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Golf Coast

by Nate Oxman
Myrtle Beach may be the golf mecca of the eastern seaboard, but in­creasingly the emerald strand of golf clubs stretching along the Jersey Shore is giving it a run for its money.

After all, this golf scene promises unmatched versatility, from timeless classics like Atlantic City Country Club and Seaview Golf Resort to instant hits like Sand Barrens, Twisted Dune and Ballamor. There are affordable options, like The Links at Brigantine Beach, Mays Landing Golf and Country Club, and Avalon Golf Club. And there are high-end offerings, like Shore Gate and Harbor Pines Golf Club, eager to provide king-for-a-day treatment. If exclusive venues like Hidden Creek, Galloway National and Stone Harbor were open to the public, the vacationers might never leave.

But even without that kind of access, there’s still plenty to love about golf down the Shore. From bayside views of the Atlantic City skyline to secluded fairways carved out of the pines, to four-star dining in the clubhouse, the options are endless. But which Jersey Shore golf course is the best? We couldn’t decide, so we surveyed a panel of 40 avid golfers—both seasoned amateurs and respected PGA professionals—on everything from the greatest greens to the most happening 19th hole. Here’s the final score.

Best Greens
1. Atlantic City Country Club
Northfield
2. Galloway National Golf Club
Galloway
3. Hidden Creek Golf Club
Egg Harbor Township
Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw have established themselves as perhaps the leading architectural tandem in today’s golf world. They’ve done so by hand-picking distinctive canvases, and then creating golf courses with a truly classic feel. The duo’s artistry is on display at Hidden Creek, where intriguing green complexes with refreshingly subtle contouring highlight a pure golf sanctuary down the Shore.

Most Challenging
1. Galloway National Golf Club
Galloway
2. Stone Harbor Golf Club
Cape May Court House
3. Shore Gate Golf Club
Ocean View
Ron Fream and David Dale designed Shore Gate Golf Club in Ocean View to test the mettle of low handicappers. At 7,227 yards from the championship tees, with a slope of 136, the tandem definitely got their wish. The best players have waved the white flag at the ferocious 648-yard, par-5 ninth, where one must avoid a trio of treacherous fairway bunkers off the tee and a water hazard that hugs the right side of the fairway and guards the 55-yard-long green. Even if you wisely choose to tee it up from one of the other four sets of tees, you’re sure to grapple with Shore Gate from start to finish.

Best Views
1. Seaview Golf Resort
Bay Course, Galloway
2. Atlantic City Country Club
Northfield
3. Cape May National Golf Club
Erma
While many of the seaside courses at the Jersey Shore provide golfers with breathtaking bay and ocean views, Cape May National Golf Club offers a tranquil natural setting that is truly unmatched. Aptly nicknamed “The Natural,” the club set a standard for environmental sensitivity when it opened in 1991. The demanding layout meanders through pristine wetlands and around one of the largest private bird sanctuaries in the state of New Jersey. If your hobbies include both golf and bird-watching, it doesn’t get better than The Natural.

Best Practice Facility
1. Hidden Creek Golf Club | Egg Harbor Township
Hidden Creek helps golfers hone their games with a dual-sided driving range that features both a warm-up tee for use prior to the round, and a larger tee ideal for an extended practice session. Also on site is a spectacular short game area dotted with three practice bunkers and an approach apron. A spacious putting green outside Hidden Creek’s clubhouse allows players to sample the immaculate greens found out on the golf course.
2. Galloway National Golf Club
Galloway
3. Blue Heron Pines Golf Club
Egg Harbor City

Best Golf Shop
1. Atlantic City Country Club
Northfield
2. Hidden Creek Golf Club
Egg Harbor Township
3. Seaview Golf Resort, Bay Course
Galloway
Included in Seaview Golf Resort’s $12 million renovation this past winter were upgrades to an already-outstanding golf shop that was recently named one of the top 100 golf shops in the country by Golf World. This apparel paradise offers an extensive selection of big-name brands available with either the classic Seaview logo or the logo of the ShopRite LPGA Classic, which will be held here May 30 to June 5. While an array of equipment, golf balls and accessories are also for sale, it’s the variety of apparel that attracts both male and female shoppers.

