Part 2: 10 Things you may not know about golf in and around Atlantic City, A Forbes Traveler Top 10 Golf City in America.
When the “modern” era of golf course architecture inevitably arrived in Atlantic City in the early 1990s, the area became fully well stocked with a splendid mixture of the historic and new. Such outstanding venues like Blue Heron Pines (1993) and Harbor Pines (1996) mixed with more traditional layouts like Donald Ross’ Seaview Resort’s Bay Course (1912) and Brigantine Golf Links (1920s) to help complete the Atlantic City golf menu as we know it today.
Here are five more things every golfer should look to discover while teeing it up along the amazing stretch of Atlantic City coastline.
- While the first seeds of golf were planted early in the 1900s, the first blueprints of eventual golf glory were more likely produced well before that in 1864. That’s the year the Renault Winery began operation, though it took until 2001 when a marvelous hotel opened on the property and golf transformed the landscape even further in 2004. Located about 20 minutes from downtown A.C., Vineyard National Golf at Renault Winery (Egg Harbor City) is situated within one of the area’s top tourist spots. Designed by Ed Shearon, this lengthy layout is best known for its wide fairways, strategically placed bunkers and a hole No. 7 that is totally surrounded by the vineyard. You may feel like a grape alone on the tee box here, but you will never feel squeezed like one.
- Not one but two replica holes from famed Pine Valley can be found at Blue Heron Pines Golf Club (Cologne). Architect Stephen Kay patterned its No. 14 hole off Pine Valley’s No. 7 and he also replicated a hole from the world’s top-ranked golf course on his No. 10 offering at Blue Heron. This mature layout is tree-lined and sports some nice water holes along with its share of strategically bunkers. Kay also wanted Blue Heron to be a prime walker’s course – not unlike what you will often find at a high-end, classical private club.
- Ballamor (Egg Harbor Township) is a unique “pod” designed setup crafted by Dan Schlegel of the then Ault, Clark & Associates design firm. By pod we mean four different sections of the course characterize the challenge, making it one of the more unique settings you will play in golf. More reminiscent of Pinehurst courses in North Carolina, Ballamor is a traditional parkland layout that was built into the woods with minimal house intrusion.
- Although Harbor Pines (Egg Harbor Township) was developed with homes and golf in mind, at least 125 acres of land surrounding the golf course are protected for wildlife. As the ultimate in land and residential planning, most of the holes are designed to be amphitheaters of golf. Other than the first, ninth and 18th, no two holes parallel each other. As one club official put it, “We refer not as links golf but as ‘linked up’ golf.” Harbor Pines is a resort-style course with wide fairways, trees and well-manicured corridors sans a lot of forced carries. Designed by Stephen Kay, Harbor Pines puts a premium on the upscale, daily-fee utmost in its mind. All the ponds are manmade and the property moves much more than the original five feet in elevation change from which it was born.
- Twisted Dunes (Egg Harbor Township) is sort of the Twisted Tea of Atlantic City – refreshing and delightful with a good amount of kick. Twisted Dunes is truly like no other golf course in the state. It is a links style course with twisting landscapes, dramatic elevations and contoured fairways. Designer Archie Struthers moved two million cubic yards of earth to unleash the beast, creating a true taste of the Scottish coast right near the Jersey Shore. Deep ravine, towering-grass-covered hills and well over 100 deep traps and bunkers make the layout one you will not soon forget.
