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Excellent layout. Beautifully kept. Fast greens. bit full of itself, but not overly offensive.

Wonderful course, great layout. It’s a bit of a beast from the tips especially when the wind is up, seemingly generous landing areas, but there’s pleasure of water and enough trouble to penalize wayward shots. Greens are true and fast but not overly so, Be wary near water, there’s a population of good size gators and when I played in late march you could hear the hatchlings chirping near the water’s edge. One of the toughest par threes I’ve ever seen on the back, a two hundred thirty yard monster with a sloping fairway toward water all down the right and an elevated green. Must admit, I went tin cup on that one trying to hit Driver into a 15-20mph hurting wind. Looking forward to playing again, it beat me up pretty good.

Ashbrook is a wonderful, big, sprawling Parkland golf course. Unfortunately, I was one of the only two county golf courses in Union County, it gets a ton of traffic. And the traffic doesn’t clean up after itself.

I’m not sure a single person fixes their ball marks, or replaces the divots. Combine this with a Course that essentially is carved through swamp land with below average drainage, And things can get pretty sloppy out there.

The layout still holds up. A challenge from the blues, it’s a legitimate beast from the black tees. The greens are as lightning fast as any county course in the state. Unfortunately, some of them resemble minefields, pot with hundreds of old ball marks.

The bar and restaurant are well above average for a public golf course. The bar is a nice deck with views of the ninth and 18th greens, and an above average food menu.. the staff were helpful and pleasant.

This course could certainly be in much better shape, and pace of play can be agonizingly slow. But the fixes to these problems are largely the responsibility of the clientele.. they need to take some pride in their local golf course, and do a better job taking care of it.

This is a poorly maintained golf course.

The tee boxes are patchy and overgrown. It as if they weren’t mowed in days.

The greens are a s l o w. Bunkers, poor.

The pace of play was b r u t a l.

No ranger in sight as the group ahead of us was beyond slow. They were clueless. Literally moving in slow motion.

In the clubhouse, the guy who checked me in seemed like it was the last place he wanted to be at that moment in time.

The one bright spot was the guy manning the concession at the turn. He was bright friendly quick and competent.

This layout is simply not good enough to keep me coming back, this entire place seems to have an attitude problem.

I had a 2:35 PM teatime on this particular day I arrived at the course an hour early to hit some balls and warm up.
The pro shop, and the starter noted that we had bad weather moving in later that evening, asked me if I wanted to get out early, and sent me out 35 minutes before my teatime. it was very nice of them and prescient as well. Not five minutes after we finished up our 18th hole, the skies opened up.
The course itself is in terrific shape, fairways, bunkers, greens. And tee boxes are all excellent. The layout is interesting, and trouble lurks just off the fairway.. Nice course, nice staff.

Gamblers Ridge is a terrific property on the rolling farm and marshland of Monmouth County. The layout is fantastic. It features tight fairways lined with trees, elevation changes and several doglegs. Greens are small, well guarded, sloping from back to front and slow. It’s an interesting layout over a beautiful piece of land, which was emphasized with a lingering fog and trees ablaze as peak foliage painted the central Jersey landscape on this early November morning.
And there was plenty of time to enjoy the vistas because the pace of play was excruciatingly slow. And the course wasn’t terribly crowded. 4 hours 45 minutes for a 9:20 am start time on a weekday is ridiculous.
The course is not in great shape. Many of teeboxes were moved up, and not in the best nick. Fairways were patchy. Greens, far too slow, and a clientele that doesn’t believe in repairing ball marks.
This is a terrific venue that is batting well below it’s average. Something must be done about pace of play, and course conditions aren’t up to par, although in defense of the staff, this course gets a ton of traffic because of its location, and it’s manageable length and layout. They dumb it down to keep up the pace of play but apparently it’s not working, I say put the tees back, rollout those greens, put the teeth back into this beautiful spot, and send the slow hackers packing.

This is the second oldest public golf course in the country. It’s a great lay out short on the card, but don’t let the lack of length for you. Fairways are generally very very narrow with landing areas on average about 30 yards across. The course is hilly. The greens are small and sloping. You have to know how to play this course, accuracy and a confident short game are the keys to success.

But for all its charm and history, the course cannot overcome patchy inconsistent greens, riddled with ball marks, gouges and bald patches. Then, there’s the pace of play. Glacial. A public course in the middle of Newark gets a huge amount of traffic, which I imagine makes it very difficult for the staff to keep up..

This is a wicked little nine hole track, Very hilly, very narrow, and relatively short. Only very good players will score well playing this run for the first time. There’s a number of blind shots, severe elevation changes, doglegs and very small greens. Course knowledge is key.. Its a tricky really interesting layout that puts a premium on accuracy and ego free golf.

