New Jersey's premier resort keeps getting better

VERNON, N.J. -- States like Arizona, California and Florida are full of sprawling golf resorts. Multiple courses, soothing spas, huge clubhouses and pro shops, practice facilities groomed to perfection.

New Jersey, on the other hand, is full of golf courses but short on resorts. For years the only player on the scene was the Seaview Marriott in Atlantic City, with two stellar courses and its namesake hotel. But now that destination has been trumped by another located all the way at the opposite end of the Garden State.

With the opening of a new 175-room hotel last December, Crystal Springs Golf & Spa Resort is now the undisputed champion of resort golf in the greater metropolitan New York area. Tucked away in the northwest corner of the Garden State, the resort offers four 18-hole courses (one the best public track in the state), a nine-hole executive layout with a famous heritage, a golf academy led by a former PGA Teacher of the Year - all located an hour away from Manhattan in the Kittatinny Mountains of Sussex County.

"The hotel is just five minutes away from the courses and it's a great addition to the spa that was already here," said Art Walton, General Manager. "That's really makes it more than just a collection of great courses. We're truly a destination now."

It all started back in 1991 with the opening of the 6,808-yard Crystal Springs Golf Club designed by Robert von Hagge. This remains one of the toughest tracks in the state (a 137 slope rating from the tips is the highest of the four courses here), with distinctive mounding framing most fairways and natural springs providing water hazards on five holes. Your knees will buckle at the par-3 11th, with a green sitting 80 feet below the tee. While it's been surpassed in the rankings by the influx of upscale public courses both here and elsewhere in the state, the layout is still good enough to be selected as the site of The Metropolitan Golf Association' s Women's Pub Links Championship on July 7th.

What used to be known as The Spa Golf Club here has been rechristened Minerals Golf Club. This 2,305-yard nine-hole course was designed by none other than legendary architect Robert Trent Jones. The connection? Jones was from the same West Orange area in Northern New Jersey as one of the resort's owners, Gene Mulvihill, and their relationship resulted in the design work.

In 1996 the 6,673-yard Black Bear layout debuted. The course was designed by Jack Kurlander and David Glenz, who collaborated on the layout's design. It's also home to the latter's Golf Academy. And few resorts anywhere can boast of a teacher better than Glenz. Check out his resume: 1988 National PGA Teacher of the Year, New Jersey PGA Player of the Decade for the 1980s, and seven years playing on the PGA Tour.

The resort took notice of the upscale public course building boom in the late 1990s and unveiled Ballyowen in June of 1998. The raves for this one haven't stopped since.

Frequently ranked the top public course in the state, this Roger Rulewich design deserves all the accolades it gets. Some might find the kilt-wearing starter, green shamrocks as yardage markers on cartpaths, and a bagpiper each sunset a bit over the top, but you can't argue with the layout itself. Fescue-lined fairways, tricky greens and excellent conditions are the reasons for its high rankings. Look out for the sheep grazing near the 12th hole.

Rulewich came back again with another 18-hole effort in 2001, called Wild Turkey. "He had a different geographic setting to work with there," said Walton. "The land was more spread out than Ballyowen, with parcels of land pieced together to form the layout. That adds to the diversity of the holes though" Especially the par-3 7th, a 208-yard, all-carry over water.

In June of 2002 a 53,000 square-foot clubhouse overlooking the first hole of Wild Turkey opened its doors, adding a missing piece of the resort puzzle. "It's unbelievable really," said Walton. "The facility was highly anticipated and now that it is open we think it has exceeded everyone's expectations." The pro shop serves as headquarters for the Wild Turkey and Crystal Springs courses, while three public levels offer ballrooms, a rotunda features outstanding views and the Crystal Tavern is the perfect 19th hole. There's even well-located televisions in the men's room.

Over the past decade some changes have been made to the courses here, but not many. Hole numbering was altered on the Crystal Springs course due to construction of the new clubhouse. A new tee was installed on the 10th at Wild Turkey and the back tee on the seventh at Ballyowen was pushed back. "We've done some things here and there but nothing dramatic," said Walton. "Just augmenting what was done by the original designers. We're trying to keep the integrity of each course intact while at the same time introducing a few wrinkles."

"Each course has their own niche in terms of the type of golfer that plays it," said Walton, a Vermont native. "Ballyowen is our top end facility that won't get as many rounds as the others. Black Bear and Wild Turkey are the most popular and most user friendly. They're both great for events, and Wild Turkey benefits from great views, generous fairways, greens aren't too severe. Crystal Springs is the really challenging course, definitely not for the faint of heart. And even the Minerals course is kind of a novelty itself."

And the locals seem to love them all. In a statewide rating of public courses this past May, New Jersey Monthly ranked Ballyowen first, Wild Turkey eighth, and Crystal Springs 20th. Despite those lofty rankings and the glaring lack of geographic competition, there's plenty of future plans for more growth. Another hotel is planned for construction near the Wild Turkey/Crystal Springs courses, as is a third course (to be designed by Rulewich) within the complex. In other words, the best will keep getting better.

Fast Fact

Cap off a summer's day here in the Skylands Region with a minor league baseball game. The St. Louis Cardinals' Class A affiliate plays home games at the 4,258-seat Skylands Park. Tickets are $10 or less and you can't beat the atmosphere. First home game this season is June 18th. For more information go to njcards.com.

If you go

Green fees valid
May 1 - October 13, 2004 Ballyowen ($100-$125)
105-137 Wheatsworth Road
Hamburg, NJ 07419

Wild Turkey ($80-$110)
One Wild Turkey Way Hardyston,
NJ 07419

Black Bear ($59-$79)
138 Route 23 North Franklin
NJ 07416

Crystal Springs Golf Club ($65-$90)
One Wild Turkey Way Hardyston
NJ 07419

Minerals Golf Club ($20-$39)
2 Chamonix Drive & Route 94 Vernon
NJ 07462
Phone: 973-827-5996
crystalgolfresort.com
Golf Academy: davidglenz.com

May 30, 2004

As an Associate Editor at GOLF MAGAZINE for three years, Tom Mackin wrote about golf destinations in the United States, Mexico, Scotland, Ireland and Australia.

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management.