The Step-Mother of All Golf Trips (Days 7-9)
A blog covering the first three days of a nine day trip the Gurus took back east in 2010 (New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) where we played some of the finest courses in the country.
Blog by: Mike SutoriusSeptember 20, 2010 - Galloway National Golf Club and Atlantic City Country Club
Day 7 started with a round at Galloway National just outside of Atlantic City. The site that Galloway Nation sits on is an ideal piece of property for golf. For starters, while the surrounding area is almost flat, sitting just above sea level, Galloway’s property rises and falls nearly 40’, which gave architect Tom Fazio the opportunity to use those elevation changes to enhance his design. Additionally, the property has waterfront that is across the bay from downtown Atlantic City, dense pine forests, and an abundance of natural sand. The combination of these elements where the perfect setting for Fazio to craft a course that he refers to as, “one of my best ever.” Considering Fazio’s body of work, that is quite a statement. Fortunately for us, the course lived up to his claim.
We loved it. Apparently, so have many others, as Golf Digest has included it as one of America’s 100 Greatest since 2005, and Golfweek recently ranked it as #32 among Modern Courses. The design was fantastic, with a great mixture of shapes, lengths, and difficulty among the 18 holes. It was a stiff challenge, without being brutal. And, the terrain and natural features of the property enhanced the shot making demands throughout the round, while providing a gorgeous setting for a morning walk.
Our afternoon round was at the historic Atlantic City Country Club. Atlantic City C.C. began over a century ago in 1897, and has effectively seen, experienced, and helped to write the history and to define the culture of golf in America.
In the early days of the club, the golf-loving, high rollers from New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia would catch the train and head for Atlantic City for gambling and golf. The golf course was not only one of the most prestigious early tracks, but it was also the closest nearly-year-round golfing destinations for those looking to escape the icy-cold, snow covered northeast. Soon, industrial leaders, politicians, actors, athletes, and celebrities were all clamoring to be part of the Atlantic City Country Club unofficial Who’s Who list. Over the years, regulars included Bing Crosby, Joe Pesci, Robert D Niro, Willie Mays, Joe Namath, Bob Hope, and even Madonna. Trolleys would roll back and forth from the club to downtown Atlantic City and the famous boardwalk, bringing Society’s Sweethearts to and from this new favorite playground. Near the clubhouse was a large bell that was rung at the end of each day to signal golfers that the last trolley was leaving for the city. The bell is no longer rung but it still remains, and is used in the course’s logo, and as the inspiration for the tee markers throughout the course.
From the standpoint of actual golf history, Atlantic City C.C. has an equally impressive resume’, beginning with the six national championships it has hosted. The first was the 1901 U.S. Amateur that was won by the legendary Walter Travis. The second was the 1948 U.S. Women’s Open that was won by the celebrated Babe Zaharias. Other major events were the 1967 Senior Women’s Amateur, the 1975 U.S. Women’s Open, and the 1997 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur. The first ever Senior competition, the 1980 Senior International was also hosted by A.C.C.C and was won by Don January.
A very unique part of the club’s golf history is the origins of the terms “birdie” and “eagle.” A.C.C.C. is credited with the creation and use of both! Where would golf be today without those expressions?
Architecturally, the club can claim contributors that form a veritable “A-List” of golf course designers. Renowned early American architects John Reid and Willie Park Jr. are credited with the original design. Since their early efforts, though, other distinguished designers have played a role in the evolution of the course. William Flynn, who designed the renowned Shinnecock Hills on Long Island, conducted a major renovation in 1925. This was the last major overhaul that occurred until 1999 when Tom Doak, who famously designed Pacific Dunes 3000 miles away on the Oregon Coast, was hired to conduct a major renovation effort.
Even the original clubhouse has been incorporated into the construction of the existing complex. This “throwback” facility is a virtual golf history museum all by itself. Not only does it have a nostalgic, old-school locker room, but it also houses the “Tap Room.” This bar and grill was recently named by Golf Digest as one of the 50 Best 19th Holes. The bar has a spike-marked original wood floor, a classic dark-wood bar and is famous for its fresh seafood, succulent steaks, and one of the area’s finest Sunday Brunches. The walls of the Tap Room hold a tapestry of photos, memorabilia, and evidence of a very storied past.
We played the first 15 holes in great time, while only playing though one group. However, when we reached the 15th, we ran up against the last few groups of a tournament that had started earlier in the day and, at times, thought that we would never finish. The bright side was that it gave us time to closely observe the holes on the course that had been changed most dramatically by Tom Doak’s recent renovation, and it put us in constant view of the skyline of Atlantic City.
September 21, 2010 - Trump National Philadelphia and Pine Valley Golf Club
The first round of the second week of our trip (which was the 15th round, on the 8th day) took us to our 2nd Trump National course of the trip. This time we were lucky enough to play and experience Trump National Philadelphia, which is actually in Pine Hill, New Jersey. In fairness, it is outside of Philadelphia less than 20 miles, and Trump is not only going to put his name on anything he owns, but he is going to make it sound as glamorous as possible. So, when he purchased the struggling 2000 Tom Fazio design, originally named Pine Hill Golf Club, he not only polished up the name, but he invested millions into the club house and course. The result, is a glistening 7370 yard, 75.3/153 jewel on a fantastic piece of property. Once referred to as a “a poor man’s Pine Valley” because of its immediate proximity and strikingly similar terrain to the revered Pine Valley Golf Club, Trump Philly has proven that neither part of the nickname is accurate: It may not be Pine Valley, but neither is it “poor!”
