NJ venues

[kwl]

Attn: Pat Mucci, Matt Ward, and anyone of the other participants who know...If one were to relocate in the New Brunswick area, where should they play golf (or where would you like to play)?

Please consider private and public courses and maybe 15 and 30 minute drives.

[Matt_Ward]

kwl:

If public -- you can venture to the following:

Royce Brook (East Course only now)
Hawk Pointe (soon to go private)
NJ National (soon to go private)
High Bride Hills
Quail Brook (above average muni for Somerset County)
Tamarack (above average muni for Middlesex County)
*The Architect's Club is outside the 30 minute drive.

If private -- I'd recommend the following:

Forsgate CC (Jamesburg) right down NJ Tpke Exit 8A
Fiddler's Elbow (Forest Course)
Baltusol GC
Plainfield CC
Somerset Hills (Bernardsville)

*Keep in mind Trump's new course that will open sometime in late '04 in the Basking Ridge area!

If others come to mind I'll forward.

[kwl]

thanks. that helps. it confirms some that a friend related. is echo lake in the "circle" of time?

do you have a preference for any of the privates? (reasoning welcome too, though i do not want to start any discussions of healthcare or politics )

again, thank you for your time and thoughts!

[Big B]

A private not mentioned is Olde York (Gary Player design).  Matt... Have you ever played it?  I have not but I have someone close to me that has and he really enjoyed it.  He states that it is one of the better NJ new private courses around.

http://www.oldeyork.com/

[Steve_ Shaffer]

I don't know how far Colts Neck is from New Brunswick area but the new private Shadow Isle(Pate) has been mentioned here:

www.shadowisle.com

[John_Lovito]

KWL,

Echo Lake is a private Ross course in Westfield, about 5 minutes from Baltrusol.

[Kelly_Blake_Moran]

kwl:

http://www.hawkpointegolf.com

[SPDB]

on the private side.

What about Shackamaxon?

There is also TPC at Jasna Polana, but I don't know that I'd recommend it.

Also, Bedens Brook

[Matt_Ward]

Big B:

I have played Olde York a number of times and have to say that owners Ed and Corrine Eget are among the most hospitable people one can find in golf. If memory serves I believe the club has become a full equity club since its inception.

The Gary Player course is a good design but my concerns deals with forced routing of the 4th hole near the pratice range. The 4th is literally squeezed into the land area and is a bit of a compromise.

You also have the unsightly mounds that dominate the landscape -- especially the 10th hole ont he left that is high to prevent balls from reaching the parking area.

One of the key issues for Olde York is keeping the moisture content as little as possible. When I've played the course there has been a tendency to overwater and the course can play unusually soft.

People forget that when Olde York first opened the opening hole was simply a major league terror -- it had the look of a hole from Portrush and Prairie Dunes -- they have since softened the rough on the hole in the spirit of faster play.

Olde York is a good layout but the competitive nature of Jersey golf is quite high and I would not have it among my top 20. Likely it falls somewhere between 20-30 IMHO.

One other thing -- Olde York is just a bit beyond the 30 minute drive that kwl insisted upon.

kwl:

I was remiss in not mentioning the fine clubs that exist in Monmouth County which is easily accessible through Rte 18 coming from New Brunswick. On the public side you have county owned facilities like Hominy Hill in Colts Neck, Howell Park in Farmingdale and the 36-hole layout at Charleston Springs in Manalapan. Let me also mention you can also play the Mark McCumnde design called Knob Hill -- also in Manalapan.

On the private side are Navesink, Due Process Stables, Bamm Hollow, the new Shadow Isle, Rumson and I would strongly recommend Hollywood -- although it's just outside of your 30 minute drive time requirement.

You've got plenty of choices -- choose wisely.

[Steve Lapper]

KWL,

   I did just what you are inquiring about and actually have to agree with most of what's been said here.

 Matt's suggestions on the public end goes undisputed, but I would strongly advocate looking at Royce Brook West as the one of the better privates. This Smyers layout that deliberatly mimics Royal Melbourne is unquestionably excellent, the easiest private to join and frankly most of the others he mentions are going to be just impossible to get into unless your future Garden State'r was born to the right desecendants off the Mayflower.

Big B's suggestion of Olde York is a solid one as well. The course is, as Matt mentions, tightly squeezed into its property and does suffer from some over-watering. If your friend lives near the south end of NB and near the NJT, then it wasily makes the 30 min cut-off.

Hawk Pointe, as good a new course as they come and very affordable, is nowhere near the 30 min. driving limit. Shackamaxon might be doable, but it might not be the right membership for your friend. TPC at Jasna Polana should be made into the newest blend of "Princeton Dining hall meets Electron Accelerator." It would be the best use of that land.

Forsgate would be an excellent choice as well. Two fun courses with a desire to grow their membership. You can't go wrong.

Hamilton Farm, my home club is just on the edge of that 30 min drive and is wonderful, albeit high-end, facility with two courses (one of which is quite possibly the world's best par three 18) and a wonderful group of members

Good luck and let me know if I can help.

Slapper

[Patrick_Mucci]

KWL,

You may have to alter your requirements as New Brunswick seems to be in one of those areas where the 30 minute criteria may limit you.

Springdale in Princeton, Just of route 1, might fit your travel goal.

