Bayonne

[Ed Brzezowski]

Search this and did not really find alot on it as far as a good description of the course.

Playing it this coming Wednesday and it looks really cool.

Has anyone played it and can you please pass along any tips?

[Benjamin Litman]

Ed: I haven't played Bayonne, but I recently perused the club's website, and they have excellent hole-by-hole videos.  Check out the "Guest Tour" and "Course Map" tabs at the bottom of the front page in particular: http://www.bayonnegolfclub.com/index.php

Have a great time.

[Jon Cavalier]

Ed:

Here are some photos of my day at Bayonne late last summer.  I love the golf course.

[Benjamin Litman]

On behalf of everyone here at GCA, Jon, we love your pictures. Wow. Thank you.

[Richard Choi]

I have a full photo tour...

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,46325.0.html

A fantastic place.

[Tommy Williamsen]

I played the course the first year it opened.  I was amazed because it looked as though the course had been there for years.  When I only looked at the course I'd swear I was in Ireland.  Then I would look across the Hudson and knew I was in NJ.  The course is a marvel.  it is on a smallish site but it doesn't feel crowded because of the way the holes are separated vertically. Keep the ball in the fairway and enjoy a wild romp.  It is a ball.

[Josh Bills]

Ed,

I have played Bayonne 15 or so times.  Hopefully your caddie will provide all the advice you need, as I have had many and all have been exceptional.  If it is a windy day, it will be a challenge as the rough can be high, though this early in the year should be more manageable.  It is not a particularly long course, except a few holes.  You won't need a driver until the 4th hole and then I hope you hit it straight.  The par 3s are unique including a blind shot on 5 uphill and blind one on 11 called Dell. Two of them are downhill.  A lovely walk on a tightly routed course.  16 and 17 can be brutal depending on the wind and tee you choose.  Otherwise it is a fascinating course to think where it came from and who designed it.  Enjoy the views and the clubhouse, as it is a great spot to enjoy post round.  I still can't get over the very urban/industrial feel driving in and then feeling like you are in Ireland.  A great experience and one I look forward to again soon.  Have fun.

Josh

[MCirba]

Avoid the fescue at all costs.

Enjoy the views.

[Patrick_Mucci]

When you consider that everything on that golf course was imported, you have to consider Eric Bergstol a genius.

That property was a dump that sat at a level 10' ASL.

Eric imported everything and he created everything.

It's a modern wonder of the golfing world.

The putting surfaces are quite unique.

And, it does get plenty of WIND.

Let us know your thoughts after you play it.

Are you playing in the Member-Guest ?

Say "Hello" to Michael Hunt for me.

[Ed Brzezowski]

Hello Patrick,

I am getting on as part of the Philly crew for the Compher Cup. Saw the course last year from the deck of a cruise ship, cannot wait to play it. Think I may have to buy a new card for the camera too. Have the Blessed Mother statue out hoping for good weather.

ed

[Patrick_Mucci]

Ed,

As you know, conditions in the Northeast in the Spring aren't the best and this year has been especially difficult, so I'm hoping that the conditions are improved when you play.

It's an interesting golf course, almost three dimensional.

If you didn't look toward the harbor you'd never know where you were, and Bayonne wouldn't be in your first thousand guesses.

Have a terrific time and report your experience and thoughts back to us.

[JC Jones]

Pat,

Have you been to northern Michigan and have you played Arcadia Bluffs?

From what I'm gathering, you'd love it.

[Patrick_Mucci]

JC,

I haven't played AB, but it's on my list as I've been invited to Grand Rapids for golf this summer
Pat,

Have you been to northern Michigan and have you played Arcadia Bluffs?

From what I'm gathering, you'd love it.

[Steve Lapper]

Ed,

Way back when, I posted a long multi-paged detailed description of the course. I'm in wireless hell in Austin now and can't find it (but you can if you go back far enough).

