Part 1: 10 Things you may not know about golf in and around Atlantic City, A Forbes Traveler Top 10 Golf City in America
Many history buffs will probably admit to already knowing that in its initial heyday of the 1920s and 30s Atlantic City was called “the lungs of Philadelphia.” That’s because the Atlantic Ocean resort offered invigorating, fresh ocean breezes to the inhabitants of the “City of Brotherly Love.” Folks in droves loved to escape the summer smog by heading to the refreshing air and waters of A.C., otherwise known to the big-city slickers as going “down the shore.”
Already a booming convention destination a decade later, Atlantic City made an even bigger splash (pardon the pun) when it began hosting the annual Miss America Pageant in 1940 and again in 1954 when the pageant was broadcast live on network television for the first time.
But with the arrival of golf initially in the early 1900s and then a more dramatic growth over the subsequent years (particularly the 1990s), other interesting details literally sprouted out of the sandy soil for vacationers now lugging clubs as they go along for the ride. With the city back on its feet again by the early 1990s, golf began to take center stage, and modern day golf course designers feasted on the natural contours of South Jersey’s landscape – providing glimpses of the ocean as well as the Atlantic City skyline and other such pleasantries.
Today, as validated by Forbes having once honored the region as a top American golf destination, Atlantic City is a showcase of golf trivia and/or fun facts. Here are the first 5 of 10 (look for five more in the next installment in this space) things golfers may not be aware of now but should certainly look out for when partaking in a golf trip to the “City With Game.”
- Built in and around an old sand quarry, Scotland Run (Williamstown) – located on the way to the beach just 20 minutes from downtown Philadelphia and 45 minutes from Atlantic City – is named after a stream that defines the northern boundary of the massive property. It was named such due to its resemblance to the early settlers native homeland and they called the stream “Scotland Run Branch.”
- Like a number of area golf courses, McCullough’s Emerald Golf Links (Egg Harbor Township) is a true test of links inspired golf. It is the only course in the area with 100-foot elevation changes and its seventh hole was once ranked among the top 18 most fun holes you can play in America.
- Shore Gate Golf Club (Ocean View) is the area’s closest course to California. Well, not quite, but it was designed by a Cali firm with Ron Fream and David Dale as the lead architects. The course, not coincidently, provides a little different feel than most you’ll find in the Northeast of America, with remarkably rolling terrain in a park-like setting highlighting one of the more unusual pockets of natural variation players will play across.
- Cape May National Golf Club (Cape May) is known as “The Natural,” not because of its home run swing from a “Wonder Boy” bat Roy Hobbs (as played by Robert Redford) carved out of a tree split in half by lighting in the movie by the same name, but for its steadily paced layout that allows golfers to find their rhythm and plot their strategy accordingly. Cape May’s 18th hole is considered one of the finer finishing holes in the state.
- LBI National Golf & Resort (Little Egg Harbor) is the new name for the former Sea Oaks Golf Club. Rapidly approaching its 25th birthday, LBI (just minutes from the Bridge of Long Beach Island) is being reimagined and revived providing a big-league, modern golf challenge with an Atlantic City skyline view from its clubhouse that rises up on a substantial hill. The overall facility provides an upscale country club feel across a layout that rolls, dips and rises in tune with South Jersey’s Pine Barrens region.