That’s where the compliments end.

The pace of play is b r u t a l. And no rangers to speed things up. It’s actually not surprising. It’s easy to lose balls here. And the clientele seem to br in no hurry whatsoever.

Course conditions definitely were not up to par. The greens were hairy. A couple of tee boxes were completely bereft of grass.

The clubhouse staff are children, utterly bored to be there, and content to hang out in a back room. All that for $50. If you charge me $50 to play 18 holes on a 9 hole course, that is unkempt and ridiculously slow, you can be assured I will not return, despite the layout.

This golf course frustrates me. Playing from the blacks, it’s long, 7100 yards long and the blues at almost 6700 are no bargain either. For some reason I cannot break 90 from the back on this course. It’s a blood field between us now.

The landing areas seem generous, the course seems wide open, however being in the right position of the fairway greatly affects your access to the greens, and it’s not as open as it seems.

The fairways are hard and the ball does scoot. The greens are hard, difficult to stick, virtually impossible to stop. Beware of sucker pins. They are in fairly decent shape, taking into account the amount of traffic, certainly the beleaguered greens keeper has a tough time keeping up with the rash on repaired ball marks on the greens. They are medium pace, fast enough with subtle breaks.

The sand is very inconsistent.

The layout is interesting with a few really well designed holes, and a handful of significant doglegs. This course does feature a few monsters, the 450 yard third, and a brutal back to back, the 485 yard par 4 6th followed by a 600 yard par 5 at seven.

The signature hole on the front is the 9th which features an approach shot over water (complete with fountain) of anywhere from 110 yards to 170, depending on the placement of the tee ball. On the back, the 235 yard 16th gives way to the signature 17th, whose entire right side features Carnegie lake, and an approach shot to a wiled green over water.

Mercer Oaks is , a sprawling public golf course with a decent practice area, and a good 19th hole, and oh yeah, two golf courses. The west is whatever you want it to be, a real taskmaster from the back, a challenge from the blues and whites that allow the golfer to enjoy the layout without taking a beating..

Preakness Valley West is in tremendous shape. From tee box to flagstick, it’s impeccable for a county course. Greens are fast but not lightning, and as true as can be expected from a well trafficked course. Kudos to the greens keeping staff.
The course features generous landing areas in a parkland layout. There aren’t a ton of surprises, a few gentle doglegs, but most holes are straightaway and straightforward, flat, fairways flanked by old towering hardwoods, and tall marshland grasses. There is some water, but a lot more marshy carries and waste areas.
The greens are firm; I landed a half dozen high short irons that rolled through the putting surface. If you’re not hitting from fairway chances are your ball will not hold the green with anything more than a PW.
The course plays much longer than the card says from the tips. It’s a legitimate test.
The entire course sits on a what used to be a colonial estate which once served as George Washington’s temporary headquarters . There are no homes in the course and fairways are built around quite a bit of natural protected land.
Overall, a very well kept course, with a somewhat uninspiring layout. Practice faculties are excellent, and the rambling clubhouse has a proper restaurant with outdoor seating looking out onto the 18th green. It’s all very civilized.

Nestled in the hills of Northwest New Jersey, Black Bear is a wonderful layout that asks big questions of the golfer’s game and their ego.

There’s no such thing as a flat hole on this jaunt. Every tee box either looks down on a fairway or up a slope. The course plays shorter than its yardage but demands precision to score well. There are doglegs left and right, but not severe. Shot shaping isn’t critical, straight hitters are rewarded. Minor Mistakes are penalized but there is room to recover. Get wild and you’ll find lots of other hapless golfers balls in the woods, never your own.

Points off for atrocious bunkers filled with stony hard sand often more akin to clay, and inconsistent greens. The greens are sloped but could use a rollout, and here like everywhere else, golfers seem oblivious to repairing their ball marks.

You may walk the course, but expect a workout. The distance between some greens and tee boxes is significant and a few are significantly uphill. If you walk you can count on trying to catch your breath on a few tee boxes, and a pair of sore hammys at the end of the day. Inexplicably, the walk from the 18th green to the clubhouse is about a half mile .

There is a putting green and a range whose dilapidated mats could have used an upgrade a few years ago. In addition, you can’t hit driver on the range. Really, what’s the point?

Overall, a fantastic layout with some rough patches with regard to the afore mentioned greens and traps. In their defense, it’s a heavily trafficked course. However, it isn’t a cheap round of golf, one expects a bit more. Snack bar is downright pricey fir this area. It’s billed as a resort course, but falls short of the standard. Black Bear is all about the layout and the views.

