Arcola Country Club
Paramus, New Jersey, USA
Hole 16, Par-4, 445 Yards
Course updating: Andy Staples (2025)
Original design: Herbert Haydn Barker (1909)
When assessing true and lasting greatness of a given hole, there is one specific word that resonates for all. Elasticity.
The greatest of golf holes have the capacity to challenge all types of players and provide for an array of key golf shots and relating situations needing to be mastered for overall success.
Arcola CC came into being as the surge of golf course construction in the United States was ramping up considerably in the earliest years of the 20th century.
While the course was known for its qualities on a local level, the overall stature of the club increased notably when serving as one of the two hosts for the on-site qualifying of the 2022 US Amateur Championship. Hosting its first USGA Championship, the course played as a par-70 with total yardage just over 7,200 yards.
Various contestants in the most prestigious global amateur event lauded the layout for the rigorous but fair test provided.
The original Barker design went through various changes over the ensuing years. Willard G. Wilkinson was hired in 1930 in the wake of the State Highway 4 project that cut through the southern perimeter. Wilkinson was a one-time assistant to the renowned course creator A.W. Tillinghast who for a time lived in nearby Harrington Park.
The most consequential involvement happened in the 1950s when the Garden State Parkway took a chunk of the eastern portion of the property. The premier architect of the time — Robert Trent Jones, Sr. – was hired by the club and a number of internal modifications were carried out. In more recent times, designer Steve Smyers was also hired for a number of minor touch-ups.
Even with the success in raising the club’s profile, a more ambitious master plan was implemented — involving not only the course but clubhouse.
The club sought to hire Gil Hanse given his success at a number of other Northern NJ clubs. Most especially at nearby Ridgewood CC, also in Paramus, and which served as the venue for the match-play portion for the aforementioned US Amateur.
Hanse declined the opportunity because of an already busy work calendar, but he endorsed the hiring of Andy Staples, a talented architect who raised his profile with the highly successful Sand Hollow club in southern Utah.
A crucial aspect for any club is having symmetry for all golfers when playing. Arcola’s overall design — linking the overall presentation and hole consistency was then aligned via the Staples involvement.
One of the key holes overhauled was the par-4 16th. The previous iteration featured the usage of two separate putting greens. The second was added years previously and was created as a back-up option to the club’s par-3 11th when not in service. The second green also provided an additional target for those when playing the 16th.
Staples saw the situation and opted to provide better clarity.
“Since the old hole played to two different greens, each built at a different time, the hole felt disjointed and didn’t take full advantage of the existing creek. And, the members vastly preferred the left green over the longer, more penal right green,” said Staples.
“The new hole creates a strategic decision off the tee, playing to only one green. The player that opts to avoided the carry of the creek is left with a more difficult approach to a green set on an angle over the hazard and the surface being slightly obscured from view.”
Staples outlined what can be gained from attempting to land one’s tee shot on the more daring route.
“If the player chooses to take on the creek, by choosing the right fairway, they have to carry the hazard, which leaves a straightforward position for the approach to a green more comfortable and approachable.”
The “new” 16th plays as long as 445 yards and as short as 219. Most days the hole plays from 300-310 yards from the white tees and 310-325 from the blue markers where most member play originates.
The 5,469 square foot green also contains an array of puzzling movements that can require a deft touch and keen eye.
Elasticity is gained through the various movements of tee and pin placements. Having the hole set-up one way and then changed the next allows for constant adjustments by players. Hole 16 at Arcola mandates players marrying strategic thinking and linked to airtight execution.
In a word — superb.
Related: The Finicky Golfer – Montclair Golf Club
M. James Ward
A long-time member of both the GWAA and MGWA. The 68-year-old has covered all facets in golf since 1980 — including reporting on over 100 major championships and 13 Ryder Cup matches. His writings have appeared in various outlets. On a personal level, has played over 2,000 courses globally and is lead reviewer for Top 100 Golf Courses.
Previously served for 17 years as national course rating panelist for Golf Digest. Has also personally competed in USGA Championships. Resides in the metro New York City area with his wife Celeste. Favorite quote paraphrased for golf — “You are what your golf score says you are.”