Somerset Hills Country Club
Bernardsville, Somerset County, New Jersey · Somerset Hills / Morris County golf market
- Access
- unknown
- Holes
- 18
- Architect(s)
- A.W. Tillinghast, Hanse Golf Course Design (2018 restoration)
Thinking About Living in Somerset Hills Country Club?
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Somerset Hills Country Club was founded in 1899 by a group of New York City residents who first played on a cramped nine-hole course beside Ravine Lake. In 1916 the club purchased a larger estate in the hills of Bernardsville and hired A.W. Tillinghast, then early in his design career, to route a new 18-hole course across an open front nine and a heavily wooded, elevation-varied back nine. It is considered one of Tillinghast's earliest and most creative designs, and a careful 2018 restoration by Hanse Golf Course Design is credited with returning it to one of the most authentic remaining Tillinghast layouts in the country.
Somerset Hills reads as an old-guard, freestanding private club rather than a real-estate-bundled one -- no on-course or adjacent residential community was found this session. Its relevance to a golf-oriented homebuyer is tied to the broader Bernardsville/Somerset Hills estate character (large lots, historic homes, horse country) rather than a direct membership-to-home connection.
Golf & Course
The course was one of Tillinghast's earliest designs (built 1916-1918) and is frequently cited by golf architecture writers as among his most creative and authentic surviving work, particularly after the 2018 Hanse restoration.
Membership & Access
Does buying a home here include club membership?
Somerset Hills is a private club; this session found no public application process or waitlist details. As with most old-guard New Jersey clubs of its era, an invitation/sponsorship-based process is likely but was not independently confirmed for this specific club -- treat as unresolved rather than assumed.
Living in Somerset Hills Country Club
No dedicated residential community is bundled to the club. Bernardsville and the broader Somerset Hills area are affluent, estate-scale suburbs, and the club is one of several institutions (alongside equestrian and country-club culture generally) that define the area's character.
Interested in Homes in Somerset Hills Country Club?
We can connect you with a local real-estate specialist who knows the community, nearby golf communities, and the Somerset Hills / Morris County market.
What Buyers Should Verify
- Confirm current membership process (invitation vs. sponsored application) directly with the club.
- Confirm current initiation fee and dues directly -- third-party estimates found this session conflict significantly and none is club-published.
Notable
- Founded 1899; A.W. Tillinghast routed the current 18-hole course in 1916-1918, one of his earliest designs.
- 2018 Hanse Golf Course Design restoration is widely cited as returning the course to one of the most authentic surviving Tillinghast layouts.
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Considering a Move to Somerset Hills Country Club?
Whether you're comparing Somerset Hills Country Club with another Somerset Hills / Morris County golf community or you're ready to start looking at homes, US Golf Living can connect you with a local real-estate specialist.
US Golf Living provides independent real-estate research and can connect consumers with real-estate professionals. Golf membership, availability, fees and approval are determined independently by the applicable club.