[NAF]

Because of some guest rules at my home club I recently visited the Bergen Hills GC in River Vale, NJ.  The course's first incarnation was as the River Vale CC and it has gone to the semi private model.  I didnt know anything about it, despite being about 20 minutes from where I grew up.  Much to my chagrin, the scorecard had an old picture of Donald Ross on it with the inscription, "Masterfully designed by Donald Ross----and Orrin Smith".  Hmmn, I know of some Donald Ross courses in Bergen County like Knickerbocker CC in Tenafly, NJ so I know he was in the vicinity (I think he also did the deceased Englewood GC or worked on it).  Orrin Smith I recall was Ross' construction supervisor and worked extensively in the Northeast.  Anyway, the course was designed in 1931- curiously the same year my home club Alpine CC opened.  This area of Bergen County was Tillinghast property, he lived in nearby Harrington Park and was active then on Ridgewood CC etc.

A quick gander at the scorecard revealed the 8th hole was called "Redan".  I wondered if Ross ever built a Redan, I've never seen one. Of course, the 8th was not a Redan when I got there.

Regardless, I only played the front 9 holes and was not unimpressed.  The course had a classic look about it that reminded me of the 1st nine at Montclair GC.  The property was rolling and there were several Ross like plateau greens and a look of steam shovel Banks like bunkers.  Unfortunately thru my tour, excessive tree plantings and lack of bunker upkeep had narrowed the course and choked many angles but the basics for a good course are all there.  In fact, the opportunities for several great holes are all in tact.  The course borders Lake Tappan and is scenic to boot.  I'm not sure who has worked on the course since it was built but this could be a great restoration that will probably never happen as the semi private model they are employing makes it a hacker haven--or was when I was there.  After my mom almost got hit 3 times by the people behind us, we called it quits--there are several blind shots in spot.  In fact the best hole #6, has a blind rising fairway teeshot.

When I got home, I looked at Dr. Brad Klein's book to see if the course was in it.  It does not seem Ross designed this according to the Ross course guide in the back of the book as it was not listed.  I then surmised this was probably all done by Smith perhaps to a Ross topo design and he never visited.  So would you think this course is an Orrin Smith or Donald Ross.  Perhaps Ross did nothing at all for the club and they are just trying to cash in to sell semi-private memberships.  I don't know, I didnt see the back but I don't know if the owners know what they have here.




www.bergenhills.com

[Brad Klein]

Please note that the 1993 edition of the Cornish & Whitten book, "The Architects of Golf," lists River Vale CC in NJ as designed by Orrin Smith in 1931.

[Mike_Sweeney]

Noel,

The back nine is not as good as the front, but not a significant dropoff either. The course was owned for years by a Japanese group and had a reputation for slow play.....

The investor group that bought it tried to make it 9 holes and develop the rest for housing. Rumor is they have no chance, and are looking to sell. I would like to see RDC buy it, they currently are managing it, and put a little more tree work into it.

To their credit, I believe that RDC brought in the Orrin Smith name as the previous group was using the Ross name. I think The Jersey Golfer guy gave it a 5.0 or 5.5 with the potential for more.

It is tight and short in some spots, but sitting next to a reservoir and houses barely touching the third and fourth holes, it is an amazing property for 15 minutes from the George Washington Bridge.

PS. I just noticed the other day that Orrin Smith did Longshore the town course in Westport, CT.

[Dave_Miller]

Please note that the 1993 edition of the Cornish & Whitten book, "The Architects of Golf," lists River Vale CC in NJ as designed by Orrin Smith in 1931.

Brad:
You can't take everything Cornish & Whitten say as gospel. They also state Charles River was redesigned by a guy named Valentine.  We were able to show that was just inaccurate information and not at all true.
Best
Dave

[Brad Klein]

Dave, of course they have some mistakes, but that would not be a reason to toss everything. My point was to show that there's some good reason to believe that Orrin Smith did the course, esp. when viewed in conjunction with what I have in my Ross book and what NAF was saying about Bergen Hills/River Vale.

[Neil Regan]

     I used to play River Vale frequently. Whoever did it, Smith or Ross, knew what he was doing. It's a very fun course with greens that can be superb if maintained properly. (How many times have you heard that ?)  The values of the shot options are pretty clear to even numbskulls, and the recovery shots are fun and attainable (or at least attemptable) by golfers of all sorts. That helmets are now required suggests that golfers had better manners years ago.

  Noel, get to work. Find out the truth. I'll bet it's an eye-opener.

 

[Mike_Cirba]

From a search, nothing definitive, but the place was evidently quite popular for a course built at the start of the depression...

Danny O’ Neill was a radio personality and a great Irish tenor who lived for a couple of years on Poplar Road. The back of his house backed up to the River Vale Country Club, where he spent most of his time anyway. You can still hear some of his records being played on the radio around St. Patrick's Day. During the mid to late ’30’s many well-known people would come to Handwerg’s River Vale Country Club and play golf there or just hang out for the day. It was the best "open" golf course in Northern New Jersey and people such as Jack Benny, Fred Allen, The Dorsey Brothers, Benny Goodman, Barry Wood, Rocky Graziano, Joe Louis and many, many more personalities, whose names I have forgotten, found that place as a great spot to relax on a weekend. In the days of radio, much of the entertainment came from New York City.

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