play around trees but certainly the only route to a hole must never be over or through them.”

He had specific ideas about what trees were appropriate on the various parts of a golf course. For instance, he liked to see “an occasional green or teeing ground among birches.” And he encouraged wherever possible “evergreens as the most desirable neighbors for the putting greens.” “Although trees around greens can be messy when dropping their leaves in the fall, he wrote that “after all it means only a concentration of labor for a period and the charm of such greens surely is worth it.” His emotional attachment to sylvan beauty appeared frequently in his writings. Although he liked trees around putting greens, he despised them directly by the green “for their branches deflected many erring shots to fortunate finishes, falling leaves clutter the greens and the roots sap the soil of vitality that the turf needs.” He also warned that greens built in the woods must provide avenues for air circulation or the “turf is likely to suffer from brown patch and smothering ailments.”

Sweet Revenge

Tillinghast's opinion on the improper placement of a tree on the course may have been influenced by a tragic twist of fate early in his career as an amateur player. When he began his work at Baltusrol, one of his first deeds was to dispatch an ax crew to chop down a certain maple tree growing close to the twelfth green of the Old Course. He did this with no genuine regret. As Tillinghast told the story, in the purple prose he always preferred, that maple conjured up the memory of one of his “life's darkest moments” – when he lost a key hole in the 1904 U.S. Amateur.

Even when his claims seem extravagant, melodramatic or sentimental, it is clear that he had experienced the intense emotions of competition. When he turned to golf course architecture, he designed superb courses that provided a stage not simply for championship golf but for all its agonies and ecstasies-with trees as a sort of soothing chorus.

Construction Delays

The original plan was to spend about $100,000 and complete the courses in two years-it would actually take six years and around $180,000 to complete. The delays and cost overruns could be attributed to two factors. The first was the scarcity and high price of labor during World War I, and the second was A.W. Tillinghast. Green Committee Chairman C. E Watson made this report:

“When the course was first started, men were receiving some $2 per day, and all through last year they received $4, and then $3.50 and now $3, and that the elaborate bunkers, as laid out by Mr. Tillinghast, had cost the Club more than the cost of building the greens. The bunkering of the new course has turned out to be much more elaborate than was originally expected, but the comments made upon the new bunkers seem to have justified the cost, which has been really double the cost of building the greens. Already, 2,000 tons of sand have been purchased and spread in these bunkers and more is coming.”

Watson directed the construction effort on behalf of the Green Committee. For his tireless efforts in overseeing the construction of the new courses, he was awarded an Honorary Life membership.

The Official Opening

The Upper and Lower officially opened on June 16, 1922, two years late. Despite the prolonged period needed to complete the golf courses, play was never interrupted. Tillinghast did a remarkable job juggling his work schedule, since all of the land occupied by the Old Course was eventually utilized for the two new courses.

Although the passing of the Old Course brought some dismay, the spirit of the Old Course still lives in the Upper and Lower. For the first and second of the Lower and the third, fourth, fifteenth and eighteenth of the Upper have the same green sites and follow similar routings as the first, second, ninth, tenth, eleventh and eighteenth of the Old Course. Also, the third, fifth, fifteenth and sixteenth greens of the Lower are Old Course green sites, but with completely different hole routings.

Essentially then the first tee of the Lower and the eighteenth green of the Upper are where Baltusrol's first five National Championships began and ended. And the ghosts of Willie Anderson’s historic playoff and Jerry Travers being carried off the eighteenth green can be visualized on today's courses.

Completing the Courses

Following the opening of the Upper and Lower, there was general disappointment with the condition of the new courses. Consequently, an additional $50,000 was appropriated in October of 1922 for Tillinghast to complete the two courses. And over the next two years additional improvements were made.

The first tee was moved from behind of the Upper Clubhouse to an area in front of where it is today. Later a new green was built about 100 yards back from the original, making it a par 5. A major tree planting was completed in March of 1924. This planting included the screening of
Westfield Road, now Mountain Avenue, which runs along eight Lower. Many of the improvements were overseen by Major Jones, who was hired as the green keeper in October of 1923.

By 1924, the Upper and Lower were finally complete. Although Tillinghast had intended to make them playable for the average golfer, some members complained loudly about their length and difficulty, particularly the Upper. At the Annual Meeting of the Club, in November of 1924, in response to a member's concern over the difficulty of the courses, Mr. McKnight, Chairman of the Green Committee fended off criticism at length by saying that “the Green Committee was simply following out the plans laid down by Mr. Tillinghast, Course Architect, which had been approved months ago by the Board.”

