In another thread I posted a couple of pics of centerline bunkers at Twisted Dune in Egg Harbor Township, NJ, done by fellow GCA.com'er Archie Struthers. I've looked in the archives and did not find any thread with lots of pics of this very interesting course. This was my first time there and from a number of golfing friends I had spoken to, I had the feeling this would be an interesting layout and one that also tends to be generate strong feelings.
Here's the routing:
The round begins with a relatively simple par 4:
Next is a much more difficult par 4 of 432 yards:
The first par 3 comes at the 3rd with an interesting set of staggered bunkers short of the green:
The fourth is the first of a very nice set of par 5's, with this one running uphill at the end:
The fifth is a shortish dogleg left par 4:
A 425 yard par 4 follows:
The 8th is a longish par 4:
The 8th is a little par 3:
The 9th comes back to the clubhouse, the first of 3 par 5's in the next four holes. The first pic is from the tips:
The 10th is another par 5, the first pic from the elevated back tee:
The 11th is another 400+ yard par 4, moving slightly right, and if you are in the right part of the fairway you'll have at best an obstructed view of the green:
Then the 3rd of the par 5's in the last 4 holes is the 12th, perhaps my fave on the course:
The 13th is almost 200 yards from the tips and not real visible from the tee is water looming right of the green:
The No 2 handicap hole is the dogleg right par 4 14th. The first pic is the rather intimidating view from the back tee, and the 2nd pic a view from the fairway back to the tees with the 13th green in view:
The 15th is a par 4 with some decent elevation change:
The 16th is probably my favorite par 3, over 200 yards from the tips, with a substantial carry of some junk:
The next hole, 17, is a slightly dogleg left par 4 with a green perched up a bit, looking different than most others on the course:
From the tips, the 18th is just a monster of 486 yards (how guys on tour can play par 4's this long is amazing!):
Overall, I would agree in some other threads that called nearby McCullough's 'Twisted Dune Light'. The two courses are somewhat similar in places. I enjoyed my first trip round TD and hope my next time will be in less soggy conditions. The fairways are so wide there and with the wet ground last Sunday it was pretty easy to keep the ball from the dunes. In firm conditions that would obviously change.
If you're thinking about playing TD this fall, recognize on Sundays after 1 PM they are charging only 49 bucks. For that area you won't find anything a better value, IMO.