Finally, adjacent to the 18 th fairway are two giant satellite dishes , apparently somebody is listening to you curse as you flub your approach into the final hole.

The Orangebrook golf complex is a sprawling facility with two 18 hole tracks and a full driving range (mats), anchored by a low slung orange clubhouse with a delightfully seventies vibe.

The course itself is wide open . It should not be difficult to keep the ball in play. The par 4s are short, the greens are fast but inconsistent. Some are chewed up and weedy, some are sandy and some are beautiful.

The courses main defense, especially from the tips, are the long difficult par 3s. Your wayward drives won’t penalize you as much as other courses BUT miss wrong and you will find water . Finally, the courses openness leaves it vulnerable to wind even on a calm day. Distance control can be a challenge.

Overall, a typical muni with a nice Everyman vibe, Arrive early take advantage of the range which has a ton of mats (eye roll) and loads of yardage markers. This course has a nice sense of community with lots of regulars. Solid muni. AND YOU CAN WALK!!! The way golf should be played.

Glance at the scorecard at Davie Golf Club and at 6400 yards from the tips, 5900 from the silver tees, it doesn’t inspire fear. Once you get on the greens, that’s when the fear starts.

The greens are small and wavy.. it’s not enough to merely reach the green on your approach shot,, if you’re ion the right spot, three putts are a forgone conclusion, with the possibility of the dreaded fourbanger lurking in the back of your golf brain. Thea like goodness they keep them rolling slow, if they didn’t it would be 6 hour long rounds of golf. Trust me, it’s a blessing.

Off the tee things seem open, but the hazards, bunkers, water, swamp, seemingly have golf ball magnets. The landing areas are far narrower than they seem, it’s a lesson you’ll learn the hard way.

Davie feeds off your ego. Take an extra club, it’s farther than you think. And the greens are elevated. And the wind is blowing harder than you think.

And then there’s the back nine. Two big par 4’s over 430 with danger off the tee. A big par 5. Two long par 3’s. . Even the 301 yard 12th has a decent water carry off the tee, a fairway that punches close to green, water up the entire side and a heavily bunkered raised green. Hit an iron off the tee.

Overall, great layout, crazy greens, dumbed dow a bit for mere mortals. They aren’t always in great shape, but hey it’s a muni, and for $30 a great layout, good staff, a practice area, a few rough greens and a bit of slow play is a small price to pay.

The clubby feel starts before you arrive at the golf course with a special entrance for non residents and non members. Those without the appropriate bar code will wait with the delivery vendors, the contractors and the landscapers to be approved and allowed entry into the Winston Trails neighborhood.
The practice facilities at the course are outstanding. A big beautiful putting green gives you plenty of elbow room in this time of COVID, a driving range with grass hating areas and proper flags for distance are s nice change from mats and hitting areas comprised of unmarked pasture or a pond. In addition there is a separate chipping area with a practice bunker.
The course itself is in fine condition. Greens are reasonably well maintained despite the members scraping their golf shoes on them as they walk and tearing up the Bermuda. The course tends to play a solid 10-15 yards longer than the posted yardages. I found myself under clubbing by a full club on approaches and par threes. Listed at 7000 from the blues it plays every inch of that especially on the back nine with several par 4’s clocking in at about 450.
The only downside is the members.

Boca Greens could be so much more than it is. The staff is friendly and accommodating. The course could be so much more.
The layout is straightforward, virtually the entire front nine plays as doglegs left, the back is exactly the opposite with most holes setting up left to right.
This course is clearly set up for speed. That means slow greens, and very little rough.
For this time of year, neither fairways nor greens are in great shape. The bunkers aren’t great either.
For speeds sake, no one walks. On this day I could have walked circles around both groups ahead of us in carts..
if I paid for a membership, I’d expect more, a lot more.
Staff, good, golf, meh.

Colts Neck was at its best on a chilly sun drenched late November afternoon. At 6300 from the tips, the course isn’t particularly intimidating on paper, but a closer look tells a different story.

3 par 5’s on the front 9 mean par on the outbound leg is 37, two of those par 5’s clock in at 560+. The par 4’s are short, but greens are small, fast and protected by deep bunkers. The virtually treeless front 9 is protected by large fairway bunkers, while high grass and marsh lie in wait for wayward swings.
The physical character changes on the back and the layout is more parkland, with narrow fairways lined with tall trees. It also features 4 par 3’s, two of which are 225+ yard monsters.

Stow your driver on most of the par 4’s, they’re short and tempting, but trouble lurks and bad decisions are punished. This course demands discipline, but opportunities present themselves on the two short par 5’s and two short par 3’s.

