Greg:
Thanks for the yardages ... ECCC is simply a "must play" for any design junkie who comes to NJ. Missing it and you have missed something really special. Hats off to Hanse / Bahto and the club leadership.
Pat M:
Regardign green complexes one has to include the likes of Montclair, PV, Plainfield, Somerset Hills, Forsgate / Banks and Alpine, to name a few that leap to the front, in my mind.
Here is GD's latest top 20 for NJ ...
1). PV
2). Baltusrol Lower
3). Galloway National
4). Plainfield
5). Somerset Hills
6). The Ridge at Back Brook
7). Ridgewood (E&W)
. Baltusrol / Upper
9). Bayonne
10). Hidden Creek
11). Liberty National
12). Trump National / Old
13). Metedeconk National (1st & 2nd)
14). Hamilton Farm
15). Hollywoof
16). ACCC
17). Mountain Ridge
18). Pine Hill
19). Neshanic Valley (Ridge & Lake)
20). Shore Gate
Jerry K:
Good question you asked.
If you notice the GD listing it is a major mess -- and that's being quite literal.
NJ is stocked with some of the finest private clubs one can imagine, as you likely know. The public side, while good in spots, would not crack my personal top 20 -- although technically ACCC is now public although for much of its existence was private. That's why it's amusing to see such public courses like PH, NV and SG at the last three positions. What this tells me is that raters have simply followed the script to play places that have opened up recently and disgared the other private layouts that fly below the radar screen. No real digging on their part. The same rationale applies to The Ridge at Back Brook. In a low profile state that layout may ring bells of fanfare -- in Jersey it is badly overrated in its current GD position.
My overall listing would be something along this way ...
1). PV
Good spacing to #2
2). Plainfield
Ditto to #3
3). Ridgewood (E&W)
4). ECCC
5). Galloway National
The above three are very, very well done in plenty of spots / instances. Galloway is the best of the modern designs we have in NJ, in my mind.
6). Forsgate / Banks
7). Trump National / Old
Looking forward to seeing the newest 18 -- heard from others that it's on par with the original course. That's saying plenty!
. Hollywood
9). Montclair #2 & #4
10). Bayonne - salute to Eric Bergstol for a winning effort in of all places Jersey City !
11). Baltusrol / Lower
The above courses could be placed in somewhat of a different order but Baltusrol / Lower would likely grab the position it's in. Hats off to the club in hosting majors but the totality of the architecture is really not that compelling.
12). Somerset Hills
13). Mountain Ridge
14). Hidden Creek
15). Hamilton Farm
16). Metedeconk National (1st & 3rd Nines)
17). Liberty National
18). Baltusrol / Upper
19). ACCC
The ones listed from #12 to #19 can certainly be switched in spots too.
20). Morris County *could place a few other courses in this final position but I like the Raynor design there -- some of the most fun and different holes you can encounter. Honorable mention to a few others -- Hackensack can certainly make a claim -- and I need to see what's been there most recently. Alpine is also worth a possible spot at the rear end of the line.