Atlantic City Country Club's 157-yard 17th has a hidden green.
Atlantic City Country Club's 157-yard 17th has a hidden green.
Gamblers don't mince words when they say Atlantic City is not Las Vegas. But if you're a golfer, that's not a bad thing. Las Vegas is a gambler's paradise that just happens to have some good golf courses sprinkled about, but you could say the opposite of AC. Within a half-hour drive of the city's legendary boardwalk—which is still intact despite Hurricane Sandy's best efforts last fall—are 20 public courses. More impressive is the diversity of designs. During a long weekend you can tee it up at two old-school major-championship venues, three Scottish-links-inspired courses, another routed through a vineyard, and even a Pine Valley knockoff. Take that, Sin City.
It's OK if you never thought of the southern coast of New Jersey as a destination for a buddies golf trip, says Charles Fahy, general manager of Atlantic City Country Club.
That's because before 2012, even AC courses struggled to realize the tourism they could attract if they banded together. But last year the 17-course Greater Atlantic City Golf Association (playACGolf.com
) began a campaign to generate business. It was derailed briefly by Sandy: Casinos shut down for five days, and the beaches and many courses needed TLC. But the recovery is complete, and the association is making a big push to lure golfers, including custom packages based on the size and needs of each group. It's not quite as organized as, say, Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, but the Atlantic City group is quickly learning to compete with more established golf destinations using a combination of good golf, affordable prices and ease of use.
If you go, put Atlantic City Country Club at the top of your playlist. The par-70, 6,577-yard course dates to 1897 but has been updated several times, including in 1999 by architect Tom Doak. He did his best to restore many original features, including firm, undulating greens and tall, native grasses that frame bunkers and fairways. Willie Park Jr., the British Open champion in 1887 and 1889, is often credited as the primary designer, though at least four others are responsible for this classic layout. ACCC is routed along marshland and back bays and has the feel of a classic Northeast country club, which it once was. The course has been open to the public only since 1998 when Hilton Hotels bought it. Caesars Entertainment now owns it.
As you play several holes along the shoreline, the neon-and-concrete kingdom of AC looms in the distance. The front nine is a brute with four par 4s longer than 445 yards. One of those, the opening hole, charmingly uses a portion of the practice putting green as its tee box. The back nine is much shorter (3,125 yards compared to 3,452 on the front) but also a lot tighter as you wind your way around the marsh. Several shots bring the hazard into play, and the 157-yard 17th is a blind shot over massive sand dunes.
ACCC is the area's priciest course ($225 on weekends, $195 weekdays), but the experience is worth it. It promises to be a fun and challenging round, and you'll feel like you've entered a golf museum in the clubhouse. ACCC played an important part in the history of American golf. Not only did the terms birdie and eagle originate from rounds played there in 1903, but the course was the site of six USGA championships, including the 1901 Amateur and the 1948 Women's Open won by Babe Didrikson Zaharias. Bob Hope regularly played the course. So did boxer Joe Louis and quarterback Joe Namath. Arnold Palmer spent a couple of summers there in the 1950s while serving in the Coast Guard nearby. Everything from the wood lockers to the spike marks on the 19th hole's floor lets you know that you're experiencing a piece of golf's past.
a 6,247-yard, par-71 layout, has a similar look and feel to Atlantic City Country Club, playing along Reeds Bay with views of the distant AC skyline. Five holes use the marshland as part of their defense. Architect Bob Cupp should get credit for doing a nice job of restoring the original design started by Hugh Wilson and completed by Donald Ross in 1915. Like most Ross courses, the smallish, tricky greens make up for any lack of length. And like ACCC, a visit to Seaview comes with a history lesson: It hosted the 1942 PGA and has been home to the LPGA's ShopRite Classic since 1986. What was once an elite private club is now a 36-hole resort. Room prices start at $129 for a weekend night in mid-April.
Atlantic City Country Club's locker room
Connections to the past seem to be a theme in AC. It's hard to spend time here and not think about whiskey, bootleggers and the Prohibition era. Nor does it seem out of place to tee it up on a course that pays homage to golf's Scottish roots. Sure, you could get a little feel for what Pine Valley is like at Sand Barrens Golf Club
in nearby Cape May, but any trip to AC should include a round at Twisted Dune.
