[Richard Choi]

I know JNC can't hardly wait for this tour...

While I was in NJ in September, I was lucky enough to play a few private courses (including Bayonne, which I have already posted a photo tour). One of the courses I played was Trump National at Bedminster. While Trump may be an anti-christ to some members around here, I enjoyed my round at the Old Course (and the New Course) and would like to share my photos.

The clubhouse (and the grounds) was previously the personal mansion of John Delorean (remember the car from Back to the Future?). Not sure how much changes Trump implemented, but the clubhouse certainly look the part.





I must say, I really do like this deck area. A great place to have lunch. I am sure my wife would love it...



The yardages are from the Gold tees (there is one more set in the back)

Hole 1: Par 5, 545 yards

Pretty straight forward opening hole with enormous bunkers on the left. The hole sets you up with what you are about to experience; fairly long, large fairway bunkers (with typical Fazio bunkers the looks like they are layered on top of each other - even when they are far apart), with heavily guarded greens.



The bunkers are impossibly white, which I am guessing is crushed marble. But they are very firm and not much harder to hit out of than fairway. I can't see how you would get any plugged lies and only trouble you would see is if your ball stops against the lip. Due to this nature of bunkers, the course plays much easier than it looks.



Nice open approach for those going for the green in two.



Hole 2: Par 4, 410 yards

There is more room in the landing zone than it looks. You definitely want to favor the left side for easier approach.



Another nice open approach to the green. If the course played fast and firm, there would be some options.



Hole 3: Par 4, 438 yards

There is a large bunker gurading the left, but again, there is more room to the right and beyond it than it looks.



A tough raised green, anything hit short will roll back 20 yards.



Hole 4: Par 3, 192 yards

Most of the greens at Trump National have very little internal movement. But not so on this par 3.



Hole 5: Par 4, 435 yards

A long and tough uphill hole with bunkers guarding your best lines.



Tom Fazio does know how to make pretty bunkers...



Hole 6: Par 4, 410 yards

A "true cape" hole? If you hit the drive far enough in line with the bunker, the ball will kick down the hill leaving you with a very short approach to the peninsula green.



A pretty intimidating approach shot.



More coming...

[Richard Choi]

Hole 7: Par 3, 177 yards

My favorite par 3 here. A rolling green that makes it very hard to hit a shot close to the target.



And something that only interest me. I couldn't believe how many ProV1's were just lying there, easily within reach, abandoned by people who couldn't be bothered to pick them up. Something quite shocking for a public golfer like me...



Hole 8: Par 5, 542 yards

To go for the green in two, you need to hit it over the bunker into a blind landing area...



... from which you will hit to a blind green. A tough par 5.



The green is very large for a reachable par 5, but long approach may run through the green.



Hole 9: Par 4, 450 yards

A dog leg right up back to the clubhouse.



So, I crush a nice drive and I have a 7 iron to the green. To my horror, I push-fade it and the ball is heading right to the clubhouse driveway where there are 3 very nice and very new Bentleys are sitting. My ball hits the cart path and bounces high to the right. My heart skipped a few beats. Luckily, I found my ball sitting away from the low lying wall in front of the driveway. Thank goodness!



Hole 10: Par 4, 410 yards

A semi-blind landing area. You will get a nice kick on the otherside of the roll.



As you can see the greens start to look very similar from one another...



Hole 11: Par 4, 401 yards

One of the more interesting greensites, an inverted saucer that rejects approach shots like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.



Hole 12: Par 4, 408 yards

A really tricky hole. You want to hit to the right as much as possible to get a good line to the green, but just awkward as heck from the tee.



If you are successful, this is the view you get.

[Richard Choi]

Hole 13: Par 4, 438 yards

You really need to shape your drive right to left as you can run out of room going straight.





Hole 14: Par 3, 225 yards

The building behind it is the club pool. Talk about fancy. All par 3's feature hazard from tee to green. Would have been nice to see a bit more variation.




Hole 15: Par 5, 552 yards

A long uphill par 5. Not reachable for most. Aim for a bunker, any bunker...



The green is fairly shallow (with a steep fall off in the back), making it thougher for long hitters.



Hole 16: Par 3, 185 yards

Did I mention that every par 3 feature a front hazard?



Hole 17: Par 4, 319 yards

A short risk/reward hole. Ideally, you want to carry the bunker on the left.



Looking back, you can see some of your options.



Hole 18: Par 5, 580 yards

You know it wouldn't be a Trump course if it did not finish with a water hole.



A lack of waterfall was bit of a letdown, but I really liked this green. A large spine splits the green in two. You really need to be precise with your approach.



My general impression:

I think this is a pretty interesting approach by Tom Fazio in trying to build a course that can host a major championship while still having a member friendly course. From the front tees, there really isn't that much forced carry except for the par 3's. The course has huge intimidating looking bunkers, but they are quite tame in practice as the sand is really firm and your lie will be perfect every time. The greens are open to approaches so you are not dead if you hit it a little thin or short. The greens are also flat, so with everyday speed (10+), you can make some putts.

However, with its enormous length, if you grow out the rough, put some softer sand in bunkers (pros will probably not allow that), and speed up the greens to 14 or so, your probably have enough bones there to host a major championship.

Seems like a pretty sound approach for the clientele that they have.

[Simon Holt]

Nice photos, thanks!

I played these courses on Memorial weekend and really enjoyed them.  I am not a fan of his course up at Westchester but the older of the 2 courses in Bedminster is really worth a look.  I can take or leave the newer of the 2.

[Steve Lapper]

Richard,

  Thanks for good pix of a course in my neck of the woods. Your assessments are mostly accurate, save for two things:

1) The greens are anything but flat. The majority of them are hillside influenced and subtly pitched. A good number are discreetly crowned and do a better-than-decent job of rejecting mishit approaches (i.e #'s 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13, 15, 16, and 17). I've been fortunate to play them with heady stimps and they are wickedly difficult. You might be confusing the benign look of bent grass for level, but those greens are far from flat. Whether one is a fan or critic of Fazio, the Bedminster greens quite challenging, even for the steady putter.

2) The bunker sand is indeed pristine and the fairways bunkers aren't difficult to play out of, but the greenside bunkers retain plenty of softer sand that make "sandys" less than probable.

[JMEvensky]

2) The bunker sand is indeed pristine and the fairways bunkers aren't difficult to play out of, but the greenside bunkers retain plenty of softer sand that make "sandys" less than probable.

Do the fairway bunkers have different sand than the greenside bunkers or are they just maintained differently?

[Sean Leary]

Looks really good. Too bad Trump and Fazio's name is on it or you would probably get more responses.

[Jed Peters]

I really liked this course, but for the fact that it seemed like I hit the same driver, 8 iron into every hole.

My host suggested that I'd be better off playing the tees you played (one back of where I played) to make distances more interesting.

Anything further back would have been unplayable for a hack like me.

Conditioning and the club itself were superlative. I really enjoyed my day there.

I think the "new course" commentary is interesting, in that in my tour, I think I'd of almost liked it MORE than the Old?

Only dumb hole I thought on the new was the island green hole, which I even relayed the "Man" himself.

I, for one, like what Trump has been doing with the projects that he is running that are golf-related. Perhaps I fall in to the "mucci" camp on this issue?

[Jaeger Kovich]

Rich - There is a waterfall, but its not really in play. You drive over it on the way to the practice range, which by the way, is tip top. Also I'm sure the huge water fountain behind the clubhouse was you-know-who as well.

On to the course - You are right, the bunkers are pretty and not hard to play out of, but you failed to mention their size. ENORMOUS! I cant imagine the bill for all that white. Like you, I also felt the par-3s were the worst aspect of the course. From the markers I played that day, I hit the same club on all 4, which is crap if you ask me.

That peninsula / cape green #6... how huge is that thing?! its like 3x the size of anything else on the course.

PS: for all you haters of framing, yikes

And just for the record. This is has merit and belongs on lists.

[Steve Lapper]

2) The bunker sand is indeed pristine and the fairways bunkers aren't difficult to play out of, but the greenside bunkers retain plenty of softer sand that make "sandys" less than probable.

Do the fairway bunkers have different sand than the greenside bunkers or are they just maintained differently?

Good question (that I'm not 100% sure of the answer)! I suspect they are similarly maintained, but perhaps, of different depth and fill?  When playing it a few weeks back, I hit my drive on #8 into a fairway bunker, a 6 iron out and then a 5 iron into the face of a greenside bunker. The fairway play was definitely firmer, yet the greenside hazard felt much softer.

[Jaeger Kovich]

Was one to small to get a sand-pro in? With bunkers as large as you find in bedminster, they'll use a sand-pro (the motorized trike with the rake behind it that drags the sand smooth). Some bunkers will probably wont be big enough to make turns or the surrounds are severe and you cant get it out, so they'll do them by hand.


... I think this is over nit-picking

[Richard Choi]

I don't remember greenside bunkers being much softer than the fairway bunkers, but then I again, I wasn't it too many greenside bunkers

Jaeger is correct, the bunkers are GINORMOUS. They really make/break this course.

The greens are pretty flat. Yes, most of them do have an overall tilt, but internal movements are minimal except for few holes. At around 10 ft on stimp, I don't think you will see too much break on your putts. At around 14ft, it will be pretty tricky, I am sure. I think that is okay for a normal member's course, but that also means that most of the strategy on your approach shots are all bunker based.

I didn't like the New course as much as the Old. It is just way too much target based for my taste. The island green was just ridiculous...

[Matt_Ward]

The Donald gets plenty of comments here -- mostly negative -- but the 36-hole layout there is quite good and well worth playing for those getting the opportunity to do so.

No doubt he's hoping against hope to someday land a US Open there.

Jed, jusrt one comment -- you were smart to play the appropriate tee boxes -- I played with a few people who opted to play the tips -- they are likely still out there swinging away !

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