Best golf courses in New Jersey.

Hamburg, NJ

Ballyowen at Crystal Springs Resort in Hamburg, New Jersey, opened in 1998 and was designed by Roger Rulewich, who spent decades working for Robert Trent Jones Sr. The site was a sand and gravel operation before the course was built on it. Rulewich built a treeless, links-style layout with fescue rough, large sweeping bunkers and open sightlines across the whole property. Wind is the main defense, the fairways are wide, and the greens are large enough that a long approach can leave a very long putt. A bagpiper plays on the property during the season, and the course is open to public and resort play as part of the Crystal Springs group of courses.

Colts Neck, NJ

Hominy Hill Golf Course is a public 18-hole course in Colts Neck, New Jersey, owned and operated by the Monmouth County Park System. It was designed by Robert Trent Jones and has hosted two USGA National Amateur Public Links championships along with numerous regional tournaments. The par-72 layout measures 7,049 yards from the blue tees, with 138 bunkers scattered across the course and water hazards coming into play on four holes; seasonal wildflowers border some of the out-of-play areas. Amenities include a golf center, a snack concession, a warm-up range, locker rooms with showers, a walking trail around the property, and a recently renovated clubhouse used for weddings and other events. Tee times are booked through the county's online reservation system, and golfers need either a Monmouth County resident ID card or a non-resident reservation card to access the booking system.

Neshanic Station, NJ

Neshanic Valley Golf Course is a 27-hole public facility in Neshanic Station owned and run by the Somerset County Park Commission. Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry laid out the Lake, Ridge and Meadow nines, which opened in 2004 and combine into different 18-hole routings. The Lake/Ridge combination plays to a par of 72 and 7,065 yards from the back tees, with a course rating of 73.5 and a slope of 131. Bentgrass tees, fairways and greens are bordered by fescue rough and wetlands. The complex also has a nine-hole Academy course and a practice facility.

Galloway, NJ

The Pines Course at Seaview Golf Resort is an 18-hole course in Galloway Township, designed by William Flynn and Howard Toomey and opened in 1929, with a second nine added by William and David Gordon in 1957. The par-71 layout plays about 6,731 yards from the back tees through southern New Jersey pine forest, with narrow bentgrass fairways and well-guarded landing areas. The Pines is one of two 18-hole courses at Seaview, alongside the Bay Course, and is open to resort guests and the public.

Last verified 2026-09-17

Ocean View, NJ

Shore Gate Golf Club is an 18-hole public course in Ocean View, New Jersey, in Cape May County. Designed by Ron Fream and David Dale, it opened in 2002 and plays 7,227 yards from the black tees to a par of 72. The layout is carved through wooded terrain with undulating fairways and placed bunkers across five sets of tees. It is near Sea Isle City and the South Jersey shore, with lessons, a driving range and memberships alongside daily public play.

Last verified 2026-09-17

Egg Harbor Township, NJ

Ballamor Golf Club is a public course in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, set on 350 acres of gently rolling land and woods about 30 minutes from Atlantic City and Ocean City. It was designed by the firm Ault, Clark & Associates, with Dan Schlegel serving as architect of record, and opened in 2001. The course was originally built as a private club for developer Pat Delaney before later shifting to public, daily-fee access. Its design favors wide, forgiving fairways and large greens intended to be playable for a broad range of golfers, including seniors and higher-handicap players, while still stretching to more than 7,000 yards from the back tees. Ballamor is now the only course in the Ottinger Golf portfolio open to the public, with a restaurant and banquet facilities on site. It regularly hosts outings and group events alongside daily public tee times.

Last verified 2026-09-17

Egg Harbor Township, NJ

Twisted Dune Golf Club is a public, 18-hole links-style course in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, designed by Archie Struthers. Builders moved roughly two million cubic yards of earth to create the course's twisting, dune-like landscape and dramatic elevation changes. The layout has become known among South Jersey daily-fee courses for its contoured fairways and Scottish-links character. It is operated as part of a group of South Jersey public golf facilities.

Galloway, NJ

Donald Ross's 1914 links gem near Atlantic City

Lopatcong, NJ

The Architects Golf Club is an 18-hole, par-71 public course in Lopatcong, New Jersey, designed by Stephen Kay with Golf Digest architecture editor Ron Whitten and opened in 2001. Each hole was built to reflect the style of a different golf course architect, from Old Tom Morris to Robert Trent Jones, with holes referencing designers such as Donald Ross, Alister MacKenzie, and A.W. Tillinghast. The layout plays across rolling terrain with nearly 100 bunkers. From the back tees it measures 6,863 yards with a course rating of 72.9 and a slope of 134.

Kenilworth, NJ

New Jersey's best municipal value

Cape May, NJ

Cape May National Golf Club opened in 1991 in Cape May, New Jersey, designed by Karl Litten and Robert Mullock. The semi-private, 18-hole course plays to a par of 71 and roughly 6,900 yards from the tips. It was built around a fifty-acre private bird sanctuary, emphasizing an environmentally sensitive layout over the earthmoving style common at the time. The design traces its roots to the earlier Cape May Country Club dating to the late 1800s.

Pennsauken, NJ

Pennsauken Country Club is a public golf course in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey, with a golf history dating to 1930, though the current 18-hole layout dates to redevelopment in the early 1980s. The course plays to a par of 70 at roughly 6,250 yards, with a course rating of 70.8. Township residents helped preserve the site as a golf course rather than allow apartment development in the early 1980s. It remains a daily-fee course open to the public.