It looks like a links course, feels like a links and even plays like a links. But I'll stop short of calling it a links. There are too many modern features to make you think you've been transported to County Fife, Scotland. Nevertheless, Twisted Dune
offers enough gnarly lies, bump-and-run opportunities and sand to satisfy. The par-72, 7,248-yard layout has all the bunkers and waste areas you can handle. You'll be shaking sand out of your shoes for weeks. Wind is the course's other defense, which can be problematic on a long closing nine. Even from the white tees, you'll often find yourself hitting hybrids and woods for second shots. Luckily, you can chase them onto many of the greens because there aren't a lot of forced carries. Oh, and speaking of the greens, take a refresher course on lag putting before coming. They're huge.
If you prefer modern layouts, Vineyard Golf at Renault, west of Atlantic City, gets points for creativity and playability. It's part of a resort and winery, and its big Tuscany-style hotel gives the impression that the course has been there for decades. Actually, the par-72, 7,213-yard course has been open only since 2004. Renault is a big course sprawled over 225 acres. Many holes offer risk/reward options with water coming into play on seven holes and hazards designed to make aiming at the premium part of the fairway or green a gutsy play. The most unforgettable hole is the nasty, dogleg-left seventh. You have to play over the vineyard off the tee to a narrow landing area. Trust me on this: Wine grapes are not good to eat.
The back nine is hillier and more memorable in terms of shots, including the downhill 12th, guarded by water and sand right of the green, and the double-dogleg, par-5 18th.
Lucy the Elephant
You're probably wondering about the wine. Well, let's just say that if you've sampled the best from Napa, Tuscany and Bordeaux, Renault's selection might not make it past the spit bucket. Still, the novelty of drinking New Jersey wine is worth it for the story. In fact, that's the real charm of a golf trip to Atlantic City: the stories. I'm not going to go all Bruce Springsteen on you here, but AC is a piece of Americana. From the decaying inner city, to the outdated boardwalk casinos, to Lucy, the six-story elephant that has become a landmark, there are few golf destinations that offer the charm, history and, yes, cheese factor of AC.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
ROLL THE DICE
Looking for a gambling experience similar to Vegas? The most popular casino is the Borgata on the north end of town. But the casinos along the boardwalk in the center of town are great for sunsets and people watching. Try Caesars first.
Knife & Fork Inn
CHECKED OUT
You can eat at any number of big-chain restaurants in the casinos, but for a real experience, head out on Black Horse Pike to the Library LB1. The steaks are good and affordable, and the scene in the lounge is worth any wait for a table (think the Regal Beagle from "Three's Company").
WHERE'S NUCKY?
If you're looking for scene locations from HBO's hit show "Boardwalk Empire," you'll have to travel to the boroughs of New York City. But if you want a taste of Prohibition life, head to the Knife & Fork Inn (right) or the Irish Pub (and ask to see the bootlegger's trap door).
It's high-stakes golf at the five must-play courses in and around Atlantic City, New Jersey
By Jason Scott Deegan
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- It's not the number of golf courses in the Greater Atlantic City Golf Association that's the draw. It's all about the variety. Of the 19 courses, there's a great mix of unique and traditional courses and historic and modern clubs.
"For a destination this size, you can't touch it," said Stephen Kay, who designed McCullough's Emerald Golf Links in Egg Harbor Township and Blue Heron Pines Golf Club in Cologne. "If you went to a golf destination this size -- I'm not comparing it with Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head -- not only do we have the best courses, but the most variety. When you go to an area, the courses tend to be very similar. Not here."
With apologies to excellent tracks like Blue Heron Pines, here are five must-plays near this gambling hotbed along the Jersey shore:
It took a modern visionary, Archie Struthers, to create the heaving dunes and gnarly bunkers of this 7,248-yard course. Struthers moved roughly 2.5 million cubic yards of earth to make magic 15 miles inland from Atlantic City. Wide fairways offer plenty of forgiveness. It's the 90 bunkers and tall fescue that damage scores.
