Arcola Country Club

Overview: Arcola’s parkland route covers 18 holes at par 72 and reaches 7,300 yards in Paramus. Herbert H. Barker laid out the original course across farmland beside Paramus Road, and later architects including Harry Auchterlonie, Robert Trent Jones Sr. and other designers shaped its subsequent development. Mature hardwoods, varied ground, water and a long championship scorecard give the course a more complex identity than its early twentieth-century origins might suggest. The property remains a classic Bergen County golf setting, close to Ridgewood but distinct in its routing and history.

History: The club’s board acquired its Paramus land in June 1909 and appointed Barker, then a professional and golf architect at Garden City, to lay out an 18-hole course. The new club was organized during the same year, with early land still being used for crops as the golf project took shape. Arcola later adapted its course as Route 4 and the Garden State Parkway changed the surrounding property. Robert Trent Jones Sr. was involved in a later redesign, and Steve Smyers has also contributed to more recent renovation work. In 2022, Arcola co-hosted the U.S. Amateur with Ridgewood.

Did You Know? Arcola’s name refers to the Battle of Arcole in Italy, a victory associated with Napoleon. The club’s early records also show how closely the course was tied to working farmland, including corn, melons and potatoes on land acquired for the golf project.