Montclair Golf Club

Nice to play this course a second time and know its quirks.

Shot making a must due to blind angles, elevation extremes, short holes to set up approach shots and unjulated fairways and greens.

Course is rough due to poor up keep compounded by winter conditions but is easily playable if the player isnt a picky player needing ideal conditions.

This is a challenging short course that is harder than the card indicates and will provide an array of shots not always pulled from the bag on longer flatter courses. A nice course to work on distance control and putting.

Currently open to the public, recommend playing it before they go back to full private, if the do.

Most of the people I saw playing didn't hit very far which is good on this course. The holes are narrow with houses close to the course. If you are comfortable playing this type of course then it is a good value. If you want open areas to land in, are uncomfortable with housing close by, then this isn't a good course for you. I have been hitting my driver well lately but only felt comfortable using it on two holes. The layout is very interesting with a few hidden dangers, long and narrow par 3s, lots of hills, and trees line most fairways. The greens were true, quick, and even straight putts moved when they shouldn't. For me it would have been a very enjoyable round if the houses were set back farther. I would recommend this course but tell the person why it is not for me, too cramped.

I'm a longtime fan of Montclair CC. The course has a lot of charm and character, with tons of variety and some very fun holes. It's very short by today's standards, but it requires real shot-making and control. Zipping around in under 3 hours is easy if you tee off as a single after 1:00 or 2:00. Unfortunately, the course is in pretty rough shape by the time Oct/Nov rolls around. Several greens are beaten up, and at least 10 or 12 greens were covered in leaves. I can understand the course taking a beating over an entire summer, but there's really no excuse for them failing to take charge of the dead leaf situation. Mowers, mulchers, and leaf blowers should be running constantly throughout the course; during my round on Sunday, I didn't see a single grounds crew member anywhere.

The course is short, narrow and challenging. It needs some serious TLC and updating.

There are so many brown spots everywhere. Tee box was nothing but brown spots. Did not even blow away leaves. Fairway has a lot if brown spots. Green was one of the worst I ever seen. You also have to cross the street in order to go to next hole. I know I will never going back to this course.

This course only plays around 6000 yards from the tips but don't let that make you think it isn't fun. The fairways were in good condition but they are very narrow. There are lots of blind shots from the tee boxes and on the approach shots. The areas around the greens were in rough shape. The greens are what make this course. They are extremely difficult especially if they play as fast as they did when I played. It was like putting on hardwood moguls. I really liked this place and hope the areas around the greens get better.

I live on the course and have seen it transform over the past 3 years.

The info here is incorrect or outdated relative to the fairways. They no longer have bent grass, as a major renovation took place where Bermuda was installed. The new grass is coming in great, like a carpet on most fairways. Even those that were rough, like 16, have made great strides in the past two months, as some trees were removed to assist with sunlight and to enhance growth.

The greens are also in great shape. When they had the member guest tournament they were rolling super slick, some of the fastest I've played on in the area.

The one nit that I have is the bunker systems. Many have drainage problems and need to be redone. But they have brought in some new sand and raked better the past year.

Overall this course offers great value. It's not RTJ or Belle Haven, but as a course I would put it up with Mt Vernon CC's course with the recent improvements.

Played the other day and enjoyed the course. However, course does need work on a few holes. Par 3 on the front, the tee box is a mess. #16 is in horrible condition and looks like it will be a while before it will get any better. A few other places need some work, but course is a good warm up if your game needs some work

I always love the opportunity to play Montclair. The course has a nice layout and requires you to hit and shape all types of shots. You don't have to be super long, but it certainly is advantageous if you are. I convinced him to join me and he is going to be going back. We got behind a twosome that didn't quite understand course etiquette, so the front nine was very slow. However, we were able to play the back nine at a great place.

Leaves were every where Glass balls in the Fairway

I think that one has to be fair to the course here.

This is a very good course, in terms of the layout, it is a good challenge for an intermediate golfer, perhaps a very-good golfer even (since I'm not one, I can't say). Yes the course is let down by the fact that in spots it is not in great condition but it is not in BAD condition except perhaps in a few fairways and on a few greens. No question about it. But it is not in such bad condition that it truly interferes with play...and the layout is simply awesome. The course is very interesting, very challenging but not impossible or ridiculous. You can play driver or iron on all of the holes, it's up to you, just pick a club and make good shots. It is not even that tight, it's really just a matter of you biting-off what you can chew. Probably one of the best courses that I have ever played...in terms of the layout. Not really spectacular visually, just a great challenge.