It's hard to believe that a casino company runs this historic country club. Its old-school vibe is the antithesis of casino bling. Founded in 1897, Atlantic City Country Club has hosted six United States Golf Association championships, including the 1901 U.S. Amateur won by Walter Travis. The club hosted the first Senior PGA Tour event (now called the Champions Tour) in 1980. The golf terms "birdie" and "eagle" were coined at the club. The 6,577-yard par-70 design ranks as no. 1 public New Jersey golf course. Tom Doak did a thoughtful restoration in 1999, enhancing several holes on a back nine that delves deep into the tidal marshes to provide striking views of the Atlantic City skyline.
This private club opened its doors in 2010, giving the Jersey shore another great place to play. Ballamor still holds onto that private club feel with premier conditioning and a remarkable 7,098-yard layout designed by Brian Ault and Tom Clark of Ault, Clark & Associates. Ballamor's sister course, Scotland Run, is quite the gem as well, although it's much closer to Philadelphia than Atlantic City.
The 7,227-yard course, which opened in 2002, roams through 245 acres of pristine forest. Navigating a minefield of seven ponds, 88 bunkers and sprawling waste areas created by architects Ron Fream and David Dale is a daunting but fun task.
The home of the ShopRite LPGA Classic is closed until spring 2014. Crews are hard at work adding four new tees and introducing more fairway width and several new bunkers between the fourth and fifth holes of the Bay Course at Seaview. All this is geared toward protecting par on the 6,247-yard course. The wind and devilish greens tend to keep the rest of us from going low. The scenery across Reeds Bay looks directly at the skyline of Atlantic City. If you've got time for 36 holes, Seaview members love to play the inland Pines Course even more than the tournament course.
Atlantic City Country Club's 157-yard 17th has a hidden green.
Atlantic City Country Club's 157-yard 17th has a hidden green.
Gamblers don't mince words when they say Atlantic City is not Las Vegas. But if you're a golfer, that's not a bad thing. Las Vegas is a gambler's paradise that just happens to have some good golf courses sprinkled about, but you could say the opposite of AC. Within a half-hour drive of the city's legendary boardwalk—which is still intact despite Hurricane Sandy's best efforts last fall—are 20 public courses. More impressive is the diversity of designs. During a long weekend you can tee it up at two old-school major-championship venues, three Scottish-links-inspired courses, another routed through a vineyard, and even a Pine Valley knockoff. Take that, Sin City.
It's OK if you never thought of the southern coast of New Jersey as a destination for a buddies golf trip, says Charles Fahy, general manager of Atlantic City Country Club.
That's because before 2012, even AC courses struggled to realize the tourism they could attract if they banded together. But last year the 17-course Greater Atlantic City Golf Association (playACGolf.com
) began a campaign to generate business. It was derailed briefly by Sandy: Casinos shut down for five days, and the beaches and many courses needed TLC. But the recovery is complete, and the association is making a big push to lure golfers, including custom packages based on the size and needs of each group. It's not quite as organized as, say, Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, but the Atlantic City group is quickly learning to compete with more established golf destinations using a combination of good golf, affordable prices and ease of use.
If you go, put Atlantic City Country Club at the top of your playlist. The par-70, 6,577-yard course dates to 1897 but has been updated several times, including in 1999 by architect Tom Doak. He did his best to restore many original features, including firm, undulating greens and tall, native grasses that frame bunkers and fairways. Willie Park Jr., the British Open champion in 1887 and 1889, is often credited as the primary designer, though at least four others are responsible for this classic layout. ACCC is routed along marshland and back bays and has the feel of a classic Northeast country club, which it once was. The course has been open to the public only since 1998 when Hilton Hotels bought it. Caesars Entertainment now owns it.
As you play several holes along the shoreline, the neon-and-concrete kingdom of AC looms in the distance. The front nine is a brute with four par 4s longer than 445 yards. One of those, the opening hole, charmingly uses a portion of the practice putting green as its tee box. The back nine is much shorter (3,125 yards compared to 3,452 on the front) but also a lot tighter as you wind your way around the marsh. Several shots bring the hazard into play, and the 157-yard 17th is a blind shot over massive sand dunes.
