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David_Tepper

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Suneagles GC (AW Tillinghast) Ft. Monmouth, Eatontown NJ
« on: September 16, 2011, 04:43:45 PM »
Fort Monmouth, home of the US Army Signal Corps for many years, in Eatontown, NJ has closed. My father worked there for 34 years.

Anyone know what is going to happen to the AW Tillinghast-designed Suneagles Golf Course, located on the base?
« Last Edit: August 06, 2017, 10:50:31 PM by David_Tepper »

Steve_ Shaffer

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"Some of us worship in churches, some in synagogues, some on golf courses ... "  Adlai Stevenson
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Ben Hogan “The most important shot in golf is the next one”

David_Tepper

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Re: Suneagles GC (AW Tillinghast) Ft. Monomuth, Eatontown NJ
« Reply #2 on: September 17, 2011, 08:51:28 AM »
Speaking of Tillinghast courses in Eatontown, NJ, does anyone know the current status of Old Orchard CC? Is it still open for business? 

Steve_ Shaffer

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Re: Suneagles GC (AW Tillinghast) Ft. Monomuth, Eatontown NJ
« Reply #3 on: September 17, 2011, 09:08:43 AM »
"Some of us worship in churches, some in synagogues, some on golf courses ... "  Adlai Stevenson
Hyman Roth to Michael Corleone: "We're bigger than US Steel."
Ben Hogan “The most important shot in golf is the next one”

David Cronheim

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Re: Suneagles GC (AW Tillinghast) Ft. Monomuth, Eatontown NJ
« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2011, 05:00:55 PM »
Speaking of Tillinghast courses in Eatontown, NJ, does anyone know the current status of Old Orchard CC? Is it still open for business? 

They were going to plow it under to build a housing development, but the downturn spared the course, for now. Frankly, I was stunned when I read just now that it's a tillinghast. It's a real dog track now, but perhaps part of that is attributable to the conditioning.
Check out my golf law blog - Tee, Esq.

Peter Sayegh

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Re: Suneagles GC (AW Tillinghast) Ft. Monomuth, Eatontown NJ
« Reply #5 on: October 02, 2011, 02:59:17 PM »
Just an update. Some contacts in NJ told me the county declined to buy the course on more than one occasion.
http://www.app.com/article/20110930/NJNEWS/309300081/Fort-golf-course-open-again-under-contract




David_Tepper

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Re: Suneagles GC (AW Tillinghast) Ft. Monomuth, Eatontown NJ
« Reply #6 on: October 02, 2011, 05:01:04 PM »
Peter S. -

Thanks for the link to the article. I would love to hear from anyone who actually gets to play Suneagles. Assuming the course is in decent condition, the green fees quoted in the article seem very reasonable.

DT
 

Peter Sayegh

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Re: Suneagles GC (AW Tillinghast) Ft. Monomuth, Eatontown NJ
« Reply #7 on: October 02, 2011, 05:51:59 PM »
David,
My old playing partner in NJ has played the course 30+ times over the years. Not a GCA type guy-just one who plays (well) around the state. His comments were: (1) the work over the last few years has really improved the course; (2) he gets the feeling the course is just "up one fairway down the next." Take that as you will but he said he's never turned down a chance to play there. He said the newer guys around (i.e., Sand Barrens, Pine Barrens, et. al.) are what people seek out.
I played Ft. Monmouth (no one outside this board would refer to it as Suneagles) maybe twenty years ago and can only remember one hole that seemed to play uphill forever. Given my GCA education, it was probably the first skyline green I ever saw.

As far as other Jersey courses-though apparently the news is old-I was surprised that Bamm Hollow will soon be NLE.

Chris Wegner

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Re: Suneagles GC (AW Tillinghast) Ft. Monomuth, Eatontown NJ
« Reply #8 on: October 15, 2011, 10:59:17 AM »
Gentlemen,

Just wanted to report Suneagles is open and we have just finished our second full week of play.  The base closing has presented many challenges but the maintenance crew has been hard at work trying to get the course playable. 

The course is rounding into form as greens are starting to roll better 90% recovered (spiked with 3/8" tines Monday 10/10)
The blight of dollar spot is also more than 90% recovered from.  The course sitting unattended for 3 weeks prior to us taking over caused some challenges but I believe we are a worthy visit.
 
I was able to play my first 18 hole round on Thursday and I am more than impressed with the layout.  Not a single bad hole and some real good par 4's.   

*Note:  I am the Head Golf Professional so all comments obviously carry some bias.

David Cronheim

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Re: Suneagles GC (AW Tillinghast) Ft. Monomuth, Eatontown NJ
« Reply #9 on: October 18, 2011, 05:01:04 PM »
Gentlemen,

Just wanted to report Suneagles is open and we have just finished our second full week of play.  The base closing has presented many challenges but the maintenance crew has been hard at work trying to get the course playable. 

The course is rounding into form as greens are starting to roll better 90% recovered (spiked with 3/8" tines Monday 10/10)
The blight of dollar spot is also more than 90% recovered from.  The course sitting unattended for 3 weeks prior to us taking over caused some challenges but I believe we are a worthy visit.
 
I was able to play my first 18 hole round on Thursday and I am more than impressed with the layout.  Not a single bad hole and some real good par 4's.   

*Note:  I am the Head Golf Professional so all comments obviously carry some bias.