Best Bargain
1. McCullough’s Emerald Golf Links
Egg Harbor Township
2. Mays Landing Golf & Country Club
Mays Landing
ersey Shore golf in general has a longstanding reputation for exorbitant peak season green fees. Affordable rates mostly disappear once summer plays through, (twilight rates are the way to go), yet you can still find a bargain at several well-regarded courses including Mays Landing Golf & Country Club. The club has stayed true to designer and former PGA of America president Leo Fraser’s commitment to making the game of golf accessible to everyone. Peak rates are less than $75, and specials and discounts are promoted throughout the year.
3. The Links at Brigantine Beach
Brigantine

Best Classic Course
1. Atlantic City Country Club
Northfield
2. Seaview Golf Resort, Pines Course
Galloway
3. Wildwood Golf & Country Club
Cape May Court House
While the golf boom down the Shore didn’t begin until the ’90s, several classic, timeless golf courses were constructed in the early part of the 20th century. Among the best is Wildwood Golf & Country Club, a Wayne Stiles and John Van Kleek design that was unveiled in 1922. Slender, sometimes tree-lined and often dog-legged fairways and small greens put a premium on accuracy, and make the 6,714-yard course play longer than its listed yardage.

Best Modern Course
1. Galloway National Golf Club
Galloway
Decorated golf course architect Tom Fazio dubbed Galloway National Golf Club one of his best when the property opened in 1994. That’s high praise from a man who has crafted almost 20 of the nation’s top 100 modern courses, as designated by Golfweek. Galloway National is duly ranked right near the top (No. 27 in 2011) thanks to a dynamic layout dominated by imposing hazards, rolling turf, challenging green complexes and striking bayside views.
2. Hidden Creek Golf Club
Egg Harbor Township
3. Stone Harbor Golf Club
Cape May Court House

Best Women-Friendly Course
1. Seaview Golf Resort, Bay Course
Galloway
2. Avalon Golf Club
Cape May Court House
Many of the modern courses down the Shore may intimidate female golfers with forced carries, severely undulating greens and oversize, overabundant hazards. But Avalon Golf Club is more accessible, with four very accommodating sets of tees. Avalon can stretch to 6,325 yards from the blue tees, while beginners can gain invaluable experience from the red tees (4,924 yards) before working up to the gold (5,239 yards) and white (5,896 yards).
3. Blue Heron Pines Golf Club
Egg Harbor City

Best Junior-Friendly
1. Harbor Pines Golf Club
Egg Harbor Township
Not only is Harbor Pines Golf Club home to one of the top teaching facilities for juniors in the country, the JGA Golf Academy run by Class A PGA Professional John Petronis, but the golf course caters to budding golfers with generous fairways, large greens and a playable cut of rough. The absence of fescue grasses and forced carries off the tee eliminates the intimidation factor, while the ubiquitous pines will teach junior golfers the importance of keeping the ball in play.
2. Wildwood Golf & Country Club
Cape May Court House
3. The Links at Brigantine Beach
Brigantine

Best Snack Bar at the Turn
1. Galloway National Golf Club
Galloway
2. Stone Harbor Golf Club
Cape May Court House
Although scaled down from Desmond Muirhead’s original sinister design, which was inspired by tales from Greek mythology, Stone Harbor Golf Club still presents perhaps the sternest test of golf in South Jersey. Members look forward to a scheduled stop to refuel at the club’s Halfway House with a freshly made sandwich or a jumbo hotdog and wide selection of beverages.
3. Hidden Creek Golf Club
Egg Harbor Township

Best Clubhouse & Locker Rooms
1. Atlantic City Country Club
Northfield
2. Hidden Creek Golf Club
Egg Harbor Township
3. Seaview Golf Resort, Bay Course
Galloway
Soon after it was acquired by Richard Stockton College, the historic Seaview Golf Resort shut down for two months last winter for a $12 million renovation project. Improvements affected not only the resort’s two classic golf courses, but its fabulous hotel, conference rooms and guest rooms. The goal was to maintain the resort’s historic integrity while injecting modern flair. The results will have guests, especially golfers, gushing over the revamped men’s and women’s locker rooms, which feature new cherry wood lockers, showers and carpets.

