Echo Lake Country Club

Echo Lake Country Club occupies rolling terrain in Westfield, New Jersey, a suburban community roughly twenty miles west of New York City. Donald Ross designed the course in the 1920s during his most prolific period, and the layout reflects his characteristic strategic principles: elevated greens with subtle internal contours, carefully positioned bunkers that reward accurate approach shots, and routing that takes advantage of the property's natural elevation changes. The course sits on land that includes views of its namesake lake, though the water itself comes into play on only a limited number of holes. The design emphasizes precision over length, with green complexes that demand thoughtful club selection and approach angles. Ross typically built greens with false fronts and crowned surfaces that reject poorly struck shots, and Echo Lake preserves many of these features. The bunkering style follows his preference for deep, steep-faced hazards placed to penalize wayward shots rather than merely frame landing areas. Several holes move through mature tree-lined corridors, while others open to broader views across the property's higher ground. Echo Lake has served as a venue for regional amateur competitions and maintains a traditional private club atmosphere common to established courses in northern New Jersey. The membership has supported periodic restoration work to maintain Ross's design intent as equipment and maintenance practices have evolved. The course remains a representative example of Ross's work in the metropolitan New York area, where he completed numerous commissions during the golden age of American course architecture.