History & Tradition at Upper Montclair Country Club
Upper Montclair Country Club, located less than an hour from New York City, has a long standing and rich history dating back to the 20th Century.
April 1901
The Beginning of Upper Montclair
At the turn of the 20th Century, a small group of golfers playing on a rudimentary 5-hole golf course in a Montclair meadow merged with a social organization called the “Upper Ten Club”. Thus was formed the Upper Montclair Country Club in 1901. The first recorded meeting was held at the Inwood Tennis Club on April 15, 1901. That same year, four new holes were added to the original five. Around 1912, property was purchased across Broad Street from the Hepburn family farm, from which the Club owes its present mailing address.
1929
The Early Stages of Upper Montclair
By the early 1920’s, after land had been acquired in the area of the present site, the legendary A.W. Tillinghast designed an 18-hole golf course and a brand new Clubhouse started construction in 1928. The Clubhouse opened on November 9, 1929, just weeks after “Black Friday”, the day the stock market crashed and signaled the beginning of the Great Depression.
1950 - 2000's
Championship Designs at Upper Montclair
In the 1950’s a major golf course renovation was directed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. which transformed the Upper Montclair Country Club into the present 27-hole Championship design. Starting with the Thunderbird Classic in 1962, Upper Montclair Country Club was the host of many professional tours through 2009. UMCC is one of only a few country clubs world-wide known to have hosted tournaments for all three Professional Golf Associations.
Master Plan Renovations - 2001
Continued Improvements at Upper Montclair
Most recently in 2011 the Club completed a Master Plan golf course renovation project that included installing a new state of the art drainage and irrigation system, while reshaping and restoring all of the bunkers throughout the 27 hole facility.
Present Day
Today At Upper Montclair
The Clubhouse has continually been updated over the years to maintain the history and charm of our 1926 Clubhouse, while modernizing to meet Member’s needs. All rooms in the Clubhouse have been renovated in the past few years, and in 2013 we finished a major state of the art kitchen renovation. Recently the Club’s traditional metal lockers, many signed by the golfing legends that toured these grounds, were all replaced with new wooden lockers.