ACCC is the area's priciest course ($225 on weekends, $195 weekdays), but the experience is worth it. It promises to be a fun and challenging round, and you'll feel like you've entered a golf museum in the clubhouse. ACCC played an important part in the history of American golf. Not only did the terms birdie and eagle originate from rounds played there in 1903, but the course was the site of six USGA championships, including the 1901 Amateur and the 1948 Women's Open won by Babe Didrikson Zaharias. Bob Hope regularly played the course. So did boxer Joe Louis and quarterback Joe Namath. Arnold Palmer spent a couple of summers there in the 1950s while serving in the Coast Guard nearby. Everything from the wood lockers to the spike marks on the 19th hole's floor lets you know that you're experiencing a piece of golf's past.
a 6,247-yard, par-71 layout, has a similar look and feel to Atlantic City Country Club, playing along Reeds Bay with views of the distant AC skyline. Five holes use the marshland as part of their defense. Architect Bob Cupp should get credit for doing a nice job of restoring the original design started by Hugh Wilson and completed by Donald Ross in 1915. Like most Ross courses, the smallish, tricky greens make up for any lack of length. And like ACCC, a visit to Seaview comes with a history lesson: It hosted the 1942 PGA and has been home to the LPGA's ShopRite Classic since 1986. What was once an elite private club is now a 36-hole resort. Room prices start at $129 for a weekend night in mid-April.
Atlantic City Country Club's locker room
Connections to the past seem to be a theme in AC. It's hard to spend time here and not think about whiskey, bootleggers and the Prohibition era. Nor does it seem out of place to tee it up on a course that pays homage to golf's Scottish roots. Sure, you could get a little feel for what Pine Valley is like at Sand Barrens Golf Club
in nearby Cape May, but any trip to AC should include a round at Twisted Dune.
It looks like a links course, feels like a links and even plays like a links. But I'll stop short of calling it a links. There are too many modern features to make you think you've been transported to County Fife, Scotland. Nevertheless, Twisted Dune
offers enough gnarly lies, bump-and-run opportunities and sand to satisfy. The par-72, 7,248-yard layout has all the bunkers and waste areas you can handle. You'll be shaking sand out of your shoes for weeks. Wind is the course's other defense, which can be problematic on a long closing nine. Even from the white tees, you'll often find yourself hitting hybrids and woods for second shots. Luckily, you can chase them onto many of the greens because there aren't a lot of forced carries. Oh, and speaking of the greens, take a refresher course on lag putting before coming. They're huge.
If you prefer modern layouts, Vineyard Golf at Renault, west of Atlantic City, gets points for creativity and playability. It's part of a resort and winery, and its big Tuscany-style hotel gives the impression that the course has been there for decades. Actually, the par-72, 7,213-yard course has been open only since 2004. Renault is a big course sprawled over 225 acres. Many holes offer risk/reward options with water coming into play on seven holes and hazards designed to make aiming at the premium part of the fairway or green a gutsy play. The most unforgettable hole is the nasty, dogleg-left seventh. You have to play over the vineyard off the tee to a narrow landing area. Trust me on this: Wine grapes are not good to eat.
The back nine is hillier and more memorable in terms of shots, including the downhill 12th, guarded by water and sand right of the green, and the double-dogleg, par-5 18th.
Lucy the Elephant
You're probably wondering about the wine. Well, let's just say that if you've sampled the best from Napa, Tuscany and Bordeaux, Renault's selection might not make it past the spit bucket. Still, the novelty of drinking New Jersey wine is worth it for the story. In fact, that's the real charm of a golf trip to Atlantic City: the stories. I'm not going to go all Bruce Springsteen on you here, but AC is a piece of Americana. From the decaying inner city, to the outdated boardwalk casinos, to Lucy, the six-story elephant that has become a landmark, there are few golf destinations that offer the charm, history and, yes, cheese factor of AC.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
ROLL THE DICE
Looking for a gambling experience similar to Vegas? The most popular casino is the Borgata on the north end of town. But the casinos along the boardwalk in the center of town are great for sunsets and people watching. Try Caesars first.
Knife & Fork Inn
CHECKED OUT
You can eat at any number of big-chain restaurants in the casinos, but for a real experience, head out on Black Horse Pike to the Library LB1. The steaks are good and affordable, and the scene in the lounge is worth any wait for a table (think the Regal Beagle from "Three's Company").
