new jersey public golf courses

Number 109 (Knob Hill Golf Club)

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A group of trees off to the side of 6 green.

Date played: 3/29/2021

My friend Matt and I wanted to get a round of golf in before an outing on Good Friday. We decided to take the Monday of that week off from work and head to Monmouth County to play Knob Hill.

A semi-private course situated on the westbound side of Route 33 in Manalapan, Knob Hill actually teases travelers with a peek at its 15th hole, which has its green placed just a partial wedge shot from the road. The course is a wonderful option for the golfing public, and I’ll try to cover some of its memorable features in a bit. But the story of my time at Knob Hill is really about its 7th hole.

It is a straightaway par 5 that plays with a good deal of width for about 300 yards. A good drive put me in the fairway and about 175 yards from the green with the wind blowing in and across a bit. I took a 5-iron for some extra club, and though the ball started on a good line left of the flag, it seemed to quickly fail in the wind. I honestly thought it would die short in the water.

Nevertheless, it carried, landed, and stopped safely on the lower tier on the front right side of the green. I was on in two.

The pre-eagle has landed.

Having never made an eagle before, I really wanted this putt to sink. At the same time, it was such a difficult putt that part of me just wanted to park it close for a birdie. I notoriously leave lag putts short, and at just over 30 feet, I was psychologically in lag putt territory. I didn’t want to be struggling for a three-putt par.

I was left with a 33-foot putt that moved right to left, with probably five feet of break. It was also a couple feet uphill. I had a putt on a preceding hole the rolled out almost 40 feet on a much more level green. Given the uphill lie, I decided that same putting stroke should be just about right for 33 feet on this green. With my speed decision made, I took a couple looks at the break again, put my head down over the ball and made as good of a putting stroke as I could to at least ensure that I started it on the line I saw.

The ball made its way onto the upper tier, and started banking left quickly. I started to doubt my line and speed, worried that it would miss on the low side. But about five feet from the hole, it seemed to maintain its pace and definitely had a chance. I shouted “go in!”

It went in! The ball rolled in perfectly! After 20 years of playing golf, I finally had my first eagle!

Elated, we moved on to the 8th hole, where I immediately gave those strokes back. I struggled with the water-surrounded green, and would make double bogey. That’s golf.

From left to right: 10, 1, 9, 8, 7, 6

As its name implies, Knob Hill plays with a good deal of elevation change on a number of holes. The clubhouse is the highest point on the course, and whether you start your round on 1 or 10, your tee shots into either of these par-4 dog-legs will play to a pretty severe drop.

15, under some repair at the time. Route 33 in the distance beyond the green.

Other downhill holes include 15 and 17. The 15th is a downhill par 3 where over-clubbing coupled with a tailwind might put your tee shot into the passenger seat of a passing car. The 17th is a picturesque, drivable par 4, playing with some width, unless you choose to drive the green.

The 17th green is inviting.

The 12th is a very short par 3 – only 125 yards from the back tees – but plays about 20 feet uphill. Also playing uphill is Knob Hill’s closing hole. Though it tees off from elevated boxes, the 18th plays into a valley and back up the hill towards the clubhouse.

I would leave the undulating terrain of Knob Hill with a couple notches in my golf belt – another course played on my journey, and my first eagle.

Looking back from behind 18 green.
The 7th green, perilously surrounded by water. Short, right, and long are all dead.
Bright and bold flags at Knob Hill.
A great closing stretch of holes. Coming in from the top right, the par-5 14th moves left toward the entrance road. On the left side of the frame in the distance is 15, with 16 being the left-most, coming back to the horizontal centerline of the photo. 17 turns back the other way, and then 18 returns to the bottom-right corner.
Number 109 (Knob Hill Golf Club)

Number 108 (Seaview Golf Club – Bay Course)

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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.
Number 108 (Seaview Golf Club – Bay Course)

Number 105 (Ocean County Golf Course at Forge Pond)

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Date played: 11/27/2020

Like almost anywhere, a vast majority of the public courses in New Jersey are regulation length. It’s something I used to lament when my friends and I just started playing the game in the early 2000s. We picked up the game on a pitch-n-putt course and were only brave enough to work in a couple par-3 and executive courses to the rotation of courses we were willing to play. I had always wished for more short courses.

Fast forward 20+ years, I’m more than halfway through my quest to play all the publics in NJ. Not only have I found more of these courses, but there have even been a few times where I’ve played them either on the same day or in subsequent outings.

My 105th public course was another such outing. After playing the beautiful par-31 Minerals course in Sussex County a week earlier, I booked a Black Friday round at Forge Pond with my good friend Matt.