Colts Neck used to private and it shows. The tee boxes and fairways are manicured, greens are fast and true if a little chewed up from traffic.
Overall a very civilized golfing experience even if the whole place seems a bit full of itself.
The gentleman in the pro shop was pleasant if somewhat condescending. The ranger had a sour attitude, urging us on somewhat rudely despite the fact that we were waiting for the foursome ahead on virtually every hole. But what would crusty old clubs be without crusty old Rangers? It did not detract from a good day of golf.

People who play golf see the weather report or peer out of their windows, and see a chilly grey drizzle and skip the trip to the course.
Gofers make a beeline to their favorite muni knowing they’ll have the run of the joint.
This was that day at Green Knoll, a Somerset county parks gem, playing way longer than the 6443 yds advertised on the card, on a day when the rough is soaked, the fairways glistening under a misty drizzle and the greens producing rooster tails on long putts.
Those greens are small, true and fast, despite the conditions, hard to hold and decidedly dicey when above the hole.
Course was in terrific shape. It gives the player no shortage of decisions to make. Doglegs and elevation changes force you to play strategically, and if you don’t , and I often didn’t , you’re staring double bogey in the face.
Your chipping game better be on point, the little greens are easy to miss, often raised and protected with bunkers and thick rough.
The best part is there’s nary a house to be seen. It’s a parkland layout with marshy and wild areas that make for a great walk. On this day we saw plenty of deer including a 10 point buck.
Great layout, great shape, great day out.

If you care to test you length, head East to Riverhead where you will find 7100+ Cherry Creek, with not one but two holes that top out at 600+, one of which is the 644+ par 6, that’s right, par 6 18th.

That’s Cherry Creek’s gimmick, it’s length. Most holes are fairly wide open from whichever tee box you frequent. It’s a links course in name only, there are plenty of trees to find yourself dealing with especially if you’ve cranked down the lift of your driver and spend the day swinging out of your shoes. From the blues, 10 of the 14 par 4’s play well over 400.

The layout is languid , gentle doglegs and gentle hills. The greens are potentially this courses strong point, but in this day they had just been aierated, resulting in a miserable putting experience on sandy, holey greens, running super slow in the morning dew, much faster as the dried out, and completely unpredictable. I’d consider playing again if the greens were up to snuff, on this day they were a total horror show.

There is a full grass range facility which is terrific, and gives you a chance to get your driver going, theres even a great spot to practice chipping and pitching as well as bunker shots . They had not put cups back in the practice putting green.

Overall I’m glad I got the hot deal, I would not pay more than $40 to play here. What the course lacks in charm it makes up for in length. It’s a big hitters ballpark, and who doesn’t love a couple 600+ yard holes? And it’s always nice to play a par 73.

Marine Park is your classic muni. Nothing fancy , a challenge for hackers and low hcpers alike. The landing areas are generous, lies are flat, and the fairways are firm. That’s a double edged sword, straight drives get plenty of roll, errant shots find a way of tricking into trouble.

The greens are firm , fast, and fairly well maintained with plenty of slope. Don’t expect them to hold mid irons from the rough.
They’re very commendable for the amount of traffic this course gets.

While the layout isn’t fancy, straight and flat, once you get away from the VanWyck it is quite beautiful, open and windswept with occasional views of the bay and the city in the riddance . There were hundreds of birds, swans, ducks, geese, gulls and herons congregating in and around the marshy pond near the tee of the 9th hole.

Marine Park’s defense is the wind. Set in a coastal marshland, the course is wide open, links like with few trees, lots of waste areas, wild grasses, mounds and fescue. The wind often whips in from Jamaica Bay, complicating an otherwise benign layout. You need bump and run game to play this course as it is meant to be played. At 6800 from the tips in even breezy conditions this course turns into a bear. On a properly windy day, fugghedaboudit.

The pace of play is slow, but not brutal. Again, it’s a city muni, everybody plays here. I’d play again if I’m ever out that way. One last thing. As the sun goes down the mosquitoes rise up. It is a marsh after all. Bring bug spray.

Quail Brook is the perfect parkland muni. Played from the back tees it’s a solid challenge, gentle hills and doglegs make for a classic layout. The landing areas are fairly generous but off target shots are penalized by a combination of fescue and trees and sand. Look out for hidden hazards, and putting the ball in proper position to approach greens is key.
Speaking of the greens, fantastic for s course that receives a significant amount of traffic.
Quail Brook is solid all the way around, well maintained, picturesque, a classic parkland track with just enough going on to make you earn your pars.