The Ridgewood Country Club

What The Ridgewood Country Club does

The Ridgewood Country Club is a private, member-owned country club established in 1890 and headquartered at 96 W Midland Avenue in Paramus, New Jersey. It operates an invitation-based membership model in which prospective members require sponsorship from current members; the organization explicitly declines to provide membership information to non-members. The club runs a 27-hole championship golf course originally designed by A.W. Tillinghast (with subsequent renovation work led by Gil Hanse), centered on a Norman Revival clubhouse designed by Clifford C. Wendehack and opened on May 30, 1929. Approximately 107 employees support operations across golf, tennis, paddle, swimming, food and beverage, events, and grounds maintenance.

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring private membership dues and initiation/resignation fees, supplemented by food and beverage (Champions Grille, Ryder Cup Bar, Overlook), golf instruction, guest fees sponsored by members, merchandise, and tournament-related sponsorship/hospitality revenue. The club's marketing and distribution footprint is effectively limited to a single-member-driven channel (sponsor-based acquisition) and a basic informational website (rcc1890.com). Back-office technology runs on Jonas Club Software (member management, tee times, billing) and integrates with the GHIN (Golf Handicap and Information Network) for handicap and scoring.

The club's competitive positioning rests on its tournament pedigree — hosting the 1935 Ryder Cup, the U.S. Amateur (1974, 2022), the U.S. Senior Open (1990), the Senior PGA Championship (2001), US Girls' Junior (2016), and multiple iterations of The Barclays / The Northern Trust PGA Tour event — as well as its 2015 placement on the New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places. Golf Magazine named the clubhouse among the 18 Most Iconic Clubhouses in Golf (2015).

Name

The Ridgewood Country Club

Legal name

The Ridgewood Country Club

Website

https://rcc1890.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1890

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Ridgewood Country Club is a private, member-owned country club in Paramus, New Jersey, founded in 1890. It operates a 27-hole A.W. Tillinghast-designed championship golf course, a Norman Revival clubhouse, and full amenity programming for a sponsor-required membership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Country Club Services

NAICS

Golf Courses and Country Clubs (71391)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Golf Courses & Golf Facilities (MPAKAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Golf Clubs & Tournament-Host Clubs (Professional/Elite Golf Clubs) (MPAKABAE)

Keywords

• Private country club
• Championship golf course
• Membership club services
• Tennis and paddle
• Private recreational amenities

Headquarters

HQ city

Paramus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Private Club Membership: The club generates revenue primarily through private membership fees and dues. Membership is exclusive and requires sponsorship by existing members.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Ridgewood Country Club provides private, member-owned access to a 27-hole A.W. Tillinghast-designed championship golf course, complemented by a Norman Revival clubhouse, tennis and paddle courts, a swimming pool, and multiple dining venues. Membership is exclusive and obtainable only through sponsorship by current members, with bundled use of golf, racquet sports, aquatics, and event/banquet facilities.

Product overview

The Ridgewood Country Club is a private, member-owned country club offering a single integrated portfolio of services centered around its 27-hole championship golf course designed by A.W. Tillinghast. The club operates from a Norman Revival clubhouse and provides members and guests with golf facilities, dining venues (including Champions Grille, Ryder Cup Bar, and Overlook), tennis courts, paddle tennis, pool facilities, and event hosting capabilities. The club is notable for its extensive history of hosting national and international golf championships including the Ryder Cup, U.S. Amateur, U.S. Senior Open, and PGA Tour events. Membership is sponsor-based and unavailable to non-members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 27-Hole Championship Golf Course Private 27-hole championship golf course designed by A.W. Tillinghast with subsequent renovations by preeminent architect Gil Hanse. The course is organized as three nine-hole loops (East, Center, West) that can be combined into different 18-hole configurations for tournament play, and is offered exclusively to members and their sponsored guests.
• Tennis and Paddle Tennis Facilities Tennis and paddle tennis courts available to members and sponsored guests, with stated attire and shoe-surface requirements (all-white tennis attire, flat soft-soled rubber paddle shoes).
• Swimming Pool Facilities Pool facility available to members, with dedicated pool locker rooms and stated pool-attire rules requiring tasteful, full-coverage swimwear and changing in the pool locker rooms rather than the clubhouse.
• Clubhouse Dining and Event Venues Norman Revival clubhouse designed by Clifford C. Wendehack (opened May 30, 1929) housing multiple dining venues — Champions Grille, Ryder Cup Bar, and Overlook — together with banquet and event spaces for member dining and private events.
• Golf Instruction Professional golf instruction and teaching programs delivered by the club's golf professionals, building on a tradition that historically included George Jacobus, who served as Head Professional for over 50 years.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Shinnecock Hills Golf Club: One of the oldest and most prestigious private golf clubs in the U.S. (Southampton, NY), host of multiple U.S. Opens. Comparable to Ridgewood as a historic, member-owned Northeast club with elite championship pedigree and similar membership economics.
• Pine Valley Golf Club: Frequently ranked #1 golf course in the U.S., private member-owned club in Pine Valley, NJ. Directly comparable to Ridgewood as a New Jersey-based, member-owned, ultra-elite private golf club with similar governance and exclusive membership model.
• The Country Club (Brookline): Historic private member-owned club in Brookline, MA, host of multiple U.S. Opens, U.S. Amateurs, and the Ryder Cup. Comparable to Ridgewood as a founding-era Northeast private club with similar championship-hosting legacy and member-owned governance.
• Oak Hill Country Club: Private member-owned club in Rochester, NY, host of multiple PGA Championships, U.S. Opens, and the Ryder Cup. Closely matches Ridgewood on member-owned structure, championship-course scale, tournament-hosting heritage, and full-service country club amenity mix.
• Winged Foot Golf Club: Private member-owned club in Mamaroneck, NY, host of multiple U.S. Opens and PGA Championships. Closely comparable to Ridgewood as a Northeast championship-hosting private club with A.W. Tillinghast-designed course, similar member economics, and tournament-hosting revenue profile.
• Merion Golf Club: Private member-owned club in Ardmore, PA, host of multiple U.S. Opens, U.S. Amateurs, and the Walker Cup. Directly comparable to Ridgewood on member-owned structure, championship pedigree, Northeast geography, and historic East Coast club economics.
• Baltusrol Golf Club: Fellow private member-owned club in Springfield, NJ, also in the New York metro area, with a long history of hosting U.S. Opens, PGA Championships, and U.S. Amateurs. Directly comparable to Ridgewood on geography, member-owned structure, championship pedigree, and Tillinghast-era architectural heritage.
• Congressional Country Club: Private member-owned club in Bethesda, MD, with multiple U.S. Opens, PGA Championships, and the U.S. Women's Open hosted on site. Comparable to Ridgewood as a championship-private club serving a major Northeast metro area with similar full-service family amenity offering.
• Hazeltine National Golf Club: Private member-owned club in Chaska, MN, host of multiple U.S. Opens, PGA Championships, the Ryder Cup, and the U.S. Women's Open. Comparable to Ridgewood on member-owned model, single championship course asset, and tournament-hosting revenue stream.
• Oakland Hills Country Club: Private member-owned club in Bloomfield Hills, MI, host of multiple U.S. Opens, PGA Championships, and the Ryder Cup. Comparable to Ridgewood as a storied championship-hosting private club with similar scale, member-owned structure, and tournament-hosting revenue model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-ridgewood-country-club

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Ridgewood Country Club