As others have said its a wonderful course and perhaps golf's most successful "pottery experiment." Eric Bergstol did a genius-level job of shaping and routing 18 holes onto a man-made, dredge-filled doppelgänger of the adjacent Bayonne Harbor. It is definitely unique in its liberal re-interpretation of Scottish and Irish links architecture. From its initial "Dell," to its final "Home," it's a fun ride that permits the wind to dial up the degree of difficulty. The fescue and heather mounding(hills) that segregate the holes are far less penal than years back, at the course's inception.

I've long maintained that it's quite possibly the Met area's most sutiable course for match-play as most of the time, you are one shot away from a masterful birdie, or a disasterous defeat. Be sure to get a seasoned caddie and listen closely as your aim, on and off the green will remain unrelentingly strategic. Most importantly, have fun.

Cheers!

[Andrew Buck]

What beautiful pictures, looks like your in for a treat!

[Joel_Stewart]

Did Eric use a construction company and who were the shapers?

[Stewart Abramson]

When you consider that everything on that golf course was imported, you have to consider Eric Bergstol a genius.

I had the pleasure of playing a round at Bayonne with Eric's brother, Ken who told me that the  mounds were made from a mixture of the dredged materials from the harbor and portland cement. Without the cement the material would have been mush. Rutgers University did an article about the course which I will try to find and post a link if I can. Not only are the Bergstols genius for the building of the course, but my understanding is that they got paid to take the dredged material.

Link to more photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/golfcoursepix/sets/72157631824660289/

[Stewart Abramson]

This isn't the article I was thinking of, but is interesting. See pp 102-103 of this article: http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/airwater/maritime/documents/PDM_FINAL_4.24.13-cs.pdf

[Terry Lavin]

Hate to say it, but the photos look like a hedge fund horror show of a golf course. I know, it's a horrible way to assess a golf course, but it looks like Shadow Creek hard against Manhattan. Garish.

[Steve Lapper]

Judge,

You couldn't be farther from the truth! It's fun, sporty and while materially artificial (by default to its location), it's plays closer to a masterpiece than a place like Harborside or Harbor Shores nearer to you.

Might be time to stop hitting your forehead with the gavel!

[Terry Lavin]

Judge,

You couldn't be farther from the truth! It's fun, sporty and while materially artificial (by default to its location), it's plays closer to a masterpiece than a place like Harborside or Harbor Shores nearer to you.

Might be time to stop hitting your forehead with the gavel!

I've been reversed by worse...

[Wade Whitehead]

So, what's the difference between Bayonne, Shadow Creek, and Whistling Straits?

WW

[Patrick_Mucci]

So, what's the difference between Bayonne, Shadow Creek, and Whistling Straits?

The golf courses.

WW

[Patrick_Mucci]

Hate to say it, but the photos look like a hedge fund horror show of a golf course.

Terry,

If the great Tommy Nacarrato was able to photoshop the backrounds out, I wonder if your impression would be different.

When you consider that the site was a dump, a flat 10' ASL, you have to marvel at what Eric Bergstol created.

Pictures don't always tell the entire story or give you a true feel for a golf course.

It's pretty unique with some very interesting holes.
And, the putting surfaces with their slopes and contours are pretty neat as well.

If your travels bring you to the NYC area, you should play the course.

I know that I've stated it before, but, when you consider that everything on that golf course was imported, it's a pretty amazing creation.

I know, it's a horrible way to assess a golf course, but it looks like Shadow Creek hard against Manhattan. Garish.

What part is "garish", certainly not the willowy Fescue, nor the green fairways.

If you weren't looking toward the harbor, you'd never guess that you're in industrialized New Jersey, just across the river from NYC.

What's "garish" about these photos ?

By the way, the American flag is the size of a tennis court.

It is majestic and can be seen from just about everywhere on the golf course.

The flagpole had to be countersunk 70' to offset the stress forces created by the wind.

[Wade Whitehead]

So, what's the difference between Bayonne, Shadow Creek, and Whistling Straits?

The golf courses.

WW

I'm asking because the GCA knock on Shadow Creek is that it's fake.

Regarding Whistling Straits, GCAers often say something like "It's really interesting but too contrived to be taken seriously."

Bayonne gets lots of love.

My real question: Couldn't any of the three courses have been created on any of the three sites?

WW