The Morris County Golf Club (MCGC) is a private, members-only

golf club A golf club is a club used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a club head. Wood (golf), Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; iron (golf), irons, the most versatile class ...

located on in the upscale Convent Station section of

Morris Township, New Jersey Morris Township is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 22,974, reflecting an increase of 668 (+3.0%) from the 22,306 counted in the 2010 Census, which had ...

, a suburb northwest of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in Morris County. It is one of the 10 founding member clubs of the New Jersey State Golf Association. Founded in 1894, it was unique at the time in that it was established and operated by women only. The following year, MCGC became an early member of the

United States Golf Association The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rules ...

and was the first New Jersey venue to host a national championship. Two of the club's presidents have also served as United States Golf Association presidents.

History

On April 10, 1894, a group of women met in Morristown to plan their new enterprise of a golf course. The group which formed was headed by Miss Nina Howland, as president with others officers including Mrs. H. McK. Twombly and Mrs. William Shippen, Miss Fields and Mrs. Charles Bradley. The group rented 20 acres of land and their first course was laid out with only 7 holes. As of November 1894 the club was the only one in the nation both managed and organized solely by women. The membership of the club was divided into four classes - regular, limited, associate and honorary. Within the first year, the club had 200 female and 175 male members. On June 21, 1895, in a letter to the club's president Nina Howland, the

(USGA) informed Morris County Golf Club that their membership had been granted. This was the first women-only club to become a USGA member. In 1896, changes came as the club was incorporated with a $50,000 capital stock and almost 100 acres were purchased with plans of course expansion. In 1897, the course's management was taken over by men. Although golf has always been the club's premier sport, over the years it has been complemented by various other activities. Most notably tennis, swimming, paddle tennis, and ice hockey among others. In 1919, the club's Clubhouse was built. The clubhouse is available to members in addition to sponsored guests for all special events. In 1995, the Preschool Advantage, Inc., began hosting their annual golf invitational at Morris County Golf Club and this year is their 25th year.

Course Information

In 1916, the current course was designed by prominent architect

Seth Raynor Seth Jagger Raynor (May 7, 1874 – January 23, 1926) was an American golf course architect and engineer. He designed approximately 85 golf courses in about 13 years, his first in 1914, at age 40. His mentor was Charles Blair Macdonald, the creat ...

(possibly in partnership with Charles Blair MacDonald) in 1916. The original course was restored in 2001. The golf course is described as 18-hole, par 70 course on 150 acres. The course has 6,522 yards of golf from the championship tees with a rating of 71.6 and a slope of 129. Greens tees and fairways consist of bentgrass maintained at a championship level. The course also features a practice putting green, a driving range (renovated in 2011) and a short game area.

Description

Club facilities include har tru and hard surface tennis courts and

platform tennis Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...

courts, as well as a Paddle Facility (renovated in 2016) complete with indoor entertaining space and a fire pit on the deck; an Olympic size swimming pool, Poolside Bar and Grill, and fully stocked Golf and Racquet Pro Shops. The Clubhouse features four dining spaces, the Raynor Room, the Sun Room, the Pub Room and the Patio (renovated in 2017). Executive Chef Adam Plitt has created seasonal menus suitable for fine dining and casual dining year round. The club hosts special events for members and their invited guests throughout the year including an

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Man ...

barbecue with fireworks, a

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

picnic, a

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

picnic, an

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

brunch with an

Easter egg Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian feast of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tr ...

hunt for children, Father-daughter dances, and more.

References

External links

Morris County Golf Club websiteOfficial PGA Website for Morris County Golf ClubThe Morris County Golf Club Championship Scrapbook, 1898
1894 establishments in New Jersey Golf clubs and courses in New Jersey Morristown, New Jersey Buildings and structures in Morris County, New Jersey History of women in New Jersey Women's golf in the United States Sports venues completed in 1894 {{NewJersey-sports-venue-stub