Montclair Golf Club Positioned to Host More USGA Events After U.S. Women’s Mid-Am

WEST ORANGE, N.J. -- It’s been 41 years since Montclair Golf Club hosted the U.S. Amateur, but as the man who reconnected Montclair GC with the USGA said, “we’re back,” and they’re looking for more.

Montclair Golf Club, founded in 1893 and recognized as one of the oldest golf clubs in the United States, is set to host the 2026 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship from August 29 to Sept. 3 in New Jersey. It’s a big moment for the club to showcase the sympathetic restoration of their Donald Ross design on a national stage. It’s also clear they hope this is the beginning of a deeper relationship with the USGA.

“I know what we have out here. I think we have one of the best golf courses in the state,” said Rob Scalzo, the Montclair GC Mid-Am co-chair. “We know it's a gem. We can’t control what comes back here. But in our minds, we’re back.”

Montclair GC hosted the U.S. Amateur in 1985 and the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 1973. It has 36 total holes on the property, three nines designed by Ross and one designed by Charles Banks. The second and third nines, both Ross designs, will be used for the U.S. Women’s Mid-Am.

Those nines were a focal point of the recent restoration, which started in 2020 and was led by Brian Schneider of Renaissance Golf Design. The greens, always a defining characteristic of MGC, had shrunk, and in some areas the undulation became too severe for pin placements.

Schneider and his team rebuilt some greens, recontoured and expanded others, created tight chipping areas around the greens, cut down hundreds of trees to help with agronomy, and brought back several features true to the original Ross design. After two years of maturation, the course is ready for the spotlight.

“Montclair obviously has an appreciable history,” USGA Women’s Mid-Am Championship Director Tracy Parsons said. “Its ties to the USGA and the events that they’ve hosted stand out. The ability to play multiple courses here lends itself to other demographics and being able to identify other champions. The fact that Montclair is back in the conversation with the USGA provides more opportunities to slot them into the schedule in other ways.”

That was the underlying message ahead of the U.S. Women's Mid-Am: Montclair GC is eager to host the Women’s Mid-Am and they want to produce an outstanding championship that identifies the best player, but they’re also eager to host other USGA events in the future.

“As a club, we know we have something special,” Montclair Golf Club President Mark Linaugh said. “If we say we have something special and keep it, that’s arrogance. If we say we have something special, we gain from sharing it.”

Montclair is recognized as the 13th-oldest golf club in the country and was a founding member of the Metropolitan Golf Association. It’s hosted numerous MGA, New Jersey Open and New Jersey Amateur championships. It also hosted the first New Jersey Women’s Open Championship in 2023.

Scalzo played a leading role in reconnecting Montclair and the USGA. While playing in a member-guest, he met the brother of a USGA employee, who connected the two. More conversations and a visit to the club followed. Eventually, it led to Montclair GC getting the Women’s Mid-Am.

“For us, [hosting the Women’s Mid-Am] is an honor,” Scalzo said. “Hopefully it’s not the last.”

The second and third nines are outstanding for both stroke play and match play. They’re playing the third nine to start before coming home on the second nine. Holes 15, 16 and 17 in that rotation could see many matches flip with a long par 5, short par 3 and short par 4 presenting risk-reward opportunities.

“They really brought out the bones of the original architecture,” Parsons said. “I don’t think the Women’s Mid-Am is the only thing they can host.”

The U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur is open to female amateurs age 25 and older with a handicap not exceeding 9.4. There are two rounds of stroke play before the field is cut to the low 64 scores for match play. The winner earns an exemption into the 2027 U.S. Women's Open and the next two U.S. Women’s Amateur championships.

Admission to the event is free and the public is encouraged to attend. It’s a good chance to get an up-close view of some of the best amateurs in the game as well as the updates to the course. Though it does seem there may be other opportunities in the future.

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