The best New Jersey Golf Courses for Public play listings

Introduction to listing

Overall rating                                  (Course rating)

1stNeshanic Valley Golf Course            (2nd)                                                         Course Rating-73.2      Price Rating-10         83.2

Consistently enjoyable

Best public course in NJ, always immaculate. Layout is challenging but fun, no holes that seem out of place or not interesting. Overall awesome course, 70$ for this course is a steal.

Neshanic Valley, Somerset county Typical off-season price  $70

 

 

2nd Ballyowen Golf Club                         (3rd) Course Rating-73      Price Rating-8          81.0

Great course

Ballyowen is a very nice course. Conditioning was good and the design was well thought out with a variety of challenging and diverse holes. Some good risk reward opportunities and nice green complexes. It is a great public course. If you are a public golfer in the New York area who enjoys a real test this is a must-play.

Hamburg, Sussex county Typical off-season price  $76

 

 

3rd The Bay Course at Seaview              (4th) Course Rating-63.7       Price Rating-14       77.7
Seaview - The Bay Course

Challenging Course

Tough but fair. Beautiful views. Played a great 4:15 round there. I can’t speak to the summer price, however, it’s a good value off season. Almost every hole is dead straight, not much imagination needed.

Absecon, Atlantic county Typical off-season price $50

 

 

4th Atlantic City country club                 (1st) Course Rating-75.1    Price Rating-2      77.1
Atlantic City CC: #4

Great Historical Club with a Mixed Classic/Links Design

A classic layout with tricky undulating greens mixed with a dose of British links golf along the marsh. It’s brutally tough when the winds kick up off the ocean, but the course is designed to welcome a ground game approaching the greens. It’s expensive but one of the best public courses on the Jersey Shore,

Northfield, Atlantic county Typical off-season price $99

 

 

5thTwisted Dune Golf Club                    (6th) Course Rating-63    Price Rating-14      77.0
Twisted Dune GC

Must Play

First time playing the course and it surpassed all my expectations by far. This may be the best shore course in South Jersey. The condition of the course was very good despite all of the rain. Can’t wait to play it again when it dries out.

Egg Harbor Township Typical off-season price $51

 

 

6th Eagle Ridge Golf Club                       (8th) Course Rating-59.3    Price Rating-14      73.3
Eagle Ridge GC

Unique design – 27 holes – fun

Very interesting design that makes us want to go back and play again now that we know how to navigate the many blind tee shots and strategy. The pace of play was quick. Fairways and greens in superb condition.

Lakewood Ocean County Typical off-season price $53

 

 

7th Ron Jaworski’s River Winds             (15th) Course Rating-55.1    Price Rating-18      73.1
RiverWinds GC

Course has great challenges.

The course is in very good condition and it’s 6,500 yards from the white tees so it’s challenging for average players. It has black tees that stretches the yardage over 7.2K for those long hitters. So, it’s setup for different types of players.

West Deptford Typical off-season price $34

 

 

8th Ballamor                                   (7th) Course Rating-62.9    Price Rating-10      72.9
Ballamor GC: Hole #3

Great Day Out

Ballamor is a fair but tough course. From the tee, some tight driving areas where you should play to stay in the short grass, the rough can be penal. Greens have undulations and some deep bunkers. Great place to play in South Jersey.

Egg harbor townshio, Atlantic county Typical off-season price $69

 

 

9th Heron Glen                                             (9th) Course Rating-57.6    Price Rating-14      71.6
Heron Glen GC: #5

Outstanding!

Great golf course. Played here for the first time, and it was amazing. Great layout, with country club conditions.

Ringoes, Hunterdon County Typical off-season price $50

 

10thOcean County Forge Pond            (30th) Course Rating-48.3    Price Rating-20      68.3
Ocean County GC at Forge Pond

Forge Pond – so Great for beginners!

I Love the surroundings and being amongst nature. Layout is what it is and for a par 60 I thought that it was nice.

