colts neck

Number 122 (Colts Neck Golf Club)

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Date: 10/15/2021

After finishing up at Colonial Terrace, I headed over to Colts Neck Golf Club. Being a semi-private course, I had a short debate with myself about whether or not it should count on this journey. When posting about it on Twitter, most responded that it should, with sentiments like “if you can get on without an invite, it counts”. I’m not sure where I draw the line on what should be considered “public”, but ultimately, I felt like there were enough tee times available to the general public on a daily basis for it to count on the journey.

The course was an absolute treat to walk for $40 on a weekday in October. I’m not sure if that’s just a fall rate, but that is easily one of the best values in the state. I haven’t listed it as one of my “must play” publics – though, as I write this, I’m debating whether I should – but I do highly recommend it, especially if you can get that anything close to that price.

Hole 2, with a look at the farmhouse style clubhouse in the background.

The course has just the right amount of elevation change – particularly through the middle third – striking a great balance between a completely flat layout and a mountain golf course. The conditions are some of the best I’ve seen in the state, which perhaps should be expected, given its semi-private status. Were it a strictly daily-fee course, it would be among the very best in that category in New Jersey.

Some of the middle third of Colts Neck. The 5th plays off to the left of the frame. The par-5 6th runs from left to right in the backdrop. A short par-3 7th is in the distance in the top-right corner, with 8 coming back parallel to 6. The tees at 9 and the green at 11 straddle the pond.

I happened to play exceptionally well, scoring my best ever differential to par. While I did not make an eagle at either of the par-5s at Colonial Terrace, I did hole an 18-foot putt on 17 at Colts Neck for my third career eagle. (To be fair to the course, the tees were probably 60-80 yards up from where they should have been, so it was more like a birdie on a long par-4.)

Overall, I felt that most of the course sets up nicely for the average golfer and does well to provide variety in its 6,281 yards. A majority of driving holes have room to miss, a couple of the par-5s are reachable in two shots for long hitters, and there are six par-3s with a decent mix of yardages (as short as 133 to as long as 233).

If I had to pick one blemish at Colts Neck, it would have to be the approach shot at 13. The green is oddly guarded by two massive trees, making 2nd shot efforts like aiming for a railway tunnel. But as you can see from the rest of the pictures, that is me really looking for something to pick on. This Monmouth County course is absolutely worth a play.

The green and surround at 8.
The almost drivable par-4 9th. I ended up in the greenside bunker beyond the small trees.
The actual Colts Neck colt at 10! (OK… it’s just a statue.)
The par-3 10th.
The approach at 13, with its tall guardians. As it happens in great scoring rounds, I had my share of luck at Colts Neck. On this shot, I meant to play a bit of a low cut starting left of the center of the “entrance”. I ended up hitting a kind of bladed push that just skipped over the left roots of the tree on the right. Though it’s not all that visible in the picture, the pin is just beyond there at the front of the green. Better lucky than good!
A look back at 17.
18. The power and telephone lines distract a bit from its beauty, but this is a solid par-3 finishing hole.
Number 122 (Colts Neck Golf Club)