Course Description
The Golf Club of Glen Ridge was founded by 14 charter members at the residence of Mr. John W. Stewart, 335 Ridgewood Avenue, on October 10, 1894. They set initiation fees at $1.00 and annual dues at $3.00. The Club was one of the first hundred golf clubs in the United States and probably the fourth in New Jersey. The original 9 hole course was located in the area of Ridgewood and Bay Avenues, in Glen Ridge. The original clubhouse was built on what is now Oxford Street. The Club was incorporated as the Country Club of Glen Ridge on April 25, 1911 as a stock company and as of January 22, 1920 as a not-for-profit corporation called Glen Ridge Country Club. On April 25, 1911 the clubhouse opened in the present location in order to put 18 holes together on land where owners did not prohibit Sunday play.
In 1918, a Scotsman by the name of Willie Park Jr. designed the new 18 holes. He was well respected as a superior golfer and one of the first pioneers of golf course architecture.
As a result of the stock market crash of 1929, the officers of the Club reduced dues, created special categories of membership and sent letters to the community in order to keep the Club alive. The membership drive brought in 126 new members and the Club reorganized under the National Bankruptcy Act.