Baltusrol Golf Club
Encyclopedia
The Baltusrol Golf Club is a private 36-hole golf club located in Springfield Township
, Union County
, New Jersey
. Among the many prestigious tournaments it has hosted, Baltusrol was most recently the site of the 2005 PGA Championship
. The course architect
is A. W. Tillinghast
, though the original course (which no longer exists) was designed by Louis Keller
.
Normally, the Lower Course is a par
72, but for major championships
, it plays to par 70.
, who was the publisher of the New York Social Register. He owned 500 acre
s (2 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
. In 1922, Tillinghast oversaw the construction of the Upper and Lower Courses.
In 1952, Robert Trent Jones
redesigned the course. The course was again redesigned by Rees Jones
in 1992 in preparation for the 1993 U.S. Open and possibly the 2005 PGA Championship. 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".
-sponsored tournament
and one PGA
tournament. It has hosted the U.S. Open
seven times, in 1903, 1915, 1936, 1954, 1967, 1980, and 1993. It has hosted the U.S. Amateur Championship four times, in 1904, 1926, 1946, and 2000. It has hosted the U.S. Women's Open twice, in 1961 and 1985. It has hosted the U.S. Women's Amateur twice, in 1901 and 1911. The 2005 PGA Championship was Baltusrol's first time hosting a PGA Championship. On August 6, 2008, the 2016 PGA Championship was awarded to Baltusrol.
On the second day of the 2005 PGA Championship, a branch off of a red oak
tree on the par three fourth hole fell down, injuring a spectator and two employees of CBS Sports
. This happened while the grouping of Michael Campbell
, Kevin Sutherland
, and Tiger Woods
was on the hole. Thunderstorm
s suspended the fourth round twice. Play was resumed on Monday August 15, and Phil Mickelson
was the victor.
Source
Bolded years are major championships
on the PGA Tour
to 5:00 P.M.
The course is not open to the public. Guests are permitted to play with a member. The dress code states that denim
is not allowed and that a collared shirt is required. Metal spiked shoes and fivesomes are not allowed. Only long pants (khakis) can be worn, except for July 1-September 1 when Bermuda length shorts are permitted. Moreover, cellphone use is not permitted on the course or on club grounds except in one's car. The course is open year round. The green fees for guests of members are $
150. Players are required to use a caddy between the hours of 7am and 2pm. The fairways and greens are bent grass
. The greens are aerated in April, late August and November, after the season ends, and there is overseeding of Penn A4 Bentgrass.
History - Baltusrol Golf Club was named after Mr. Baltus Roll, an immigrant from England who lived in Summit. He was murdered in 1831 by thieves in search of his "treasure" outside of his house. Locals found two of the would-be thieves and one was hanged by them and the other turned himself in.
. Audubon International uses criteria of environmental planning
, wildlife
and habitat
management, chemical usage reduction and safety, water conservation
, and water quality management. Only 526 golf courses in the world have been designated as Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries.
. Both courses have two ponds coming into play. On the Lower Course, the 4th hole and the 18th hole have ponds, and on the Upper Course, the 9th and the 13th holes have ponds. As of 2010, Baltusrol Golf Club holds the distinction of being the only two-course club to ever host both the U.S. Men's and Women's Open Championships on both of its courses.
of 150. For the 2005 PGA Championship, the course measured 7392 yards (6,759.2 m) and was par 70. From the white tees, the course measures 6652 yards (6,082.6 m) with a course rating of 72.7 and a slope rating of 139. From the gold tees, the course measures 6325 yards (5,783.6 m) with a course rating of 71.3 and a slope rating of 137. From the ladies' tees, the course measures 5981 yards (5,469 m) with a course rating of 76.1 and a slope rating of 135. In its listing of the "Top 100 Courses in the U.S.", GOLF Magazine selected the Lower Course as 22nd in 1995, 1997, and 1999.
Three signature holes include the fourth, a par three of 194 yards (177.4 m) where the player must hit his or her ball over the pond to a two-tiered green, the seventeenth, a par five of 650 yards (594.4 m) where John Daly
is the only player to ever reach the green in two (Tiger Woods actually hit it over the green in two shots at the '05 PGA Championship), and the eighteenth, a par five of 533 yards (487.4 m) famous for spectacular performances by Furgol, Nicklaus, and Mickelson.