Ocean County Typical off-season price $31

 

 

11th High Point Golf Club                    (32nd) Course Rating-47.5    Price Rating-20      67.5
High Point GC: #15

Bang for the buck golf

Nice course, interesting layout with several water carries. Great staff, good pace of play. Definitely play again. The narrowness of the course definitely helps you concentrate on hitting a straight shot!

Montague Typical off-season price $29

 

 

12th Knoll West Country Club               (5th) Course Rating-63.4    Price Rating-4      67.4
Knoll West CC

Perfect Fairways, Quick Greens

Nicely designed course with relatively wide fairways lined with trees and quick greens. Lots of bunkers, many as visual obstacles sitting anywhere from 100-200 yards from the tee. Bunkers around some of the greens were deep! But the sand is good. Staff are Super friendly!

Parsippany, Morris county Typical off-season price $90

 

 

13th Great Gorge Mountain Creek      (23rd) Course Rating-51.2    Price Rating-16      67.2
Great Gorge at Mountain Creek Resort - Lake #1

Great Gorge Is Tough!

27 holes-Looking forward to going back. Classic layout in great condition for the price point. We played Quarry-Rail. Sand traps were nicely framed & contoured. Nice definition between fairways and rough. If you haven’t played in a while, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. I wish the new owners well.

McAfee Typical off-season price $47

 

 

14th Pitman Golf course                        (27th) Course Rating-49.1    Price Rating-18      67.1
Pitman GC: #12

Bang for the Buck

Conditions are consistently solid for a course that can get a ton of play. Layout is not exactly challenging but it’s a perfect example of what a municipal golf course should play like. The other privately operated public courses in the area should take note of the job staff have done here.

Gloucester County Typical off-season price $35

 

 

15th – Quail Brook Golf course             (24th) Course Rating-50.9    Price Rating-16      66.9
Quail Brook GC: #2

Great Course, Great Value

It is similar to an executive course as the back nine is replaying with the tee boxes set further back. The staff is very professional and friendly. The golfers were courteous and will allow play though for twosomes and singles. Overall, I would recommend this course as you get to play all clubs in your bag. Par 5’s are challenging.

Somerset County Typical off-season price $45

 

 

16th-McCullough’s Emerald Links             (17th) Course Rating-54.8    Price Rating-12      66.8
McCullough's Emerald Golf Links

Best Value in the Area

There are a lot of pricey public courses in the area, but McCullough’s is not one of them. But don’t let the cheaper rates fool you, this is an excellent course. The holes consist of replicas of famous links golf holes from around the world

Egg Harbor Townshio, Atlantic county Typical off-season price $57

 

 

17thRutgers University                        (28th) Course Rating-49.1    Price Rating-17.5      66.6
Rutgers University GC

Kudos to the maintenance staff!

Course was in great shape! greens were probably the best I putted all year included several private courses and all for $39 walking, I have never seen the course in better shape. Looking forward to going back. Not long enough to be overwhelmingly hard but challenging enough with the greens…..Really….go play!

Middlesex County Typical off-season price $39

 

 

18th Scotland Run                                 (13th) Course Rating-55.5    Price Rating-10      65.5
Scotland Run Golf Club #16

Always A favorite

The course gets a little crowded on weekends. Greens were in fantastic shape, fairway were good. Bunkers had been at least graded, tee boxes need work. Never tire of this layout as it offers many interesting holes, some short and easy while others are a difficult uphill challenge such as the par 5 18th, a fabulous difficult finish.

Williamstown, Gloucester County Typical off-season price $69

 

 

19th Colts Neck Golf Club                      (33th) Course Rating-47.5    Price Rating-18      65.5
Colts Neck GC

Nice Layout, well-manicured

Colts Neck was at its best on a chilly sun-drenched late November afternoon. At 6,300 from the tips, the course isn’t particularly intimidating on paper, but a closer look tells a different story.

Monmouth County Typical off-season price $50

 

 

20thBerkshire Valley Golf Course          (16th) Course Rating-55    Price Rating-10      65.0
Berkshire Valley GC

Highly recommended

I was finally able to get on and it was a heck of a course. You can’t beat the views and the course was in perfect condition. The first 4-5 holes are extremely tight but once it opens its a lot more friendly to bogey golfers. Bring a few extra balls for mis-hits as the rough is tough!

