Hendricks Field anything but an oasis in the New Jersey golf jungle
By 
BELLEVILLE, N.J. - Finding a place to play on a perfect fall weekend in northern New Jersey can be like searching for a free parking spot in Manhattan: Tremendous effort for little results.
Many of the courses in the North Jersey/New York City area are private, as closed to you as the Mensa Society is to John Daly. Being without a country club membership here is 100 times worse than being left without a key to the executive bathroom.
This puts added importance on the muni courses in the region. For many golfers, these are the only convenient outlets for getting in a quick round without the hassle of a 45-minute one-way drive or more.
Which is how a golfer like Ted Coyle ends up on a course like Hendricks Field. Coyle is a dedicated duffer who regularly travels to places like Saratoga Springs in upstate New York and Montreal to play. Hendricks Field is - well, a dump.
Make that a $40 weekend dump for a golfers like Ted Coyle who lives outside the borders of Essex County, New Jersey.
"The fairways are pretty crappy," Coyle said simply.
And that's putting it kindly. Hendricks Field Golf Course is one of those munis that maintenance and manners forgot. On the day of this visit, the 18th fairway had torn up patches and large brown spots. This is significant because this fairway is clearly visible from the golf house windows.
Still when the guy behind the counter answered the phone and some unsuspecting golfer inquired about the conditions, the worker said without the slightest hesitation, "It's in great shape. Perfect condition." This response actually caused some of the other golfers waiting in line, the ones who could also see the suspect fairways through the windows, to roll their eyes at each other.
It turns out this is just par for the course at Hendricks. When someone near the front of the line asked for a receipt, he was told that the machine was broken. The golfer asked if the attendant could write out a receipt and was told no. The money was still taken.
At the starter's shack, pairs of strangers with widely different handicaps were stuck into foursomes, so you had two 5-handicappers playing with two 25-handicappers, grumbling all the way.
There's your service with a smile!
"It's cheap," said Belleville golfer Robert Akmakjian. "That's about the only thing it has."
It doesn't even have that for a golfer like Coyle, just searching for somewhere to play in the greater area. Coyle lives in Jersey City, only about 15 miles from Hendricks Field. But Jersey City is not in Essex County, so he has to pay the non-county cardholder green fees ($40 on weekends, $32 weekdays and $13 per person for a golf cart). That's double the resident rates.
"I wouldn't mind that much if I was a cardholder and it was 20 bucks," Coyle said. "But this course for $40 is a little much."
A round at Hendricks Field for $40 would make that guy who just bought the Brooklyn Bridge feel like he pulled a great deal.
That's why it's important to warn about Hendricks Field. There are rundown munis in communities across America. But when they are in northern New Jersey where public golf options are tight and they're charging unaware local players technically in the exact same county or not, guys like Coyle are still locals) $40, it's a different situation.
The sad thing about Hendricks Field is it actually has some history worth treating with more dignity. It's 76 years old with ties stretching back to when Belleville had a big cooper mill. The course began as gift from a local rich guy to the community. Harmon W. Hendricks deeded the park commission his mansion, which used to be where the fourth and fifth holes are.
Now that's just part of a 6,113-yard, par-70 course where your frustration is likely to having nothing to do with the 116 slope rating.
The verdict
There are some munis in New Jersey that are impressive. Hominy Hill for one. There are many munis in North Jersey that deliver on their mission, provide fun play with just a few rough spots for golfers shut out of the country club East Coast enclave. Galloping Hill, just about 15 exit miles down the Garden State Parkway from Hendricks, for instance.
Don't mistake Hendricks Field for one of these can-play munis.
Hendricks offers two distinct nines. The back nine is shorter and much tighter than the front nine, requiring more shot-making decisions and "Fore!" ducks. There's a stretch of three par 3s in four holes that can be interesting. The front nine has three of the four 400-yard plus holes on the course and more room to make mistakes.
"I like the back nine a lot more," said regular John Feeley. "But most people seem to think the front nine's a little nicer."
The emphasis should be on a little because both nines are in poor shape. Hendricks Field isn't in anyone's heart and should be off your golf itinerary.
"I just play it because it's close to my house," Feeley admitted, laughing.
It's easier to laugh when you're not one of the golf seekers paying full price at Hendricks Field.
Dining out
You're only about a 25-minute drive from Manhattan and the best collection of restaurants in the world.
If you want to stay more local, Vinnie's Pizzeria in Bloomfield ((973) 748-0889) offers some great pies. Stick to the pizza though and don't get too crazy with the pasta or seafood dishes.
Nearby Montclair offers a booming restaurant downtown, with all types of cuisine available on and right off the main street (Bloomfield Ave.). Epernay ((973) 783-0447), a French bistro, is a consistent bet with a very friendly wife-husband ownership team (he does the cooking).
Stay and play
There's a Residence Inn ((973) 669-4700) in nearby West Orange that's nice but way overpriced. If you're going to be paying northern New Jersey hotel prices, you might as well be staying in Manhattan and getting more sights and excitement for that dollar.
If you go
Hendricks Field Golf Course
220 Franklin Avenue
Belleville, NJ
Tee times: (973) 751-0178
March 31, 2006
Chris Baldwin keeps one eye on the PGA Tour and another watching golf vacation hotspots and letting travelers in on the best place to vacation.
Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management.
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- Hendricks Field anything but an oasis in the New Jersey golf jungle
Charlie wrote on: Apr 26, 2009
Despite the warning, I'm organizing four of us in the neigborhood to get out early next Saturday. Most of these guys aren't big golfers so they might now even notice. We should have fun though. Thanks for the review, just found this site
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Charlie wrote on: Apr 28, 2009
I take that back. We cancelled based on feed back we had on Weequaiac and are going there.
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