. The Upper Course has hosted three of the club's national championship including the 1936 U.S. Open. GOLF Magazine's "Top 100 Courses in the U.S." selected the Upper Course 89th in 1997 and 74th in 1999.
Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey
Township of Springfield is a township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population increased to a record high of 15,817....
, Union County
Union County, New Jersey
Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 536,499. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Elizabeth. Union County ranks 93rd among the highest-income counties in the United States. It also ranks 74th in...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Among the many prestigious tournaments it has hosted, Baltusrol was most recently the site of the 2005 PGA Championship
2005 PGA Championship
The 2005 PGA Championship was the 87th PGA Championship, played from August 11 to August 15 at the Baltusrol Golf Club Lower Course in Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey. It was the first PGA Championship held at Baltusrol, which had hosted the U.S. Open seven times, and was the first...
. The course architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
is A. W. Tillinghast
A. W. Tillinghast
Albert Warren "Tillie" Tillinghast was a noted American golf course architect. Tillinghast was one of the most prolific architects in the history of golf; he worked on no fewer than 265 different courses....
, though the original course (which no longer exists) was designed by Louis Keller
Louis Keller
Louis Keller is best known as the German-American New Yorker of wide social acquaintance who assembled and published the New York Social Register, which first appeared in 1886...
.
Normally, the Lower Course is a par
Par (score)
The word "par" is a term in the game of golf used to denote the pre-determined number of strokes that a scratch golfer should require to complete a hole, a round , or a tournament...
72, but for major championships
Men's major golf championships
The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
, it plays to par 70.
History
The land that Baltusrol is on was purchased in the 1890s by Louis KellerLouis Keller
Louis Keller is best known as the German-American New Yorker of wide social acquaintance who assembled and published the New York Social Register, which first appeared in 1886...
, who was the publisher of the New York Social Register. He owned 500 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s (2 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
Country club
A country club is a private club, often with a closed membership, that typically offers a variety of recreational sports facilities and is located in city outskirts or rural areas. Activities may include, for example, any of golf, tennis, swimming or polo...
burned down. Its replacement became the first clubhouse to host a President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
. In 1922, Tillinghast oversaw the construction of the Upper and Lower Courses.
In 1952, Robert Trent Jones
Robert Trent Jones
Robert Trent Jones, Sr. was a golf course architect who designed about 500 golf courses in at least 40 US states and 35 other countries all around the world...
redesigned the course. The course was again redesigned by Rees Jones
Rees Jones
Rees Jones is an American golf course architect.He was born in Montclair, New Jersey the son of legendary golf course designer Robert Trent Jones and the younger brother of golf course designer Robert Trent Jones, Jr...
in 1992 in preparation for the 1993 U.S. Open and possibly the 2005 PGA Championship. Some famous golfers to win tournaments at Baltusrol include Ed Furgol
Ed Furgol
Edward Joseph Furgol was an American professional golfer.When he was twelve years of age, Furgol injured his left elbow when he fell off a set of parallel bars. The elbow never healed correctly and Furgol was left with a crooked arm as a result...
, Mickey Wright
Mickey Wright
Mary Kathryn "Mickey" Wright is an American professional golfer. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.-Early life:...
, Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
, Lee Janzen
Lee Janzen
Lee McLeod Janzen is an American golfer who is best known for twice winning the U.S. Open, in 1993 and 1998.-Early years and amateur career:...
, and Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson
Philip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed...
. In 1995, Golf Magazine
Golf Magazine
Golf Magazine is a monthly golf magazine owned by Time Inc.. It was started in 1960 by Universal Publishing and Distributing, who sold it to Times Mirror in 1972. Time Inc. acquired it in 2000. It was the world's most widely read golf publication from August 2006 to January 2007. The magazine is...
recognized Baltusrol as one of "The First 100 Clubs in America".
Tournaments hosted
In its history, Baltusrol has hosted 15 USGAUnited States Golf Association
The United States Golf Association is the United States' national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the Rules of Golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system...
