Course History

The original course was a nine hole layout consisting of the current 1st, 2nd, and 12th through 18th holes designed by Lawrence Van Etten in 1895. Van Etten was a prominent civil engineer from West Chester New York and is also credited with the original designs of Knollwood and Wykagyl Country Clubs. An accomplished player, he was known at the time as the best player at Knollwood and played regularly to “scratch” in local events. Club history at Knollwood has confirmed that Van Etten consulted with the great Scottish professional Willie Park Jr. on the original designs of both Knollwood and Wykagyl. Park came to America during the early 1890’s to play in a series of exhibition matches and to finalize plans for courses he would later design, over 170 worldwide. This leads some to speculate that Park may have had some influence over Deal’s original nine hole layout.

In 1900, a second nine was built west of Lincoln Drive, now known as Monmouth Road. Unfortunately, the identity of the designer for these holes cannot be authenticated. However, the most interesting aspect of this nine was the fact that three of these holes, the 4th, 5th, and 6th were located west of Roseld Avenue on property that the club rented from founder, George Washington Young. This arrangement would later prove to be costly.



By 1912, Young experienced financial difficulties that forced him to sell this land to the recently relocated Hollywood Golf Club, which resulted in the club losing these holes. Deal was now put in the precarious position of figuring out how to fit 18 holes into an area where 15 use to be. The membership acted quickly and hired renowned golf course architect Donald Ross to oversee the revision.

Although Ross’s physical presence at Deal cannot be confirmed, it is noted in Bradley S. Klein’s book, “Discovering Donald Ross,” that three new holes were built and the remodeling project was completed in 1915. Work included the building of a new 4th, 5th, and 7th holes, while utilizing some of the existing greens and tees to complete the newly revised front nine. It is also believed that at this time the 17th and 18th holes were rebuilt and improvements were made to the original nine holes east of Lincoln Drive/Monmouth Road.

Typical of Ross the “businessman” along with the drudgery associated with rail travel during this era, it’s safe to assume that one of his longtime associates supervised the work performed on the course. However, this is not to say that the influence of Ross cannot be felt at Deal. Quite the contrary, anyone familiar with Ross’s work will notice many of his signature design characteristics including: efficient hole routing, a premium on accurate tee shots, demanding iron play, tight bunkering, and highly-contoured greens. And like many Ross courses, Deal is a pleasure to stroll because it gives one the opportunity to experience the land in its entirety.

Over a century later, the membership continues to embrace those unique qualities inherent in the course that provide golfers of all levels with a challenging test of golf in a picturesque setting.