Shark River GC

[Tim Martin]

Any thoughts or impressions on this county owned course In Neptune City, NJ? Thanks!

[Peter Sayegh]

Yes.
Played it many times 1982-1993.
As a county resident, it was cheap.
Even back then, I never thought it was a great course but there were a couple cool holes with decent elevation changes but I'd be hardpressed to remember which ones specifically.
My buddy of 50 years still lives in the area and has a weekly competition on the county courses. Shark River is the absolute last option.
Hominy and Howell are their preferred haunts.

[David_Tepper]

http://www.sharkrivergolfcourse.com/

[Tom Dunne]

I've played it a couple of times--it's not bad! I'd say it's a Doak 2 in terms of design interest, maybe a 3 on a generous day, but Monmouth County takes pride in its municipal system. Mark Mungeam is the consultant and the county recently invested in Shark's irrigation and bunkering--when I was last there, around 2021, the bunkers were brand new. The property is very walkable and I remember seeing lots of seniors out there pushing trolleys or carrying bags--not playing cart golf.


I wouldn't necessarily seek it out coming from out of state, but it's a perfectly respectable public golf course where one can enjoy the game with friends.

[Tim Martin]

I've played it a couple of times--it's not bad! I'd say it's a Doak 2 in terms of design interest, maybe a 3 on a generous day, but Monmouth County takes pride in its municipal system. Mark Mungeam is the consultant and the county recently invested in Shark's irrigation and bunkering--when I was last there, around 2021, the bunkers were brand new. The property is very walkable and I remember seeing lots of seniors out there pushing trolleys or carrying bags--not playing cart golf.


I wouldn't necessarily seek it out coming from out of state, but it's a perfectly respectable public golf course where one can enjoy the game with friends.

Thanks Tom! I’ll be there at the end of January for a family event and it’s close to where I’m staying. I hope you are doing well.

[David_Tepper]

The course website says it was built in the early 1900's. Does anyone know how long the course has been called Shark River?

Looking at the location on a map, it makes me think this was a course I played a couple of times in the 1960's. But the course had another name back then, assuming I am thinking of the same spot.

Calling Mike Cirba! 

[MCirba]

It was originally called Asbury Park CC and opened in 1915.  My understanding is that some road expansion truncated the property and led to the design evolution listed below.


Robert D. Pryde/Joseph I'Anson 1915, Hal Purdy 1967, Al Janis 1991

Not bad for sitting on a plane ready to takeoff from Atlanta to Philly after a few days in Augusta/Aiken, eh David Tepper?   


Happy New Year, all!!

[Tim Martin]

It was originally called Shark River CC and opened in 1915.  My understanding is that some road expansion truncated the property and led to the design evolution listed below.


Robert D. Pryde/Joseph I'Anson 1915, Hal Purdy 1967, Al Janis 1991

Not bad for sitting on a plane ready to takeoff from Atlanta to Philly after a few days in Augusta/Aiken, eh David Tepper?   


Happy New Year, all!!

Mike-Thanks for that and delighted to see that R.D. Pryde had a hand in the design. He had quite an influence in bringing golf to Greater New Haven and Yale.

[David_Tepper]

Mike C. -

Thanks for the info. You're the best!

But I don't think that this is the course I was thinking of.

As they say in the Highlands, "Happy Hogmanay!"

DT
 

[Tom Dunne]

Mike Cirba,


I've also seen information that the course was known as Asbury Park CC at some point. (I thought this was the original name, but maybe you have a clipping that says otherwise.) I also recall that it hosted a UGA pro event during the days of Jim Crow. Monmouth County acquired the course in the early '70s.

[David_Tepper]

Tom D. -

Yes! Your post rings some bells for me. The name Asbury Park GC/CC sounds very familiar and I do remember a UGA pro golf event being held there in the 1960's. In fact I went out to watch that tournament one day. I could not have been more than 12-13 years old.

I think Shark River is the same course.

DT

p.s. Tom - you're pretty good too!

[MCirba]

Guys,


I was typing quickly as they'd already told us to turn off all electronic devices on the plane and screwed up.


Yes, it was originally called Asbury Park CC or GC.


Finally home and thanks for the nice words!


p.s.  Corrected my original post for posterity.

[WilliamN]

It's been a long time since my in-laws lived in Monmouth County, but I did play Shark River a handful of times in the 90's.  Fine for what it is.  IIRC the best of the county owned courses was Hominy Hill, which isn't too far from Shark River if you want to play something a bit more interesting (although I'll concede I haven't been there since the 90's either)

[David_Tepper]

"the best of the county owned courses was Hominy Hill"

Hominy Hill is one of a very few courses to host both the USGA Men's (1983) and Women's (1995) Publinx Championships, before those events ceased to be played after 2014.

[Sven Nilsen]

Answering a few questions and clarifying the early evolution of the course.


There was an earlier course in the area known as Asbury Park GC -


1899 Official Golf Guide -





In 1914, plans were underway for the course of the newly organized Asbury-Belmar CC.


Sept. 27, 1914 New York Tribune -





Oct. 1914 Golf Magazine -








April 1915 Golf Magazine -








From later reports, only 17 holes of the Pryde course were ever built, with the effort being stopped by the war.  By 1919, the city was looking to take over the grounds of the older course.