WHERE'S NUCKY?
If you're looking for scene locations from HBO's hit show "Boardwalk Empire," you'll have to travel to the boroughs of New York City. But if you want a taste of Prohibition life, head to the Knife & Fork Inn (right) or the Irish Pub (and ask to see the bootlegger's trap door).
It's high-stakes golf at the five must-play courses in and around Atlantic City, New Jersey
By Jason Scott Deegan
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- It's not the number of golf courses in the Greater Atlantic City Golf Association that's the draw. It's all about the variety. Of the 19 courses, there's a great mix of unique and traditional courses and historic and modern clubs.
"For a destination this size, you can't touch it," said Stephen Kay, who designed McCullough's Emerald Golf Links in Egg Harbor Township and Blue Heron Pines Golf Club in Cologne. "If you went to a golf destination this size -- I'm not comparing it with Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head -- not only do we have the best courses, but the most variety. When you go to an area, the courses tend to be very similar. Not here."
With apologies to excellent tracks like Blue Heron Pines, here are five must-plays near this gambling hotbed along the Jersey shore:
It took a modern visionary, Archie Struthers, to create the heaving dunes and gnarly bunkers of this 7,248-yard course. Struthers moved roughly 2.5 million cubic yards of earth to make magic 15 miles inland from Atlantic City. Wide fairways offer plenty of forgiveness. It's the 90 bunkers and tall fescue that damage scores.
It's hard to believe that a casino company runs this historic country club. Its old-school vibe is the antithesis of casino bling. Founded in 1897, Atlantic City Country Club has hosted six United States Golf Association championships, including the 1901 U.S. Amateur won by Walter Travis. The club hosted the first Senior PGA Tour event (now called the Champions Tour) in 1980. The golf terms "birdie" and "eagle" were coined at the club. The 6,577-yard par-70 design ranks as no. 1 public New Jersey golf course. Tom Doak did a thoughtful restoration in 1999, enhancing several holes on a back nine that delves deep into the tidal marshes to provide striking views of the Atlantic City skyline.
This private club opened its doors in 2010, giving the Jersey shore another great place to play. Ballamor still holds onto that private club feel with premier conditioning and a remarkable 7,098-yard layout designed by Brian Ault and Tom Clark of Ault, Clark & Associates. Ballamor's sister course, Scotland Run, is quite the gem as well, although it's much closer to Philadelphia than Atlantic City.
The 7,227-yard course, which opened in 2002, roams through 245 acres of pristine forest. Navigating a minefield of seven ponds, 88 bunkers and sprawling waste areas created by architects Ron Fream and David Dale is a daunting but fun task.
The home of the ShopRite LPGA Classic is closed until spring 2014. Crews are hard at work adding four new tees and introducing more fairway width and several new bunkers between the fourth and fifth holes of the Bay Course at Seaview. All this is geared toward protecting par on the 6,247-yard course. The wind and devilish greens tend to keep the rest of us from going low. The scenery across Reeds Bay looks directly at the skyline of Atlantic City. If you've got time for 36 holes, Seaview members love to play the inland Pines Course even more than the tournament course.
Twisted Dune Golf Club Recognized Among Golfweek's 2016 Best Courses In New Jersey
Egg Harbor Township, NJ., March 22, 2016...Empire Golf Management today announced that the nationally acclaimed Twisted Dune Golf Club, located in Egg Harbor Township, NJ was recently recognized by Golfweek Magazine as one of the top 3 "courses you can play" in New Jersey, according to Golfweek's 2016 Best of list.
Twisted Dune Golf Club is like no other golf course in New Jersey, as the 18-hole Championship design is a true links style course with twisting landscapes, dramatic elevations and contoured fairways, depicting a true taste of the Scottish Coast... at the Jersey Shore.
Golfweek's 2016 rankings are part of the magazine's annual issue dedicated to highlighting top courses in each respective state, while covering many aspects of golf travel, architecture and real estate. Every year, Golfweek's nationwide team of more than 700 course raters surveys more than 3,000 courses - rating each nominated course on the basis of Golfweek's 10 strict standards of evaluation.
