Montclair CC....

[David Panzarasa]

I am just wondering if there is anywhere or anyone who has pictures of Montclair? going to play there next week and just wondering what some of the holes look like. Thank you
David

[Ian Andrew]

David,

I have no photos, but I can say regardles of which nines you play, you will discover a gem. If you have a choice play the 4th nine (Banks) for the shear fun it brings.

Small greens, wild contours, and hillside golf are all part of the enjoyment of the course. Enjoy.

[Patrick_Mucci]

David,

With 36 holes at your disposal you're in for a treat.

I'd suggest the 2nd and 4th nines as your first choice with the 3rd and 1st nines as the second choice.

Four holes on the 1st nine have been redone due to the tennis courts.  I'm not fond of any of them.  So has the 4th and I believe 5th green.

Other holes such as the 2nd, 3rd and 4th on the second nine and the 6th on the 3rd have been redone, mostly at the green end.   Some of those greens became too severe for modern speeds, which is unfortunate as they had tons of character.

Bobby Jones called Montclair the longest short course in America.   I think you'll like the Donald Ross, Charles Banks golf course.

Let us know your thoughts after you've played it.

[Matt_Ward]

David:

As an FYI -- Montclair goes by the tag "golf club" not "country club."

Pat is right about the 36 holes and I concur playing the #2 and #4 nines -- that combo is among my personal top 10-12 courses in NJ. Simply some of the most unique and fun holes you can play. The green complexes -- particularly the 1st on the 4th nine -- are truly well done and fit the landscape quite well.

For a course just over 6,500 yards it's amazing how l-o-n-g some of the holes can play.

Be also interested in your comments after you play.

[HamiltonBHearst]

Golf club, country club.  Interesting, I have not heard of many golf clubs that have remodeled four holes due to tennis courts.

[David Panzarasa]

Thanks to all.
 What do you mean that 4 holes were re-done do to tennis courts? Thanks again

[Matt_Ward]

What's interesting is that Montclair Golf Club in West Orange does have other activities (tennis, paddleball, swimming pool, etc, etc) beasides the 36 holes of golf while Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton simply has 27 holes of golf.

Sometimes the tag of "golf club " and "country club" can have different meanings and applications.

[Jerry Kluger]

What I remember about Montclair was that the caddie warned us in no uncertain terms that we could never be above the hole as the greens would be the fastest greens we ever played.  The greens were unbelievably quick and I doubt that they were designed with anywhere close to those speeds in mind.

[Matt_Ward]

Jerry:

Good point.

The greens of today were not meant to be cut to such a low height -- Montclair has a few that will make anyone cry -- just ask Peter Persons when he played in the finals of the '85 US Amateur and had his ball run off the 5th green on the 2nd nine!

The same thing holds true for the 10th at Alpine in Demarest -- the slope of the green is fine provided the cuts are not thaaaaat short.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Thanks to all.
 What do you mean that 4 holes were re-done do to tennis courts? Thanks again

David,

The Tennis courts were installed at the expense of three holes, the first, second and ninth, but, because of the cumbersome nature of going from the old 8th green to the ninth tee, the 8th hole was redone as well.

The first hole used to start near the road, with the tee to the second hole on the fenceline next to the road.
When the tennis courts were put in, along with a range, a new first hole was created west of the tennis courts.

The second tee was shifted from alongside the eastern boundary fence to a point well west of that.  However, the lower half of the hole, including the green remained intact, hence the hole is now a dogleg left.

The old 8th was a great little skyline green par 3. and the 9th a straight away hole back to the clubhouse.   The new 8th runs east to west and the new 9th sort of zig zags back to the clubhouse in an awkward fashion.

I also believe that the 4th and 5th greens were redone.
The 4th hole was one of the hardest holes I've ever encountered, tee to green and at the green end.

There used to be a saying: "If you can play at Montclair, you can play anywhere." due to the variety of the holes, lies and the greens.[/color]