Hi all! Looking to play more this year. Where do you all play? I’m looking for pretty good conditions and good pace of play. Anyone else looking to play more? Any leagues out there? Anyone know of listings of charity outings? I’m currently a 12.2 hdcp. Was as low as a 6, but have no shot getting back there without playing more. I have an odd schedule but at 56 there’s not too many years of decent to good golf left and I want to try to play more often. Thanks in advance for any info or suggestions.
OT: Golf in Central NJ
- Thread starter darkcheck
- Start date
I was about to post this. Hominy by far the best. It’s been years since I’ve lived in Monmouth County and played those courses, but I always liked Charleston Springs too….is that still in good shape?
Rutgers has a weekly leavue … not sure if it’s already started I e played some at Matawang in. Belle Meade. ( which is a nice course and you can get a tee time most days, even on weekends )
Both Charleston courses and Shark River are all better than Howell. Howell is good but is in swamp land.
Neshanic is also a very good course as far as public courses go in central NJ
Thanks. Fell in love with Hominy in 1983 when it hosted the usga publinx I went to watch as a kid. Been lucky enough to play a few times over the years. Have to get back, but being a Middlesex county-er not easy getting a tee time for a late nine even.
Thanks. Funny today I was there practicing and saw the QR code for the league but it was no longer active so I guess the league started.
It’s still a good course. Just not as great as it used to be.
If Central Jersey doesnt exist...are there really golf courses there?
Hominy Hill is getting a lot of love lately due to the clubhouse renovation. Charleston Springs is my favorite of the Monmouth County Park System courses.
As mentioned Howell Park can get quite wet, but under ideal conditions, it's a great course.
As mentioned Howell Park can get quite wet, but under ideal conditions, it's a great course.
If you want to drive a bit west......Heron Glen & Copper Hill (both near Ringoes), Fox Hollow (Branchburg), High Bridge Hills and Beaver Brook (Clinton)
If you want to drive a bit north I would recommend...Berkshire Valley (Oak Ridge) and Rock Spring in West Orange used to be private but is now public I think.
Much further North......Ballyowen (Hamburg)
Second to Heron Glen. Played their last week. Really nice course in great condition. Also love the Architect’s Golf Club
Shark River?? Better than Howell?
Never had any issues at Howell. And it's always extremely well maintained. From the back tees it's a much better challenge then Shark River.
Played Charleston once. It was ok. Never player Neshanic.
Rock Spring is indeed Public, purchased by the town of West Orange in 2019.
I haven't played Shark River in years. Back then it was eh at best. My son tells me they've really fixed it up over the past few years.
I played in a fundraiser at Gambler's Ridge out by Great Adventure this past Fall and liked it Thoughts?
Back tees? Did you see the 56 year old, 12.2 hdcp part of my op 😂
It's been a long time since I played Gamblers Ridge. It did need a fixing back then! Had potential though.
You may be correct. I played in an event there several years back - my assumption.
My favorite public course is Berkshire Valley. Every hole is a postcard. For those who don't don't know, the property used to be owned by Ringling Bros. There's a stone pen near the 12th hole where they used to keep the elephants. Well worth the ride. the course is beautifully maintained. Neshanic is my second favorite public course.
Mercer has a nice collection, Mercer Oaks East and West, Mt. View, Hopewell (former private club), and if dry enough Princeton can be a fun round.
Played 6 holes at Berkshire in heavy rain before giving up after teeing off on 7. From the little I saw thru the raindrops it seemed really nice.
We were pulling up to the 6th when 2 bear cubs went scampering across the Tee. We backed up waiting to figure where the mom was but never saw her. One of 3 times I've come across bears on a course, the others being Crystal Springs and Fernwood in Pa.
I don’t play much golf anymore but when I was playing a lot in Middlesex, Tamarac and Bunker Hill were pretty decent. Years ago.
Bunker Hill was the first course I ever played. It’s ok but I like a range to hit a few and loosen up before a round.
Tamarack is quite a story. 36 holes there as you know. New management a couple years back. They decided they were going to redo it all, 18 at a time. Two years ago shut down east. I played it last June and it was very nice. Then in the summer they cut it too short. Then it burned out. Then it rained a lot. It still hasn’t recovered. Right now it was just a waste of a renovation. Shame. West is closed now for renovation. It’s ten minutes from me, I want to love Tamarack but they just can’t get it right. Plus it gets a TON of rounds and pace of play can be ssllooww.
Pretty much every time I play Berkshire we have a bear encounter. There usually is a momma and 2 cubs rolling around the 8th green. Rangers are always ready to blow the horns and chase them away. Weird thing is I haven’t seen any at nearby Bowling Green.
Hey we got Tamarck.
Do miss the Hillsborough Golf Course. Sold to Developers.
I’ve played Gamblers a few times, but one specific round really affects my opinion. On the back nine, caught up to a group ahead who was playing an eightsome. Drunk beyond belief and extremely combative when we asked them to split into two foursomes. Course personnel had no interest at all in helping.
The Employee Assn for a company I worked for used to have their Better Ball at Bowling Green. You could get shell shocked with the sounds of all the shots smacking into trees.
Really like Berkshire Valley, but those first few holes along the ridge line are brutal. Last time I played there, a good size bear was walking along the upper part of the driving range. Nobody was hitting, and a young kid, one of the workers, pulls up in a cart and says, “get in.” He speeds up the range, and when we get real close to the bear, it starts to bolt, and the kid chases it, as I’m praying it doesn’t decide to turn around. A brief scary moment.
Love Berkshire Valley, just wish I could skip the first 3. Wild Turkey is another really nice track.
Slightly OT , Gotterup just got his first PGA win at Myrtle Beach, lots of good RU mentions coming down the stretch.
Slightly OT , Gotterup just got his first PGA win at Myrtle Beach, lots of good RU mentions coming down the stretch.
It's funny I saw that he got the lead yesterday but the last time I posted he was near the lead, he played like crap so I avoided starting another TKR jinx lol
Berkshire, Wild Turkey and Ballyowen (my favorite) are 3 of the best public courses in NNJ.
Some serious price inflation at all 3 this season. Not sure if everybody else has noticed the same. As an example, I can't even imagine paying 200+ for ballyowen. Now it's nice. It has a signature par 3. The clubhouse is great for a beer. But that's just crazy pricing to me.
Similar threads
