essex

Number 101 (Hendricks Field Golf Course)

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Date played: 9/22/2020

Do you remember the scene in Forrest Gump where he was running across the country? Red shorts. Sweaty, yellowed shirt. Scraggly beard hanging below hyper-focused eyes. He said he just felt like running. He didn’t explain his purpose. Viewers simply witnessed his inexplicable need to continue running – compelling him and leading him through his journey.

And in some ways, I understand that unrelenting urge to accomplish something. To triumph.

My golf journey hasn’t been as eventful. Nor has it been Oscar-worthy. And there is no way my wife would let that beard happen. But it’s my journey, nonetheless. Call it a bit of wanderlust – an attainable adventure across the Garden State.

I don’t always have something new to say. The grass is green. The ball is white. And the sky is almost always blue. But it’s the little things that keep me going. I meet fellow golfers, play interesting courses, or just experience New Jersey locales that I likely may have never visited otherwise.

Blue sky over Hendricks Field

Having finished at Darlington early enough in the afternoon, Brian and I decided to see if Hendricks Field still had available tee times. We hopped in our cars, made the 40-minute drive south to Belleville, picked up lunch along the way and got to Hendricks. Thankfully, after a short wait, we were able to walk on.

Brian and I have played a few times together since connecting over Twitter. Over the past couple of years, I’ve gained several new, regular golf partners. I’ve also met interesting characters, like Kermit, who unknowingly started me on this quest after telling me he was already on it. At Hendricks, we were joined by a single, whose name I unfortunately can’t remember. Some new friends stay, while others are fleeting and sometimes fascinating details in my story.

Our unnamed third, teeing off on the 3rd, with a buck just a stone’s throw from the tee box

The courses are all a little different, but it’s nuances of each outing that stick with me the most. Whether it’s the people I play with, the shots I hit (or didn’t), or the intriguing details about the golf in my home state.

For example, did you know Hendricks Field was originally designed by Charles Banks, one of the prominent architects from America’s “Golden Age” of golf course design? Shortly after we played there, Hendricks underwent a renovation which honored Banks’s legacy of thoughtfully crafted holes, while also incorporating new features to support environmental sustainability (i.e. grass that requires less water and pesticides).

At the time of writing, I am about 75% of the way through my journey. As I close it out, I will see more green, white, and blue along the way. I look forward to what I might learn and who I’ll meet on the next course, each detail adding a little more color to my journey. Subtle moments shading and painting a picture of the New Jersey landscape.

Located in Belleville, Hendricks was the last course I needed to play to complete the Essex County publics. As I move on to courses in other counties with my own hyper-focused eyes and Gump-like determination, I am grateful for the opportunity to do something I love and tell the world about it.

He didn’t hate it, but he was not impressed
Number 101 (Hendricks Field Golf Course)

Number 96 (Rock Spring Golf Club)

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Date played: 11/10/2019

Where Cruz Golf Country Club has its uniqueness in the obscurity of its designer, Rock Spring Golf Club is the complete opposite. Designed by Seth Raynor and Charles Banks in 1927, it was born in in the heralded “golden age” of golf course architecture by very prominent names. Like most Raynor designs in America, Rock Spring was private for most of its existence. A mere 92 years after opening, it opened to the public in May 2019.

Hearing about Rock Spring was my first experience with the grapevine of the golfing world. Other than through social media, I don’t consider myself quite connected to the golf community yet. I don’t have any contacts who work at courses. I’m only just meeting teaching professionals. Given that I’m almost always at new courses, I only play with a couple people “regularly”.

But it seemed like one after another, I started to hear and see the same refrain: “You’ve gotta play Rock Spring”.

Quality flag game, but is it a “must play”?

A big part of this has to be attributed to the suddenly vanished exclusivity. If Pine Valley opened to the public, you can bet you’d hear about it immediately. That story would likely make any and all golf news outlets. So, the question for me was really, do you have to play Rock Spring?

