Spring Lake Golf Club
Spring Lake Heights, New Jersey

“The entire membership is extremely pleased with the outcome of Tripp’s renovation of our course.  As a member of the committee who oversaw the project, I was very happy with the outcome and the process." - James Hickey, Spring Lake Golf Club's greens chairman.  

4th hole

Tripp Davis and Associates embarked on its Master Plan for renovating and restoring Spring Lake Golf Club’s historic course in 2013.  Located on New Jersey’s north shore, the club’s original 18 holes were designed by George Thomas (the genius behind Riviera Country Club) in 1911.  In 1918, A.W. Tillinghast, one of America’s greatest golf course architects, was engaged to redesign, strengthen and update the course.

Tripp Davis, who is noted for his work with historic golf courses around the country, was asked by Spring Lake Golf Club in 2011 to create a strategic plan that would restore the character of the course first laid out by Thomas and later improved upon by Tillinghast.  Our direction and focus in developing a Master Plan for Spring Lake was to keep Thomas’s solid routing intact, then look to what Tillinghast did so we could work to reestablish the importance of angles off the tees, restore and enhance the strategic intent of the bunkers and return them to their original style.  Additionally, fairway widths that were altered over the years will be regained, the once sandy scrub areas that were a prominent feature will be reintroduced, some greens will be rebuilt, and overall there will be a more open feel to the landscape. 

With Spring Lake being so close to the Atlantic, Tripp and his team introduced Fine Fescues in various areas to promote more of a seaside feel.  While making the course more strategically interesting for modern play, the end result is to let golfers experience a step back in time.