Autumn is not far away and the fall brings with it some of the best and most relaxing playing conditions of the year. The crowds have thinned, tee times are easy to get, the temperatures are pleasant (warm days and cool evenings) and the courses are in superb shape.
The premier golfing destination in the Northeast is ready to welcome you to a weekend stay and play visit, and if you have the time an even longer respite from the worries of everyday living. Atlantic City features over a dozen splendid golf courses, ranging from the historic to the new age. There are plenty of first class accommodations to be found on the Atlantic City Boardwalk and beyond, and there is plenty to keep you entertained and well fed after golf.
Deb Stevenson, General Manager at Harbor Pines Golf Club, said fall weather is perfect for golfing. “The heat and humidity are behind us and the crisp morning air is a welcome change. Course conditions are impeccable. While Harbor Pines enjoys fantastic course conditions year round, the autumn season brings about changes in the weather and the maintenance rituals which allow for more lush conditions. Not only does it play well, it looks amazing.”
Stevenson continued, “Our rates drop after the peak summer season as does demand, making tee times more accessible and you are able to finish a round more quickly. While we don’t have any `official’ winter rules at Harbor Pines, we encourage those who visit to relax the rules a little–it’s time to come out and enjoy the game without all the stress. Our new restaurant ‘the Roost’, is open year round and here to serve you before or after your round.”
Tom Sullivan, General Manager at McCullough’s Emerald Golf Links said his course is special for many reasons. “It really is a true links experience. We have rolling hills, tricky winds and undulating greens. Like links courses in the motherland, with each season is a unique course. The course in the fall is much different than the hard and fast course of the summer. Fall might be the best golf of the season.”
Let’s take a brief look at the top courses and clubs in the Atlantic City area.
Ballamor Golf Club: Carefully carved out of gently rolling land and dense woods, Ballamor is a golfer’s sanctuary. Peaceful and secluded surroundings can be found at every turn, capturing the beauty of the 350 acre property. Designed by nationally renowned architects, Ault, Clark & Associates, the course features wide, easy to hit fairways and large greens for comfortable approach shots. Ballamor boasts exceptional conditions, fast greens and impeccably manicured fairways and tees. Once a private club, Ballamor retains much of that feel today to the delight of daily fee players looking to experience golf at its finest. www.Ballamor.com
Scotland Run Golf Club: Built in and around an old sand quarry, Scotland Run offers a distinctive blend of quarry and links-style holes. The most unique characteristics include expansive waste areas and an imposing display of cliffs. Located 45 minutes from Atlantic City, Scotland Run is open to the public year-round for daily fee play, group outings and banquets. www.ScotlandRun.com
The Links at Brigantine Beach: True to its historic Scottish roots, the seaside layout includes breathtaking bay views, native marshes, and gently rolling nearly treeless terrain. The berms, moundings and tidal water hazards found on 14 of the 18 holes offer a challenge to all skill levels. The greens roll smoothly and are noted as the finest in Southern New Jersey….a bump-and-run strategy is often the best for producing low scores. www.BrigatineGolf.com
Eagle Ridge Golf Club: Eagle Ridge Golf Club is a stunning 27-hole championship golf course open to the public seven days a week. Nestled within the lush natural pines of Northern Ocean County, you will feel like you are playing in the Carolinas not Central Jersey. Experience exceptional golf conditions on the course voted The Best in Ocean County, just minutes from the Jersey Shore and an hour from both New York City and Philadelphia. Complete your day in a fun and relaxed atmosphere while enjoying delicious food or perhaps lifting a pint of ale in The Hut, a recently remodeled pub. www.EagleridgeGolf.com
The Seaview Resort Bay and Pines Courses: The Bay Course opened in 1914 and was designed by Hugh Wilson and Donald Ross. The 6,300-yard layout is less a test of length, and more a test of imagination, accuracy and the short game. The Bay Course presents a Scottish-links feel, dramatic seaside views, deep pot bunkers and small undulating greens. It is the current h
The Pines Course opened in 1929 and was designed by William Flynn and Howard Toomey. Unlike the Bay Course, the Pines winds its way through New Jersey woodlands, presenting elevation changes and doglegs. The course measures 6,800 yards, and features large bunkers and expansive, sloping greens. The 16th hole was the site of Sam Snead’s miraculous 60-foot chip-in to win the 1942 PGA Championship–his first major. www.SeaviewGolf.com
