Rees Jones

Born into a family synonymous with golf course design, Jones grew up in Montclair where he learned the game and the craft from his father and New Jersey Golf Hall of Fame class of 2023 inductee, legendary architect Robert Trent Jones Sr. After graduating from Yale University and completing graduate studies at Harvard, he began his professional design career in 1965 with Robert Trent Jones, Inc., before establishing his own design firm, Rees Jones, Inc., in 1974. The firm has been headquartered in Montclair ever since, making New Jersey the home base for one of the world’s most respected golf architecture practices. 

Over a career spanning more than five decades, Jones has designed or renovated more than 300 courses around the world. Known as “The Open Doctor,” he has been entrusted with preparing many of the game’s most important championship venues, including multiple U.S. Open, PGA Championship, Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup and Walker Cup sites. His design contributions include New Jersey staples like Baltusrol (Upper & Lower) Golf Club, Echo Lake Country Club, Hackensack Golf Club, Morris County Golf Club and The Ridgewood Country Club as well as several of the game’s most highly regarded modern layouts. 

Jones’ impact on golf has been recognized with the sport’s highest honors, including the Old Tom Morris Award, the Donald Ross Award and the Don A. Rossi Award (presented by the Golf Course Builders Association of America), a distinction achieved by only a handful of individuals in golf history. He has also been inducted into the New Jersey Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame and has received numerous national and international awards for excellence in golf course architecture.