PINE VALLEY GOLF CLUB
Course Architect(s): George Arthur Crump & Harry S. Colt, Hugh Wilson, William Flynn, Perry Maxwell, Tom Fazio (1989-present).
Year Opened: 1918
Location: Pine Valley, New Jersey
Slope: 155. Rating: 76.6
Par: 70
Yardage: 7,181
Hole-by-Hole: 1 - Par 4 421 Yds 10 - Par 3 161 Yds
2 - Par 4 368 Yds 11 - Par 4 397 Yds
3 - Par 3 198 Yds 12 - Par 4 358 Yds
4 - Par 4 499 Yds 13 - Par 4 486 Yds
5 - Par 3 238 Yds 14 - Par 3 210 Yds
6 - Par 4 438 Yds 15 - Par 5 615 Yds
7 - Par 5 636 Yds 16 - Par 4 475 Yds
8 - Par 4 326 Yds 17 - Par 4 414 Yds
9 - Par 4 458 Yds 18 - Par 4 483 Yds
Par 35 3,582 Yds Par 35 3,599 Yds
Awards Won: Ranked 1st Golf Magazine's Top-100 Courses in the World (2005-25),
Ranked 1st Golf Digest's America's 100 Greatest Courses (1985-2000, 2017-2025),
Ranked 1st Golf Connoisseur's 100 Most Prestigious Private Clubs in America (2006).
Key Events Held: Crump Cup (1922-present),
Walker Cup (1936, 1985),
Philadelphia Open (1923, 1941, 2002), Curtis Cup (2034), Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf (Gene Littler vs. Byron Nelson, 1962).
HISTORY: In 1913, 184 acres of the scruffy pinelands were purchased to build a golf course (over the years Pine Valley would spread to 623 acres, of which 416 remain virgin woodland). George Crump was appointed chairman of the Greens Committee and it would be his responsibility to build the Pine Valley golf course.
Crump had never designed a golf course before but he knew what he wanted his golf course to look like. He didn't want any hole to be laid out parallel to the next. While playing one hole he didn't want to see any other hole. Crump did not want more than two successive holes to play in the same direction, and he felt that a round of golf on his course should require every club in the bag to complete.
Despite his strong opinions, Crump solicited the opinions of many noted golfers and architects for Pine Valley. H.S. Colt, an English designer of renown, was retained to review the plans and offer suggestions. Some of the reviewers were not so encouraging. At first many called Pine Valley, destined to be regarded as the greatest course in the United States, as "Crump's Folly."
The expanse of sandy scrub pines was so unappealing that skeptics wondered if Crump could even grow grass on it. To create Pine Valley, Crump had to direct the removal of over 22,000 stumps that had to be pulled out with special steam-winches and horse-drawn cables because dynamite only blew up the sand around the stump. Marshlands were drained, dams built and underbrush cleared away. Crump built a bungalow along the 5th hole and oversaw construction.
The first grass seed went into the ground in the fall of 1913 and the first 11 holes unofficially opened for play in February 1914. Crump did more than oversee the construction of Pine Valley, he sacrificed much of his personal fortune to its creation. He sold his luxury hotel in Philadelphia and plowed as much as $275,000 of his money into Pine Valley.
Crump died in 1918 and only 14 of the holes at Pine Valley were ready at the time and the final four holes - #12, #13, #14, #15 - would be completed by other designers although his mark
remained on the final touches. Crump never saw the completed masterpiece he created that is the best golf course in the history of America. The course was completed in 1922.
Since 1989, Pine Valley Golf Club member, none-other than Tom Fazio has been consulting architects at the course. Most of the work has been to make improvements to the course, such as tree removal, lengthening some of the holes and adding more sand, if that was possible.
Besides hosting the Crump Cup annually since 1922, Pine Valley has hosted a few main events, such as the 1936 and 1986 Walker Cups, which pits amateurs from the United States against Great Britian and Ireland.
The United States blanked GB&I, 9-0 in 1936, and 13-11 in 1985. Francis Quimet was the captain of the 1936 squad, while the late Jay Sigel captained the 85’ squad, which featured Davis Love III, Scott Verplank and Duffy Waldorf. The GB&I squad was led by Colin Montgomerie.
When Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf made its only visit to Pine Valley, Gene Littler and Byron Nelson squared off. Nelson carded a four-over 74 to defeat Littler by two shots. Littler made only two birdies all round, both on the last two holes.
COURSE REVIEW: Some people debate over which golf course is the finest in the land. It's not open to discussion - Pine Valley Golf Club is hands down the best course in the United States. When Crump designed the course, not only did he not want to see any other hole while playing on any given hole, but he also designed a course with 18 different and distinct holes.
The first hole is a dogleg right par-4 which features a 8,300 square foot green that starts as an extension of the fairway and ends as a peninsula with sharp fall offs on all three sides. Most courses start you off with a simple hole, not Pine Valley. The first is rated as the third most difficult on the
course.
The next hole is just 368 yards, but it’s straight uphill to an unbelievably undulating green, making two-putting a miracle. Just a three-wood off the tee is needed, but accuracy is key, due to the myriad of bunkers left and right of the fairway. A short iron awaits, but don't be fooled, as the
putting surface is 38 yards deep and menacing. If possible, stay below the hole.
The third is a downhill par-3 with a green that features many challenging pin positions. The putting surface is 35-yards long, but is very narrow with a huge hogback, meandering from front to back. As is the case on the par three's, sand surrounds the entire green.