Chris,

I wish you the best of luck going forward. I'm a member at Deal, so I'm not far away. Just curious what your plans were going forward? Will you be private, semi-private, public?
Check out my golf law blog - Tee, Esq.

Chris Wegner

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Re: Suneagles GC (AW Tillinghast) Ft. Monomuth, Eatontown NJ
« Reply #10 on: October 19, 2011, 01:11:22 AM »
David,

We are proceeding as a semi-private club.  We are offering membership options, two which are deeply discounted for retired military and a third for all others.  All three also come with family options.  We would love to have a long term lease but right now we are signed up for 1 year and we are selling memberships accordingly.

I anticipate daily fee being the core of our play on weekdays and weekend afternoons, while membership will monopolize the weekend morning times.  It's been a real treat so far and I'm excited as the course gets better each day.

We encourage walking anytime so come out and see the course again.

Mike Sweeney

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Re: Suneagles GC (AW Tillinghast) Ft. Monomuth, Eatontown NJ
« Reply #11 on: August 06, 2017, 05:50:55 AM »

A Colts Neck developer with a track record of building golf courses will invest roughly $30 million to redevelop the Suneagles Golf Course.....


The golf course was designed by A.W. Tillinghast, a noted early 20th-century American golf course architect, and opened in 1926. The U.S. Army purchased the course in 1942 and added it to Fort Monmouth property.



http://www.app.com/story/news/local/redevelopment/2017/08/04/colts-neck-developer-buys-suneagles-golf-course/537605001/


Course history:
http://www.suneaglesgolf.com/about_SuneaglesHistory.php


_________________________________________


I have never played it or heard much about it. Any thoughts or insights? Thanks
"One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us."

Dr. Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

Joe Bausch

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Re: Suneagles GC (AW Tillinghast) Ft. Monomuth, Eatontown NJ
« Reply #12 on: August 06, 2017, 08:49:30 AM »
Worth playing now, and I'm assuming really worth playing if a renovation takes place.

Photos from a visit many years ago:

http://myphillygolf.com/uploads/bausch/SunEagles/index.html
« Last Edit: August 07, 2017, 04:48:09 AM by Joe Bausch »
@jwbausch (for new photo albums)
The site for the Cobb's Creek project:  https://cobbscreek.org/
Nearly all Delaware Valley golf courses in photo albums: Bausch Collection

Eric LeFante

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Re: Suneagles GC (AW Tillinghast) Ft. Monomuth, Eatontown NJ
« Reply #13 on: August 06, 2017, 09:32:04 PM »
Fantastic news. Has the bones to be a really good golf course. If you want to see what Tillinghast's bunkers looked like right after he built them then play the course now. I doubt any work has been done to them. There are several really good holes on the course and I think the 14th hole is one of the best par 3s in the area.

Mark_Fine

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Re: Suneagles GC (AW Tillinghast) Ft. Monomuth, Eatontown NJ
« Reply #14 on: August 06, 2017, 10:04:27 PM »
There is more that has changed to golf course since it was first built than most realize.  We prepared a detailed master plan for restoration of the course years ago.  Unfortunately our timing wasn't very good due to issues with closure of the base.  We were able to get some work done (in house with a limited budget) but what did get done definitely improved the golf course (some bunkers, trees, grassing lines, drainage,...).  Would love to see the new owners benefit from the plan we prepared and all the old drawings, photos, aerials, etc we discovered. And yes the 14 is a fantastic hole.

Chris Wegner

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Re: Suneagles GC (AW Tillinghast) Ft. Monmouth, Eatontown NJ
« Reply #15 on: August 06, 2017, 10:57:00 PM »
As a former golf professional at Suneagles, I am excited to hear the long process of finding an owner has reached a conclusion. Suneagles has the potential to be a special golf course. The plan put together by Mark hung in my office while I was there and everyday I would think What if?


The collection of par 3's and dramatic bunkering are what really stood out for me. Anxious to see if the addition of so much housing encroaches on the course more, or if it allows for some changes to holes to be more faithful to the original routing. I would love to see the tee returned to it's original location for hole #8.


I always recommend a visit to any golfers interested in a good classic golf course. Just take exit 105 off the GSP and you are right there.

Mike Sweeney

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Re: Suneagles GC (AW Tillinghast) Ft. Monmouth, Eatontown NJ
« Reply #16 on: August 07, 2017, 05:49:57 AM »
Jersey Pete sent me the following update via email:





I believe the base finally closed in 2011; I am not sure of the life of the course from 2006, when the base was slated to close, up to that time. 


If you look at Historic aerials, the 1940 aerial shows a lot of good detail.  You can see that the bunkers are the more slender, serpentine shapes used at Sunnehanna.  Mostly smaller greens here with light to moderate undulation.


First six holes are a little of the back and forth variety, you can see the bunkers under the trees.  9 is a good, driveable uphill par 4.
There's a little range between 1, 2 and 18. 


The 1940 aerial makes it look as the lake on 10 is not original. 
13 is an awkward hole as the fairway was shifted left to allow for some housing to be put in, compare the '40 aerial with 2012 and you'll see. Most of the routing otherwise appears original. 


It's worth a play if in the area, not necessarily a special trip from afar.    I remember thinking maybe the county would step in and buy it, on the positive side, the article states there is a deed restriction on the property for 40 years so it won't be plowed under.
"One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us."

Dr. Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark