RIVERVALE CC (AKA Bergen Hills CC) Orrin E. Smith Designed (PICS)

[Richard Hetzel]

Their website touts this as a collaboration between Donald Ross and Orrin E. Smith, but I don't believe that Donald Ross was involved. I liked the front 9 here s bit, the back 9 less so. The nines don't really appear to "match up" with each other. They did a great job with some of the green complexes here...excellent bunkering as well. Here are a few pictures....my father caddied here as a kid in the 1950's. the land here is worth a lot more than the course itself as a golf business, I am surprised they have fended off developers for this long..

[Dave Bourgeois]

Way too many trees!  If they restored the playing angles and increased the fun quotent I think they would get more play.

Why spend money on cartpath curbs when there are ways to make the golf experience way better?

[Matt_Ward]

Dave:

The photos you have seen do not really reflect the width that exists on many holes.

River Vale is quite good and one of the better public course options in North Jersey and the greater NYC metro area.


Rich:

Developers wanted houses a few years back. The town rebuffed the efforts and they decided to stay with the course.