Watchung Valley is a golf club and we like it that way. We're unapologetically authentic. No staged faux-marketing pictures or silly pitches written by a marketing professional from an office park in Des Moines - just the straight story, straight from us.
If you're looking for a club that prides itself on keeping dues low and allocating the lion's share of those dues towards a world class golf course, this may well be the club for you. On the other hand, if it's not a
golf club you're after and you'd prefer a course with soft turf, big fountains, loads of planted ornamental trees, ballwashers and a same-same routing next to an interstate, we are happy to recommend some of the other "country clubs" in our area. That's not to say we don't have fun off the course too - we do. A lot of it. We have a vibrant social scene and our chef joined us from one of the states best new restaurants in Morristown, so we think the food's pretty topnotch too.
However, a golf club is only as good as its course and we've got a great one. Laid out by Seth Raynor and completed by others after his death, we recently completed a complete restoration of the course led by former Doak associate George Waters. It's a uniquely engaging test that rewards strategy in equal measure to strength. In particular, we feel the stretch of holes from 11-16 stacks up against quite literally any golf course in the world.
We think we're the antidote to everything people say is killing the game. We see no reason why golf needs to be expensive, slow and played on dull courses. We prefer the UK model of low dues, fast and firm conditions, and a brisk pace of play. In today's fast-moving world, a 5+ hour round isn't just an annoyance, it's a dealbreaker for a lot of busy people. We're proud to be a place where members play fast, men and women have equal access to the course, and where we foster outstanding amateur and junior golf - including a NJ Open champion, 3 Ivy League golf captains, ACC golfers, and numerous USGA competitors, both men and women.
If Watchung Valley sounds like a community you'd like to be a part of, we welcome your inquiry. Membership is by invitation only, but we are always looking to add members who share our love of the game. Please feel free to call the clubhouse at (908) 561-8855 or to drop our
membership committee an e-mail.