Awesome, thanks for the info. Will look into Forge Park and Hominy Hill.
I recommend checking out the Monmouth County courses. I live in the area and frequently go to Shark River and Howell Park. Also, Charleston Springs North and South courses are 20 mins west and Hominy Hill is about 20 mins north…highly recommend if you’re willing to make the drive. The other courses previously mentioned are mainly executive style courses. Majority of the golf in this area is private but maybe some Refugees might be able to help out. Enjoy!
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You’ll be about 25 minutes from Suneagles. Tillinghast design, “rough around the edges”, definitely more strapped boys than c-suite, but was a fun walk when I played this winter. So, depends what you’re looking for I guess but I thought it was a fun round.
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Funny you brought up Sun Eagles, as it was just mentioned by Andy in the Fried Egg newsletter and I was going to see if any of you guys had played it. I’m much more Strapped than C-suite, so it may be right up my alley.
I went out there this winter for the first time. As a $30 Saturday morning winter round, my expectations on conditioning, etc. were appropriately lowered. It met/slightly exceeded expectations on that front. But the routing was very fun. Some interesting holes, a drivable par-4, a par-5 with the great hazard contesting a lay-up shot, etc.
Would recommend a play, as long as you aren’t going to be too psyched out by the #Strapped conditions and pretty out of date infrastructure. I definitely plan on getting out there again this year.
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@brutalbaum hit the nail on the head. Suneagles has undergone a “restoration” and significant tree removal, however the conditions and infrastructure are pretty weak since Fort Monmouth closed. The course has an interesting routing with small greens and a decent amount a variety. In later fall/early winter the course plays firm and fast, but come summertime the course is a bowl of mashed potatoes…drainage is their biggest problem. Also, watch out for unseasonably warm weather and weekend rounds as it can take 7+ hours
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Was thinking about giving Sunset Valley a go this weekend. Anyone know what the conditions are like? This is my first attempt at winter golf so not sure what to expect with course conditions.
There is some talk of some guis playing at Galloping Hill on Monday, if you happen to have the day off. I’m interested.
I’d love to but unfortunately don’t have the day off. Going to try to squeeze in a round Sunday if the forecast doesn’t change.
Re: Sunset Valley, my guess is that the ground might be wet and there might be a few temporary greens. I know that they have issues if we get a lot of rain in certain parts of the course. Overall this winter has not been bad but we have had a decent amount of rain in Northern NJ
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Thanks for the heads up. Saw prices were pretty cheap so wasn’t sure what the conditions were like. Looked into going to Francis Byrne and Rock Spring too. We have gotten a ton of rain this week so Im assuming most places will be in similar shape.
Pretty sure Byrne is closed for the winter. RS gets pretty hit or miss with their opening so best to call before you head out and have a backup plan in mind.
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Confirmed. Byrne closes every year ~mid-December. They’ll be open again ~April 1.
For Rock Spring, keep an eye on their Insta page, seems to be the best info about their day to day status for these random warm-ish days.
Thanks a lot for the info. New to the area and winter golf in itself (grew up spoiled with year round golf in Florida). Ill check out Rock Springs instagram page and if not give Sunset Valley a go. Looks like Sunday should be nice enough to get out and play a little.
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How was Sunset Valley>
Ended up making a last minute audible and played Farmstead in Hacketstown. It was a little colder than i was hoping for, but overall was in decent shape considering the time of year.
Farmstead is in Sparta, Minebrook is in Hackettstown. Two courses that are going in completely different directions, quality wise.
Which one is which? Farmstead seemed to be in fairly decent shape considering it was middle of February.
Farmstead has been much better. Minebrook has gone down hill for the last several years.
Anyone know of any grass driving ranges in the area? Im not a fan of hitting off mats, but Im having a hard time finding any practice facilities with real grass.