Somerset Hills Country Club
By Chris Mavros, www.Golfadelphia.com
6,784 yards, 137 slope from the Blues
Course: In Bernardsville, NJ, which is about 50 miles west of downtown New York City, is Somerset Hills Country Club. Designed by A.W. Tillinghast in 1917 as one of his earlier works, the course remains almost completely untouched from its original design. It is consistently ranked as one of the best 100 courses in the world, currently 75th by Golf Magazine. While the pedigree of SHCC is impressive, it’s the understated charm that pervades through the place that captures the soul and burns into the memory book of rounds immortal. In the serene countryside of quiet boroughs, horse farms and wooded hills of New Jersey that’s fairly unknown to most, the surrounds are an idyllic setting for golf. Driving onto the property along the long entrance road, a sign greets you informing you have arrived while the course rolls out to you on the left, glorious yet unassuming. The grass tennis courts appear on your right, just before the small and elegant clubhouse and even smaller pro shop. A sense of comfort washed over me as I got out of the car, one of the first to arrive that day. Refined and discrete, I instantly knew I was some where special.
The course is set on diverse terrain with rolling hills, knolls, streams and lakes, which was the site of a former race track. The contrast of each nine holes is striking; the front more open and wide with wild green complexes and the back very much parkland, with trees creating angles, more forced carries and the greens calming just a bit.
The change in setting and play of each set of nine holes was impressive, the green complexes were a lot of fun and strategy from tee to green was exactly the kind of golf I enjoy. In fact, my round here may have made Tillinghast my favorite golf course architect. While Seth Raynor has enjoyed that spot for quite some time and it may be a 1 and 1a situation, there’s a complexity to Tilly’s courses that fits each landscape brilliantly. While Raynor was genius at melding template holes into various landscapes to create remarkable courses with sharp edges and shapes, Tilly wove tapestries with layers upon layers, never to be played the same, that rise, fall and crescendo, leaving no uncertainty after the round that you have just truly lived. Tilly’s range of design is likewise historic. Look no further than Somerset to Bethpage Black to see just how diverse Tilly was. For its complexity, contrast and greens amidst its natural and civilized charm, Somerset Hills is in my upper echelon of courses played.
I was greeted with a warm welcome by the pro and caddie master, then shown where the men’s locker and driving range. And that was it. Left to my own devices as I waited for the rest of my group, I changed in the men’s locker room, admiring the photos posted throughout, and made my way to the range.
One of the random things I love about golf is being one of the first people on the course in the morning. The sounds of the day starting, birds chirping, mowers mowing, holes being cut into the greens and the course to myself. Warming up on the range, putting green and short game area alone, in such a tranquil setting, with world class golf ahead of me, with all the promise a round of golf holds as the sun rises; well, it’s certainly spiritual. And before I knew it, others started to share in morning, the rest of my group arrived, we met our caddies and were off to the First tee, embarking on yet another fascinating round... Continue Reading Here
6,784 yards, 137 slope from the Blues
Course: In Bernardsville, NJ, which is about 50 miles west of downtown New York City, is Somerset Hills Country Club. Designed by A.W. Tillinghast in 1917 as one of his earlier works, the course remains almost completely untouched from its original design. It is consistently ranked as one of the best 100 courses in the world, currently 75th by Golf Magazine. While the pedigree of SHCC is impressive, it’s the understated charm that pervades through the place that captures the soul and burns into the memory book of rounds immortal. In the serene countryside of quiet boroughs, horse farms and wooded hills of New Jersey that’s fairly unknown to most, the surrounds are an idyllic setting for golf. Driving onto the property along the long entrance road, a sign greets you informing you have arrived while the course rolls out to you on the left, glorious yet unassuming. The grass tennis courts appear on your right, just before the small and elegant clubhouse and even smaller pro shop. A sense of comfort washed over me as I got out of the car, one of the first to arrive that day. Refined and discrete, I instantly knew I was some where special.
The course is set on diverse terrain with rolling hills, knolls, streams and lakes, which was the site of a former race track. The contrast of each nine holes is striking; the front more open and wide with wild green complexes and the back very much parkland, with trees creating angles, more forced carries and the greens calming just a bit.
The change in setting and play of each set of nine holes was impressive, the green complexes were a lot of fun and strategy from tee to green was exactly the kind of golf I enjoy. In fact, my round here may have made Tillinghast my favorite golf course architect. While Seth Raynor has enjoyed that spot for quite some time and it may be a 1 and 1a situation, there’s a complexity to Tilly’s courses that fits each landscape brilliantly. While Raynor was genius at melding template holes into various landscapes to create remarkable courses with sharp edges and shapes, Tilly wove tapestries with layers upon layers, never to be played the same, that rise, fall and crescendo, leaving no uncertainty after the round that you have just truly lived. Tilly’s range of design is likewise historic. Look no further than Somerset to Bethpage Black to see just how diverse Tilly was. For its complexity, contrast and greens amidst its natural and civilized charm, Somerset Hills is in my upper echelon of courses played.
I was greeted with a warm welcome by the pro and caddie master, then shown where the men’s locker and driving range. And that was it. Left to my own devices as I waited for the rest of my group, I changed in the men’s locker room, admiring the photos posted throughout, and made my way to the range.
One of the random things I love about golf is being one of the first people on the course in the morning. The sounds of the day starting, birds chirping, mowers mowing, holes being cut into the greens and the course to myself. Warming up on the range, putting green and short game area alone, in such a tranquil setting, with world class golf ahead of me, with all the promise a round of golf holds as the sun rises; well, it’s certainly spiritual. And before I knew it, others started to share in morning, the rest of my group arrived, we met our caddies and were off to the First tee, embarking on yet another fascinating round... Continue Reading Here
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