Running Deer Challenges Your Game

Everything at Running Deer Golf Club is over-sized--some might even say over-done.  The fairways are collections of large mounds surrounded by impossible ravines, monstrous bunkers, and/or encroaching trees.  Sometimes all on the same hole.  The greens were contoured with a heavy hand, too, so that even if you can reach them in something near regulation, you'll have a tough two-putt to come close to par.

But then, what would you expect from an over-sized owner like ESPN personality and Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame quarterback Ron Jaworski?  Running Deer is one of several golf properties the sports star has collected under the umbrella of Ron Jaworski Golf Management.  Among them are Valleybrook Country Club and Blue Heron Pines, both in New Jersey.  Running Deer is his most recent acquisition.



Skilled players won't have much trouble with Running Deer, but then they don't have much difficulty anywhere, do they?  Anyone who occasionally sprays a tee shot or can't handle anything but a level lie is going to have their work cut out for them, however.  Still, the course is fair--it plays equally difficult for everyone--and all the trouble is right there in front of you.

Running Deer measures 7,100 yards from the tips and 6,400 from the more-reasonable white tees.  There are a few forced carries, but length isn't as necessary as accuracy on almost every hole.  Consider club selection carefully, especially on the short par fours.  And bring an extra sleeve of balls, too, since several holes have water and/or tangled rough not far off the fairway.

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf

Add Ballamor to Your Atlantic City Golf Itinerary

Ballamor Golf Club

While no one wants to see clubs go under, one of the silver linings in the cloud over the game has been the conversion of some excellent private clubs to public daily fee operations.  Leading that movement has been the Ottinger family in New Jersey, who took the bankrupt Ballamor Golf Club public in 2010.  The course had opened just nine years earlier.

Today Ballamor offers a wonderful golf experience within a few miles of Atlantic City.  The 7,098-yard course has a strong Pinelands feel, with routing through and around environmentally-sensitive wetlands on a huge 350-acre piece of property without a home in sight.  The architect, Dan Schlegel, then of Ault, Clark & Associates, moved a great deal of earth to create rolling terrain out of what was originally a fairly flat, featureless pine forest.  The result is a manicured and highly playable golf course.

Ballamor opens with a fairly benign 522-yard par five (from the 6,681-yard blue tees) that, like much of the course, features wide fairways and a green to match.  One of the most interesting holes on the course is number 15, a 347-yard par four with a mentally challenging tee shot.  Water is your first test, but then comes the real choice: carry the massive bunker on the left corner of the dog leg with a 220-yard drive or play it safer to the right, leaving a long, bunkers-everywhere-in-site second shot?

The Ottinger family group includes nearby Scotland Run and the tradition-laden Atlantic City Country Club.

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf

Happy Tenth To Vineyard Golf at Renault

Vineyard Golf at Renault, a delightful course in Egg Harbor City, NJ, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.  It's great addition to the long list of excellent golf opportunities within a few minutes drive of Atlantic City. With a fine hotel, restaurant, and namesake winery, Renault Winery Resort is actually a worthwhile destination of its own.

The unique 7,200-yard golf course was designed by architect Ed Shearon and features intriguing views of the vineyards as it meanders through the south Jerseys Pinelands.  Every hole seems to offer risk/reward opportunities and thoughtful strategic elements. Wide fairways are inviting but reward the well-placed tee shot, fairway bunkers and water are in play often enough to provide some variety, and the undulating greens place a premium on an accurate approach game.

Five sets of tees give golfers a course to suite every game, ranging from 5,176 to 7,213 yards.  From the recommended white tees, Vineyard Golf measure 6,358 with a 70.2/123 rating/slope.  Any number of holes are standouts, but the seventh is perhaps the most memorable.  From the whites, it plays 400 yards from an elevated tee box surrounded by the vineyard. The right-to-left dog leg is protected by bunkers on both sides of the curve and the approach to the green is guarded by trees left, so club selection off the tee is critical.

The owners of Renault Winery Resort created the golf course ten years ago, but the winery itself dates back to the 1864.  The first vines were brought to America from his native France by Louis Nicolas Renault.  Opened to the public in 1870, the Renault Winery eventually become the largest producer of champagne in the United States at one point; a distinction it was able to claim (and retain) since it was made before the term "champagne" was reserved by French producers.

The winery once had 600 acres of grapes but a large portion of the space was developed into a resort starting in 1983 with the opening of a restaurant. The resort's Tuscany Hotel opened in 2001 and golf was added in 2004. In addition to the small, European-style hotel, Vineyard Golf at Renault features a gourmet restaurant, a historic winery building offering tours, lavish banquet rooms for weddings and celebrations and, of course, a golf course that is as fine as the wine.

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf

Ring the Bell for Atlantic City Country Club

Atlantic City Country Club

It’s easy to see why the Atlantic City Country Club has been a favorite of pros and ams alike during its 117-year history.  Strategic, scenic, tradition-laden, you name the positive golf adjective and it applies in spades.  The club has hosted six national USGA championships and its fairways have been walked by everyone from Babe Didrikson Zaharias and Sam Snead to Nancy Lopez and Arnold Palmer.  The easy-to-say-hard-to-get term “birdie” was coined here, as was “eagle,” at least according to local lore.

The best news in ages, though, is that ACCC is now under new ownership. After years of less-than-benign neglect by previous owners Hilton Hotels and Caesars Casino, it was purchased this year by the Ottinger Family Group, which immediately began a program to bring course conditions and amenities back up to premium standards.  The family also owns Ballamor Golf Club in Egg Harbor Township and Scotland Run Golf Club in Williamstown, NJ.

