Montclair’s initial golf presence dates to 1893; by 1899 the club had an 18-hole Bendelow layout situated roughly where the present First and Second Nines lie. In 1920, the club commissioned Donald Ross to modernize and expand the facility into 27 holes. Club history indicates Ross’s remit included a comprehensive redesign of the existing Bendelow holes (today’s First and Second Nines) and the creation of an additional Third Nine, all planned and built in the early 1920s. Two years later, a clubhouse fire (1922) prompted a rebuild of the main house; there is no evidence in publicly available materials that the fire altered Ross’s in-progress golf plans.
Growth continued later in the decade. In October 1928 the club added a Fourth Nine designed by Charles Banks, with his characteristic large, elevated greens and broad, flat-bottom bunkers. Several later sources loosely ascribe 1928 work to Ross, but the club’s own account places the 1928 addition squarely with Banks. Ross’s own drawings and correspondence for Montclair are not publicly available, so the precise sequencing of plan dates versus construction for each nine must be inferred from the club’s history page and period references rather than original plan sheets.
Montclair members Robert Trent Jones Sr. (a member from 1934 until his death) and Rees Jones advised on improvements over subsequent decades. A 1983 entry in the Rees Jones project list records work at Montclair, but the public record does not detail the exact scope. Beginning in 2020, the club retained Brian Schneider of Renaissance Golf Design to implement a multi-phase restoration guided by historic aerials (c.1930), course photographs, and on-site study. Phase I created a new par-3 fifth on the First Nine and enabled a new short-game area; Phase II rebuilt four greens (Third Nine nos. 3, 5, 6, 9) and restored/relocated bunkers and teeing grounds; subsequent phases targeted the Second Nine and then Banks’s Fourth Nine.
Unique Design Characteristics
Ross’s Montclair work is inseparable from the site’s steep glacial terrain. His First and Second Nines climb from the clubhouse to upper shelves and spill back toward the valley, producing sidehill stances and diagonally canted landing areas that complicate approaches. The First Nine highlights include a sequence early in the nine where elevation change and water dictate the shot: the 2nd drops markedly from the tee to a fairway set on a shelf; the 3rd requires an exacting uphill iron to a perched green; and the 4th turns downhill to a green across a stream—a hole where the approach angle and the interior contours of the target are decisive. The new par-3 5th—introduced during the 2020 restoration—sits on elevated ground with flanking bunkers and a pronounced fall-off to the right, re-emphasizing the short-iron precision and recovery contours that match period imagery.
On the Third Nine (Ross), Schneider’s team used 1930 aerials as the template to re-establish Ross’s green-to-bunker relationships and fairway widths. The rebuilt greens at 3, 5, 6, and 9 now present front-to-back and side-slope subtleties consistent with 1920s photographs and aerial evidence, and the restored short-grass lines bleed into sand in a manner that promotes the ground game—balls that miss on the “short” side are more likely to feed into hazards rather than be arrested by rough collars. Across the nine, fairways were widened approximately on the order of 30% (club-wide work over several years) to restore angles from Ross’s day; those expanded perimeters have brought diagonal bunkers and slopes back into tactical play, especially on mid-length par fours where modern carry once muted hazard relevance.
The clearest surviving Ross expressions today are found on the Third Nine—ironically because so much recent work there was expressly benchmarked to early imagery. The opening stretch and the rebuilt ninth (a green with restored perimeter movement and recovered hole locations) in particular reflect a Ross target-golf ask within a short-par framework: position from the tee to open the correct side, then flight or feed an approach through a defended front to interior slopes designed to accept the well-judged shot. By contrast, Banks’s Fourth Nine—integral to Montclair’s 36-hole identity—foregrounds a different vocabulary: most famously the punchbowl green at the 1st of the Banks loop, a template the club and outside observers have long singled out for its boldness.
Historical Significance
Within Ross’s corpus, Montclair is one of relatively few multi-nine commissions where the architect both re-made an established 18 and added a third nine on contiguous ground, then saw the club append a fourth by another Golden Age figure. That sequence created a rare laboratory of comparative design languages—Ross on three nines, Banks on one—serving as a living study of period practice in the New York metro region. The club’s reputation rests not only on architecture but on competition: Montclair hosted the 1973 U.S. Women’s Amateur (won by Carol Semple Thompson) and the 1985 U.S. Amateur (Sam Randolph defeating Peter Persons in the final). Contemporary reporting from 1985 notes stroke-play rounds on the First & Third (Ross/Ross) combination, while match play—including the final—used the Second & Fourth (Ross/Banks) combination. The USGA has slated a return with the 2026 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, underscoring the venue’s continuing championship relevance.
Current Condition / Integrity
Montclair’s routing framework—four nines returning to the clubhouse—remains intact from the Ross/Banks period. Over the decades, incremental changes affected some Ross features: mid-century and late-century bunker work, green perimeter alterations linked to increased green speeds, and localized shifts near club facilities (for example, on the First Nine, work to accommodate practice infrastructure altered the original No. 2 corridor and led to the creation of a new No. 5). The Renaissance Golf Design program (2020–22) sought to reverse accretions by widening fairways to historic widths, re-establishing short-grass fall-offs, and rebuilding select greens and bunkers to period geometries and depths. On the Third Nine, restored sand lines now tie visually and strategically to green pads, and Better Billy Bunker construction underpins drainage and maintenance while allowing period-appropriate forms. The Second Nine subsequently saw similar grass-line and bunker work, with Banks’s Fourth Nine addressed last to respect its distinct style.