The par-four fourth features the largest green on the course at 9,700 square feet. The green itself follows the general slope of the land, which is from front to back. But, getting to the green is not to be overlooked. An uphill, tee shot on this, the longest par-four of the course is needed to a
two-tiered landing area. From there, the approach shot is downhill to this fairly square green.
The fifth hole tee box sits adjacent to the clubhouse and is probably one of the best one shotters in the world at 238 yards uphill. Even the best players will need to use a fairway metal, but don't miss right, or you'll have no shot at par, let alone bogey. No bargain missing left either!
The sixth produces some interesting strategy. Depending upon how much you want to cut off the dogleg right, a player can be left with 200 yards in or a simple wedge. But miss the fairly wide fairway and a double-bogey, or worse, is likely. This hole is probably the first real chance at birdie on the course.
The flattest piece of land encompasses the seventh hole -- or what has been called Hell's Half Acre, which bisects the fairway from the 285 to the 380 yard mark. Another 58 yards have been added to this hole, which now reaches 636 yards from the back tees, making it longest hole on the course and requires both accuracy and length. Two solid shots will leave a simple sand-wedge to somewhat tiny green, making birdie a real possibility.
The eighth hole at 326 yards is the shortest par-four on the course, but features a sloping fairway to a choice of two greens, one of which is a mere 2,900 square feet. A fairway metal will set up another wedge to either green, but don't miss the putting surface, as sand will destroy you.
Many believe that the ninth is the best par-four on the course. The hole also features two greens,
producing different angles of play, with the most difficult and testing being the left surface. Your tee shot must be placed right center to attack the green, but make sure to add another club, as your second will be uphill.
The back nine starts with what someone might think is as a somewhat easy par-three at just 161 yards. Wrong, again. This is target golf at its best, as the green is surrounded by sand and more sand, not to mention the pot bunker fronting the surface called so appropriately, "Devil's A__ (rearend)." Just 29 yards in depth, the green, two-tiered, slopes severely from front to back with
many subtle breaks, making this hole anything but easy.
The 11th twists from left to right on this par-four, with the approach shot up a little valley to an elevated green. Take advantage of the generous landing area off the tee, as a medium to short iron will remain. The putting surface is well guarded, so don't be disappointed if you miss the green. An up-and-down is possible, just as long as you don't miss the green long.
The 12th hole is a severe dogleg to the left, featuring the scrub brush and sand all along the left side and dense woods on the right. Although short, feel free to use driver or three-metal to give yourself the best angle to the green. The putting surface is very narrow, but long, running from front to back, dropping two-and-a-half feet. If Pine Valley has such a thing as an easy hole, this is it.
In contrast, one of the most difficult holes on the inward nine is the 13th, which has been stretched to 486 yards. The drive on this dogleg left is uphill to a plateau with a second shot to a large green guarded on the left side by Pine Valley scrub. The putting surface is huge at 44 yards, so play right and move on. There is no shame in making bogey here.
Probably the easiest green on the course is at the par-three 14th, but hitting it is another story. This downhill hole features a pond in front with a beach-like bunker surrounding the front and right of the green and a moat-like trap on the left. Another picturesque hole, the 14th tee box is 47-feet above the green and usually plays into the wind, making club selection a key. As mentioned before, par is OK.
A classic three-shotter, the 15th is the second-longest hole on the course at 616 yards. Hugh Wilson, who also finished the 13th, completed this hole to Crump's specifications. Each shot gets progressively harder and more exacting with the fairway starting off over 60 yards wide but narrowing to less than 20 paces by the time one eventually reaches the green. The putting surface is elevated with three crowned areas around the edges, however when the pin is in the middle, birdies can be made.
The 16th features a lake on the right side, leading up to a 11,400 square foot green with severe undulations. A drive of 200 yards is needed to carry the sand abyss just to reach the fairway. After a successful tee ball, a medium to short iron is needed to hit the circular green, that slopes from back to front. One word of caution, do not miss right, as the water is only a few steps from the green.
What was once 338 yards from the back markers, is now 414 yards after a new tee box was added to increase the difficulty down the stretch. The 17th boasts a wide fairway that bends to the right, leading up to an uphill and very small green surrounded by a moat of a sabd. The putting surface is just 25-yards in depth, sloping severely from back to front.
The 18th was a perfect finishing hole at 434 yards from the tips. It has been lengthened to 483 yards. Your downhill tee shot must carry well over 200 yards to the fairway which will then leave a mid- to long-iron to an uphill 11,000 square-foot green that slopes from left to right. Missing the fairway will force the player to layup about 100 yards out, as rough, sand and water protect par.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Some might think that with generous fairways Pine Valley should be an easy mark. However, this course features some of the most difficult greens and missing a fairway will likely result in a bogey, if your lucky. This course is unique, difficult, exciting and exacting and will make you use every club in your bag and wishing you had a few extra. Every hole and every green is a different experience.
There are no two holes alike and that is one of the reasons that makes Pine Valley so special. Not to mention the beautiful surroundings, set among the acres of pine forests, sand hills and wetlands. If there is such a thing as a final destiny for golf, Pine Valley is it, hands down.
This is a round of golf, where you will remember each and every shot and a place where you can't wait to get back to. No matter what it takes or costs, you must play Pine Valley.