During the construction of the Dual Courses, the membership had declined significantly. Disruption during construction was cited as a primary cause. Consequently, in 1925, a Ways and Means Committee was formed to study and report on ways to increase membership. Their report cited the difficulty of the new courses and made the following request of the Green Committee:

“Consider the advisability of building front tees on a number of the holes on both the Lower and Upper courses with a view to making the courses more attractive as regards distance to the average player. Back tees in such cases would be reserved for championship events, tournaments, etc., where low handicap men are competing and the championship quality of the courses should not be affected. We believe that the installing of front tees and the resulting shortening of the distances of a number of holes on each course would be pleasing to the general membership, and would not invite adverse comment from the low handicap men. The course would still present a good test of golf during general play when the front tees were in use”

However, rather than a shortening, a lengthening of both courses occurred. Over the next five years, both courses were lengthened from around 6,400 yards to 6,700 yards. The added length may have been a response to the next major innovation in golf equipment-the steel shaft. At the 1926 Annual Meeting, Mr. Monroe for the Green Committee reported that both courses were in excellent, shape, although he hoped to make some improvements in the fairways. In reply to a question, he stated that “no material changes in the Upper course were contemplated.”

Thank providence that the Green Committee and the Board did not yield to any vocal criticism, for today the Upper is virtually the same as laid out by Tillinghast, with just a few major improvements. During the middle and late twenties some of the holes on the Upper were modified, but always in line with Tillinghast's basic design. For example, the ninth tee was short and to the right of the current eighth green instead of to the left, where it is today. And the ninth fairway ran close to the right property line. The fairway was rerouted due to the encroachment of the existing housing development.

There were other changes to the Upper that represent improvements or completions of Tillinghast's original design. For instance, the green of eight Upper was originally 30 yards in front of its present location. With the rerouting of this hole, the green was moved back, to the knob on which it presently lies. The current eighth hole more closely resembles Tillinghast's original design. Also, consistent with Tillinghast's "Course Beautiful, the pond on thirteen Upper was constructed in the late 1920's-fishing was the ulterior motive. This pond was regularly stocked with trout, and fly fishing only was permitted.

It is believed by the club that Tillinghast consulted on the various improvements and alterations through the end of his career in the late 1930’s.

The Amateur and the Open

The 1926 U.S. Amateur Championship was the coming out for the Lower Course which played to 6,750 yards. The tournament was a smashing success. The Lower was instantly embraced as one of our Nation's best. A.W Tillinghast was on hand for the event, basking in the praise for his creation from USGA officials, the players and the press.

The Upper's debut was the 1936 Open. The course was modified and improved in preparation for the event and played to 6,866 yards. The most radical change was made to the fourteenth hole. Prior to the event, the USGA and Baltusrol were debating whether to hold the Open on the Lower or the Upper. Two of our greatest amateur players, Bobby Jones and Francis Ouimet, inspected both courses. They recommended the Upper, but insisted that the fourteenth was a weak hole that had to be improved. Accordingly, the green was moved to the left of its original location. What is now a dry ditch was then a small dammed pond in front of the original green. The green required relocation primarily due to drainage problems. The men's tee was extended to its present location, having originally played from the current women's tee. Today the fourteenth is considered one of the Upper's most beautiful and memorable holes.

There was also some debate on eighteen Upper. The stir was over a large swale in front of the green-the last remnant of the old pot bunker on the Old Course. Instead of eighteen Upper, the USGA suggested using eighteen Lower. After some debate the Board insisted on using the Upper in its entirety and the swale was filled.

Major R. Avery Jones

The improvements to the Upper were overseen by Major R. Avery Jones and the Green Committee. In May of 1925 Major Jones was promoted to General Manager. But, he continued to oversee course maintenance. Jones always gave priority to the golf courses, for he recognized the importance of the courses to the success of Baltusrol. And he saw to it that the courses would “not be starved for the newer toys” by the “pulling at the treasury for funds” by other Club committees. His leadership maintained the continuity of this policy throughout the regular change of officers on the Board of Governors.

Since the 1936 Open, there have been practically no modifications of note to the Upper. There were, however, pro tees on the seventh and eleventh that fell from use and were later removed. The back tee on seven Upper can still be seen in the woods behind the existing tees. The eleventh played to over 600 yards from the old pro tee. (The Master Plan developed by Rees Jones restored both of these tees in advance of the 2000 Men’s Amateur.) In the Lower's case, there has been no major structural or routing changes since its opening in 1922. The only significant changes have been those undertaken to modernize the course for championship play.