Best 19th Hole
1. Atlantic City Country Club
Northfield
If the walls at the historic Tap Room could talk, they’d tell tales of sporting legends from Babe Zaharias, who delighted the room by playing the piano after capturing the 1948 U.S. Women’s Open, to Sam Snead, who did the same with his trumpet at the inaugural Senior Tour event in 1980. Other greats who have stopped in include Willie Mays, Joe Namath, Arnold Palmer and Bobby Jones. Sidle up to the dark-wood bar or sit at a table by the large bay window looking out over the golf course and the Atlantic City skyline in the distance, after soaking in the impressive collection of photographs and memorabilia decorating the walls.
2. Galloway National Golf Club
Galloway
3. Stone Harbor Golf Club
Cape May Court House

Best Outdoor Bar
1. Atlantic City Country Club
Northfield
2. Galloway National Golf Club
Galloway
3. Blue Heron Pines Golf Club
Egg Harbor City
Blue Heron Pines bolstered an already amenity-rich clubhouse by unveiling an outdoor patio area last year. Adjacent to The View, the club’s sleekly casual restaurant and bar, the patio—with an outdoor grille built right in—boasts stellar views of both the golf course and the sunset. A gigantic flat panel plasma TV pulls together an absolutely perfect setting for a post-round beverage or a summer evening out.

Best Restaurant: Breakfast
1. Seaview Golf Resort
Galloway
2. Stone Harbor Golf Club
Cape May Court House
With its mahogany-lined Mixed Grille, the luxurious Lakes Dining Room and the spectacular Patio Terrace peeking out over the 18th green, Stone Harbor Golf Club satisfies hungry diners on ambiance alone. Add in menus laden with enticing items such as the banana brioche French toast served with Vermont maple syrup, whipped butter and sage sausage, and the club presents a complete package.
3. Atlantic City Country Club
Northfield

Best Restaurant: Lunch
1. Atlantic City Country Club
Northfield
Atlantic City Country Club executive chef Ed Daggers indulges golfers with a fine selection of signature salads and unexpected spins on classic sandwiches and burgers. Not only is the club’s storied Tap Room Bar & Grille a great place to unwind after a morning round or to fuel up before an afternoon on the links, but it also offers a takeout and quick lunch menu with a variety of appetizers, salads and sandwiches.
2. Stone Harbor Golf Club
Cape May Court House
3. Linwood Country Club
Linwood

Best Restaurant: Dinner
1. Atlantic City Country Club
Northfield
2. Linwood Country Club
Linwood
It’s been nearly four years since executive chef Barry Sullivan first arrived at Linwood Country Club, having honed his tal­ents at restaurateur Stephen Starr’s Phi­la­del­phia landmarks like Buddakan, Blue Angel, Tangerine and the Continental. At Linwood, Sullivan spoils mem­bers and their guests with an a la carte menu that changes weekly, and draws on Asian and Spanish influences. There are also special-request entrees available.
3. Seaview Golf Resort
Galloway

Best Signature Cocktails
1. Atlantic City Country Club
Northfield
You don’t have to be a golfer to enjoy the classic amenities at one of the nation’s most hallowed golf venues. The Tap Room’s award-winning brunch is best accompanied by the club’s famous Bloody Mary. The ingredients of the mix remain a secret, but we do know that the process begins by prepping the glass with lemon juice and Old Bay seasoning.
2. Galloway National Golf Club
Galloway
3. Greate Bay Country Club
Somers Point

Best Wine List
1. Vineyard Golf at Renault Winery
Egg Harbor City
In operation for nearly 150 years, the 1,500-acre Renault Winery continues to produce wine of superior quality. Visitors to this reclusive resort in Egg Harbor City get a taste of old world Italy when they stay at the Tuscany House Hotel and dine at the casual Joseph’s Restaurant or the upscale Renault’s Gourmet Restaurant, both boasting offerings of Renault’s award-winning wines includ­ing the Cynthiana Estate Reserve, a multiple Best in New Jersey winner that seduces patrons with a fine combination of French oak, plum and licorice.
2. Galloway National Golf Club Galloway
3. Linwood Country Club
Linwood

