It even mentions their goal at the bottom of the dining room menu: “in attempt to provide the greatest golf experience ever…”
Pine Valley Golf Club is a true golfer’s dream.
In a sport where exorbitant amounts of money is thrown at clubhouses, facilities, course design, and the desire for extreme exclusivity, a humble cove hidden in the corner of a New Jersey middle class neighborhood lives up to its bold desire to be “golf’s greatest experience.”
The 18th hole at Pine Valley.
How did a course whose historical footprint consists of only two Walker Cups and a Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf match become one of the game’s premiere courses? The answer is very simple: the golf course is that great.
Every hole is your own isolated chess match. Many blind tee shots lead to wide fairways and rough that isn’t U.S. Open thick; I wish it were, so errant shots would have a greater buffer before disappearing into the New Jersey pine barrens. The unparalleled characteristic that Pine Valley has from any other course is the balance of risk-reward in each approach shot. I’ve never stood over a shot that could be so intimidating and yet so fair all within the same swing.
Like any of golf’s hallowed grounds, Pine Valley also comes with its share of “must talk about” features after the round:
The short par three 10th, has a sand trap nicknamed, “The Devil’s A**hole,” (DA). This hazard is approximately twelve feet deep but depth is only the first challenge. If I were to drop ten balls in the DA, I bet you all ten would be touching each other after the last one came to rest. Such a narrow, deep bunker leaves you a few options: blast out backwards or sideways.
The 13th hole is described by Bobby Jones as “the greatest par-4 in the world” (being from Atlanta I had to tie this trip back to Bobby some way). A blind tee shot leaves a long iron into a green where left is death and short right is the safety play.
There is not one rake on the entire course. The foot rake is all you need, this is even so with green side sand traps.
The overall facility matches Pine Valley’s aim: provide golf’s greatest experience. The range (pictured below) gives you the opportunity to practice “as real of a shot as one can get on a range” — as you fire at multiple, well-groomed practice greens.
The Driving Range at Pine Valley
The snapper soup is a must have. Do not leave the grounds without at least having a cup.
Even the showers are worth putting in writing.
Pine Valley is a club where the ambitious goal is achieved as its reputation is strengthened after each completed round — all while being no more and absolutely no less than the initial intent: a true golfer’s dream.
