More than 250 guests recently joined Mayor Lester E. Taylor III and the East Orange City Council in celebrating the grand opening of the newly-completed Clubhouse and Par 440 Restaurant & Lounge located at the East Orange Golf Course, 440 Parsonage Hill Road in Short Hills, NJ.
The 6,000 square-foot facility, which was built from the ground up following the full renovation of the municipally-owned East Orange Golf Course, features a new Pro Shop and Par 440, an upscale sports bar operated by Mario LaVecchia of Above Restaurant in South Orange.
Both facilities are open to the public.
“We took a gamble when we decided to close the course in 2014, but our gamble has paid off,” said Mayor Taylor. “The transformation of this golf course required the hard work and commitment of a solid team of experts who believed in our vision and rebuilt this asset into what it was intended to be — a quality and accessible course for public play.”
Not your typical golf clubhouse or restaurant, the new facility features a combination of retro and modern aesthetics, including flat screen TVs, an illuminated wall-length bar, disco balls, plush seating, a wrap-around deck, and an outdoor patio area featuring a vintage bar restored from the original clubhouse.
The clubhouse also showcases the artwork of Avi Brender, a local Millburn resident who donated his art to the City of East Orange to adorn the walls of the clubhouse. Proceeds from the sale of the art will benefit the East Orange Safe Haven Police Athletic League to support youth golfing and the Danielle Brender Fund to raise awareness about a genetic disorder that suddenly claimed the life of his 11-year-old daughter in 2000.
The New and Improved East Orange Golf Course
East Orange Golf Course was originally designed in 1926 by Tom Bendelow, an architect renowned for making golf accessible and affordable for the public. His most famous design is Medinah Country Club in Illinois. East Orange underwent an extensive renovation by prominent golf architect Stephen Kay in 2015. Kay’s work is widely known throughout New Jersey and beyond.
The course has been redesigned to maintain the old-fashioned charm of the golf course while making it appealing to players of all abilities. As part of the renovations, the new course features two newly-constructed golf holes, a practice range and putting green.
“We have created a player-friendly and aesthetically appealing golf course that allows for a relatively brisk pace of play,” said Kay. “It’s a fun and affordable golf course for players of all ages and abilities.”
The conditioning of the course is attributable to golf course superintendent and general manager Juan Casiano, who has done a masterful job in enhancing the golf course’s playing conditions.
“After years of neglect, we now have a golf course and facility that all of us are very proud of,” said Casiano. “And we are very gratified by the positive feedback we are getting from golfers. It’s been very rewarding to be part of such a remarkable comeback story.”
Season passes for East Orange Golf Course range from $500 for Juniors to $1,500 for individual unlimited. Senior unlimited passes are $1,000 and individual weekday passes are $1,200. East Orange residents and city employees receive a 25 percent discount on season passes, or a flat daily fee rate of just $18 for weekdays and $20 for weekends.
For more information, or to schedule an outing or group event, please call (973) 379-7190.