Best Beer Selection
1. Seaview Golf Resort
Galloway
2. Ballamor Golf Club
Egg Harbor Township
When Ballamor Golf Club opened its doors to the public in 2010, daily fee golfers throughout the region gained access not only to one of South Jersey’s most entertaining golf cours­es but to the club’s inviting Pub & Grill as well.
3. Greate Bay Country Club
Somers Point

Best Par 3
1. Galloway National Golf Club, Hole No. 17
Galloway
2. Hidden Creek Golf Club, Hole No. 12
Egg Harbor Township
3. Stone Harbor Golf Club, Hole No. 7
Cape May Court House
Desmond Muirhead’s inspiration for Stone Harbor Golf Club was the story of Jason’s mythical quest for the Golden Fleece. To echo the clashing rocks of the Straits of Bosphorus that threatened Jason’s progress, Muirhead designed two sawtooth-edged island bunkers to flank the football-shaped island green. The result is one horrifyingly difficult golf hole. In an attempt to make it more player-friendly, the green and bunkers have been remade into one large island—still striking fear from the tee 182 yards away, but causing fewer nightmares.

Best Par 4
1. Galloway National Golf Club, Hole No. 1
Galloway
2. Harbor Pines Golf Club, Hole No. 9
Egg Harbor Township
3. McCullough’s Emerald Golf Links, Hole No. 7
Egg Harbor Township
Stephen Kay’s interpretation of a hole originally designed by Augusta National architect Dr. Alister Mackenzie typifies the unique experience at McCullough’s Emerald Golf Links. Players have the option of taking the direct route and trekking through the daunting waste area (originally the Atlantic Ocean in Mackenzie’s design for Lido Golf Club on Long Island) or bailing out to the right where an enormous fairway welcomes the faint of heart.

Best Par 5
1. Galloway National Golf Club, Hole No. 16
Galloway
2. Twisted Dune Golf Club, Hole No. 9
Egg Harbor Township
3. Sea Oaks Golf Club, Hole No. 16
Little Egg Harbor Twp.
Although it’s just 495 yards from the white tees and 540 from the tips, the par-5 16th at Sea Oaks Golf Club punishes players with a double dogleg that appears rather benign off the tee, where players must first find the right side of the tree-lined fairway. That will leave the optimal approach into a smallish green guarded by water in front and to the left. Those looking to lay up on the second shot must also steer clear of a beastly bunker.

Toughest Hole
1. Galloway National Golf Club, Hole No. 13
Galloway
2. Shore Gate Golf Club, Hole No. 9
Ocean View
3. Sand Barrens Golf Club, Hole No. 8 West
Swainton
Those looking to avoid a potentially painful end to their round should be thankful that Sand Barrens Golf Club boasts 27 holes. This allows the meek to bypass the brutal conclusion to the West nine and stick to the more forgiving North and shorter South nines. Dealing the first late-round blow at the West is the 448-yard par-4 eighth. From an elevated tee, players must negotiate a fairway that doglegs gently to the left and a large green guarded by a tree and a pair of bunkers.

Best Finishing Hole
1. Galloway National Golf Club
Galloway
2. Hidden Creek Golf Club
Egg Harbor Township
3. Ballamor Golf Club
Egg Harbor Township
Most course designers envision the 18th hole as the opportunity not only to provide one final test, but also to leave a lasting mark in the mind of the golfer. Designer Dan Schlegel succeeded on both accounts with a par-5 that stretches to 523 yards from the championship tees. As picturesque as it is penal, the home hole features a lake that is planted to the right of the fairway and then slices in front of the green and around the back, creating a punishing peninsula.

Photo: Atlantic City Country Club

Published (and copyrighted) in South Jersey Magazine, Volume 8, Issue 2 (May, 2011).
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