Golf At Arcola-A Pleasurable Experience

The scorecard Arcola Country Club, with its water mill logo
The scorecard Arcola Country Club, with its water mill logo

  Northern Jersey, and for that matter, the entire Metropalitan Area is a golfing mecca filled with tremendous golf courses that are ranked amongst the best in the world, and just as many, if not more that are vastly underrated. Arcola Country Club, snuggled in Paramus, New Jersey, falls into the latter category. It is ranked 20th in Golf Digest: Best In New Jersey, but such a bestowed ranking far undervalues this classic design. Arcola is built on farmland, and was designed by then Garden City Golf Club Professional and distinguished player, Herbert Barker. Constructed in 1909, Arcola is built on grounds majestically suited for a golf course. One or two holes with demonstrable inclines and declines, but most built on level, but impeccable grounds. Barker built a tremendous golf course, but little did he know what a beauty of a golf course and club this place would become.

The Clubhouse at Arcola, from the 18th green
The Clubhouse at Arcola, from the 18th green
  Arcola is located on a marvelous piece of property, with an enjoyable drive up to the clubhouse, perched up nicely overlooking the course. Arcola has one of the best driving ranges and short game complexes I've ever seen, even though it was a two minute drive from the clubhouse. Complete with not only a great grass range, but a tremendous putting green and a short game area to behold.
  The opening hole is a very solid one, ever so slightly downhill, with a well-protected green possessing bunkers and collection areas, making for an enjoyable start. The hole is slightly over 400 yards, but plays a little less, leaving a 6,7, maybe 8-iron into the green. The course, from where we played, was a tad less than 6,700 yards, but can be stretched out to 7,300 from the tips. In my experience, the course did not feel like it played as long, not due to inadequate surveying, but because of the nicely proportioned holes, and nice downhill tee shots and approaches to longer par 4's. The second is a solid par 3, a little longer than 200 yards, again protected by bunkers, but not necessarily a difficult par 3. 
The 3rd at Arcola, with bunkers galore
The 3rd at Arcola, with bunkers galore

  The 3rd at Arcola opens the floodgates, with hole after hole being immensely enjoyable, and full of sheer architectural brilliance. The third is a short par 4, under 350 yards, plays ever so slightly uphill, with a narrow hazard off the left of the fairway, and penal fairway bunkers on both the left and right of the landing areas, placing a premium on accuracy off the tee. A second shot over a deep bunker short to a pin tucked on the front left when we played provided an enjoyable challenge, with a green pitched back to front, and death long. The "picture hole" at Arcola,while not long, is certainly not a hole to waltz around. The fourth plays well uphill, with a tough green that, in my opinion, is nearly crossing the line with a back pin. My main issue arises with the fact that with a back pin, a ball putted past the hole up a slope could conceivably come back to the hole, but other than that, a difficult par 4. The next hole is the highest point in Bergen County,and while it is 431 yards on the card, plays considerably less, a fine example of appropriate yardage proportion. A well-protected green, a hallmark of Arcola, guards the 5th, with a relatively simple green. Another fine aspect is that at Arcola, on the longer par 4s at least, there is no true forced carry per se. There is almost always a narrow corridor where a ball can run up tothe green if hit straight enough. A short par 4 is next, followed by a short, but solid par 3.

  Back to back par 5s close out Arcola's front nine, each of them excellent golf holes. A dog leg right 8th, moderately tree lined, with a tough back to front sloped green, where one has no hope if ventured long. Yours truly can attest. The 9th may be the better of the two to finish, with a nice dog leg to the left starting about midway through the hole. An elevated green with a false front and shaved areas omnipresent, the approach to the 9th is both immensely daunting and fun.

A view of the 9th green and fairway, looking back
A view of the 9th green and fairway, looking back
  The tenth hole at Arcola may very well be my favorite on the course, a downhill tee shot dog leg left, bunkers guard the dog leg, and taunt the player as they ponder cutting off some yardage.
The 10th hole, my favorite on the course, as viewed from the tee
The 10th hole, my favorite on the course, as viewed from the tee
  Bunkers left are situated left and right of the green, and pose tough up and downs if entered. The par three 11th features a forced carry over a lake, to an interesting green,with balls often collecting in the small front center swail, also creating a difficult putt for the player to traverse if on the wrong side of the hole. Interestingly enough, the par threes feature the only real forced carries on the course. The back nine, while not on exceptionally hilly ground, flows nicely with gentle slopes that play into the approaches on a few holes. The only questionable hole on the back nine is the 16th, which has two greens, with an alternate green that we played. It appears to me that the original green would create a better hole, with a brook separating the fairways that is invisible from the tee to the alternate hole. 
  The closing two holes however, are without a doubt, great golf holes. During my round, I couldn't help but associate this layout and some of its features, such as bushels of palm bushes ubiquitous on the back nine, to Eagle Point in North Carolina, where I went this year to see the Wells Fargo Championship. The 17th is another narrow-ish tee shot, with a mid to long iron approach with a creek left, and collection area right. The home hole at Arcola is exceptional, with a tee shot through a tree lined shoot, dog legging to the right, uphill to the green, with bunkers yet again guarding an interesting green complex.
The tee shot on Arcola's 18th, with the bunker in the center serving as an aiming point
The tee shot on Arcola's 18th, with the bunker in the center serving as an aiming point

  All in all, Arcola is a fabulous golf course, and ranks among the top three courses I've ever played. Underrated to say the least, Arcola is bound to get recognized, rightfully so, for the pure golfing experience it is. I found my conversations with our host to be quite intriguing. At Arcola there is no dawdling when it comes to pace of play, 3 hours, 45 minutes is the expected time for a walking foursome. Yet while some may perceive that to mean the pace of play is forced, I never once got that feeling, the pace just flowed effortlessly. Arcola magic. Another fascinating aspect of Arcola is the low-key profile it has acquired. As I learned in my conversations with our host, Arcola takes the privacy of its members seriously, and also it is tough to find images of the course itself online. I find this aspect quite neat, as many other exclusive clubs don't necessarily make attempts to be innocuous in the manner Arcola does.

And finally, wow! The view of the NYC skyline from the deck at Arcola
And finally, wow! The view of the NYC skyline from the deck at Arcola
  I leave you with this, the breathtaking view of the Manhattan skyline from the clubhouse.

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