The Flexible Design

Tillinghast had the foresight to design the Upper and Lower with flexibility in mind. This flexibility would allow the modernization of the Lower and Upper to keep up with technological advances in equipment. For instance, many of the original teeing grounds were built with room for lengthening. In Tillinghast's own words:

“In these days of long flying balls we are forced to insure the future values of the various holes against even more lively balls than those of the present. A few years since, a course which measured up to six thousand yards was regarded as a thoroughly satisfactory, championship test. Now we are creeping up to sixty- five and sixty-six hundred yard totals from the back teeing grounds, with the average daily play several hundred yards less. Holes of four hundred and twenty-five yards once were regarded as long two-shotters. Today we are adding fifty yards to this length because of the constant introduction of longer flying balls. We must endeavor to make modern courses as elastic as possible, and when we are forced to lengthen out it is far more economical to build new teeing grounds and hazards than to construct new putting greens.”

The aerial photo in Exhibit __ is of the Upper and Lower Courses in the mid-1930’s which would be the best reflection of the finished Tillinghast golf courses since first opening for play in the early 1920’s.

The Upper and Lower Courses – Post-Tillinghast

Tillinghast's Friend

In June of 1948, desiring another Open Championship, the Board of Governors formed a committee to consider improving and modernizing the golf courses. The committee wanted an outstanding architect to oversee the work and selected Robert Trent Jones. In addition to Jones, Francis Ouimet had agreed to act in an advisory capacity. In late 1948, the Committee reported that Mr. Jones suggested changes to make the Lower course fairer for the average golfer and more difficult for the low handicap golfer at a cost up to $25,000.

The Lower was lengthened and modernized at the hands of Robert Trent Jones, but it is sill, unmistakably, a Tillinghast creation. Jones, a personal friend of the original designer, went to considerable effort to maintain the “Tillinghast touch,” explaining, “In remodeling any golf course of quality, the object is to complement the work of the original. Any major changes should be in keeping with its style. What I did at Baltusrol, I believe, was faithful to the Tillinghast concept”

Many of the changes effected by Jones involved lengthening the course by approximately 400 yards to make it commensurate with the high-powered game that had evolved since Baltusrol last hosted the Open. In stretching the course to more than 7,000 yards, he added a number of fairway bunkers to emphasize the need for tee-shot accuracy. He also consolidated or enlarged sprawls of strategic sand near the greens, and he eliminated bunkers that were no longer of consequence. As predicted by Tillinghast thirty years earlier, improved course conditions, coupled with longer and more consistent golf balls and precision manufactured and balanced steel shaft clubs, had turned the Lower into a relatively short course.

Jones' most conspicuous changes were made to the beautiful fourth hole and the dogleg seventh. In both cases he enlarged the greens to receive longer shots. The fourth was lengthened by nearly 70 yards with two tees of 160 yards and 194 yards. The elbow of the seventh was sharpened with an alternate tee on the right. This hole was also reduced from a short par 5 to a maxi- mum par 4 of 470 yards for Open competition.

In designing the fourth hole, Tillinghast had used a pond that requires an absolute over-the-water carry to the green. Jones enhanced and strengthened the hole with a longer carry, a terraced green, and a narrow extension of the putting surface backed by bunkers. Both before and after Jones' modernization, four Lower has consistently been ranked as one of the best par 3's in the world. The "famous fourth" was also the scene of an ultimate squelch by Robert Trent Jones. After remodeling the hole, he was criticized for making it too difficult.

“Let's go play the hole and see if there is anything that needs to be done,” Jones suggested as he led the critic along with C. P. Burgess, General Chairman of the 1954 Open Championship, and pro Johnny Farrell to the fourth tee, where each struck a shot. After each of the first three had put his ball on the green, Jones played his and sank it for a hole-in-one. “Gentlemen, I think the hole is eminently fair,” the architect is reported to have said.

The fourth also has been the scene of several notable catastrophes. Arnold Palmer dumped his ball into the water during the 1967 Open. Augie Kammer, the Baltusrol great, took a 9 on the hole in a qualifying round of the 1926 U.S. Amateur. And another member, Henry Topping, vented his particular frustrations by throwing his entire bag of clubs into the pond.

1967 and 1980 Opens

When Baltusrol was awarded the 1967 Open, the decision on which course to play had still to be made. Upon touring both the Lower and the Upper, Joseph C. Dey Jr., Executive Director of the USGA, commented that the Upper was a nice course for the members, but the true test for the pros was the Lower. His opinion carried weight, and the decision was made to play the Open on the Lower. The Lower played to 7,015 yards, essentially as it did in the 1954 Open, although, on Dey's recommendation, two relatively minor structural changes were made. The right hand tee on the seventh was extended forward to shorten the hole to under 470 yards so it would play as an easier par 4 for the Open competition. On the sixteenth, a new tee was built behind the present front tee, extending this hole to approximately 214 yards.

