Second/Third at Montclair Golf Club

Montclair Golf Club, established in 1893, is one of New Jersey's oldest golf clubs and occupies rolling terrain in the Watchung Mountains of West Orange. The club's Second and Third courses were designed by Tom Bendelow, the prolific Scottish-born architect who laid out hundreds of courses across America in the early twentieth century while working for A.G. Spalding and later in private practice. Bendelow's work at Montclair reflects his characteristic approach of routing golf holes across natural contours with minimal earthmoving, taking advantage of the property's elevation changes and wooded character.

The courses navigate hilly, tree-lined terrain typical of northern New Jersey's ridge country, with fairways that move through mature hardwood forests and across slopes that create uneven lies and strategic interest. Bendelow's designs from this era generally featured straightforward hole corridors with greens set into natural plateaus or hillsides, and the Montclair layout follows this template. The property's topography provides both uphill and downhill holes, and the routing takes golfers through varied elevations that offer views across the surrounding landscape.

Montclair Golf Club has maintained a traditional private club culture throughout its long history, serving generations of members from the northern New Jersey region. The club operates multiple courses on its property, with the Second and Third courses providing variety and accommodating member play. The setting remains relatively secluded despite the proximity to metropolitan New York, preserving a wooded, parkland character that has defined the club since its founding in the late nineteenth century.