Baltusrol (Lower)

The Baltusrol (Lower) golf course, situated at Springfield, New Jersey, has played host to the US Open a number of times.

History of the course

The Baltusrol Golf Club was formed in 1895 and is recognized as one of the first 100 clubs in the US. The original course was built on a 500-acre farm land owned by Louis Kellar. While designing the course, Keller drew inspiration from the Scottish courses that he had visited. The old clubhouse was destroyed in a fire in 1909 and a new one was built which still stands today.

In the twenties, the original course was abolished and two different courses came up in its place. The famous golf course designer A W Tillinghast designed both the courses. The Lower Course stretches on flat, open land and the greens are surrounded by mounds and bunkers that are a little rugged. The fairways are liberal while the greens are undulating. The course features only one pond which comes into play on the fourth hole.

The Lower Course was resigned in 1952 by Robert Trent Jones and again in 1992 by his son Rees Jones.

Course Trivia

• The Baltusrol Golf Club is the first club to host an US President, when William Howard Taft visited it in 1912.
• The club has hosted the US Open seven times, US Amateur Championships fopur times and the US Women's Open twice. In 2005, it hosted The PGA Championship for the first time.
• The fourth hole is the signature hole. Here the golfer has to drive the ball over the pond on its way to the green.

The Baltusrol (Lower) holds the 40 th spot in Golf Digest magazine's list of top 100 golf courses in the US. As we continue on this tour we will learn about the other top-100 golf courses in the world.