Somerset Hills Country Club

Overview: Somerset Hills Country Club occupies rolling ground in Bernardsville, New Jersey, where A.W. Tillinghast used natural slopes, woodland margins and a sequence of subtly changing green complexes to create a walkable parkland course. The layout does not need dramatic manufactured hazards to hold attention. Its challenge comes from choosing the right line into angled targets, reading the ground around the greens and using the contours rather than fighting them.

History: Somerset Hills was formed in 1899 as a social and recreational club and originally occupied land along the Raritan River. In 1918, it moved to the present Mine Mount Road property, where Tillinghast designed the golf course that established the club's national reputation. The setting and the design have remained closely linked: the course's identity comes from the relationship between the existing land and Tillinghast's strategic use of it, rather than from a sequence of later ornamental additions.

Did You Know? Somerset Hills is particularly noted for its Redan, a par-three design in which the green is set on an angle and the surrounding ground helps determine the best line of play. The hole is a compact example of Tillinghast's ability to make a short target intellectually demanding, with the safe side and the rewarding side rarely being exactly the same.