RIDGEWOOD COUNTRY CLUB
🇺🇸 Paramus, NJ, USA
Designed by A .W. Tillinghast
Ridgewood Country Club's Center/West composite course combines elements from two of the three nines that A.W. Tillinghast designed for the club in the 1920s. The property sits on rolling terrain in Bergen County, and Tillinghast routed the holes across varied topography that includes elevation changes, mature tree corridors, and natural drainage features characteristic of northern New Jersey landscapes. The architect completed his work here during the same prolific period that produced Winged Foot and Baltusrol, and the design reflects his preference for strategic bunkering, demanding approach shots, and greens with subtle contours.
The course has hosted significant championship golf, most notably the 1935 Ryder Cup—the first time the matches were held in the United States—and multiple major USGA championships including the U.S. Senior Open. The composite routing used for these events typically draws from the Center and West nines, though the club's three-nine configuration allows for different combinations depending on tournament requirements and maintenance schedules.
Ridgewood operates as a traditional private club with a membership drawn largely from the surrounding northern New Jersey communities. The course plays through mature parkland with substantial tree cover framing most holes, and the design requires accuracy off the tee and precise iron play to greens that are often elevated or angled to favor specific approach angles. The layout remains largely faithful to Tillinghast's original design principles, with strategic options and risk-reward decisions built into the routing.
Reviews
FAQ
Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.
Center/West at Ridgewood Country Club has a Course Vaults score of 9 out of 10 based on 15 explicit golfer ratings.
Center/West was designed by A .W. Tillinghast.
Center/West at Ridgewood Country Club is listed as private on Course Vaults; guest access is typically restricted.
Par at Center/West is 72.
Center/West plays 7,051 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.
The slope rating at Center/West is 131.