As mentioned at the beginning of this blog, the whole trip centered around one invitation, the supreme invitation to play the superlative Pine Valley Golf Club in Pine Valley, New Jersey. Under normal circumstances it would be irreverent, at best, to list courses like Garden City Golf Club, Plainfield Country Club, Piping Rock Club, and Aronimink Golf Club as peripheral rounds – and don’t get me wrong we have great admiration for those tracks, but we are talking about a course that has been ranked #1 on Golf Digest’s 100 Greatest list more times than any other course. To have the opportunity to play it was, and is, the type of once-in-a-lifetime experience that is really difficult to articulate. So, I will just say that we were a bit giddy as we drove past the little, unassuming sign that marks the property and headed toward the Pine Valley clubhouse.
When we pulled up in front of the building we were amazed how few cars there were, and were really impressed when the attendants seemed to already know who we were. (We found out later that they have a great valet system that anticipates guests based off the tee sheet, and that just keeps the cars handy of those who have just arrived, and those who are about to leave). When we walked into the clubhouse we were met by our enthusiastic host and encouraged to take a few minutes to look around the clubhouse and purchase some items from the pro shop, if we were interested. Then, we were on our way to the range, which we found to be a good distance from the clubhouse, but one of the nicest practice facilities that we have ever had the pleasure of using. Finally, after plenty of nervous swings it was time to hit the first tee.
We have had heard our names called over the loud speaker to announce our starting time. We have played 18 holes in front of an NBC camera. We have stood on the first tee at Pebble Beach with a live web-cam broadcasting the beginning of our round to the world. And, we have hit shots at the only floating green known to man. However, none of these moments gave us “butterflies in our stomachs” quite like hitting our first tee shots at Pine Valley. I was literally shaking.
The next five hours deserves a full book worth of description, one with 18 unique and wonderful chapters, with each of those chapters staking a valid claim for the best section of the book. If I was capable of writing such a book, though, it would win every award available, it would be a consensus Top 3 book ever written, and whether people were reading it for the first time or for the 1000th time, it would be the same sensational experience. Since I am not the George Crump of golf course blogging, I won’t even begin to attempt that feat. Instead, I will leave you with that little analogy, and tell you that however good you have heard that Pine Valley is, it is likely better!
I am grateful to report that while I did find myself in the famous Hell’s Half Acre on the 7th hole, I was able to avoid the infamous Devil’s [Oriface] on the 10th. After the round, we were able to spend some time in the clubhouse, and had our shoes “stolen” after only leaving them unattended for a couple of minutes to wash up in the locker room. We found them less than 5 minutes later, fully polished and ready to go. Unfortunately, we were not. We could have spent weeks walking and playing those sacred grounds.
September 22, 2010 - The Creek Club
Our final day, and final round of the trip consisted of the opportunity to play the surprisingly unheralded club called The Creek in Locust Valley, New York on Long Island. The Creek is a 1923, CB Macdonald design that sits on the north edge of the island, right on Long Island Sound. Any time that we have the chance to play a CB Macdonald / Seth Raynor course, we are going to take it – they never disappoint – and this was our 3rd of the trip. The Creek was no exception to the standard of exceeding your expectations. We played with Shawn the head pro, and Ryan his assistant, and had a great morning.
The first part of the course plays through an area of huge trees, basically a parkland feel, with the 5th hole being called Lindens because of the massive trees that line the fairway (as well as the beautiful drive to the clubhouse). The 6th hole is appropriately called Sound View as fantastic views of the water begin at the tee box. One of the great, unique aspects of the course are the several holes that play across tidal areas that rise and fall during different times of the day – resulting in ever-changing hazards, and the required crossing of an old wooden bridge to the 11th green that becomes a genuine island at high tide. The final holes play back uphill to the clubhouse, and feature some of the best green complexes that we have ever encountered. I was fortunate enough to finish the round with back-to-back birdies, which was only the icing on the cake, and served to make me that much more reluctant to head to for the airport and the long trip home.
Whew! Another epic trip! One so similar to last year’s mega-trip, in terms of the number of quality courses, that even we were surprised that we were able to pull the whole thing off. Between the 2 trips we were able to play our favorite university course ever (Yale), the Top 4 courses in Pennsylvania, the Top 6 courses in New Jersey, the Top 13 courses in New York, 8 of the Top 15 courses in the country, and 21 of the Top 100 (according to Golf Digest’s 2009-2010 rankings). Of course, we will always have aspirations of outdoing ourselves. We think that a Chicago-area trip could be put together that would be worthy of mention with these two trips to New York. Otherwise, we may need a private jet to shuttle us across the country, picking up great courses wherever they happen to be. To quote Ferris Bueller, “If you have the means, I highly recommend you picking [us] up!”
- Tom Fazio’s ability to build a great course – Not Hype
- The thrill-a-minute reputation of Macdonald / Raynor courses – Not Hype
- Pine Valley Golf Club – Not Hype
- 99.9% of all claims of an Ultimate Golf Trip – Hype
Read about the Gurus' experience by jumping to the intro to this blog: (New York Golf Trip 2010) <<<.
Read about the Gurus' experience at Garden City, Plainfield, Bayonne, Trump National Bedminster (New), Rock, and Quaker Ridge: (2010 NY Trip Days 1-3) >.
Read about the Gurus' experience at Hudson National, Sleepy Hollow, The Ridge at Back Brook, Aronimink, Merion (East), and Hidden Creek: (2010 NY Trip Days 4-6) >>.
Read about the Gurus' experience at Galloway National, Atlantic City CC, Trump Philadelphia (formerly Pine Hill), Pine Valley, and The Creek Club: (2010 NY Trip Days 7-9) >>>.
You can also click on an individual course name to read the review posted on that particular course.