Harbor Pines Golf Club: Serving the Atlantic City golf community and entire region for over 25 years, Harbor Pines Golf Club is a premier South Jersey golf course. Voted the number one Country Club in the area and a Favorite Place to Play golf, Harbor Pines offers outstanding course conditions, pace of play, and service that rivals any private country club. You will find impeccable conditions, beautiful surroundings and a challenging but fun course just minutes from Atlantic City. There are five sets and two combo tee options accommodate golfers of all skill levels. Distinctive bunkers, and large undulating greens are designed within the parkland style course. Harbor Pines Golf Club also offers three separate and distinct practice areas. www.HarborPines.com
Blue Heron Pines Golf Club: Blue Heron Pines opened in 1993 and was quickly recognized as one of the best courses at the Jersey Shore. Designed by Stephen Kay, it takes full advantage of the natural beauty of the pinelands, with majestic tree lines framing breathtaking vistas. www.BlueHeronPines.com
Egg Harbor Township, NJ
Twisted Dune Golf Club: Annually recognized as one of New Jersey’s best public golf courses you can play, Twisted Dune Golf Club is like no other golf course in the Garden State. True to its name, Twisted Dune is a links style course with twisting landscapes, dramatic elevations, and contoured fairways, offering a challenging, yet playable, design. Course architect Archie Struthers moved two million cubic yards of earth to bring the course to fruition; creating a true taste of the Scottish Coast to the Jersey shore and near the popular attractions in Atlantic City. Deep ravines, towering grass-covered hills, and well over 100 deep traps and bunkers, make Twisted Dune’s 7,200 yards a memorable golfing experience for all. With its many tee box options, Twisted Dune is also one of the most friendly to golfers of every skill level. www.TwistedDune.com
Shore Gate Golf Club: Shore Gate Golf Club has been perpetually ranked as one of the top public golf courses in New Jersey. Carved out of woodlands, Shore Gate allows each group to feel unbothered as they navigate the course from start to finish. Undulating fairways and strategic bunker placements call for precise shots, while five sets of tee boxes make the course inclusive for all skill levels. www.ShoregateGolf.com
Cape May National Golf Club: Cape May National Golf Club is one of the most natural golf courses ever built. Nicknamed “The Natural”, the course surrounds a 50-acre private bird sanctuary. Cape May National started a new trend in environmental sensitivity in course design, while providing a classic turn of the century golf course. CMN goes back to its roots to the late 1800s and its predecessor, Cape May Country Club. www.CMNGC.com
Long Beach National Golf Club: Situated on over 155 acres of meticulously maintained grounds nestled within the woodlands of South Jersey, the newly named LBI National is being re-imagined and revived. The property’s 35,000-square-foot clubhouse features a restaurant, a pro shop, multiple private dining and event spaces, and an Atlantic City skyline view. www.LBINational.com
Vineyard National Golf Club: Vineyard National’s international draw stems from the fusion of pristine greens, challenging play, and a novel experience. The championship course provides the privilege of teeing off among the original vines the winery’s founder cultivated to create his famed American Champagne over 150 years ago. Here you cm immerse yourself in a course that boasts historic prestige and championship play. www.RenaultWinery.com
McCulloughs Emerald Golf Links: Located just minutes from Atlantic City, McCullough’s Emerald Golf Links offers players a distinctly different Irish-Scottish golfing experience. With wide-open fairways, tricky winds, true undulating greens, and remarkable grass mounds and bunkers, players will be both challenged and fascinated. Architect Stephen Kay designed holes after famed those found on European courses. The signature 7th hole, is a tribute to famed turn of the 20th century architect Alistair Mackenzie, who won an award for the design in 1914, but never had the opportunity to build it. It features a three-acre waste area and an island fairway 160 yards wide. www.McculloughsGolf.com
STAY AND PLAY
Gary Shea, Regional Manager of the stay and play package business Golf ‘N Gamble, said the difference between AC and any other golf travel market from Myrtle Beach on up is that there is plenty to do when you are not playing golf. “You can play a round of golf at a quality golf course in the morning, hang out on the beach in the afternoon, have a world class dinner, and then there are top notch entertainment and night clubs…..all within a couple of miles of each other.”
Shea takes pride in his approach where he meets his clients for their first round of golf, whether it’s the day they are arriving or the first day they are there. “This way, they know that there’s a person on the ground in the area and puts a face with the voice, name, text, etc. they’ve been dealing with up until that point.”
His customers “seem to be all over the spectrum these days” with a younger crowd moving in as well. “Basically, they are predominantly male, over 40 and even into the 80s, from a vast array of businesses, professionals and blue-collar workers. Golf trips are popular amongst public servants as well.”