-sponsored tournament
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
and one PGA
Professional Golfers' Association of America
Founded in 1916, the Professional Golfers' Association of America is headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and is made up of more than 28,000 men and women golf professional members...
tournament. It has hosted the U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
seven times, in 1903, 1915, 1936, 1954, 1967, 1980, and 1993. It has hosted the U.S. Amateur Championship four times, in 1904, 1926, 1946, and 2000. It has hosted the U.S. Women's Open twice, in 1961 and 1985. It has hosted the U.S. Women's Amateur twice, in 1901 and 1911. The 2005 PGA Championship was Baltusrol's first time hosting a PGA Championship. On August 6, 2008, the 2016 PGA Championship was awarded to Baltusrol.
On the second day of the 2005 PGA Championship, a branch off of a red oak
Northern Red Oak
Quercus rubra, commonly called northern red oak or champion oak, , is an oak in the red oak group . It is a native of North America, in the northeastern United States and southeast Canada...
tree on the par three fourth hole fell down, injuring a spectator and two employees of CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
. This happened while the grouping of Michael Campbell
Michael Campbell
Michael Shane Campbell, CNZM is a New Zealand golfer who is best known for having won the 2005 U.S. Open and the richest prize in golf, the £1,000,000 HSBC World Match Play Championship, in the same year. He is a member of the European Tour.Ethnically, he is predominantly Māori, from the Ngati...
, Kevin Sutherland
Kevin Sutherland
Kevin John Sutherland is an American professional golfer.Sutherland was born in Sacramento, California and graduated from Christian Brothers High School. He attended Fresno State University and made the golf team as a walk-on freshman...
, and Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
was on the hole. Thunderstorm
Thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
s suspended the fourth round twice. Play was resumed on Monday August 15, and Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson
Philip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed...
was the victor.
National championships hosted
| Year | Tournament | Course | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | U.S. Women's Amateur | Old Course | Genevieve Hecker Genevieve Hecker Genevieve Hecker was an American amateur golfer. A member of the Essex County Country Club in West Orange, New Jersey, she won New York City's Metropolitan Golf Championship in 1900, 1901, 1905, and 1906.-Biography:... |
| 1903 | U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
Old Course | Willie Anderson Willie Anderson (golfer) William Law Anderson was a Scottish immigrant to the United States who became the first golfer to win four U.S. Opens, with victories in 1901, 1903, 1904, and 1905. He is still the only man to win three consecutive titles, and only Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, and Jack Nicklaus have equalled his total... |
| 1904 | U.S. Amateur | Old Course | Chandler Egan Chandler Egan Henry Chandler Egan was an American amateur golfer and golf course architect of the early 20th century.-Early life and college:... |
| 1911 | U.S. Women's Amateur | Old Course | Margaret Curtis Margaret Curtis Margaret Curtis was an American golf and tennis champion and lifelong social worker.From the Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts area, she was the youngest of ten children. Her father was a colonel in the Union Army cavalry during the American Civil War... |
| 1915 | U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
Revised Course | Jerome Travers Jerome Travers Jerome Dunstan "Jerry" Travers was one of the leading amateur golfers of the early 20th century. He won the U.S. Amateur in 1907, 1908, 1912 and 1913, the New Jersey Amateur three times, and the Metropolitan Amateur five times. He was regarded as one of the finest match play golfers of his time... |
| 1926 | U.S. Amateur | Lower Course | George Von Elm |
| 1936 1936 U.S. Open Golf Championship The 1936 U.S. Open Championship was a golf competition held at the Baltusrol Golf Club. Tony Manero won the championship.... |
U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
Upper Course | Tony Manero Tony Manero Anthony T. Manero was an American golfer. He won eight times on the PGA Tour including one major championship, the 1936 U.S. Open. He played on the 1937 Ryder Cup team. He was born in New York, New York and died in Greenwich, Connecticut. Manero was originally spelled Mainiero... |
| 1946 | U.S. Amateur | Lower Course | Stanley E. Bishop |
| 1954 1954 U.S. Open Golf Championship The 1954 U.S. Open Championship was a golf competition held at Baltusrol Golf Club.Ed Furgol won the championship.-Final leaderboard:-External links:*... |
U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
Lower Course | Ed Furgol Ed Furgol Edward Joseph Furgol was an American professional golfer.When he was twelve years of age, Furgol injured his left elbow when he fell off a set of parallel bars. The elbow never healed correctly and Furgol was left with a crooked arm as a result... |
