Echo Lake Country Club
Designed by Donald Ross
History
Echo Lake Country Club traces its founding to 1899, when a group of Westfield residents set about establishing a golfing home for the growing community north of Cranford. The late nineteenth century saw a wave of such clubs rising across the New York and New Jersey suburbs, as commuters and townsfolk alike sought fresh-air recreation within reach of the rail lines, and Westfield’s founders were very much part of that movement.
The club’s present character owes much to Donald Ross, who took on the design work at a point when his reputation as America’s foremost golf architect was already well established. Ross’s touch is evident in the club’s routing, a product of his belief that a course should rise naturally from its terrain rather than impose itself upon it. By the time he turned his attention to Echo Lake, he had already built a career on restraint and proportion, principles he brought to bear on this parcel of Union County ground.
In the decades since, Echo Lake has remained a fixture of New Jersey’s private club scene, its membership tending to the Ross design through the changing fortunes and fashions of American golf across more than a century of continuous play.
Playing Notes
Expect a walk through rolling, tree-lined terrain that puts a premium on shot placement off the tee — the fairways bend and shift with the land, so a big swing that drifts offline will find trouble in the rough or the trees rather than open grass to bail out into. Greens here tend to be smaller and well-guarded by bunkers, which means your approach game and distance control matter more than raw power; take extra time on the practice green before you start, since the putting surfaces can run quick and break in ways that aren't always obvious from the fairway. The course walks well for those who prefer to skip the cart, though the terrain has enough natural movement that you'll feel it in your legs by the back nine. Bring a sharp short game, patience for tight lies around the greens, and a plan for each hole rather than just a driver — this is a course that asks you to think before you swing.