Upper Montclair CC
Clifton, NJ, USA
Hole 3 / South Nine
425 Yards / Par-4
Architect: Robert Trent Jones, Sr. (1956)
The lasting impact of Robert Trent Jones, Sr., was a clear game changer in elevating the profession of golf course architect over the latter half of the 20th century. Jones successfully branded his name as the “go to” designer for a range of courses – both in the USA and internationally.
The public relations tagline — “Like the British Empire, the sun never sets on a Jones course” clearly demonstrated his global reach and impact.
Jones spent much of his life in Montclair, NJ and was selected to update Upper Montclair CC (founded in 1901). In the late 1950s, UMCC faced serious encroachment from two major roads (State Road 3 and the Garden State Parkway) intersecting near the club’s boundary.
The original A. W. Tillinghast layout was completely altered with Jones creating 27 new holes with each of the nines named East, West and South, respectively.
Hole 3 on the South Nine dramatically demonstrates the brilliance of Jones.
The hole begins from an elevated teeing area and moves slightly downhill before turning left in the drive zone. Players have to be especially mindful that failing to work a tee shot on a desired right-to-left ball flight can run through the fairway.
The optimum tee shot will need to hug the corner but the max available landing area caps out at 300 yards before intersecting with a creek that runs parallel from the left side before crossing the fairway.
Those finding success will find a flatter landing area for their approach and a direct angle into a kidney-shaped green fiercely protected by a pond hugging the putting surface tightly.
Playing a safer tee shot out to the right means facing a more daunting approach both in terms of total distance needed in tandem with a more perilous carry over the aforementioned pond.
The approximate 8,500 square-foot green provides an ample target but narrows in the rear area. The land immediately near to the green is also pitched towards the pond so any approach shot missing too far to that side will be severely challenged.
Great holes mandate sound thinking and superior execution. Hole 3 on the South Nine encapsulates all those dimensions.
Over the years, Upper Montclair CC has been a host site for PGA Tour, LPGA Tour and Champions Tour events. The club has hosted collectively the most such events in New Jersey – over 20 — with the most recent being the Cognizant Founders on the LPGA Tour.
When one reaches hole 3 on the South Nine the apt admonition certainly applies —
Stand up and deliver.
Images courtesy of Upper Montclair CC.
