Local History: The Lone Oak Golf Course

As golfers and sports fans follow the action at the PGA’s United States Open at Bethpage Black and plan ahead for the July LPGA tournament in Bethlehem, PA, history buffs can think back to the Lone Oak Golf Course that was once the pride of South Orange.

According to "The Municipalities of Essex County, Volume II," a group of South Orange residents met at the home of William Frederick Allen on June 14, 1889, “for the purpose of encouraging outdoor sports and for the promotion of social intercourse.” Upon payment of $5 each, 44 citizens joined the South Orange Field Club, which was, in the 1920s, “one of the most widely known athletic organizations in northern New Jersey, and … which has sustained the true spirit of the sportsman who loved a good game in the great outdoors.”

The Club played tennis on local Dr. Fenner’s field that first year, and in fall of 1889, a lease was crafted with the Meadow Land Society for use of the field bounded by South Orange Avenue, the Lackawanna Railroad and the east branch of the Rahway River. Edwin Mead, whose barn was on part of the leased land, gave it to the group to serve as a clubhouse. The building featured a bowling alley.

Golf was already popular in South Orange when the Club was formed. As early as 1896, a South Orange team made The New York Times with a victory over Montclair. In what was described as a “close and interesting golf match on the links of the South Orange Field Club,” Richard Colgate and Fred Allen won the contest by one hole. As golf continued to grow in popularity, a course opened in South Orange. The Lone Oak Golf Course was located between Ridgewood Road and Meadowbrook Lane, and bounded by Meadowbrook Place and the South Orange Middle School parking lot.

South Orange’s golfers continued to play well, making The New York Times on Nov. 14, 1907 when the local team of Gordon, Pulling, Smith, Van Vechten and Currier beat Canoe Book decisively by a score of 8 to 1 in the 1907 East Jersey Golf League championship. By 1920, club membership numbered 475 and included many avid golfers.

The Lone Oak Golf Course was lost to time, development and the needs of a growing community. It’s worth recalling, though, because it was established, according to "The Municipalities of Essex County, Volume II," “in line with the progressive ideas of the founders, that games tending to prove the mettle of true sportsmen should be fostered.” Whether it's golf, Ultimate, or backyard catch, here’s to sportsmanship in South Orange.