"It's Scotland meets the Jersey shore here at Twisted Dune, as golfers love this unique layout that offers a memorable experience every time out," said Rudy Virga, General Manager, Twisted Dune Golf Club. "There is nothing like Twisted Dune in this region, so it's rewarding to see the golf course being recognized among the top courses by Golfweek."
Twisted Dune Golf Club is conveniently located in South Jersey near the Jersey Shore and popular attractions in Atlantic City. For more information please visit acgolfvacations.com or call 609-407-7095
Golf Digest's Guide to Planning a Buddy Trip to AC
1. Plan well in advance so no one can object
Your boss. Your girlfriend. That guy in the pro shop. Don't give anyone a chance to say you can't go on this golf trip. To ensure universal approval and to nab your desired tee times, start planning six to twelve months in advance. Be upfront about the amount of time you'll spend away from home, and overestimate the amount of time you'll be away from your cell phone and computer. This lead time also means a greater number of emails and text messages exchanged among your golf buddies. Who doesn't love that?
2. Nothing's more important than who you invite
A group of buddies could just as easily visit the world's worst golf resort and have a blast as it could travel to Pebble Beach and be miserable. More than lodging, food, weather and even the golf courses, the people you bring are key. Buddies trips take you out of your comfort zone. You're away from home, sleeping less than usual, playing unfamiliar courses, competing hard,gambling, drinking copiously. This isn't the time to introduce your pals to a friend who "might" irritate the hell out of them. He will, and the trip will suffer because of it.
3. Have a dictator
There is a time and a place for democracy, but a golf trip isn't it. Too many opinions about courses, hotels, formats -- you name it -- risk making every decision unnecessarily complicated. Instead, pick someone who you all trust to lead the way and allow him or her to delegate responsibility. Maybe one of you is in charge of pairings. Someone else can pick the dinner spots. You don't have to love every decision they make. But trust us, it sure beats not getting anything done at all.
4. Establish the ground rules early for money
Chances are you'll know beforehand how much you're spending on lodging, golf and transportation. But gambling? Food and drink? Other off-course stuff? It helps a lot if your trip leader can give some direction on this before you go. All it takes is a simple note added to the itinerary: We eat dinners as a group and the bill is typically $40 a man, etc. Also, your life will be far simpler if you have one person pay for it all and then split the total evenly at the end. One more note worth adding to the itinerary: There will be no quibbling over who ordered what.
5. Have an off-course plan
Hopefully, you've planned a decent-length trip, but even so, the last thing you want to do is waste time deciding which chain restaurant to go for dinner. Know your options in advance so you're not looking things up and make quick decisions. Are you really going to remember where you eat? No, you're going to remember hanging out with your friends. You'll get to do more of that if you come prepared. Same goes for nightlife. How often do you get to go on vacation with your buds? Stop Googling which local bar makes the best margaritas and get out and enjoy yourselves!
6. Set the tone early so you know what you're getting into
Is this going to be a play-as-much-golf-as-humanly-possible kind of trip, or will it be a play-18-holes-and-check-out-the-local-hot-spots kind of trip? Establish the tone early so nobody is surprised or disappointed with your itinerary, and so you'll attract like-minded buddies who'll enjoy the trip as much as you will.
7. Be prepared to play more golf than you're used to
Most buddies trips involve an insane amount of golf, and that's a wonderful thing. Don't let soreness, blisters or fatigue stop you. Stock your golf bag with anti-inflammatories, band-aids, athletic tape and Vaseline. Get plenty of rest before you board the plane, since eight hours of sleep on any given night during a golf trip won't happen. And stretch before and after your round, more than you would otherwise.
8. Give ample thought to pairings
If you're traveling with a group of people who get along well, there shouldn't be any problems putting together foursomes. That being said, a trip can be enhanced by mixing things up. Don't just ride in a cart with that same guy you also play all your rounds at home with. You should make sure you play with everyone else in the group at least once. Also, groups should be balanced. Don't ever pair four slow players together or four golfers struggling with their golf games. Unless, of course, you're trying to deter certain people from coming on next year's trip ...