Shannon Ott, a Partner of the package specialist GolfAC, said “Atlantic City has so many after hours activities for the golfer to enjoy after their rounds of golf..dining, spas, gambling, shows, and much, much more.”
Since 1999, GolfAC has been “dedicated to providing clients with the finest service in an effort to deliver an Atlantic City golf experience beyond all expectations”. Ott said, “Our team of experts is available to help customers plan their next Atlantic City golf getaway.”
Ott said GolfAC.com is a one stop shop for golf vacation packages in and around Atlantic City. “Our features give groups of any size the ability to create a custom itinerary for their players to best fit their skill level and budget and combine lodging accommodations, tee times, dining and more, all in one place. With over 20 lodging options, 15 golf courses, and endless restaurants, activities and transportation, there is simply something for everyone in Atlantic City.”
Ott continued, “After creating their desired golf vacation itinerary with the help of our golf travel experts, a simple online payment system allows golfers to individually join and pay their portion of a scheduled golf trip. No collecting money, and no hassle of booking tee times and blocks of rooms. Booking with www.GolfAC.com takes the stress out of planning Golf Getaways.”
GolfAC’s customers range from husbands and wives who just want to get away for a long weekend, golf leagues (men and women) who travel to different destinations to enjoy new and exciting courses, gamblers who are there to enjoy everything Atlantic City has to offer in addition to golf, and old friends who come to the area to get together once a year for their annual golf vacation.
Packages to Choose From
Shea’s Golf ‘N Gamble has several interesting specials planned for the fall, all based around various hotels and casinos in Atlantic City. There’s a two weekend nights with three rounds of golf with the stay at the Tropicana Atlantic City Casino and Resort. The price is $595 per person, double occupancy. The offer is good until Sept. 15.
The Tropicana features luxury ocean view hotels rooms and suites, round-the-clock casino gaming, gourmet dining, live entertainment, the nearby beach and Boardwalk, and a wealth of shopping, a world-class experience awaits.
There is a two weekend nights, three rounds of golf special based at the Boardwalk at Resorts Atlantic City with the price being $579.
Resorts Atlantic City is known for its rich history and now for its groundbreaking edge. With the additions of the New Rendezvous Tower, 25 Hours Lounge, The Burger Bar and Gallagher’s Steakhouse, Resorts continues to redefine itself with sophistication and style. The hotel is located directly on the beach and boardwalk, connected via an indoor skywalk to the Hard Rock Casino. Here’s an indoor pool and spa and a new “Margaritaville” mega complex and Landshark Bar & Grill, Atlantic City’s only Beach Bar.
Another special features accommodations at the Golden Nugget Casino with a two nights stay and three rounds of golf for $485 per person, double occupancy. For nonstop entertainment, you can head to the nearly 80,000 square foot casino. From the thrills and chills of a baccarat or blackjack tournament to the fun and excitement of the craps pit, the table games at the Golden Nugget have the hottest action in town. Accommodations at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City provide the ultimate in comfort and style and have been awarded the prestigious Five Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences. The casino offers classic buffet dining and seafood and steakhouse dining as well.
A fourth fall special is based at Atlantic City’s upscale Courtyard by Marriott, conveniently located just one block from the ocean and the historic Atlantic City Boardwalk. The hotel’s location is ideal for easy access to the casinos, fine dining restaurants, shopping and entertainment. The stay is two weekend nights with three rounds of golf. The cost is $399 per person, double occupancy.
The specials are good until Sept.15. Pricing at some casinos and hotels is based on availability and subject to change. Single rooms with king sized beds may be priced cheaper. Specials are not available on holidays.Visit https://www.golfandgamble.com/AC/specials/ to access the Golf and Gamble offers.
GolfAC, said Ott, has a “The Play Through” package starting at $235. The offer includes one night midweek accommodations at the Tropicana Casino or Harrah’s Casino Hotel, a morning round of golf Blue Heron Pines Golf Club and a morning round at Twisted Dune Golf Club. The cost is based on two people sharing a room, midweek, Sunday through Thursday. The special starts Sept. 5 and runs through Oct. 15.
The One Under Today package starts at $465 and includes two nights midweek accommodations at Resorts Casino Hotel, an afternoon round of golf at Ballamor Golf Club, a morning round of golf at McCullough’s Emerald Links, and a morning round of golf at Harbor Pines Golf Club. The price is based on two people sharing a room, midweek, Sunday through Thursday. The offer starts Sept. 5 and runs through Oct. 15.
For more information, call 800-252-5866 or via email at shannon@golfac.com. You can also go to www.GolfAC.com to create your own customizable quote.