Dey made one other recommendation that would dramatically change the Lower's look. This was the renovation of the bunkers. Over the years the edges of the bunkers had become quite ragged. To redefine the bunkers, over two acres of Merion blue grass sod was laid and 700 tons of sand were added. The purpose of the blue grass was to provide a uniform and fair lie. Pop up sprinkler heads were installed to keep the banks in verdant turf. Unfortunately, the blue grass was laid all the way to the floor of the bunker, eliminating the natural working of sand into the slope of a bunker that Tillinghast had so prized, and which brought the hazard into the player's view. Tillinghast was convinced that “a splash of white sand here and there does go a long way to dress up a golf course … use it with discrimination and above all, -- put it where it may be seen.”

For the 1980 Open, P.J. Boatwright, the respected USGA Tournament Director, recommended no structural changes, but he did want the rough grown in on numerous fairways. The impact was most pronounced on the seventeenth and eighteenth fairways the rough was grown in on the left, removing from play the Tillinghast opening to the green on both holes. This eliminated the choice of the left side as a landing area for the second shot and made the third shot to these holes a blind pitch.

The 1993 Open

In 1992, Rees Jones, son of Robert Trent Jones, was called in to make modifications for the 1993 U.S. Open. Rees had established his own reputation as Open Doctor through his restoration of The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts for the 1988 U.S. Open and his remodeling of Hazeltine National Golf Club inChaska, Minnesota for the 1991 U.S. Open.

The most noticeable change was increased length-the Lower was now 7,152 yards from the tips. Rees engineered a new pro tee on the third, a new alternate tee on the ninth, the enlargement of the twelfth tee, and the lengthening of the fifth, thirteenth, and fourteenth tees. New fairway bunkers were built on seven and eight, and the greenside bunker on four- teen was tucked around the left front of the green.

Despite the modernization, the Lower retains the flow and flavor of Tillinghast's design. The routing has remained unchanged, even in its most idiosyncratic feature – the audacious finish of back-to- back par 5's. This double whammy at the end of the round was regarded by Bobby Jones as “one of the great finishes in golf.” And thanks to the sensitive renovations by Robert Trent and Rees Jones, the shot values have remained essentially the same.

If the ultimate critics are the great players, than the Lower has remained one of the world's supreme tests. The consensus after the 1993 Open was unanimous-the golfers loved the course. One after another, they sang its praises as a strong fair golf course that put the driver back in their hands. They had nothing but respect for this venerable course which, they observed, was the first Open course in years that didn't need to be tricked up.

The Century Turns

While Tillinghast was well aware that all golf courses were living organisms, and that they had to grow and change, he urged caution, consistency, and faithful adherence to a single concept of design. As a course consultant for the PGA, he had witnessed many courses that had been changed “without any thought of a preconceived scheme of hazards. Consequently, the poor course resembles a crazy quilt.” Tillinghast attributed this to no continuity on the Green Committee. He noted that “each new chairman blindly rushes to a complete change on everything. And so it goes, every year or two there is a new regime and they each pull against the other, but in the meanwhile the course goes to the bow- wows.”

Over almost sixty years under the tutelage of the Jones' the Lower had been continually improved to keep up with the modern game. The Upper, however, had been left relatively unchanged since the 1936 Open. The club now felt that it was time for the Upper to catch up with its sister course, and, consequently, after the 1993 Open, Rees Jones was retained to prepare a long range master plan for the Upper. The objective was to pro-vide a harmonious program to improve the Upper over a five year period. The concept behind Jones' master plan was twofold-bring the course forward for the modem game and return it as closely as possible to the philosophy that Tillinghast articulated.

Rees Jones made approximately 80 recommendations. Most of them were relatively minor, such as restoring mowing patterns on greens and approaches, and trimming trees. The major changes involved modernizing the course much as Rees' father had done years earlier on the Lower. Implementation of the master plan began in 1994. The Upper course was ready for the 100th playing of the U.S. Men’s Amateur in 2000 and was heralded by all the contestants for its design and charm and challenge.

Recognizing that Baltusrol cannot rest on its laurels, Rees Jones developed a master plan for the Lower in preparation for the 2005 PGA Championship and beyond. Under the watchful eye of Jones, the Upper and Lower will continue to remain true to the ideals of their creator.

The aerial photo in Exhibit __ was taken in ___ . When compared to the aerial from the 1930’s (Exhibit __) it is clear that today’s Dual golf course is very much the same – from the routing of all 36 holes and the design of the greens and the strategic placement of bunkers and hazards – design as the Dual courses Tillinghast finished in the 1930’s.