Fun fact about New Jersey (and probably a few other states): There are multiple municipalities that share the name “Washington”. New Jersey has six (!!!) of them, all of which you can read about in this New Jersey 101.5 article.
The eponymous Washington Township that played host to the 130th course on my journey is the one in Gloucester County.
The gate at Washington Township Muni. Luckily, it was still open, so we didn’t have to hop it.
“Tipping out” at 1305 yards from the further back of two sets of tees, this little nine-hole course offers great value golf. At the time we played, it was only $18 for golfers to go around twice and play 18 holes. Even as a nine-hole rate, I found that to be well worth it.
The course par is 28, consisting of mostly par-3s with the exception of the par-4 9th hole. The par-3 holes average roughly 130 yards each. The 3rd is the longest on the card, marked as 170 yards, and the shortest is the 7th, a partial wedge at 74 yards.
Given its value for play, the municipal golf course in Washington Township is a wonderful option to either warm-up before play elsewhere or – as we did – cool down after coming from another course. For gamblers, seeing who can make the most of these short holes could be a fun way to settle bets. Other courses in close proximity include Scotland Run (6 minutes away), Wedgwood CC (9 minutes), Valleybrook CC (12 minutes), and Pitman (17 minutes).
I know I’ve said it before about these short courses, but having learned to play the game on a pitch-n-putt course, these places will always feel nostalgic and special to me. I genuinely wish there were more of them so others could stumble upon the game the way I did.
Enjoy these looks from around the course!
1st hole.The green at 2.The 4th, into the sun.6th hole.The par-4 finishing hole.
With the temperature projected to be right around 50 degrees F on an early December Friday, I decided to take the day off to continue the journey in Gloucester County.
White Oaks Country Club, set in the (presumably White Oak) woods of Newfield, NJ, would be the 127th stop on my quest. The wind was up a bit and leaves were all over the place. However, being a weekday morning in the very late fall, it was beautiful to have the course almost entirely to myself. While I failed to play anything remotely resembling my best golf, I had a good time knocking another course off the list.
I typically prefer to play tees that are anywhere between 6,000 and 6,300 yards, and the white tees at White Oaks are perfectly in that range at 6,130. For some reason though, I thought it would be fun to play from the back (blue) tees at 6,532 yards. I have the length to make it manageable, but I was reminded that golf is more than distance off the tee. There is, of course, accuracy, and then everything else that follows in the game (approach play, skill around the green, and putting).
White Oaks has a nice mix of the challenge of some narrow holes, but it does offer width off the tee on others. Built in 2000, it is among the newest golf courses in the state that are available for play to the public. The green complexes offer somewhat lenient protection by bunkers, but the surfaces have great contour to them. The layout is almost entirely flat, so it is extremely walkable. The most memorable hole on the property is without a doubt the 17th, a 240-yard par 3 from the back tees!
Playing golf courses in the off-season – as my journey has often demanded – always makes me wonder what conditions are like in prime season, but I’m confident that White Oaks offers good value for its price. My weekday December round was only $24, which included a cart. Very difficult to beat that for public golf in New Jersey.
Finishing up at White Oaks meant that I completed five of the seven Gloucester County courses (not including Beckett Golf Club, which had closed since I played it). Here’s a look at some of the holes.
View from the tee on 2. Roughly 260 yards to run out of fairway at the dog-leg, there is also a pond to the left of the fairway at the corner. You will need at least 220 yards to get into the corner in order to see the green without being blocked by the trees on the right.My look at the green on the par-5 3rd hole. Having hit one of my longest drives, I stretched this dog-leg left almost to the limit of the corner. However, I failed to capitalize on this 205-yard approach and would only manage to make par.The second of two par-3 holes on the front nine, the 8th plays long from the back but to a very large green with little protection.Looking back from 8 green, you can appreciate the size of the target. While difficult to see in this photo, you can just make out that the green is tiered, with the hole location here on the lower level.
A look at my play on the 11th hole at White Oaks.If you’re riding and playing the blue tees, you’ll have to park your carthere on 12 and cross the entrance road to get to the tee box. The view from the blue tees on 12. Already a moderately difficult par-3 at 175 yards, your trajectory – especially if playing a left-to-right ball flight – will be obstructed by the trees on the left.Looking back at 13. While a straightaway par-4, it does play 401 yards from the back tees, with a bit of water to navigate on the approach on the right side of the fairway.Long is the safer play, with quite a few yards beyond the green to be able to play back on.17. While it plays downhill, hitting a par-3 green from 240 yards is always a challenge. Add to that the waste area on the left, a bunker right, and it’s an absolute beast.
Orson Rosas Golf 