Hamburg, NJ

Wild Turkey is an 18-hole public golf course at Crystal Springs Resort in Hamburg, New Jersey, designed by Roger Rulewich and opened in 2001. It was the last of four 18-hole layouts built at the sprawling 90-hole Crystal Springs complex. The course combines the open, expansive character of Ballyowen with the multi-elevated terrain typical of the resort's other courses, set across basin-and-ridge topography. It plays to a par of 71 at over 7,200 yards from the championship tees.

Oak Ridge, NJ

Berkshire Valley Golf Course occupies a roughly 600-acre former quarry site in Jefferson Township, New Jersey, on land that once held the ruins of circus owner Alfred Ringling's early-1900s winter headquarters. Contaminated soil and old industrial waste had to be removed from the site before the course could be built. Architect Roger Rulewich designed the layout, which opened to the public in 2004 as the fourth course operated by the Morris County Park Commission. The course runs along the ridge of Green Pond Mountain, with narrow fairways, well-protected greens and notable elevation change on holes such as the par-3 second. Berkshire Valley plays to a par of 71 across 18 holes and stretches to about 6,800 yards from the back tees. It is a public, county-owned facility with a driving range, putting green and clubhouse dining.

Hamburg, NJ

The flagship challenge at NJ premier golf resort near NYC.

Last verified 2026-09-17

Cologne, NJ

Blue Heron Pines Golf Club sits in the pinelands of Cologne, New Jersey, near the Jersey Shore. Designed by Stephen Kay, the daily-fee, 18-hole layout opened in 1993 and plays to a par of 72 at roughly 6,810 yards from the back tees. Tree-lined fairways framed by native pines characterize the terrain, and the club has become part of a larger South Jersey golf portfolio under owner Ron Jaworski. It remains one of the region's established shore-area layouts.

Plainfield, NJ

Plainfield West Nine is a nine-hole, par-35 public course in Plainfield, a rare urban golf offering in Union County. The compact layout gives local golfers an affordable place to play and learn the game, with walking rates that keep it accessible.

Ringoes, NJ

Hunterdon County's hidden gem

Franklin, NJ

Black Bear is one of six golf courses at Crystal Springs Resort in Franklin, New Jersey, set in the rolling hills of the Sussex Skylands region of the state's northwest corner. It opened in July 1996 and was designed by Jack Kurlander with David Glenz. The course stretches to 6,673 yards from the back tees and brings water into play on a couple of holes across its rolling, tree-framed layout. It is built to accommodate a wide range of skill levels, from beginners to more experienced players, with multiple tee options. The course is part of the David Leadbetter Golf Academy's northeastern base of operations and includes a lighted driving range, putting greens, and a chipping area. It is open to public play with tee times bookable through the resort.

Millstone Township, NJ

Charleston Springs Golf Course's South layout is part of a 36-hole public complex owned and operated by the Monmouth County Park System in Millstone Township, New Jersey. Both the North and South courses were designed by architect Mark Mungeam, with the South course opening in 2002. The par-72 South course offers bent-grass greens and fairways with extensive bunkering and multiple water hazards. It is a daily-fee facility open to walking golfers.

High Bridge, NJ

High Bridge Hills Golf Club is a borough-owned public course in Hunterdon County, about an hour west of New York City off Interstate 78. Designed by Mark Mungeam and opened in 1999, it is routed in a links style across open, rolling terrain overlooking the Spruce Run Reservoir. The par-70 layout plays about 6,541 yards from the back tees with a slope of 137. Elevation change is the calling card, most dramatically at the par-3 eighth, where the tee sits nearly 100 feet above a green set across a natural gorge. The course is managed for the Borough of High Bridge and offers memberships with no initiation fees.

West Windsor, NJ

Mercer Oaks Golf Course's East layout is a public course in West Windsor Township, New Jersey, owned and operated by Mercer County. Designed by Brian Ault and opened in 2003, the course plays to a par of 72 at over 7,100 yards from the back tees. It complements the county's earlier West course, which opened in 1991, giving the Mercer Oaks complex two full 18-hole layouts. The East course features a traditional, tree-lined design typical of the county park system's daily-fee facilities.

Hamburg, NJ

Cascades is one of several golf courses at Crystal Springs Resort in Hamburg, New Jersey, part of the resort's Sussex Skylands golf collection in the northwestern part of the state. The course was designed by architect Roger Rulewich and opened in 2009. It is a 9-hole layout measuring about 3,627 yards from the back tees and playing to a par of 36, built with junior tees and enlarged cups to make it more approachable for beginners and families. As part of the Crystal Springs Resort golf operation, Cascades is open to resort guests and the public. Amenities include a pro shop, driving range, putting and chipping areas, and food and beverage service, and the course also hosts organized FootGolf play.

Sparta, NJ

SkyView Golf Club occupies more than 190 acres in the rolling hills of Sussex County, New Jersey, in the town of Sparta, with terrain marked by rock outcroppings and long valley views. The 18-hole course was designed by architect Robert McNeil and opened for play in 2000. It plays to a par of 71 and measures about 6,002 yards from the championship tees, winding through wooded and hilly ground. SkyView operates as a semi-private club offering both public tee times and a wedding and event venue on the same grounds. The facility includes a driving range and a clubhouse overlooking the course.