Jersey Shore still searching for its golf identity

By Chris Baldwin,
Contributor

OCEAN GROVE, N.J. - The waves of the Atlantic Ocean lap against the deck of the fishing pier, as gently as a sweet dream. In the far sky, the sun's begun a long descent, leaving its sand scattered disciples plenty of time to catch a few extra rays for the road. A lone roller-blader speeds by, giggling as she goes.

It's another postcard perfect late summer/early autumn day on the Jersey Shore. Temperatures hovering in the low 80s to high 70s, ocean breezes unaffected by the seemingly endless string of hurricanes howling far South, a new fresh catch scrawled on the chalk board of the restaurant down the boardwalk.

The possibilities seem endless and with the sun not so harsh, you don't even need shades.

At least, the possibilities seem endless until you mention golf. Then, well then it feels like you've chipped out of a sandtrap and landed smack dab against an oak tree.

"Golf?'' the guy at the front desk of the beachside hotel almost spits out. "Who comes to the Jersey Shore to play golf?"

The Jersey Shore is the summer tourist attraction in the Philadelphia to New York metro corridor, drawing 35 million visitors a year to its 127-mile stretch of beaches and boardwalks. There are towns with homes straight out of the early 1900s, towns with homes straight out of Robin Leach's old show (you too could buy Billy Joel's old multimillion-dollar hall of tomes), towns with homes crammed into commercial zones. There are old fashioned amusement rides and brand spanking new gambling palaces.

There's a town that believes in no alcohol served ever (Ocean Grove) right next to a town that believes in staying out all night long whenever (Belmar). The Jersey Shore has been home to Bruce Springsteen and a MTV Beach House the same summer. It encourages surfing, snorkeling and the occasional demolition derby (at Wall Stadium.) The custard is hard to beat and the imitation Philadelphia cheesesteaks are easy to find. Bill Parcells still keeps a place here for an old football coach to unwind. Sandy Hook still offers a place for people to undress (and play beach volleyball nude). It seems like there is something for everyone.

Except when you start asking about golf. Then it seems like there is little of anything. At least, if you're not in the know.

"When I tell friends from other parts of country how great the golf is on the (Jersey) Shore they usually don't believe me,'' said Mark Voetsch of Jackson, NJ, a longtime observer and player in the Jersey Shore golf scene. "It's just not one of those places you think of when it comes to golf.

"It's never gotten that Myrtle Beach name."

Jersey's Shore as a golf destination? Tony Soprano didn't even bring his clubs when he rented out that Spring Lake beach house.

A group of developers is working to change the Jersey Shore's sense of golf inadequacy. They are big moneyed and bigger visioned. The last 10-15 years has seen a golf building boom with high-priced, high-profile courses cropping up from Colt's Neck to Cape May Point. It's all designed to compete for all those vacation dollars.

From the Blue Heron Pines complex in Atlantic City to the Pine Barrens (Jackson) and Twisted Dunes (Egg Harbor) of the Empire Golf and Hospitality Corporation, these are slickly-marketed courses geared to the high end golfer.

If you build it, the dollars with follow.

This philosophy has transformed the sometimes sleepy Jersey Shore golf scene.

"It's gotten so much better in the last 10 years,'' Voetsch said. "So much better. There are so many options. You've got all these courses competing against each other. You can see it when you play. It's raised the stakes for everyone."

Yet there are signs it hasn't raised the profit margin that much. One of the marquee courses of the Shore's 90s building boom, Blue Heron Pines East, is already slated for extinction. Its owners now believe it makes more sense as a housing development. This is just the most stark example of a growing reevaluation of the scene.

"In all honesty, I think the market's been saturated,'' said Michael Vevchak, the head pro at Pine Barrens Golf Club. "With all the upscale golf courses there's so much competition for those golfers in the area now that it's changed a lot of the courses. I think you're going to see a lot more of these now public courses go private and semi private and rely on members rather than go after vacation golfers.''

Empire Golf & Hospitality opened up eight new Jersey golf courses in the last decade. Initial plans called for only one to be private. Now seven of the eight are being converted to members-only courses.

That may be because the vacation push did not work. Atlantic City has not come close to making strides in turning itself into a golf destination like fellow gambling haven Las Vegas or even Lake Tahoe. Rob Hoffmann, a veteran Shore golfer from Wall, still hears mostly Jersey accents on his regular trips to area courses.

"People aren't coming to the Shore like they go to Myrtle Beach,'' Hoffmann said. "Even if it is a nicer shore. Instead all the new courses have benefited New Jersey and Pennsylvania and New York golfers who make driving trips. After 9-11, you have a lot more people vacationing close to home and all these courses have helped that.''

Hoffmann shrugged. It's a beautiful sunny day and there's no wait at the tee. Being an often-overlooked, sometimes-ignored golf destination has its advantages.

Must plays

Cape May National: Cape May is the town of New Jersey postcards with its historic lighthouse and ocean side drives, but this course offers a different kind of nature. It is built around a 50-acre bird sanctuary. Like the town, the course harkens back to a simpler time, placing a premium on well-placed irons rather than monster drives.

Hominy Hills: A county-owned course further north in Colts Neck that offers one of the least pretentious top rounds you'll ever find. Everything here is relaxed, from the dress code to the clubhouse, but this 7,049-yard track that makes uses of a natural river is the worthy of any of the Shore's new "upscale" courses. Hominy Hills has been host to two USGA Amateur Public Links championships. The par-4, 435-yard 8th is particularly memorable, offering a postage-stamp green surrounded by bunkers. Nothing fancy, just good golf.

Solid seconds

Pine Barrens: Don't believe the hype calling it a Pine Valley copy, this is a long modern course. It is worth playing at least once just to test your game against all the cavernous waste bunkers. The course is almost 7,200 yards with a slope rating of 132.

Blue Heron Pines: This two-course complex near Atlantic City is worthy just because of the different looks it throws at you. The West Course is a little gimmicky, trying to incorporate holes from some of America's best courses (Long Island's Bethpage Black, Chicago's Somerset Hills, etc..) into something of a coherent round. The East Course, which is expected to be turned into a housing development, offers the purer challenge.

Ocean City Golf Course: If only to say you've played the real thing in a city that proudly boasts of its 200 holes of miniature golf.

Off course

There are no shortage of options. Charter a fishing boat in Bradley Beach or Belmar for an afternoon. You can enjoy a quiet dinner at one of the many ocean side restaurants or party into the Joe Namath hours with the younger crowd at one of the many clubs. Atlantic City's tables beckon, as do Seaside Heights' pure Jersey boardwalk.

Dining out

Piancones ((732) 775-0906) of Bradley Beach has been serving up heaping portions of gourmet Italian for more than 50 years. For a true Jersey experience, the thin-crust pizza at Pete & Eldas ((732) 774-6010) is the way to go.

Stay and play

The Borgata, the new sparkling casino in Atlantic City, offers packages ((866) 692-6742). If relaxing on a grand porch is more your idea of a vacation, Cape May boasts a number of bed & breakfasts up to the task. The Chalftone Hotel, built in 1876, is one of the more well known historic options ((609) 884-8409).

If you go

Blue Heron Pines
blueheronpines.com
1-888-4STAR-GOLF

Pine Barrens Golf Club
pinebarrensgolf.com
Tee Times: 1-877-746-3227

Hominy Hill Golf Course
Tee times: 1-732-462-9222

Cape May National
Tee times: 1-609-884-1563

Ocean City Golf Course
Tee times: 1-609-399-1315

November 4, 2004