Listed formally as the Ocean County Golf Course at Forge Pond, the course is a par 60, comprising six par-4 holes and 12 par-3s. Not knowing anything but its par and length before playing, I expected very simple design elements, straightforward holes, and flat circles for greens. What I found instead were incredibly well-designed green complexes, great use of the overall yardage, and a few great tee-shot decisions to make on the par-4s.

The green at 2. There is a touch of a false front and a distinct shoulder in the back where this pin was placed.

The layout is separated into two sections, with holes 3 through 7 situated on the southeast corner of the property. From the green at 2, the walk to the tees at 3 is about 300 yards, and you’ll take the same path back when making your way from 7 to 8. Apart from that stretch, the course is very walkable.

I was excited at the prospect of playing another executive course. I thought of it as an opportunity to try to go low during the off season. Realizing on the practice green that I forgot my putter at home though, the air was taken out of my hopes. Matt suggested I putt with my 3-hybrid. Given that the pro shop didn’t have a putter to rent or borrow, I didn’t have much choice.

Golf is such a funny game. When you think your chances are gone, sometimes things go your way. Somehow, I chipped in once, made my way around in 31 putts with the hybrid for the other 17 holes, two of which were birdies, and played really well overall.

One of six par-4s at Forge Pond
Holes 3 through 7.
The greens at 11 and 14.
Number 105 (Ocean County Golf Course at Forge Pond)

Numbers 104 (Minerals Golf Club)

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Date played: 11/21/2020

Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Minerals Golf Club is a nine-hole executive course that rolls along the side of the same mountains that compose the Mountain Creek ski resort. While set in a beautiful mountainside residential community, there aren’t many places where it feels that the homes encroach on the course, giving golfers the freedom to swing away.

A look at the downhill 3rd, with some of Sussex County’s mountains as the backdrop

Billed as the family-friendly choice of the six courses in the Crystal Springs resort system, Minerals is a great place for learning the game that is a step up from pitch-n-putt or par-3 courses. Each of the greens include a second pin that has a larger, 8-inch cup for younger or beginner golfers. The course features four par-4 holes and five par 3s that include some truly picturesque holes, particularly the par-4 third and the long par-3 sixth.

The par-3 6th, from off to the side. At 230 yards from the back, this is a tough green to hit.

It was truly a joy to be out on a course like this. I’ve been playing golf for just over 20 years, the first four of which were played almost exclusively on par-3 and executive courses. Places like Twin Willows in Lincoln Park and – over the border in Rockland County, NY – the Rockland Lake executive course were the next-step training grounds for my golf game after leaving the comfort of the 50-yard pitch-n-putt where I learned to play.

Being at Minerals reminded me of those places, but with considerable improvement in course quality. Checking in on the list of places that remain on my journey, I can see that there are many nine-hole courses, a few of which are par-3 or executive-length. I can only hope to find more that are like Minerals.

The 7th and 5th, straddling the main thoroughfare through the community.
All nine holes from the foggy skies over Minerals
Numbers 104 (Minerals Golf Club)

Number 102 (Centerton Golf Club)

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Date played: 11/6/2020

My 102nd course came about as another great instance of what social media has added to my journey. Tim Casale is a south Jersey resident who initially reached out on Twitter to ask which courses I had yet to play down his way. I let him know that I still had many to go in a number of southern counties and cited some of the specifics in the counties closest to him.

A couple months later, Tim mentioned that he’d be taking a weekday off to play some golf and asked if I wanted to join and check another course off my list. It was a no-brainer for me, and with time-off-work to burn in the calendar year, I confirmed I would join. Tim looked to find tee times at some courses. We thought we might have something at Indian Spring and then Pitman, but both fell through.

After an exercise in synchronized booking through GolfNow, we were set for a Friday round. Eventually, we landed on a round at Centerton.

Seven years into my journey, this would be only my second trip to Salem County, and three years after the first, which was a 2017 impromptu stop at Town and Country Golf Links. Located in Pittsgrove, it’s only about 20 miles from the Delaware River border at the Turnpike/I-295 crossing. It was a bit of a hike from the middle of the NJ where I’m located, but having played just about everything in the middle third of the state, most of the remaining courses are.

From left to right, 18, 1, 9, and 10 at Centerton

We arrived at the course and made our acquaintances. Tim’s brother and father would also join us, and it was nice to meet them and feel like I was part of a regular group. After chipping and putting on the practice green for a bit, we made our way to the first tee.

While I could not have started the first hole any better – piping my drive down the center of the fairway and making a routine par – it was pretty shaky from there on. I snap-hooked and pulled my tee shots on 2 and 3 respectively, and though I recovered well from 4 through 7, I fought those misses around the remainder of the course.

The first par 3 is a long one. I probably missed this green a cool 30 yards left.