9. Have a formal competition
Every golf trip thirsts for a running storyline, which is what makes a competition that extends from the first day of the trip to the last so inviting. Maybe there's a bunch of cash at stake. Maybe it's all for pride and an ugly plaid jacket. The key is to give each hole you play a broader context. A buddies trip is the closest many of us will get to living the life of a tour pro. The fun part is in seeing how you fare as the pressure builds.
10. Don't stress about how you play
You just found a fourth water hazard on the front nine on Day 1? Take a deep breath. For one thing, you're not playing your home course where you've memorized every blade of grass. For another, getting too frustrated won't just ruin your round, it could have a negative effect on your entire trip. Oh yeah, nobody else will want to be around someone who seems miserable and ready to go home. No matter what you're writing on your card, remember that you're on a golf trip with your friends and not stuck in the office.
11. Take care of the people you leave behind
Odds are if you're taking off for a few days of golf you're leaving someone else in a lurch. Your wife alone with the kids. Your partner at work now covering for two. To show them your appreciation, and most importantly, to alleviate your own guilt, think of something nice that will make your re-entry back to the real world as smooth as possible. Arrange for a sitter so your wife can get out when you're gone. Or send her flowers. Bring your partner back a shirt. This golf trip may be all about you, but you'll enjoy it more if you get others to feel good about it, too.
Atlantic City Country Club's 157-yard 17th has a hidden green.
Atlantic City Country Club's 157-yard 17th has a hidden green.
Gamblers don't mince words when they say Atlantic City is not Las Vegas. But if you're a golfer, that's not a bad thing. Las Vegas is a gambler's paradise that just happens to have some good golf courses sprinkled about, but you could say the opposite of AC. Within a half-hour drive of the city's legendary boardwalk—which is still intact despite Hurricane Sandy's best efforts last fall—are 20 public courses. More impressive is the diversity of designs. During a long weekend you can tee it up at two old-school major-championship venues, three Scottish-links-inspired courses, another routed through a vineyard, and even a Pine Valley knockoff. Take that, Sin City.
It's OK if you never thought of the southern coast of New Jersey as a destination for a buddies golf trip, says Charles Fahy, general manager of Atlantic City Country Club.
That's because before 2012, even AC courses struggled to realize the tourism they could attract if they banded together. But last year the 17-course Greater Atlantic City Golf Association (playACGolf.com
) began a campaign to generate business. It was derailed briefly by Sandy: Casinos shut down for five days, and the beaches and many courses needed TLC. But the recovery is complete, and the association is making a big push to lure golfers, including custom packages based on the size and needs of each group. It's not quite as organized as, say, Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, but the Atlantic City group is quickly learning to compete with more established golf destinations using a combination of good golf, affordable prices and ease of use.
If you go, put Atlantic City Country Club at the top of your playlist. The par-70, 6,577-yard course dates to 1897 but has been updated several times, including in 1999 by architect Tom Doak. He did his best to restore many original features, including firm, undulating greens and tall, native grasses that frame bunkers and fairways. Willie Park Jr., the British Open champion in 1887 and 1889, is often credited as the primary designer, though at least four others are responsible for this classic layout. ACCC is routed along marshland and back bays and has the feel of a classic Northeast country club, which it once was. The course has been open to the public only since 1998 when Hilton Hotels bought it. Caesars Entertainment now owns it.
As you play several holes along the shoreline, the neon-and-concrete kingdom of AC looms in the distance. The front nine is a brute with four par 4s longer than 445 yards. One of those, the opening hole, charmingly uses a portion of the practice putting green as its tee box. The back nine is much shorter (3,125 yards compared to 3,452 on the front) but also a lot tighter as you wind your way around the marsh. Several shots bring the hazard into play, and the 157-yard 17th is a blind shot over massive sand dunes.
