Having been out earlier in the week at Spooky Brook on Tuesday, 12/28, I thought I had played my last round of the calendar year. When I posted about it on Twitter, fellow New Jersey native, John, let me know that I should check the weather for later in the week.
The forecast for New Year’s Eve was in the 50s. Some places were pushing almost 60 degrees.
Knowing that I’ve been overcome with a desire to wrap up this journey soon, and having the entire week off of work, I had to play again. I decided to head to Atlantic County, where I still had plenty to play. The choice would be an 8:27 tee time at Brigantine Golf Links.
Known formerly as The Links at Brigantine Beach, the course bills itself as New Jersey’s only authentic Scottish style links course. Located almost essentially on the Atlantic Ocean, the course sits on a narrow parcel of land on the bay-side of the beach-town community of Brigantine.
My tee time had me join up with father/daughter pairing Wayne and Megan, who I quickly found to be perfect golf company, which really just amounts to being pleasant and supportive of others in the group. Through our conversation during the round, we even had a “small world” moment when we found out that Megan and I actually work on the same campus (though, for different companies). To top it all off, I had my best round of the year: two birdies, each followed by a bogey, 13 pars, and one triple-bogey totaled a 75 (+3). I don’t break 80 often, and this – although an off-season round – was by far my best differential (3.8).
While I’ve never been to Scotland, from what little I know of its golf courses, I would say that calling Brigantine Golf Links “authentic Scottish style links” is quite a stretch. It’s a quaint, almost entirely level routing where you’ll see plenty of neighborhood homes around the course. I’m not sure how the course plays in the summer, but I don’t think it would play all that firm or fast. The best greens on the property are probably the ones on 11, 16, and 18. The remainder are typical public course greens.
Being on the very outskirts of Atlantic County, I don’t know that I would send anyone a great distance to see Brigantine. But, it’s a course whose greens fees won’t break the bank, and if you’re already spending the weekend in say, Atlantic City, then it’s a nice local option for a beach weekend.
It took a bit of planning and matching up our schedules, but a couple months after said trip, we were able to find a Wednesday in August where we could both take the day off from work to knock out a few courses.
While there were still 50+ courses left to choose from, I knew I wanted to target Atlantic County. At the time, I still had 15 courses there that remained unvisited, and a number of them were relatively close together. There were also a few that I knew had reputations as great or well-liked courses. After a short look at Google Maps, we decided to book times at Twisted Dune and McCullough’s.
Twisted Dune
We arrived at Twisted Dune at 6:00 am, in advance of our 6:30 tee time. A light fog was still sitting over the course, but just from what we could see on our walk to the clubhouse, you could tell the course was special.
This view from the Twisted Dune clubhouse veranda shows some of the wild look you’ll see around the course.
Once you’re on the course, it can seem visually daunting in places. But in truth, there is room to score. Players will likely be psychologically put off by some of the traps, waste areas, and tall grasses, but if you’re playing from the correct tee box for your game, they should be little more than distractions.
The sun still rising and lighting up the green at 2.
There were a couple things about the course that really hit me in terms of making an impression. The first is that its overall look is (relatively) unique. The second was the almost-disbelief that this was a place in New Jersey.
The green at 4, looking across the tee boxes on 5, onto 6 and 7, whose green is visible in the distance on the right.
When you’ve played 100+ courses in the state, there is a lot of overlap in terms of style and feel. Generally, there are parkland courses and links-style courses. I don’t think Twisted Dune fits into either of those categories. It’s heavier on heathland surroundings, and there’s almost a hint of what Tobacco Road would feel like if it were tamed and had less tall pines around. Not that it should be tamed of course, but that version would be as close as I could come to accurately describing Twisted Dune.
A look at the first few holes at Twisted Dune.
In addition to the sand and overgrown areas that might steal a ball or two, there are water hazards on the course in a couple places. You’ll have to contend it with it on 9 and 10, and then again on 13 and 14.
Looking out onto the par-5 9th at Twisted Dune before the round.
Between the views, the uniqueness, and the playability, Twisted Dune is just a great course overall. I highly recommend it, and I’ve included in my list of must-play public courses in NJ.
McCullough’s Emerald Golf Links
There are a few places in New Jersey in which you could stand anywhere, throw a stone, and hit a golf course. This is probably most true of Atlantic County, where there are 17 public courses, and a number of which are in very close proximity. McCullough’s Emerald Golf Links happens to be 1.3 miles down the road from Twisted Dune.
I have to say that after being thoroughly impressed by our morning venue, McCullough’s did not live up to expectations. There have been a number of places that have been brought to my attention on my journey, and McCullough’s was one of them. Called the “Emerald Golf Links”, it’s a Stephen Kay design that is inspired by holes from a number of famous Irish and Scottish golf venues, like Royal Portrush, Prestwick, and even the Old Course at St. Andrews.
The 8th, which is meant to be a tribute to the 10th at Turnberry. It’s difficult to tell from this shot, but the bunker seen in the distance at the end of the cart path is in the same ring/island bunker style.
It’s not a bad course by any stretch of the imagination, but unless you are deeply familiar with those places, it’s tough to appreciate. This also may be odd, but I think one of my complaints about McCullough’s is that there is so much green color throughout the course. I never thought this would bother me, but visually, everything seemed to just blend together in a lot of places.
Matt chipping on at 2, which is meant to be a Biarritz hole. There is undulation, but I think the swale/valley is too subtle to be called a Biarritz in my opinion.
My gripe about the aesthetics aside, the course does play well. It is very open to wind, which can make for some challenging holes around the course. Water will make tee shots a challenge at 8, 13, and 18, and there is some elevation change on 3 and 11. The most notable hole though is the signature 7th, which is inspired by a Mackenzie design that was meant to go in the Lido Club.