Earlier interventions by Rees Jones (1983) are documented in firm records but the publicly available material does not specify which holes or features were remodeled. The club openly acknowledges that both Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Rees Jones “improved” elements over time; absent plan sets or board minutes, historians should treat attributions about specific mid- to late-20th-century bunker placements or green rebuilds as provisional. As it plays today, Montclair presents a Ross-forward identity on the First/Second/Third Nines shaped by the 2020s restorations, paired with a Banks foil on the Fourth—an intentional preservation of the club’s dual heritage.
Uncertainty
Primary Ross drawings, on-site construction notebooks, and contemporaneous club minutes for the 1920–22 work were not accessible in public repositories during this research. The club’s official history provides the backbone chronology (Bendelow 1899; Ross commission 1920 for 27 holes; Banks addition October 1928). One secondary news item (2020) compresses or shifts dates, stating Ross “redesigned” in 1928 and Banks added a nine “six years later,” which conflicts with the club’s timeline and with multiple independent summaries. Until authenticated Ross plans or dated contractor records are produced, fine-grained sequencing (e.g., whether Ross plan approval occurred in 1920 with construction through 1922 versus later plan amendments) should be treated as unverified.
Similarly, the scope of 1983 Rees Jones work appears in institutional lists but is insufficiently documented in public sources to attribute specific hole-by-hole alterations confidently. Some commentary indicates greens on certain Ross nines were modified in the late 20th century due to speed increases, but those remarks are anecdotal; confirmation would require superintendent logs, architect correspondence, or construction invoices.
Sources & Notes
Montclair Golf Club — Club History (official site). Confirms 1899 Bendelow 18 on/near current First & Second; Ross commissioned in 1920 to design First, Second & Third Nines; Fourth Nine added October 1928 by Charles Banks; notes RTJ Sr. and Rees Jones as member-architects and includes Bobby Jones’s “longest short course” remark.
Montclair Golf Club — Golf Overview (official site). Confirms four nine-hole loops all starting/finishing at clubhouse; private-club context and present-day facilities framework.
Golf Course Industry — “Montclair Golf Club unveils renovated Third Nine” (July 8, 2021). Describes multi-year program, states original Bendelow 1899, Ross commissioned 1920 for 27 holes, Banks Fourth Nine added after 1928 land acquisition; reports Third Nine unveiling as part of club-wide upgrades.
Golf Course Architecture — “Renaissance completes second phase of renovation at Montclair” (Nov. 4, 2020). Details 2020 Phase II scope on the Third Nine; use of 1930 aerials; rebuilding of greens 3, 5, 6, 9; creation of a new fifth hole earlier in 2020 to free ground for short-game area; outlines sequencing for Second and Fourth Nines. Note: the article’s historical sidebar states “Ross redesigned the course in 1928” and Banks “six years later,” which conflicts with the official club chronology. This is flagged as a probable secondary-source error.
Hunter Public Relations release — “Sneak Peek at Montclair Golf Club Renovation” (Nov. 3, 2020). Quotes the superintendent on goals (“very, very close” to 1930s), lists Third Nine greens rebuilt (3, 5, 6, 9), and references the “longest short course” quotation.
Top100GolfCourses — Montclair (First & Third) and Montclair (Second & Fourth) entries. Summarize that Ross is responsible for 27 holes and Banks for the Fourth Nine; note Banks’s punchbowl at Fourth Nine No. 1; describe ongoing Renaissance work and tournament usage. (Secondary synopsis; used for corroboration of tournament nines and Banks template call-out.)
USGA Media Center — “Montclair G.C. to host 2026 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur” (Sept. 5, 2023). Confirms prior USGA championships at Montclair (1973 U.S. Women’s Amateur, 1985 U.S. Amateur) and the forthcoming 2026 U.S. Women’s Mid-Am.
UPI / Los Angeles Times (1985 U.S. Amateur coverage). Contemporary reporting locates play at Montclair and indicates qualifying/stroke-play rounds on First & Third; final on club grounds (other sources specify Second & Fourth). These reinforce how multiple combinations were used during the event week.
Where2Golf — Tournament results at Montclair. Lists the 1985 U.S. Amateur final played over the Second and Fourth Nines. (Secondary but specific to nines used.)
Northeast Golf — “Making Moves at Montclair” (Aug. 18, 2021). On-site commentary during restoration: new First Nine par-3 5th; notes on First Nine 2nd–4th hole sequence and stream crossing; general observations on topography and green-centric defense. (Secondary; used for hole-specific present-day descriptions.)
Rees Jones Project Lists (MSU Digital Library / firm site). Document 1983 remodeling/renovation work at Montclair; scope not specified publicly. (A prompt for further archival review.)