Royce Brook Golf Club

Overview: Royce Brook Golf Club is now presented as a public 18-hole course in Hillsborough, New Jersey, on the former 36-hole property created by architect Steve Smyers. The directory routing is listed at roughly 7,000 yards, and the current course identity is associated with architect Tyler J. Rae. The new layout blends open former-farmland corridors, wetlands, native grasses, bunkering and varied putting surfaces into a single round. It is not simply the old West Course: the current course combines selected holes from the former East and West routings, so the experience should be described as a new unified layout.

History: Royce Brook opened for play in May 1998 as two 18-hole courses designed by Steve Smyers. The West course became known for dramatic, Mackenzie-influenced bunker shapes, while the East course used a more restrained, Ross-influenced strategy. In 2025 the facility closed the old format and combined twelve holes from West with six from East under Tyler J. Rae’s direction. The renovation included full bunker work and redesigned holes, creating the current championship course. Royce Brook has also hosted major regional competition, including the 2000 USGA Men’s Amateur Qualifier and the 2003 Eastern PGA Club Professional Championship.

Did You Know? The current Royce Brook route is a rare example of a 36-hole facility being reassembled into one 18-hole course. Its design history still leaves visible traces: the dramatic West-course bunkering and the more strategic East-course ideas now sit inside the same modern round.