Ridgewood Country Club: Five and Dime
Alex Elias
Courtesy of LinksGems (@linksgems)
Designed by Golden Age architect A.W. Tillinghast, Ridgewood Country Club (Paramus, New Jersey) contains three separate 9-hole courses, East, Center, and West, that all begin and end at the clubhouse. The Championship Course, a composite of the three nine-hole courses, begins with Nos. 1–7 of the East, proceeds with Nos. 2–6 of the Center, and concludes with Nos. 4–9 of the West.
Officially named “Scoonie,” 6 Center, Ridgewood’s shortest Par-4, is the signature hole on property. Known as the “Nickel and Dime” or “Five and Dime,” 6 Center earns its name thanks to Byron Nelson, who said the best strategy was to hit a 5-iron and 10-iron (pitching wedge) when he served as the club’s assistant pro in the 1930s.
Although many players follow the two-shot strategy like Nelson, the short length of the hole (294 yards from the Championship tees and 277 yards from the Back tees) presents a risk-reward opportunity difficult to resist.
“I almost always go for it,” said Leo Lee, Assistant Golf Professional at Ridgewood Country Club. “When I began, David Reasoner (Head Golf Professional at Ridgewood Country Club) said, ‘You can’t hit a hole-in-one on a Par-4 with an iron in your hand.’”
Although the opportunity for a hole-in-one, or more realistically an eagle or birdie, certainly presents itself, so too does bogey, double-bogey, or even triple-bogey, as the less than 2,200-square-foot green is protected by six deadly bunkers.
“If you hit driver and find the green, you’re going to have an eagle putt, and at worst, most likely a two-putt for birdie. But if you’re even a little off line, you’re going to have a difficult time getting up and down,” said Lee. “Although it’s a fairly easy up and down from the right bunkers, the left bunkers certainly test one’s short game, as the green slopes hard left to right, making the bounce tough to judge and control.”
Even with the treachery around the green, Lee believes taking on the risk is the wiser of the two options. As for his reason, Lee said, “A lot of amateur golfers struggle with a shot inside 115 yards. If you mishit your wedge even slightly, then you will likely have the same shot had you hit driver.”