April 1919 Motor Travel -








June 21, 1919 Brooklyn Life -





July 14, 1919 Asbury Park Press -





Reports from 1920 muddy the waters as to whether the new course was being built to Pryde's plans or not.


Feb. 4, 1920 Asbury Park Press -





Feb. 5, 1920 The Sun and New York Herald -





By at least 1922 the new course had 18 holes (as reported in the 1922 Annual Guide).


A 1963 report details the story above and suggests that the new 18 hole 1920 course was the work of club pro Joe l'Anson.


The History of Shark River Hills -

[MCirba]

Sven,


Thanks for all of that additional information.   I was able to dig up a few others that might be helpful.


First, it's interesting to consider the changes to the golf course over the years to be largely in response to the expansion of Route 18 to the east of the golf course, as well as seemingly to move play away from a township road in the northwest corner.   The following aerials show it pretty well.


1931





2022




Joseph "Scotty" I'Anson had been the professional at Cranford (NJ) CC when he was hired for those same duties at Asbury Park.   He arrived in early 1920 and as Sven points out with a few mentions above, was seemingly charged with constructing the golf course of Pryde's design.   Here's how the Asbury Park announced his arrival on February 18th, 1920.




The Red Bank Daily Register on February 11th of that same year reported;



Within six months, the course was opened.   Given this timeframe, it's tough to imagine that he didn't use some/much of what got built in the pre-war effort.  I'Anson may have changed some of what Pryde designed but there is no clear record to indicate that.   

He's how the Asbury Park Press reported the course opening on July 16th of that year. 




Joe Bausch has found a number of instances (particularly with Willie Park, Jr. designs) where a pre-war Park design like Philmont or Ocean City CC was temporarily curtailed because of WWI, yet was built after the war largely to Park's design with others offering final input and sometimes revision.   I tend to look at Shark River/Asbury Park as part of that same scenario.

[Sven Nilsen]

Within six months, the course was opened.   Given this timeframe, it's tough to imagine that he didn't use some/much of what got built in the pre-war effort.  I'Anson may have changed some of what Pryde designed but there is no clear record to indicate that.   

Joe Bausch has found a number of instances (particularly with Willie Park, Jr. designs) where a pre-war Park design like Philmont or Ocean City CC was temporarily curtailed because of WWI, yet was built after the war largely to Park's design with others offering final input and sometimes revision.   I tend to look at Shark River/Asbury Park as part of that same scenario.

Mike:


We've been down this road before, but without anything affirmatively saying that l'Anson used Pryde's design, you're sitting fully in the realm of speculation.


In this case, unlike the Park efforts, what was started by one club (Asbury-Belmar) became a project for an entirely different entity (Asbury G&CC) after the War.  The case here and the situations at Philmont or Ocean City are very different.


The following article from when the course opened the full 18 holes in 1921 notes this was a l'Anson design.


May 27, 1921 Asbury Park Press -

[Joe Bausch]

Here is a photo of Charlie Sifford at Asbury Park in 1962:

[David_Tepper]

Joe B.


Thanks very much for digging up the picture/article. Yes, I am sure I was at that tournament in 1962.


Joe, Mike, Tom Sven....you guys are all great!


DT

[MCirba]

Sven,

I think we're just interpreting things differently.   

You posted the following article when I'Anson was hired at Asbury Park in February 1920 that clearly states that he has been brought in to work on Pryde's design, almost all of which had already been built (opened?) by 1918.  Another article I posted indicated that I'Anson would begin his work as soon as the weather was favorable.   As one article mentioned, Pryde was an architect of considerable reputation by that point.   Why bring in a pro from a neighboring club to blow it up and start over, especially one with no design experience?  If he reasonably started work from scratch, blowing up Pryde's design in the beginning of March, let's say, do you think it's feasible he'd have nine-holes open in 4 and a half months?   If the year had been 1895 when pros were building very rudimentary "18 stakes" courses, that might be reasonable, but I'd suggest by 1920 expectations were much higher.




Here's one I posted from another neighborhood paper from Red Bank making clear his job was overseeing construction.




I've conceded that during construction I'Anson may have deviated somewhat from what Pryde drew up, but if seventeen overgrown tees and green pads and any number of bunkers already existed I'd suggest his changes were probably more subtle and less consequential.

His obit claims he was a golf course architect but I don't know any other courses he designed, do you?   It also claims he designed Baltusrol, perhaps an earlier version prior to Tillinghast, but their record doesn't indicate such.

[Joe Bausch]

Joe, Mike, Tom Sven....you guys are all great!

You must be easy to shop for on your birthday.

Happy New Year, DT!

[Tim Martin]

Thanks to everyone that contributed to this thread! I learned way more than I could have hoped for when I started it.

[Sven Nilsen]

As I said, we’ve been through this before.


https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,60825.75.html


There isn’t enough there to definitively say this was Pryde’s design.

[Peter Sayegh]

Thanks to everyone that contributed to this thread! I learned way more than I could have hoped for when I started it.

I learned a great deal as well.
Tim, Hominy Hills is only 20 minutes away from Shark River.
If you haven't played HH, please make the effort. Reports from the last month is that it is still in pristine shape and the greens have always been interesting. Plus, if you're a sporting man, my guys up there swear wind affects HH more than any other county course.