Small greens and big bunkers define the ACCC course and make it a strategic pleasure (or pain) to play.  While sandy soil and wind are prevalent conditions, it’s not a links course.  You can certainly use a good ground game and it often pays to keep your ball under the wind, but flying the ball into most greens is your best choice. Besides, the voracious greenside bunkering often makes a high, soft approach necessary unless you’re in the one perfect position in the fairway to run it up.

The course plays 6,577 yards from the tips with a 72.3/133 rating/slope.  Three other tees are available including the forward set that brings it down to 5,349 yards. You tee off on the first hole basically from the practice green, which is a great old-fashioned touch.  Don’t get too wrapped up in nostalgia, though, because your drive has to carry a water hazard and avoid numerous fairway bunkers and deep rough to find the fairway on this 450-yard test of both skill and power. Beginning with the fourth hole, views of the Atlantic City skyline compete for your attention at many spots on the course.  The wetlands are brought into play when you reach thirteen and shape your play until you finally turn back toward the clubhouse on seventeen.

Daily fee rates at ACCC vary hugely by season and time of day.  Peak season weekend mornings are $225, but you can tee off after 3 PM for $99.  The best value is October, when the summer crowds are gone, the weather is actually nicer, and greens fees range from $58 to $160.

The grill and locker rooms are real treats for lovers of golf memorabilia. Take a few minutes to check out the photos of the many greats who played at ACCC over the years including a twinkle-eyed Arnold Palmer in his Coast Guard uniform from 1951. Stop, too, at the great bell hanging just outside the clubhouse entrance and imagine the rush of jolly golfers responding to its call to the last trolley back to Atlantic City.  The club today still rings it at the end of each day to invite you to “play a round with history.”

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf

Historic Seaview Bay Course Hosts LPGA ShopRite Classic

The unofficial start to the summer golf season in Atlantic City takes place this week on the Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club’s newly renovated Bay Course. It's the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer.

Defending champion Karrie Webb joins fellow Hall of Famers Juli Inkster and Se Ri Pak, who are set to tee it up with future legends of the game like teen phenom Lydia Ko and major winner Lexi Thompson. Additionally, the field features fan favorites such as Michelle Wie, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel and Natalie Gulbis, as well past champions of this event like Stacy Lewis, Cristie Kerr and Brittany Lincicome.

The May 30 to June 1 LPGA event features the world’s Top 10 ranked players in the Rolex Rankings and reigning champions of all five LPGA majors — along with 94 out of the top 100 players on the LPGA’s money list.

The real star of the show, though, may well be the Seaview Bay Course, a 6,366-yard Donald Ross design that will test every player, pro or amateur. The track is one infuriating short hole after another, with wind, wind, wind, and more wind pushing your ball away from the tiny greens.  The course underwent a renovation earlier this year to celebrate its centennial, but it didn't lose its traditional feel despite adding new tees on four holes and refreshing some of the bunker complexes. It's still seaside golf in all its glory.

A hundred years of golf history at Seaview are reflected in the wooden bunker rakes and flag sticks, not to mention the many crowned greens with approaches that reward an effective bump-and-run ground game and a careful reading of putts.  In an earlier, gentler time, Warren G. Harding played the course and Sam Snead won the 1942 PGA Championship here. In addition to Juli Inkster, two other Hall of Famers, Annika Sorenstam and Nancy Lopez,won the LPGA ShopRite Classic on the Bay Course.

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf

Shore Gate Rates a Trip to Jersey

Shore Gate Golf Club is one of the many under-appreciated golf opportunities on the Jersey shore.  Since it opened in 2002, it's been named to numerous "best of" lists, which is completely understandable once you play the demanding, scenic layout that winds through the pine forests of Ocean View, NJ. Daily fee (and membership) rates are reasonable, the golf is good, and there are plenty of amenities to add to your experience, including Atlantic City just 30 minutes away.

The course was designed by Ron Fream and David Dale and built on 245 acres with plenty of dramatic elevation changes and rolling terrain. The architects mixed features of both parkland and link-style golf to make things interesting.  Fairways are tight, greens are expansive, and you'll find plenty of water and sand to challenge your game. From the tips, Shore Gate stretches over 7,200 yards, but there are four other sets of tees to make par accessible for every level of golfer. Given the amount of trouble on the course, I'd recommend sticking with the 6,391-yard whites (rating/slope of 70.7/132) for anyone except the longest-hitting single handicappers.

Shore Gate #9 - 577 yard par 5

There are 88 bunkers on Shore Gate (as well as seven ponds and lakes), making even the shorter holes a test of your game. The toughest hole on the course, though, is the longest. It's the ninth, which measures 577 yards from the white tees--you don't even want to think about playing the black at 648!  the ninth hole is also a true par five, wrapping in a u-shape around a water hazard on the left side of the fairway that also squeezes in front of the green.

Among the many short-hole delights is the 371-yard seventh hole, aka "Bunker City." A dramatic sand chute runs the entire length of the right side of the fairway from tee to green, making the dog-leg a slicer's nightmare. Even straight hitters can get in trouble here, too, because they can drive through the fairway and end up with trees between them and the green.

Among the other golf pleasures of Shore Gate is the practice area with multi-tiered driving range featuring both bent grass and artificial tees, a huge putting green, and a practice bunker. Peak time green fees run $115 during peak season, but twilight rates are around $70. For the best prices--and the best weather--enjoy Shore Gate in September and October, when you can tee it up for as little as $50.

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf