[Steve_ Shaffer]

As the Northeast’s leading golf destination, the lush fairways and pristine greens of Crystal Springs Resort are an undeniable golfers’ paradise. Designed by such notable links luminaries as Robert von Hagge, Robert Trent Jones, and Roger Rulewich, the resort’s six impressive championship-caliber courses wind through the picturesque Appalachian scenery and provide a near-endless array of variety. Beginners and experienced players alike will discover much to love as they navigate pro-worthy grounds such as the crisply modern Cascades, Black Bear, and award-winning, Celtic-links-style Ballyowen — rated the #1 public golf course in the state.

I remember playing Ballyowen about 20 years ago. A very good Links course ...
https://www.top100golfcourses.com/golf-course/crystal-springs-ballyowen
Read more:

https://www.crystalgolfresort.com/golf

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Has anyone played Ballyowen?

[Dan_Callahan]

I played it many years ago when I was writing for golf magazines and they had a media day. I thought it was … ok. It was a cold, windy day, and an older golf writer I was playing with really struggled to reach some fairways and lost a ton of balls. He got so frustrated he didn’t finish the round. It’s designed to sort of look like an Irish links, but it didn’t play that way. Lots of man made mounding. Very little roll in the fairways.

[Steve Lapper]

Ballyowen, an otherwise decent public option for Northern NJ, is anything other than a Links-style course.

[Stewart Abramson]

Links to photos of two courses at Crystal Springs:


https://www.flickr.com/photos/golfcoursepix/albums/72157716307328573/  - Ballyowen


https://www.flickr.com/photos/golfcoursepix/albums/72177720308126542/   - Wild Turkey

[Brett Meyer]

Has anyone played Ballyowen?

Probably 15 years ago. I wasn't impressed. It wouldn't crack the top 20 public courses in Michigan.

I actually preferred Wild Turkey because it didn't have as much artificial-looking mounding. But in retrospect, I wish I had played the Von Hagge course because I haven't seen one and while also very artificial, they all seem to have a distinctive look that is probably worth seeing once. A bit like a Jim Engh course; not my style, but worth going out of your way to see one if you haven't.

[Bruce Katona]

I've always enjoyed playing Ballyowen; not the esasiest play for a higher handicapper, but a good solid test for public golf.


That siad, Wild Turkey & Black Bear are really fun and enjoyable to play, designed toward the "look hard but play more than fair" mantra.


Crystal Springs, the namesake & von hagge design - you can keep. 

[Mike Worth]

I played one of their courses a few years ago. It was a scramble fundraiser for my nephews ice hockey club.


I’ve looked on the website. I’m not sure which course we played. The quality golf was OK to decent I don’t remember playing any poorly designed holes, but very few holes are stuck in my memory to the point where I think about them from time to time. there was a long downhill par three something like 210 yards where a hole-in-one would have netted you a new car.


Playing there required a riding cart - it was totally unwalkable due to distance from green to next tee, etc. 


It’s a good public option.

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