| 1961 1961 U.S. Women's Open Golf Championship The 1961 U.S. Women's Open Golf Championship was contested from June 29 to July 1 at Baltusrol Golf Club. It was the 16th edition of the U.S. Women's Open.This event was won by Mickey Wright.-Final leaderboard:-External links:***... |
U.S. Women's Open | Lower Course | Mickey Wright Mickey Wright Mary Kathryn "Mickey" Wright is an American professional golfer. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.-Early life:... |
| 1967 1967 U.S. Open Golf Championship The 1967 U.S. Open Championship was the 67th U.S. Open played June 15-18 at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey. Jack Nicklaus won the championship.-Final leaderboard:-External links:* - at www.golfobserver.com... |
U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
Lower Course | Jack Nicklaus Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a... |
| 1980 1980 U.S. Open Golf Championship The 1980 United States Open Championship was the 80th U.S. Open. The event was held from June 12-15 at Baltusrol Golf Club, Lower Course in Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey. Jack Nicklaus won his fourth U.S. Open and 16th major title by two strokes over Isao Aoki.-Final... |
U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
Lower Course | Jack Nicklaus Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a... |
| 1985 1985 U.S. Women's Open Golf Championship The 1985 U.S. Women's Open Golf Championship was contested from July 11 to July 14 at Baltusrol Golf Club. It was the 40th edition of the U.S. Women's Open.This event was won by Kathy Guadagnino.-Final leaderboard:-External links:**... |
U.S. Women's Open | Upper Course | Kathy Guadagnino Kathy Guadagnino Kathy Guadagnino is an American golfer. Up to 1987 she played under her maiden name of Kathy Baker. She attended the University of Tulsa and South Florida Bible College and Theological Seminary and was a 1983 rookie on the LPGA Tour. In 1985 she was a surprise winner of the U.S. Women's Open at... |
| 1993 1993 U.S. Open Golf Championship The 1993 United States Open Championship was the 93rd U.S. Open. The event was held from June 17–20 at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey. Lee Janzen won his first major championship by two strokes over Payne Stewart.... |
U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
Lower Course | Lee Janzen Lee Janzen Lee McLeod Janzen is an American golfer who is best known for twice winning the U.S. Open, in 1993 and 1998.-Early years and amateur career:... |
| 2000 | U.S. Amateur | Medal-U&L/Match-U | Jeff Quinney Jeff Quinney Jeffrey Michael Quinney is an American professional golfer.Quinney was born in Eugene, Oregon. He had a successful amateur career, winning the U.S. Amateur in 2000, and represented the USA in the Walker Cup in 2001.... |
| 2005 2005 PGA Championship The 2005 PGA Championship was the 87th PGA Championship, played from August 11 to August 15 at the Baltusrol Golf Club Lower Course in Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey. It was the first PGA Championship held at Baltusrol, which had hosted the U.S. Open seven times, and was the first... |
PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
Lower Course | Phil Mickelson Phil Mickelson Philip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed... |
| 2016 | PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
Lower Course | TBD |
Source
Bolded years are major championships
Men's major golf championships
The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
on the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
General information
The pro shop is open from 6:30 A.M.12-hour clock
The 12-hour clock is a time conversion convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods called ante meridiem and post meridiem...
to 5:00 P.M.
12-hour clock
The 12-hour clock is a time conversion convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods called ante meridiem and post meridiem...
The course is not open to the public. Guests are permitted to play with a member. The dress code states that denim
Denim
Denim is a rugged cotton twill textile, in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. This produces the familiar diagonal ribbing identifiable on the reverse of the fabric, which distinguishes denim from cotton duck. Denim has been in American usage since the late 18th century...
is not allowed and that a collared shirt is required. Metal spiked shoes and fivesomes are not allowed. Only long pants (khakis) can be worn, except for July 1-September 1 when Bermuda length shorts are permitted. Moreover, cellphone use is not permitted on the course or on club grounds except in one's car. The course is open year round. The green fees for guests of members are $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
150. Players are required to use a caddy between the hours of 7am and 2pm. The fairways and greens are bent grass
Agrostis
Agrostis is a genus of over 100 species belonging to the grass family Poaceae, commonly referred to as the bent grasses...
. The greens are aerated in April, late August and November, after the season ends, and there is overseeding of Penn A4 Bentgrass.
History - Baltusrol Golf Club was named after Mr. Baltus Roll, an immigrant from England who lived in Summit. He was murdered in 1831 by thieves in search of his "treasure" outside of his house. Locals found two of the would-be thieves and one was hanged by them and the other turned himself in.
