A Retrospective: Important Dates in New Jersey Golf - November Edition

With the NJSGA's 125th Anniversary coming up next year, we will focus a spotlight on some of the NJSGA's most fascinating people, events, and courses. Enjoy these important dates in New Jersey golf history, compiled monthly by Kevin Casey, author of Remarkable Stories of New Jersey Golf. Here is a look at notable November dates:

November 18, 1891 – Craig Wood, winner of two major championships, was born in Lake Placid, NY. The original hard-luck golfer, Wood was the first PGA Tour player (who was second?) to lose all four majors in extra holes (1933 British Open, 1934 PGA, 1935 Masters, and 1939 U.S. Open). The narrative changed in 1941, when he captured his two majors at the 1941 Masters and U.S. Open, becoming the first golfer to capture the first two legs of the modern Grand Slam in one year. He was a member of three Ryder Cup squads.

Wood played out of four different New Jersey clubs in the late 1920s and 1930s: Forest Hill Field Club (Bloomfield); Hollywood Golf Club (Deal); Crestmont Country Club (West Orange); Rumson Country Club (Rumson). He won the 1934 New Jersey State Open to offset three runner-up finishes. A winner of 21 PGA Tour events, Wood was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1977 and in the NJSGA Hall of Fame in 2019.

November 23, 1872 – Donald Ross was born in Dornoch, Scotland.  Among the most celebrated designers of America’s Golden Age of Golf Course Architecture, Ross designed or redesigned around 400 courses between 1900 and 1948, including storied venues such as the Pinehurst Resort (Pinehurst, NC), Seminole Golf Club (Juno Beach, Fla) and Oak Hill Golf Club (Rochester, NY). Considered one of the finest golf architects in history, Ross was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1977.

Ross is credited with designing or redesigning at least 11 courses in New Jersey, including: Echo Lake Country Club (1913, Westfield); Knickerbocker Country Club (1914, Tenafly); Seaview Resort – Bay (1914, Absecon); Deal Golf & Country Club (1915, Deal); Ridgewood Country Club (1916, Paramus) Englewood Country Club (1916, Englewood); Riverton Country Club (1915-‘17, Cinnaminson); Montclair Golf Club (1919-’29, West Orange); Plainfield Country Club (1921 &’28, Edison); Crestmont Country Club (1923, West Orange); Mountain Ridge Country Club (1929, West Caldwell). Plainfield, Mountain Ridge and Knickerbocker each hold coveted spots in the Golfweek magazine Top 200 Classic Courses.