The course is very flat and walkable. There is room to miss, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it a second-shot course. Some tee shots do require attention, like the drives on 2 (which is narrower than most) and 10 (which is a dog-leg right that will require a placement decision). Then, there is the 6th, where a poorly struck tee shot may have you stuck behind Roger’s Tree.

Depending on the tees you play, Roger’s Tree is located anywhere between 80 to 110 yards from the teeing grounds on this straightaway par 4. (OK… so it would have to be a really bad tee shot.) I don’t know why, but I was intrigued by the idea of such a tree.

Roger’s Tree. Or is it The Rogers Tree?

Presumably, it’s a memorial. I’ve seen benches and in-ground plaques that are tributes to those who have passed away or even just member donors. But this one has a relatively crudely thrown together piece of plywood, painted white, with “ROGERS TREE” in black lettering. I’d love to know the story behind it. Who is/was Roger? Did he plant the tree? Was he always hitting it off the tee? If so, did his buddies put the sign up as a joke?

Whatever its history is, I’m glad to have avoided it. I’m also glad to have met up with Tim and his family as I continued my journey.

15 green, watched over by a tree that is not Roger’s
Can you spot Roger’s Tree on the 6th?
Number 102 (Centerton Golf Club)

Number 100 (Darlington Golf Course)

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A look at Darlington from above. The center of the frame is the tee box at the 3rd. Bottom of the frame is 17 along the green pond, with 18 up the left.

Date played: 9/22/2020

For the milestone that was the 100th course on my journey, I would meet up with my Twitter golf buddy, Brian, at Darlington Golf Course in Mahwah. Something of some old stomping grounds of mine, I used to work at Stryker just down the road, and had actually been to the driving range at Darlington. It would take another 17 years before I played the course.

The driving range has seen better days. At the time of playing, it was no longer open.

There are a number of memorable holes, starting with the very first. I don’t play par 5s particularly well, but I love the mere mention of them. Playing downhill and under 500 yards from the White tees, the first at Darlington is a great par 5, and a perfect way to ease you into the round as you walk down to the lowest point of the course’s acreage.

I really enjoyed the middle third of the course, as you start to play towards and around the highest elevation on the property. This stretch starts with the 7th, which plays downhill almost the entire way to the green. There is room to send it for most golfers, but longer hitters may not have enough runway and can opt for something less than driver off the tee. The 8th will play back up the same the hill with plenty of room to miss right, though you could be left with a lie in one of several bunkers.

You’ll make the turn with a straightaway but narrow-feeling par 5 on the 9th, and then it’s back up the hill with a wide open tee shot on 10. The 11th is another terrific three-shot hole, and my favorite on the property.

The view from 11 tee, with the Sheraton Hotel and office complex – another place I’ve worked – in the backdrop in the distance.

Set along the crest of the elevation on the course, it may be reachable for the longest hitters, as the approach would play somewhat downhill. If you choose to get there in three shots, a decision will need to be made about where to send your second. The fairway splits before it reaches the green, so there is a bit of room to spray. A route directly towards it will play to a narrow fairway tract, while the path to the right offers plenty of room to land. If you choose to lay up to avoid the forked fairway altogether, you’ll be left with somewhere in the neighborhood of 110 yards to the green.

The middle third finishes with a relatively mid-to-long range par 3, playing at about 175 yards from the White tees. From there, the final stretch of holes continues to form the perimeter of the course, running downhill to the low point again, with 17 winding around a pond, and 18 playing back up the hill to the clubhouse.

18 green, with a look at the clubhouse.

When I think about it now, it’s a crime that I wasn’t playing the course regularly after work in the summer all those years ago. I was living alone, with no real obligations to anyone but myself. At the time though, I was only a few years into playing golf, and the courses I played were limited to pitch-n-putts, par-threes, and executive courses. I was hesitant to branch out any further for fear of embarrassing myself.

While you may not completely embarrass yourself at Darlington, it can certainly be a trying course. The slope from the White tees we played is 130, and from the back tees at just over 6,800 yards, it’s 135. In retrospect, the slopes are an accurate testament to the test the course offers to the average golfer. There is room to land tee shots, but the framing of the tree lines can make them psychologically daunting. The greens roll fairly but need to be respected.

When planning for the round on the night before, I wondered if we’d be able to knock another course off the list. I thought Hendricks Field would be a good option, and when we checked tee times, there was availability that would make an afternoon round possible. We chose not to book anything on the chance that we might not be able to make both rounds happen. As we wrapped up in Bergen County just after 1:00 pm, we decided to make the 35-minute drive south into Essex County with the hope of making the 36-hole day happen.

Will we make it?
Number 100 (Darlington Golf Course)

Number 98 (Charleston Springs – South)

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Date played: 6/7/2020

It took almost four years, but after playing the North course at Charleston Springs in November 2016, I finally made it back to play the South course. I was invited back by my Twitter golf buddy Walt Blasich who is quickly becoming my tour guide for the best public courses in Monmouth County!

