| The 14th hole is a great short par 4 called 'Salt Marsh'. (GolfPublisher.com) |
Classic Atlantic City Country Club now New Jersey's top public golf course
Contributor
NORTHFIELD, N.J. — The gates have opened to one of the most storied private country clubs in New Jersey.
In July of 2005, Harrah's Entertainment opened the Atlantic City Country Club to the daily-fee golfer and the golf course immediately shot to the top of everyone's list of the best public courses in New Jersey. Now you just need the $200 green fee to set a tee time and you too can knock it around the legendary track.
"We did just 6,200 rounds during the first year of public play," Head Professional Steven Sullivan said. "We could double that or a little more and that would be fine. Our fees will limit the volume of play and we'll be able to retain a private club atmosphere."
Atlantic City Country Club isn't the kind of place you change your shoes in the parking lot and strap a cooler of beer onto the back of your golf cart. The sprawling clubhouse is a throwback to an earlier time and the locker room with a flat-screen TV lets you know you are in an amenity-rich environment.
Take some time to look at the dozens of pictures and newspaper clippings on the walls of the clubhouse grille or locker room. They have a great shot of a young Arnold Palmer in his navy outfit chipping to a green.
There is another from the 1940s of Bing Crosby driving a ball down the fairway. You'll find pictures of Bob Hope, Bobby Jones and many others from the worlds of show biz and golf.
It is the kind of place where history and tradition seem to ooze out of the walls. That's appropriate because the original 1897 clubhouse is still part of the now renovated and expanded facility that is used today.
It's hard to think of a better place than Atlantic City C.C. if you're looking for a real "throwback" experience. If you're going to do it, you might as well do it right. Commission the services of a caddie and take advantage of an amenity almost never offered at a pubic access venue.
Whether you have a caddy on your bag or your bag on a cart, when you hit the first tee you'll know you are in for a treat. The putting green is just steps from the pro shop door and when you're at the putting green, you're on the first tee. If you get first-tee jitters, be forewarned, this course will send you off with a real gut-check.
Your round begins with a demanding par 4 that plays 428 yards from the middle tees. Dribble it and your ball is in a pond. A quick pull can wind up in a trap left of the fairway. A well struck drive with a little too much fade can find a bunker right of the fairway. All this under the watchful eyes of your fellow golfers as they stroke putts just a few feet away.
The best stretch of holes is Nos. 13-16, which play along the marshland with views of the Atlantic City skyline across the bay. The 13th is a demanding par 5 with the marsh to the right and a pond left.
The 14th is a great short par 4. You tee it up from an island in the salt marsh and try to hit a tight landing area. The par-3 15th requires a long iron to a peninsula green. The 16th has marshland tight to the right and running the length of the hole.
"I have a membership at a private club back at home, but it's not nearly the course this is," said Tom Benner of Allentown, Pa. "I love classic design and this is the kind of course I don't think they are capable of making today. You get what you pay for. You know the greens fee ahead of time and the course is worth it."
"Money is a relative thing," said Scott Rotenberger of Emmaus, Pa. "I've paid 50 bucks and thought the course wasn't worth it. You don't feel cheated when you've played a round here. You pay for the experience and this is one I don't mind shelling
out for."
Course conditions are what you would expect at a top line country club. The greens are fast and true and the traps are meticulously raked each morning. "Conditioning has to be a given," Sullivan said. "This course deserves it and the golfers who play it would expect nothing less."
The verdict
The term "Country Club for a Day" has become an overused marketing tool, but it is especially fitting for the Atlantic City Country Club. This course has all the amenities of a private club, an outstanding design and gets the TLC it deserves.
If your budget can support the steep greens fees, play this course. If it can't, spend some time at the casinos and hope for the best.
Stay and play
The Atlantic City Country Club is owned Harrah's, so naturally they offer package deals that can take a little of the sting out of the regular rates. They offer a fall package deal for $389 that includes a room at Harrah's Casino, a $50 food credit and two rounds.
Dining out
The Club's Tap Room Restaurant serves breakfast and lunch. They tout the best crab cakes in South Jersey.
Harrah's offers several dining options. The Steakhouse serves up its namesake in fine fashion and has an impressive wine selection to compliment the meal. They also have an outstanding seafood buffet called the Fantasea Reef.
December 11, 2006
Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management.
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