Jim Surico

Baltusrol Golf Club unveiled its newly restored Upper Course to the golf world today, and it is exceptional. Since I first visited Baltusrol, I’ve always loved the Upper - this 1922 A.W. Tillinghast design sits to the northwest of its sibling and slightly higher up the base of the First Watchung Mountain (hence, the “Upper). The rolling terrain and elevation change always made this one fun to play, but I always thought a restoration would make it world-class. Enter Gil Hanse, whose resume and track record of working on the world’s great classic courses is now as long as it is impressive. He can now add another. Green expansion and contouring, fairway expansion, tree removal to open playing corridors and beautiful sight lines all the way to Manhattan. The transformation from a good, fun golf course to one the equal of its tournament-tested sister is absolutely remarkable. More to come, but one special note - the par-4 14th (upper left) with its restored ridgeline cutting across the fairway and the remarkable double-green complex added by Hanse is immediately one of my favorite holes in New Jersey.