
Bowling Green Course
Bowling Green Golf Club


About this course
Bowling Green Golf Club sits in Oak Ridge, a small community in the northern New Jersey Highlands, where rolling terrain and wooded corridors define the landscape. The course was designed by Geoffrey Cornish and Bill Robinson, a partnership that produced numerous layouts across the Northeast during the mid-to-late twentieth century. Cornish, a Canadian-born architect who studied under Stanley Thompson, became known for thoughtful routings that worked with natural contours rather than imposing dramatic earthwork. Robinson, his longtime associate, shared this philosophy of restraint and playability. The course occupies land characteristic of the region's glacially shaped topography, with elevation changes and rock outcroppings common to northern New Jersey's Precambrian highlands. Routing typically follows the natural flow of the property, with holes moving through stands of hardwood and pine. Cornish and Robinson favored strategic variety over length, designing courses that rewarded accurate placement and course management rather than pure distance. Their greens tend toward moderate size with subtle internal movement, and bunkering serves to frame approaches and define playing corridors without excessive visual intimidation. Bowling Green functions as a private club serving the local membership and operates within the tradition of mid-century suburban golf facilities in the New York metropolitan area. The course reflects the Cornish-Robinson design ethos: unpretentious, walkable golf that emphasizes shot values and maintains playability across a range of skill levels. It remains a quiet fixture in the Oak Ridge community, representative of the period's approach to golf course architecture in the densely wooded terrain of northern New Jersey.
Rankings
Ranked by CV ratings from golfers who've played this course. Positions are shown worldwide, by country, and by state; the Public column compares courses anyone can play.
Best in World
Best in USA
Best in NJ
Quick facts
- Location
- Oak Ridge, NJ, USA
- Access
- Public
- Year built
- 1967
- Holes
- 18
- Designer(s)
- Geoffrey Cornish, Bill Robinson
- Par
- 72
- Length
- 6,863 yards
- Difficulty
- 76.7/136
- Course Vaults score
- 6.0
Getting there
The journey to Bowling Green Golf Club begins at Newark Liberty International (EWR), roughly an hour's drive northwest into the wooded hills of northern New Jersey. Teterboro Airport serves those arriving by private aircraft, shaving precious minutes from the approach to this discreet enclave. The route traces Interstate 80 west before peeling off into the quieter byways of Passaic County, where suburban sprawl yields to the rolling, forested terrain of the Ramapo Mountains. The final turn onto Bowling Green Parkway feels like a passage into another era - a winding, tree-canopied lane that delivers you to one of the region's most understated and architecturally significant retreats.

FAQ
Common questions about Bowling Green
Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.
Bowling Green has a Course Vaults score of 6.0 out of 10 based on 35 logged golfers.
Bowling Green was designed by Geoffrey Cornish and Bill Robinson.
Yes. Bowling Green is listed as welcoming public or guest play on Course Vaults.
Par at Bowling Green is 72.
Bowling Green plays 6,863 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.
The slope rating at Bowling Green is 136.