[blasbe1]

Anyone know how far a drive Hawk Pointe is from Morristown.  It looks like a great tract at very reasonble membership options.  Also, if anyone has inside info. of the membership please IM me, I'm inquiring for a very close friend who lives in Morristown.

I clearly live on the wrong side of the Hudson (we have no such options on LI).  

[jim_lewis]

Distance in NJ is not measured in miles. It is measured in "agomins" meaning minutes of agony.

[Mike Nuzzo]

I vote Forsgate
and play the Banks course 10 out of 10 times.

sorry Kelly, I haven't been to Hawke Pointe and hope to remedy that someday soon.  The course looks very cool from the air.

[Matt_Ward]

kwl:

Contact Forsgate for a good deal opportunity -- better than many of the stuff short clubs that exist in Jersey. I would certainly say that the Banks Course at Forsgate is one of the top 10-15 courses you can play in the state. The Eden 3rd is one of the best par-3's you can play and to bhe toally frank the other trio of par-3's is very diversified and certainly unique.

You can skip the Palmer Course that's there. It's simply filler IMHO.

Best of luck ...

[Steve Lapper]

I'd add that the M'town to Hawk Pointe ride is closer to 50-55min. 20-25 on 287 to 78 and then the balance on NJ31 leaves a little something to be desired.

That said, Redanman is indeed correct. Hawk Pointe is a marvelous example of a course discovered and formed from a rolling farm land property. The management seeks to take this totally private by the beginning of 2005 and it is still reasonably affordable and wide open for membership. All the strategy there is solid and the course flows cleanly leaving every facet of the game well tested and enjoyed. It really is a fun place.

[Stephen Brown]

KWL-

I grew up about 10 min. from New Brunswick.  I am surprised to hear no one mention Hominy Hill (Colts Neck)  Maybe pushing your time circle a bit, but surely worth the additional 5-10 mins.  I concur with the Forsgate reccomendation, as well as Bedens Brook.

Steve

[Kelly_Blake_Moran]

blasbe 1:

I came on this morning to try and answer your post re: Hawk Pointe and the ever efficient redanman is on it, as well as slapper!
Your friend will find the owners to be outstanding people.  The course is in excellent hands, very stable ownership.  The super. is outstanding even though he thinks Shinnecock is head and shoulders above NGLA which I argue with him about.  If he has any problems for whatever reason trying to get information, which I can not imagine happening there, then have him call me at 6103718180.

[kwl]

like i was told by a friend...many good courses. reading reviews, looking at maps, looking forward to spring/summer if this move takes place.

a nice feature of the pgatour.com site is the golfcourse search and ability to look at courses near whatever choice is entered (miles given).

due process, hollywood, plainfield, baltusrol, echo lake, somerset, hawk pointe, springdale, royce brook...so many choices and so little time.

thanks to everyone for their thoughts and recs. i would ask about membership qualities and characteristics to narrow the search, but we have enough conflict and would like to avoid same on another front

[SPDB]

if it were only that easy, KWL.  If it were, I suspect we could abandon this site and simply trade our thoughts nightly at the Southampton Publick House.

best of luck. as a golfer, you certainly could end up in worse places.

[kwl]

i would agree. maybe fitzroy for some "tinnies", or st. kilda, or carleton. now i am really losing it.

[Steve Lapper]

Bill,

   Mellow, my man....arrive alive ......Heading over to the tent to play some simulator today....trying to avoid the shoveling, for now!

See ya at Baltusrol?

S

[Matt_Ward]

kwl:

Try Forsgate -- you get plenty for your buck and there isn't the "attitude" or "stuff shirt" fanfare you find with a good number of other clubs. The downside -- it's not an equity club if that's important to you.

The plus side -- location. From New Brunswick you can be on the first tee in no more than 20 minutes!

P.S. The Banks Course is very much underrated and a joy to play time after time. Future improvements are also in the works.

[Jerry Kluger]

I saw Matt's discussion of Forsgate and how much he loves the course so I will make an exception to my rule and direct a discussion to a course which I believe to be one of the worst designs I have ever seen - TPC Jasna Polana.  Yes, I have made it a rule to keep my mouth shut unless my opinion is absolute and in this case I have come to that conclusion - it is absolutely awful.  It is on a terrific piece of property which was the Johnson estate from Johnson & Johnson and the residences remind you of a scaled down Versailles.  The property rolls and rolls and is heavily treed and was no doubt a wonderful estate to roam.  The criticisms I have include a huge number of blind tee shots, parallel holes which set up for really dangerous situations, no strategy in the design of holes, and totally uninteresting greens.  The only thing positive was the conditioning.  I would say that the property in many ways resembles the property at Trump Bedminster which is really good but Jasna is a waste. 

I would like to also mention that I was fortunate to play Metedeconk as well and it is a tough course but as I understand it from the member I played with, the superintendent insisted on removing a few hundred trees which dramatically improved the playing corridors.  You do have enough width to play to the desired angle of approach but an off line tee shot will suffer as the woods are densely populated.  The greens complexes are solid and the greens, while not severely contoured, are sloped enough to be deceiving and challenging.

[Jerry Kluger]

I forgot to mention that I noticed before going out that our own Pat Mucci held the course record at one time at Jasna Polana.

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