I have to say, it took some time through the round, but it grew on me. At $89 on a weekend in November for a now-public golf course, it had to live up to that price. At that rate, you’re approaching the finest publics in the state (i.e. Neshanic Valley, the Crystal Springs resort courses, etc.). But I started to appreciate the design elements after a while. I began to see what the course would look like in prime conditions, without the leaves all over the place, and it is a quality course.

Hole 12

The greens had good speed, even for the middle of fall in cold conditions, and they are relatively large. There are plenty of changes in elevation from tee to green, and the holes that play along the side of a hill – like 12 and 15 – are actually some of the most striking.

15 green

Managed by Kemper Sports – the same company who oversees the beautiful Skyway Golf Course in Jersey City – Rock Spring is definitely in good hands. As for whether “you’ve gotta play it”, I’d say ‘yes’, but you’ll have to check it out for yourself!

P.S. If you get there early, and the place looks closed, it’s probably because you parked in the overflow lot. There is actually parking around the clubhouse, which is also where the bag drop is.

How I played…

I actually played pretty well, but putt poorly.

Highlights: Meeting up with new golfers in New Jersey! Shout out to John Boylan for joining me on a cold November morning. Also making the highlight reel are two approaches that I knocked to a foot-and-a-half. (Yes, I made the putts.)

Lowlights: Definitely putting. I felt good on the practice green, but it didn’t carry onto the course.

Number 96 (Rock Spring Golf Club)

Number 95 (Francis A. Byrne)

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15 green with the sucker pin position

Date played: 11/3/2019

The 95th public course on my quest is 95 years old at the time of writing, and one that is rich with (somewhat verifiable) history. Francis A. Byrne Golf Course was built in 1926, and legendary architect Charles Banks is credited as being its designer. Some sources say the design was started by Raynor, while others leave this mention out entirely. Other information you can find about the course states that the original purpose of the Byrne course was an expansion of the neighboring, still-private Essex County Country Club, the oldest club (and possibly course) in New Jersey.

Whatever the history and origins of Francis A. Byrne truly are, it remains a great public option in northern NJ. Located a few miles from the Parkway and just off Route 280, the Byrne course is set in the rolling hills of Essex County just north of the South Mountain Reservation. The course is kept in great playing condition and has actually undergone several improvements – e.g. restoring a Biarritz green at the 2nd – since I’ve played it.

A look from the elevated tee box at 9 with the homes in the distance depicts how much the hills of Essex County come into play at Byrne

I made my way around Francis Byrne with my good friend, Ed, who likely is in the lead for “most rounds played together,” not just on my journey, but in my golf career overall. Ed and I started playing golf together over twenty years ago, and our golf games have progressed similarly. We both broke 100, 90, and 80 at around roughly the same times, and while we have different strengths – Ed is a longer hitter, I may be a better short-game player, Ed is the better putter – our handicaps remain very close to this day. It’s been great to have a close friend to not only share the game with, but also to encourage progress.

Ed actually warming up on the putting green instead of just taking pictures of it, which may explain why he’s the better putter

There are plenty of golfers who enjoy time on the course with friends, without really worrying about the quality of their collective play. I respect that, and I think that can be a lot of fun. Ed and I both approach the game with an ambition to become better players, and we push each other both directly and through each other’s accomplishments.

Another downhill tee shot to the par-3 14th

Our fall afternoon round at this historic New Jersey public was relatively average for both of us. My poor play off the tee was offset by some very good scrambling and putting. I would putt only 24 times for the round, by far my lowest total. We walked off the 18th green at dusk, content with our rounds, and satisfied in having tackled another NJ course together.

Though a rare feat, I had the additional satisfaction of having outdriven Ed on that last hole.

Number 95 (Francis A. Byrne)

Number 79 (Weequahic Golf Course)

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Date played: 9/3/2018

The 79th course on my journey has been called “a hidden gem” by Matt Ginella of the Golf Channel, and it even made his “ladder of value golf courses”. It’s hard to argue with that.

Located in Newark, NJ, and just four miles from Newark Airport, you might be able to play Weequahic Golf Course during a long layover between flights. Designed in 1913, it’s one of the older public courses in the state, but its length doesn’t match its age. It’s also one of the shortest for its par, playing as a 5,700-yard par 70 from the back tees.