Oak Ridge, Passaic County Typical off-season price $70

 

 

21th – Peddie Golf club                            (10th) Course Rating-56.6    Price Rating-8      64.6
High Point GC: #15

Fun course. Short but challenging. Good for walking

It’s a shortish course (under 6,300 from the back tees) with many narrow holes that require you to think about which club to hit (driver off the tee is not a good idea on many of the holes). Not a lot of water or bunkers on the course… the challenge is mostly in how tight the course is and how small the greens are.

Hightstown, Mercer county Typical off-season price $74

 

 

22thThe Architects Golf Club             (11th) Course Rating-56.2    Price Rating-8      64.2
The Architects GC: #8

Really enjoyed the course

I’ve always heard great things about Architects and it did not disappoint. Played in December and the course was still in great shape. Some very fun and picturesque holes. I’m already looking forward to getting back here in the Spring.

Warren County Typical off-season price $76

 

 

23th Hominy Hill Golf Course            (37th) Course Rating-44.1    Price Rating-20      64.1
Hominy Hill GC: #18

Top Shelf County Golf

This is a great muni course, often in good shape, with challenging holes and a great course design by Robert Trent Jones.

Monmouth County Typical off-season price $30

 

 

24th Sea Oaks Country Club                 (12th) Course Rating-55.9    Price Rating-8      63.9
Sea Oaks CC

Daunting Layout

Course sports a lot of bunkers & rough fairway crossovers. Greens & fairways in nice shape. Restaurant is great!

Little Egg Harbor, Ocean county Typical off-season price $76

 

 

25th – Woodcrest Country Club            (14th) Course Rating-55.3    Price Rating-8      63.3
Woodcrest CC

Worth the Play, for

The course was pretty challenging but fair. Fairways were narrow and the rough was fairly long. A lot of elevation changes, dog legs, and unreachable par 5’s for me. Course was in excellent condition even after quite a bit of rain. I would recommend it to anyone and would play it again.

Cherry Hill, Camden county Typical off-season price $75

 

 

26thFarmstead Country Club             (29th) Course Rating-48.6    Price Rating-14      62.6

Great Course For The Money!

I always enjoy playing Farmstead. Some holes are wide open and some are very tight. You will use every club in your bag.

 Lafayette, Sussex County Typical off-season price $50

 

 

27thFox Hollow Golf Club                   (31th) Course Rating-48.3    Price Rating-14      62.3
Fox Hollow GC: #9

Great place for golf

Liked the challenging course. Each tee box presents a little different look. Tee boxes could use a little more care. Pace was excellent today. Greens in good condition, fairways near the greens showed some player neglect. Rough and fairways in good condition. This course is high on my referral list. I will be back!

Branchburg, Somerset County Typical off-season price $49

 

 

28thMercer Oaks Golf Club East           (26th) Course Rating-49.6      Price Rating-12      61.6
Mercer Oaks GC

Nice course

It is a very nice links course. Many sand traps come in play on most of the holes. Wide fairways and fast greens. One of the best public courses in the central area of New Jersey.

Princeton Junction, Mercer County Typical off-season price $59

 

 

29th Seaview hotel & GC Pines             (34th) Course Rating-47.4    Price Rating-14      61.4
Seaview  - The Pines

Great course

This course is top notch. I’ve played several courses in the area this year and this has been the best. The conditions were very good especially considering most courses have been decent at best. The rate of play was about 20 or so minutes faster than normal. I highly recommend this course.

Absecon, Atlantic County Typical off-season price $50
 

 

 

30th – Galloping Hill                                (35th) Course Rating-47.2    Price Rating-14      61.2
Galloping Hill GC

Great course

Boy this course has changed a lot since I played it 20 years ago. Great layout! Some long holes and lots of shorter holes but you need good shot placement. Greens were in great shape! Highly recommended!

