Baltusrol Golf Club (Lower)

A.W. Tillinghast's 1922 Lower Course in Springfield, N.J., host of seven U.S. Opens and two PGA Championships, known for its long par-5 finish.

Baltusrol was founded in 1895, and in the early 1920s the club had A.W. Tillinghast replace its original course with two new ones, the Upper and the Lower, which opened in 1922. The Lower became one of America's busiest championship venues: seven U.S. Opens between 1903 and 1993 across the club's courses, two U.S. Women's Opens, the PGA Championship in 2005 and 2016, and the Women's PGA Championship in 2023.

The ground is fairly gentle, so the course's difficulty comes from length, bunkering and firm, tilted greens rather than dramatic terrain. It plays to par 70 for majors and to par 72 for members, mainly because it closes with two par 5s, unusual for a championship course. The 17th stretches to about 650 yards and the 18th has produced finishes by Ed Furgol, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson and Jason Day. Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner renovated the course in 2021.

Holes to know

4

Par 3 · 194 yd

A carry over a pond to a two-tiered green, the best-known short hole on the Lower.

17

Par 5 · 650 yd

One of the longest holes in major championship golf; John Daly is the only player known to have reached it in two.

18

Par 5 · 533 yd

A reachable closing par 5 remembered for finishes by Ed Furgol, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson and Jason Day.

Championships

• U.S. Open 1903, 1915, 1936, 1954, 1967, 1980, 1993 (at the club)
• PGA Championship 2005, 2016
• U.S. Women's Open 1961, 1985
• U.S. Amateur 1904, 1926, 1946
• KPMG Women's PGA Championship 2023

Design history

• 2021: Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner renovation of the Lower Course