Audubon certification
Audubon International has designated the Baltusrol Golf Club a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. First bestowed to Baltusrol in 1999, Audubon International recognizes that Baltusrol manages its lands with concern to the environmentEnvironment (biophysical)
The biophysical environment is the combined modeling of the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment, and includes all variables, parameters as well as conditions and modes inside the Earth's biosphere. The biophysical environment can be divided into two categories:...
. Audubon International uses criteria of environmental planning
Environmental planning
Environmental Planning is the process of facilitating decision making to carry out development with due consideration given to the natural environmental, social, political, economic and governance factors and provides a holistic frame work to achieve sustainable outcomes.-Elements of environmental...
, wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
and habitat
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
management, chemical usage reduction and safety, water conservation
Water conservation
Water conservation refers to reducing the usage of water and recycling of waste water for different purposes such as cleaning, manufacturing, and agricultural irrigation.- Water conservation :Water conservation can be defined as:...
, and water quality management. Only 526 golf courses in the world have been designated as Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries.
Course information
Both courses are similar in that they have undulating greens, the upper more than the lower, and rolling terrainTerrain
Terrain, or land relief, is the vertical and horizontal dimension of land surface. When relief is described underwater, the term bathymetry is used...
. Both courses have two ponds coming into play. On the Lower Course, the 4th hole and the 18th hole have ponds, and on the Upper Course, the 9th and the 13th holes have ponds. As of 2010, Baltusrol Golf Club holds the distinction of being the only two-course club to ever host both the U.S. Men's and Women's Open Championships on both of its courses.
Lower Course
The Lower Course normally measures 7015 yards (6,414.5 m) from the blue tees and is a par 72 with a course rating of 74.5 and a slope ratingSlope rating
The slope rating of a golf course is a measure of its difficulty for bogey golfers. The term comes from the fact that when playing on more difficult courses, players' scores will rise more quickly than their handicaps would predict. The "slope rating" of a course thus predicts that rise...
of 150. For the 2005 PGA Championship, the course measured 7392 yards (6,759.2 m) and was par 70. From the white tees, the course measures 6652 yards (6,082.6 m) with a course rating of 72.7 and a slope rating of 139. From the gold tees, the course measures 6325 yards (5,783.6 m) with a course rating of 71.3 and a slope rating of 137. From the ladies' tees, the course measures 5981 yards (5,469 m) with a course rating of 76.1 and a slope rating of 135. In its listing of the "Top 100 Courses in the U.S.", GOLF Magazine selected the Lower Course as 22nd in 1995, 1997, and 1999.
Three signature holes include the fourth, a par three of 194 yards (177.4 m) where the player must hit his or her ball over the pond to a two-tiered green, the seventeenth, a par five of 650 yards (594.4 m) where John Daly
John Daly (golfer)
John Patrick Daly is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour.Daly is known primarily for his driving distance off the tee , his non-country club appearance and attitude, and his rough-and-tumble personal life. Daly remains one of the most popular and intriguing figures on the PGA Tour...
is the only player to ever reach the green in two (Tiger Woods actually hit it over the green in two shots at the '05 PGA Championship), and the eighteenth, a par five of 533 yards (487.4 m) famous for spectacular performances by Furgol, Nicklaus, and Mickelson.
Upper Course
From the blue tees, the Upper Course is a par 72 and measures 6866 yards (6,278.3 m) with a course rating of 72.9 and a slope rating of 131. From the white tees, the course measures 6449 yards (5,897 m), with a course rating of 71.0 and a slope rating of 128. From the red tees, the course measures 5895 yards (5,390.4 m), with a course rating of 74.8 and a slope rating of 133. Of the two courses, the Upper Course has the narrower fairways and greens, as the first six holes and the final two are built on the side of a hill, part of the Watchung Mountain RangeWatchung Mountains
The Watchung Mountains are a group of three long low ridges of volcanic origin, between 400 ft. and 500 ft. high, lying parallel to each other in northern New Jersey in the United States...
. The Upper Course has hosted three of the club's national championship including the 1936 U.S. Open. GOLF Magazine's "Top 100 Courses in the U.S." selected the Upper Course 89th in 1997 and 74th in 1999.