Conditions were beautiful at the North, and the South is no departure. Both layouts are some of the most finely maintained public courses you’ll find in the state. You immediately get a sense of that as you walk off the back steps from the pro shop and look onto the flawless (and massive) putting green.

The putting green is big enough to accommodate all golfers waiting to tee off on both courses

If you love a good golf bridge, you’ll cross one on the long walk to the first tee, a great way opportunity to get your mind in the right place before the round. A short uphill walk through the woods after the bridge, and golfers are emptied out into the clearing that is the South course. Where the North is laid out in links style, forcing golfers to contend with many fescue-lined holes, the South is a sprawling parkland course. Although there are trees to deal with, the fairways are quite generous and there are a number of very open holes.

A walk across the bridge on the way to the 1st tee on the South course

From a design standpoint, the way the 6,377 yards (from the Gold tees) are spread across the 18 holes is done really well. The par 3s play as long as 195, but also as short as 115 on the 11th, something most courses shy away from. Of the twelve par 4s, there are four that play over 400 yards, but then there are also a couple that are drivable for long hitters, like the 294-yd 10th. You might be able to lodge a complaint about the par 5s as three of them are between 499 and 505 yards. But whether it’s differences in the way elevation or direction changes from tee to green, they are each truly unique.

A front pin location on the 11th, with the drivable, par-4 10th in the background

As I mentioned when writing about my time at the North course, Charleston Springs is definitely held in high regard. I don’t know that the South measures up to public resort-type courses (e.g. Ballyowen and Crystal Springs), but I think it would be unfair to put either of the two layouts in that category. Nonetheless, it certainly ranks highly in the very next tier and should be considered a great option for public golfers.

A look back at 18
Number 98 (Charleston Springs – South)

Number 97 (High Point Golf Club)

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Date played: 5/15/2020

Golf has a way of presenting you with moments which remind you that you never really have it all figured out. My round at High Point Golf Club would be that moment. While there is no way any of us can see such reminders coming, mine would happen at a time when the world was turned upside-down by something it couldn’t see either.

It was May 2020. The invisible terror that was the COVID-19 pandemic had spent the better part of six months tearing through the world. In New Jersey, the spread seemed to have peaked in early April. After the positive case average remained steady for the month, the numbers were finally dropping in May. Restrictions started to ease, and golf courses in the state began to re-open.

High Point Golf Club was a late addition to my list of courses. Though I started compiling the list in late 2015, I didn’t know High Point existed until sometime in 2019. Though it was surely online somewhere, I forget at this point where exactly I heard about it. Nevertheless, after a bit of research, I confirmed that it was in fact public and made sure to keep track of it. As we came out of the lockdown, it was one of the first courses to make tee times available, and I decided to book a round with my good friend Ed.

Protocols had changed. Out of caution, everything a golf course needed to facilitate public rounds of golf was still being managed outdoors. Golfers checked in with the starter to confirm their tee time and then needed to return to their cars until they were called. After a short wait, we got word that we could head to the first tee.

Hole 1 from the tee. Just waiting for the fairway to clear so I can overdraw one into the water.

The course is situated around a grouping of small lakes, and water features immediately on the opening tee shot. It’s a par 5 where you must land in a fairway area that runs out at about 260 yards. The largest of the lakes runs up the left side, and your approach must cross it to reach the second landing area or the green.

The routing continues from there to wind around and cross over the lakes, and water will realistically be a hazard on holes 4 through 8 on the front, and 10, 14, and 16 through 18 on the back.

The 16th is great drivable par 4. The view from the tee is deceptive, making it seem as though you must go for the green or bust. While the landing area looks perpendicular to the route from tee to green, it actually runs diagonally to provide some room, albeit narrow.

Hole 16, where you decide whether to drive the green, or pump one OB at that house on the right. I know what I’m picking.

The course finishes on two unusual notes and has a couple noteworthy distinctions. The 18th is a par 3 and the course plays to a total par of 73. Both are qualities I don’t remember having seen in other NJ publics to this point in my journey. High Point is also the northernmost public golf course in NJ. Tucked away in the northwest corner of the state in Sussex County, it’s just a couple miles east of the Delaware River and about five miles from the northern border to New York. It is also situated at the highest elevation of any golf course in the state.

As mentioned, my round at High Point would remind me that despite what I thought up to that point, I had not figured out golf. I would enter the round as a 10 handicap, and yet I would post a 106. I put five balls out of bounds, three in the water, and five times, I found a way to three-putt. It would be my highest score since 9/14/2014. “Golf is hard” is not just a hashtag. At times on this quest, it is a sobering slap in the mouth.

Number 97 (High Point Golf Club)

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)