From the Course Tour on the McCullough’s site
Again, this is a course that comes up a lot in conversations about golf in Atlantic County, and while I prefer Stephen Kay’s Scotland Run to his design at McCullough’s, it may very well be one that makes your list of favorites.
18 at McCullough’s. What you can’t see here is the sound of bagpipes that are played over a PA system that will definitely be audible from this vantage point.
Hamilton Trails
After finishing up at McCullough’s and stopping for something to eat, we played a third and final round at Hamilton Trails. With its logo featuring what appears to be a soldier from the American Revolution in a ring of stars, the course is almost undoubtedly named after Alexander Hamilton. Nevertheless, I can’t find any history on the name and what it means to the area.
A look at 1 green in the background as you turn the corner onto Harbor Ave.
A 9-hole course that doesn’t seem imposing as you pull into the parking lot, it actually measures 3,265 from the back tees, providing decent length to the average golfer. The course looked almost completely flat, so Matt and I closed out the day walking the round.
Walking the 1st fairway, you get a peak at the green at 3 coming back in this direction.
The first hole is the most exciting on the property, an almost-90-degree dog-leg left par 4. From there though, it’s relatively plain. There are creeks that cross – or run alongside of – almost every hole, but they likely won’t threaten a mid-handicapper. The biggest hazard that a body of water will pose will be the small pond that is short and left of the par-3 green at the 9th hole.
At $30 to walk nine holes, it’s probably punching above its weight at that price. But, it’s an area of more expensive courses, so it’s relatively in line with the local market. Plus, it was a fine way to end another long day of golf on the journey. Forty-five holes played, and three courses knocked off the list.
The pro shop at Hamilton Trails, my 119th course on the quest.
Seaview from the far corner over 2 green. You can see the resort and clubhouse in the background in the upper left.
Date played: 1/15/2021
Having carried over vacation days that I didn’t use during the COVID lockdown of 2020, I took the first forecast of warm weather in 2021 as an opportunity to take the day off and knock another course off the list. Heading to Atlantic County for only the second time on my journey, the Bay course at Seaview Golf Club would be my 108th destination.
Built in 1914, the Seaview Bay course is known to LPGA fans as the venue for the Shoprite Classic. In 1942, it also provided half the holes – along with some of the resort’s Pines course – for the tournament setup of the PGA Championship, where Sam Snead won his first major. While Donald Ross receives top billing for designing the Bay course, it more accurately credits its design to Hugh Wilson, with only the bunker work being installed by Ross a few years after the course’s completion.
Quality flags reminding you how old this historic course is.
My first round of the new year was an extraordinary one with quite a few highlight memories. I started the round with a birdie and would go on to card the most I’ve ever made in a single round. One of those was a chip-in from 25 yards on the par-4 14th. On 16, after essentially shanking a low bullet off the tee towards OB on the right, I watched it hit a tree and carom left into the first fairway bunker. I successfully scrambled from there to make par. It was just one of those rounds where it felt like not much can go wrong.
I had a great time being paired up with three members, two of which have either worked at or caddied at the course. It was fun to listen to stories of how the Bay Course has changed over the years, having been a private club until the 1980s. It was described by the members as a course that used to be pristine.
A look across the bay at Atlantic City.
Conditions have changed however, attributed in large part to increased traffic over the years since opening to the public. Among public courses though, it remains a beautiful layout and pretty well conditioned. Interesting views are always a bonus for a golf course, and you’ll get a number of peeks at Atlantic City from the holes just along the marsh area of Reeds Bay.
In trying to find a course to play, I debated whether it would be worth playing Seaview in winter conditions. Greens were recently punched, and – being a links-style course – the native grasses lining the lateral limits of many fairways were cut accommodatingly low. But $39 for a course that costs well north of $100 in prime season was too good to pass up. Overall, it was great value for a winter round and easy to see why this history-laden course should be a “must play” for any public golfer.
Boldly welcoming you to the Bay Course.This helpful plaque explains everything.Love everything about the signs here, especially the small plaques indicating whether the hole was a part of the composite layout for the 1942 PGA Championship.A look back at the first of the par-3s, the 7th. In the background, you can see the teeing grounds tarped off in preparation for the upcoming season. Staring into the sun, you can see the gentle contouring of the green at 10.
My first trip to play a public golf course in Atlantic County required begrudgingly breaking my precious sleep schedule. An early morning tee time at Harbor Pines meant that I’d have to be on the road at 5:00 am. I don’t mind waking up early – especially to play golf – but waking up before 5:00 is pushing the limit. Nevertheless, the journey called and I was on my way.
The course winds through a dense forest, with almost every hole lined on both sides by trees. With the possible exception of the 1st and the 18th, wayward tee shots won’t have a chance of finding the fairway of a neighboring hole. When a course is mostly a winding tunnel of hole after hole, I find it difficult to appreciate unless there is great variety, and a majority of the holes at Harbor Pines are straightaway.
That’s not to say that there aren’t areas of the course that are noteworthy. The 4th is a long par 4 with a 90-degree elbow. The greens across the course are in great shape, and many have clever undulations that make for great hole locations, with the complex on the 9th being a great example.
Shadows across 9 green
You start the back nine with a tough par 5 that requires a tee shot that needs to avoid water on the left. Water is a factor on multiple holes, but perhaps nowhere else more so than the 12th. It’s a daunting short par 4 where a tee shot needs to carry and navigate water for at least half the carry distance, only to find that water must be avoided to the right of the green on the approach.
At over $80 in prime season for a round with a cart, Harbor Pines measures itself among the nicer public courses in the state. Through that lens, it comes off as somewhat average. Having said that, it’s certainly worth a play and would be a good option in a line-up for a multiple-day trip of golf in Atlantic County.
Orson Rosas Golf 