ACCC is the area's priciest course ($225 on weekends, $195 weekdays), but the experience is worth it. It promises to be a fun and challenging round, and you'll feel like you've entered a golf museum in the clubhouse. ACCC played an important part in the history of American golf. Not only did the terms birdie and eagle originate from rounds played there in 1903, but the course was the site of six USGA championships, including the 1901 Amateur and the 1948 Women's Open won by Babe Didrikson Zaharias. Bob Hope regularly played the course. So did boxer Joe Louis and quarterback Joe Namath. Arnold Palmer spent a couple of summers there in the 1950s while serving in the Coast Guard nearby. Everything from the wood lockers to the spike marks on the 19th hole's floor lets you know that you're experiencing a piece of golf's past.
a 6,247-yard, par-71 layout, has a similar look and feel to Atlantic City Country Club, playing along Reeds Bay with views of the distant AC skyline. Five holes use the marshland as part of their defense. Architect Bob Cupp should get credit for doing a nice job of restoring the original design started by Hugh Wilson and completed by Donald Ross in 1915. Like most Ross courses, the smallish, tricky greens make up for any lack of length. And like ACCC, a visit to Seaview comes with a history lesson: It hosted the 1942 PGA and has been home to the LPGA's ShopRite Classic since 1986. What was once an elite private club is now a 36-hole resort. Room prices start at $129 for a weekend night in mid-April.
Atlantic City Country Club's locker room
Connections to the past seem to be a theme in AC. It's hard to spend time here and not think about whiskey, bootleggers and the Prohibition era. Nor does it seem out of place to tee it up on a course that pays homage to golf's Scottish roots. Sure, you could get a little feel for what Pine Valley is like at Sand Barrens Golf Club
in nearby Cape May, but any trip to AC should include a round at Twisted Dune.
It looks like a links course, feels like a links and even plays like a links. But I'll stop short of calling it a links. There are too many modern features to make you think you've been transported to County Fife, Scotland. Nevertheless, Twisted Dune
offers enough gnarly lies, bump-and-run opportunities and sand to satisfy. The par-72, 7,248-yard layout has all the bunkers and waste areas you can handle. You'll be shaking sand out of your shoes for weeks. Wind is the course's other defense, which can be problematic on a long closing nine. Even from the white tees, you'll often find yourself hitting hybrids and woods for second shots. Luckily, you can chase them onto many of the greens because there aren't a lot of forced carries. Oh, and speaking of the greens, take a refresher course on lag putting before coming. They're huge.
If you prefer modern layouts, Vineyard Golf at Renault, west of Atlantic City, gets points for creativity and playability. It's part of a resort and winery, and its big Tuscany-style hotel gives the impression that the course has been there for decades. Actually, the par-72, 7,213-yard course has been open only since 2004. Renault is a big course sprawled over 225 acres. Many holes offer risk/reward options with water coming into play on seven holes and hazards designed to make aiming at the premium part of the fairway or green a gutsy play. The most unforgettable hole is the nasty, dogleg-left seventh. You have to play over the vineyard off the tee to a narrow landing area. Trust me on this: Wine grapes are not good to eat.
The back nine is hillier and more memorable in terms of shots, including the downhill 12th, guarded by water and sand right of the green, and the double-dogleg, par-5 18th.
Lucy the Elephant
You're probably wondering about the wine. Well, let's just say that if you've sampled the best from Napa, Tuscany and Bordeaux, Renault's selection might not make it past the spit bucket. Still, the novelty of drinking New Jersey wine is worth it for the story. In fact, that's the real charm of a golf trip to Atlantic City: the stories. I'm not going to go all Bruce Springsteen on you here, but AC is a piece of Americana. From the decaying inner city, to the outdated boardwalk casinos, to Lucy, the six-story elephant that has become a landmark, there are few golf destinations that offer the charm, history and, yes, cheese factor of AC.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
ROLL THE DICE
Looking for a gambling experience similar to Vegas? The most popular casino is the Borgata on the north end of town. But the casinos along the boardwalk in the center of town are great for sunsets and people watching. Try Caesars first.
Knife & Fork Inn
CHECKED OUT
You can eat at any number of big-chain restaurants in the casinos, but for a real experience, head out on Black Horse Pike to the Library LB1. The steaks are good and affordable, and the scene in the lounge is worth any wait for a table (think the Regal Beagle from "Three's Company").
WHERE'S NUCKY?
If you're looking for scene locations from HBO's hit show "Boardwalk Empire," you'll have to travel to the boroughs of New York City. But if you want a taste of Prohibition life, head to the Knife & Fork Inn (right) or the Irish Pub (and ask to see the bootlegger's trap door).
