Somerset Hills Country Club

Somerset Hills Country Club sits on former estate land in the New Jersey hunt country, where A.W. Tillinghast laid out one of his earliest and most admired courses, opened in 1918. Construction began around 1916, and the routing has survived largely intact, making it one of the most authentic Tillinghast designs anywhere. The two nines contrast sharply: the front plays over open, rolling ground that once held a horse track, while the back turns into wooded terrain where Tillinghast worked natural streams and ponds into the strategy. His study of Scottish golf shows in the celebrated Redan second hole and the par-five ninth with its cross hazard. The club has hosted several USGA championships over the decades. In 2018 Gil Hanse's firm completed a careful restoration that recovered lost features while preserving the original character, and the course consistently ranks among the top courses in the world.