Ridgewood Country Club (East/West)

Overview: Ridgewood Country Club’s East/West entry represents two of the three nine-hole loops on the club’s 27-hole property in Paramus. A.W. Tillinghast’s 1929 design is arranged around a central clubhouse, with tree-lined corridors, ponds, rolling ground and large greens creating a classic northern New Jersey parkland setting. The East and West nines are commonly combined for the championship routing, which reaches 7,337 yards and plays to par 71 in the current directory record. The layout asks for precise approaches and thoughtful positioning, but its identity comes from the way the three loops fit together as a coherent whole.

History: Ridgewood’s golf story began in 1890, when William Rosencrantz created two holes on his lawn at The Hermitage. The club moved through early leased sites before golf at Lincoln Avenue had reached 18 holes by 1913. Land was purchased in Paramus in 1927, and the new course and clubhouse opened in 1929. Tillinghast created three nine-hole loops, while later work by Gil Hanse and Renaissance Golf Design has restored and strengthened the original character. The composite course has hosted major professional events, including the PGA Tour’s Northern Trust tournaments and the 2018 U.S. Amateur.

Did You Know? Ridgewood kept a Ridgewood postal identity after moving to Paramus because the club wanted to preserve the older address association. The three nine-hole loops and the championship composite also mean that the course can be discussed as both a 27-hole club and an 18-hole tournament routing.