Where it takes penalty-points, and it takes many penalty-points, is in all the housing around the course. But in this regard likewise it is not much different from a lot of other "neighborhood courses". It is not as bad as some that I have played and enjoyed, and it is not as good...true...the constant looming houses and roads across the course are a pain but for this course, I'd take them.

Now I fully admit that if you play golf to enjoy a wonderful clubhouse where you can enjoy fine-dining with your friends or even a client, well-manicured fairways, shiny new cart-paths, lush rough, great views of the mountains and the waterfront maybe, and calm breezes blowing across the course with nothing but the sounds of Nature and balls being hit, then you will be unsettled on this course. Yes, the clubhouse resembles a health and fitness club. There's really nowhere to sit outside, and certainly you can only see a few holes even from the parking lot. There's lots of traffic near the greens and tees, lots of people running around talking. A whole lot of backyards and decks and even some piers and boats and certainly the cart-paths are old and rutted and bumpy. But believe me. You're probably not going to play on a course with a better layout than this anytime soon. If ever. And that is why I took the chance despite the reviews, I looked at the slope and distance and gave it a chance. And it was well worth it. And there really are some beautiful holes on this course especially in October.

I wouldn't take the chance on paying this sort of money for a course in this shape unless I had the game to make good use of it, but I have just given you a bunch of good reasons to play other courses. The one good reason to play this course is that you're longing for a good challenge on a course that isn't just tricked-up or long to make a name for itself.

Atrocious. Stay away. 7 holes and packed up and left.

Went w/ my dad to Montclair CC. We were disappointed with the condition of the bunkers, the height of the grass and the overall conditions of the greens. The course has the potential to be very good with its nice design. The clubhouse staff and food were good.

But that was only thing excellent. Cart paths deserve a grade of F; except for two holes, Fairways were a B; Tee Boxes were a D at best.

Cheap fee. Decided to try it out. Tight course. Not very well maintained. Lots of blind/ unknown yardage shots. Greens were subtle/ not too bad. Staff didn't call me by my name, just called me "GolfNow rate" Actually felt kind of demeaning, like I wasn't good enough for them. So... As my title states, Don't play there unless you're a member.

The course was fair, and fun. Placement of your tee shot is more important than distance. Hitting a slice or a draw could lead to a lot of trouble, trees on either side and finding your ball is difficult at best. Greens were fast and had a lot of breaks. I enjoyed it, but I'll wait to play it again when I straighten out my drives

First time playing this course. Having heard a lot about it in the past . Not what I was expecting for a country club. Poorly kept fairways and greens, No treatment has been done this year and from the look of things last year. Would rather play a public course any day even for the $15.00 golfnow deal. Fairways were either soggy or extreemely dry. On one Par 3 (Hole #7) The makeshift T-box was a dirt cart path two blue pins on either side!. Definitely off my bucket list and never coming back.

The course is obviously under some sort of improvement process to bring back better conditions. Once complete the course will be much more enjoyable. Fairways have a way to go, greens are close to good condition. Always enjoy this challenging course and the staff is always very friendly and accommodating.

This review is solely based on the course conditions and perhaps later in the year it could change. That is if I play this course again. Course pretty beat up. Fairways need to be tended to. Many were basically dirt. Tee boxes even worse...good thing tees could be used.

- Staff
1) Cashier - How are you paying? Me - Cash. "Oh, I hope I have enough change for you."
2) Me - Where is the first tee? Cashier - "Oh, its right over there down the cart path."
3) Me - Anything I should be aware of? Cashier - "Course is a bit beat up right now. You can head out right now...you should be fine."

- Course
1) Fairways are burnout and assuming ready for spring growing.
2) Terrible yardage markings in the fairway (100/150/200)...aside from the 150 hash mark on the cart path...I would have no idea.
3) Greens = mossy. Some were actually pretty solid but overall running slow and patchy.
4) I felt like every hole I was playing in someone's backyard. Driving through houses, across streets, etc. Interesting to say the least.

To the Players:
- If you hit your driver over 250, leave it at home...you won't need it. I hit a 4 iron off about 9 tees.
- I hit at least a dozen sand wedges, gap wedges and pitching wedges.
- Though I will say, from the blues, the par 3's are 200+ (most of them)

Would I go back...NOPE. I almost asked for a refund after the 6th hole.