No matter what Jersey Shore town you’re partial to, there’s no shortage of unique and challenging golf courses nearby. But before you book your tee time, there are some things you should know. Which is why we reached out to several of these fine courses, both public and private, to find out what’s new and notable around the greens, clubhouse and beyond. We also asked several area pros and experts to give us their opinion on what makes golfing at the Shore such an experience. We can’t help you with your swing, so we figured this was the least we could offer.
Hidden Creek Golf Club
Architects: Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore
Rating: 72.1; Slope: 131
Yardage: 6,581
Membership fee: Unavailable
What’s notable: Hidden Creek is already gearing up to host the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship in 2015.
What the pros are saying: “What makes Hidden Creek so special is that they didn’t move much land around when building the course, so it’s a very natural masterpiece. Each hole is its own fare; when you’re out there, you’re somewhere special, you don’t feel like you’re in New Jersey. It’s the hidden gem.”
Stone Harbor Golf Club
Architect: Desmond Murhead
Rating: 71.7; Slope: 135
Yardage: 6,509
Membership fee: $4,100
What’s new: The club is pushing the farm-to-table approach in their restaurant, using local fisheries and farms in the Cape May County area.
Galloway National Golf Club
Architect: Tom Fazio
Rating: 73; Slope: 142
Yardage: 6,645
Membership Fee: Unavailable
What the pros are saying: “Galloway is certainly one of the better golf courses around; it’s a pretty exclusive place and high-ticket item … it’s also very challenging.”
Atlantic City Country Club
Architects: John Reid, Willie Park Jr., Howard Toomey, William Flynn and Tom Doak
Rating: 72.3; Slope: 133
Yardage: 6,577
Greens fee with cart: $99 weekdays, $225 weekends
What’s new: Atlantic City redesigned their bar to provide golfers with a state-of-the-art beer tap system, including 10 new beers on draft.
What the pros are saying: “[The courses in the area] rival any golf in the world. The most historic course is the Atlantic City Country Club. It has a great mix of architecture and challenges, all while sitting on the bay with the beautiful view of Atlantic City in the background.”
Avalon Golf Club
Architect: Bob Hendricks
Rating: 70.7; Slope: 122
Yardage: 6,325
Greens fee with cart: $89 weekdays and weekends
What the pros are saying: “I played Avalon recently; it was playable for just about anybody. It was a good intermediate course and not too tough, so anybody can play it.”
Ballamor Golf Club
Architect: Dan Schlegel
Rating: 74.5; Slope: 132
Yardage: 6,681
Greens fee with cart: $95 weekdays, $105 weekends
What the pros are saying: “I’m familiar with most of the South Jersey Shore courses, but Ballamor stands out because of their good course conditions and difficulty.”
Blue Heron Pines Golf Club
Architect: Stephen Kay
Rating: 69.8; Slope: 128
Yardage: 6,207
Greens fee with cart: $88 weekdays, $99 weekends
What’s new: Blue Heron Pines renovated their bar, named the Seven Tap Tavern, to include a new tap system, a new bar top and new televisions.
Cape May National Golf Club
Architects: Robert Mullock and Karl Litten
Rating: 73.0; Slope: 136
Yardage: 6,905
Greens fee with cart: $89 weekdays and weekends
What’s new: They are planning on a ladies locker room, workout gym and bunker renovation this year, and have done a lot of work on the golf course like planting new trees. Last year, they completed the solar panels for the golf course.
Greate Bay Country Club
Architect: Willie Park Jr.
Rating: 68.1; Slope: 125
Yardage: 6,761
Membership Fee: $3,000
What’s new: Greate Bay recently renovated the ballroom and the majority of the clubhouse over the winter. They also welcomed a new chef who previously was executive chef at Harrah’s.
Harbor Pines Golf Course
Architect: Stephen Kay
Rating: 73.1; Slope: 134
Yardage: 6,503
Greens fee with cart: $89 weekdays, $109 weekends
What’s new: Harbor Pines is providing brand new golf carts with built-in GPS systems for their golfers.
The Links at Brigantine Beach
Architects: Wayne Stiles and John Van Kleek
Rating: 70.8; Slope: 125
Yardage: 6,507
Greens fee with cart: $75 weekdays, $85 weekends
Linwood Country Club
Architect: Herbert Strong
Rating: 68.8; Slope: 124
Yardage: 6,349
Membership fee: Unavailable
What’s new: New live entertainment is scheduled for the season as well as the introduction of a new dinner menu.
Mays Landing Golf & Country Club
Architect: Leo Fraser
Rating: 72.5; Slope: 124
Yardage: 6,624
Greens fee with cart: $58 weekdays, $74 weekends
What’s New: Mays Landing offers a short and familiar course for an affordable rate—also a “quick play” rate that includes five holes, a bucket of balls and food and beverages after you play.
McCullough’s Emerald Golf Links
Architect: Stephen Kay
Rating: 71.7; Slope: 130
Yardage: 6,535
Greens fee with cart: $80 weekdays and weekends
What’s new: The Library III now has a location at McCullough’s and they’ve extended the outside deck to provide a good spot for outdoor seating.
Shore Gate Golf Club
Architects: Ron Fream and David Dale
Rating: 74.9; Slope: 132
Yardage: 6,794
Greens fee with cart: $75 weekdays, $95-$125 weekends
What the pros are saying: “Shore Gate is very tough and challenging; [you’ve] got to be precise.”
Twisted Dune Golf Club
Architect: Archie Struthers
Rating: 70.0; Slope: 122
Yardage: 6,759
Greens fee with cart: $79 weekdays, $99 weekends
Wildwood Golf & Country Club
Architects: Wayne Stiles and John Van Kleek
Rating: 71.5; Slope: 127
Yardage: 6,287
Membership fee: $4,650
What’s new: The club introduced a series of new membership plans including: twilight memberships (can play after 3 p.m. in peak season and after 2 p.m. in off season), 5-play memberships (can play the course five times for a discounted rate), weekday membership (Monday-Thursday) and a seasonal Down the Shore membership (appeals to people just down for the summer).
The Vineyards
Architect: Ed Shearon
Rating: 70.2; Slope: 123
Yardage: 7,213
Greens fee with cart: $79 weekdays, $95 weekends
Sea Oaks Country Club
Architect: Ray Hearn
Rating: 70.1; Slope: 129
Yardage: 6,950
Greens fee with cart: $92 weekdays, $107 weekends
What’s new: The club just expanded the outdoor patio behind the grill, overlooking the 18th hole.
Sand Barrens Golf Course
Architects: Dr. Michael Hudan and Dana Fry
Rating: 67.6; Slope: 128
Yardage: 7,100
Greens fee with cart: $89 weekdays, $99 weekends
Published (and copyrighted) in South Jersey Magazine, Volume 11, Issue 1 April, 2014).
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