Baltusrol Golf Club - History

History

The land that Baltusrol is on was purchased in the 1890s by Louis Keller, who was the publisher of the New York Social Register. He owned 500 acres (2.0 km2) of land in Springfield Township. On October 19, 1895, Keller announced that the Baltusrol Golf Club would open. The land is named for Baltus Roll, who was murdered at his home on February 22, 1831, at age 61. In 1909, the original clubhouse burned down. Its replacement became the first clubhouse to host a President of the United States, William Howard Taft. Tillinghast oversaw the construction of the Upper and Lower Courses and served as the club's architect until his death in 1942.

In 1948, Robert Trent Jones was retained to update and lengthen the Lower course for tournament play. The Lower course was lengthened again by Rees Jones in 1992 in preparation for the 1993 U.S. Open, and the 2005 PGA Championship. Rees Jones also updated and lengthened the Upper course in advance of the 2000 U.S. Amateur. On both the Lower and Upper courses Rees Jones and his Senior Designer Steve Weisser reinstated and restored various Tillinghast design features which had been lost over the years. Some famous golfers to win tournaments at Baltusrol include Ed Furgol, Mickey Wright, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Janzen, and Phil Mickelson. In 1995, Golf Magazine recognized Baltusrol as one of "The First 100 Clubs in America".