Kenilworth, Union County Typical off-season price $51

 

 

31stCrystal spring-Wild Turkey          (20th) Course Rating-52.3    Price Rating-8      60.3
Wild Turkey GC

Enjoyable Round

Wild Turkey is a well maintained very playable course. Pace of play was 4.15 late in day. Starter worked well to accommodate everyone. Greens, fairways and tee boxes were in great shape even in November. The course is fairly wide open and leaves room for some miss hits. Greens roll true. Had a fun afternoon.

Hamburg, Sussex County Typical off-season price $74

 

 

32nd Knob Hill Golf Club                     (21th) Course Rating-52.2    Price Rating-8      60.2
Knob Hill GC Great course with challenging but reasonable layout Great day at Knob Hill. A bit pricey, but great course. Cart GPS excellent, large screen w good details. Course is surrounded by houses, so if you don’t trust your swing, be careful.
Englishtown, Monmouth County Typical off-season price $75

 

 

33rdBlue Heron Pines Golf Club          (22nd) Course Rating-52    Price Rating-8      60.0
Blue Heron Pines GC

Great layout

Loved the layout and settings at blue heron! Staff was professional and active! Spotters were personable, well organized and the pace was great! Post rain the bunkers had some water and fairways were a little spongey and soft but the course played great!

Galloway, Atlantic County Typical off-season price $76

 

 

34th Bowling Green Golf Club               (18th) Course Rating-53    Price Rating-6      59.0
Bowling Green GC

Fantastic course. Definitely a must-play!

Not your typical Geoff Cornish course! Lots of doglegs and multi-tier greens. Unless you can play both draws and fades comfortably off the tee, you might find yourself hitting lots of three woods or long irons. Even from the Cornish (black) tees.

Oak Ridge, Passaic County Typical off-season price $80

 

 

35th – River Vale Country Club              (19th) Course Rating-52.5    Price Rating-6      58.5
River Vale CC

Beautiful course

Great looking course, holes for all levels, long & short. Hats off to the maintenance staff the fairways & rough were surprisingly leaf free, magic or hard work! The greens are up there with the fastest and most challenging I have played

River Vale, Bergen County Typical off-season price $85

 

 

36thShore gate                                       (25th) Course Rating-49.8    Price Rating-9      57.8
Shore Gate GC: #12

Great track in recovery

If you are looking for a place to play when in South Jersey put Shore Gate on your list. This is a quality golf course that will challenge from every set of tees. If the ninth hole doesn’t get your attention, then surely the 15th will

Ocean view Typical off-season price $76

 

 

37thRoyce Brook Golf Club East          (36th) Course Rating-44.7    Price Rating-8      52.7
Royce Brook GC - East

I shall return

Interesting layout, more so on the back 9 which is more open, too. Solid par 3s that are challenging, but not overwhelming.

Hillsborough, Somerset County Typical off-season price $76

 

 

 

 

9 HOLE COURSES RANKINGS

 

1st Neshanic Valley Academy               (1st) Course Rating-78.4    Price Rating-12      90.4
Neshanic Valley GC - Academy

Short 9 hole-Great course for learning

I am a teaching pro and I recommend this course for beginners. I play it because I take my girlfriend who is learning the game. It is perfect for her. Par4’s that are 255-320 and par3’s that are 80-170 are perfect yardages for beginners, kids, some ladies, and even seniors. Also great for a little match among buddies.

Neshanic Valley, Somerset county Typical off-season price $27

 

 

2nd Clearbrook Golf course                   (3rd) Course Rating-70.4    Price Rating-18      88.4
Clearbrook GC: #6, #7

Nice nine-hole course!

This is a nice course to use as a tune up or practice round. Overall I would recommend this course especially if playing with older or younger hitters.

Monroe Township, Middlesex County Typical off-season price $20

 

 

3rd Skyway at Lincoln Park West        (2nd) Course Rating-72    Price Rating-12      84.0
Skyway GC at Lincoln Park West: #3

Tough 9 Holes

Hit the fairways or you’re going to be in trouble. No trees, but lots of deep rough and ball-eating scrubby brush out of bounds. 9 holes plays like 18… challenging greens, some odd, twisty fairways. Great views of NYC from the higher spots, can be windy. Staff has always been friendly and helpful. Try the BLT after your round.

Jersey City Typical off-season price $30

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