Best Golf Courses Near Wayne, NJ

More than 100 years ago, Wayne, New Jersey became a quiet retreat for the affluent New York City set. Nowadays, Wayne is a suburban town and bedroom community of the New York metropolitan area. It’s known for being the home of William Paterson University and Dey Mansion, a historic house museum on an estate that George Washington used as his headquarters a couple of times during the Revolutionary War. The County of Passaic operates Preakness Valley Golf Course’s two predominantly flat, tree-lined 18s on the same site as Dey Mansion. Meadows Golf Club, a busy course in nearby Lincoln Park, is also mostly flat, as its fairways weave around native wetlands. At the 36-hole Knoll Country Club in Parsippany, the West Course is the club’s jewel—it’s a 1929-vintage Charles Banks design that Golf Advisor perennially rates among New Jersey’s very best courses and awarded “Golfer’s Choice” honors to in 2020. Banks also designed Francis A. Byrne Golf Course in West Orange, a layout that presents Banks’s versions of golf’s most iconic holes. Originally built as a private club, it is now operated by the Essex County Department of Parks. After your round in Wayne, take a tour of Dey Mansion or consider a visit to High Mountain Park Preserve, a nature and hiking spot known for its sunsets and views of the New York City skyline.