You can absolutely get around this course without your driver, the only possible exception being the 16th, which plays as a 401-yard par 4. Having said that, the course can be a challenge for first-timers as it plays tightly. Its close-knit layout does make for some interesting views on the course, like being able to see the 17th and 16th greens while standing on the green at 7.

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On 7 green, looking out at 17 and 16 greens. A “threen” view.

Walking might be a challenge for some, as the course rolls over a number of hills and changes in elevation, but as I’ve said before, it makes for beautiful golf. You immediately get a feel for the sinusoidal layout playing a par 4 straight uphill on 1 and then right back downhill on 2, a short par 3.

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Up, up, and away on the 1st tee.

As I mentioned when writing about Skyway, there is something really special about courses in a city setting. It’s very much why Central Park is so magical to so many. Were it not in the middle of Manhattan, it probably wouldn’t be as special. But it is, and so it’s adored.

The same goes for Weequahic. It’s a beautiful stretch of well-maintained grass, precisely mown to different heights in a place called “Brick City”. So, for about $50 to walk on weekends, you should absolutely check it out – before you have to catch the second leg of your connecting flight, of course.

How I played…

I should’ve left the driver in the bag. Let’s leave it at that.

Highlights: Enjoying the round with a good friend of mine. Other than that, it would be almost driving the short par-4 15th, chipping to three feet and making birdie. (Still should’ve left driver in the bag.)

Lowlights: Too many to choose from. Looking at the yardage of the course, I think my eyes went black like a Great White Shark about to enjoy a meal. I did no such thing. Play smart, people. Play smart.

Number 79 (Weequahic Golf Course)

Number 63 (Galloping Hill Golf Course)

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Date played: 8/6/2017

If you’re a golfer who’s trying to play all the public courses in NJ, what do you do when you’re still recovering from a hand/wrist injury, but someone invites you to play a course you haven’t played before?

You go and play (like an idiot) of course.

If I haven’t mentioned it before, Twitter has been fantastic for meeting other golfers and golf enthusiasts, especially those that are willing to share in my journey. I’ve had some great discussions about different public courses in the state, which includes people’s feelings on best/worst layouts, great places to eat, and what actually constitutes a golf course.

Regarding that last point, Galloping Hill is everything you would want in a course, so long as you enjoy variety. Very much like Beaver Brook, Galloping Hill has a bit of everything. As its name implies, you have a number of great holes that play both up- and downhill, some of which make for great views of most of the course. I’ve realized that elevation change is something that may not be absolutely necessary, but it is greatly appreciated when I’m considering course design.

I scored poorly overall (+21), but most of that was due to two quadruple-bogeys and one triple. I had been playing decently through 7 holes, but I finished the front nine with quadruple and triple, making the turn at +13. I actually played well on the back nine, with the quadruple on the 14th the only real blemish. I came home in +8, despite the quad.

While I only three-putt once (on the 1st hole), I couldn’t really get anything to drop. I made only 23 feet of putts for the whole round, with 2.5 feet being the longest putt I made all day. My putting has been something that has plagued me forever, with only the occasional great putting round, peppered in between rounds of all-too-frequent misses within 5 feet.

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A look back at 18 from the green.

The great part about putting at Galloping Hill is that there is ample challenge, both in the design/contouring of the greens and their speed. It is a course that is maintained exceptionally well overall, and the quality of the greens shows it.

As I mentioned earlier, there are great views on the course, particularly on the 2nd near the green and coming off the 6th green when walking to the 7th tee. I’ve heard that slow rounds can be a problem at Galloping Hill, but I think our round moved along just fine.  If I had one complaint about the course, it would be that the layout only features three par-3s and two par-5s (though the 18th is a beautiful finishing hole). Other than that, it’s a course I believe earns its price point ($66 to walk for a weekend round).

As a facility overall, it also has a shorter 9-hole course, which I love as a feature for new golfers. I can’t wait to get back and give it a go!

Number 63 (Galloping Hill Golf Course)