This week on The DROP Podcast, we dive into one of our most anticipated conversations of the year: our Top 10 Public Courses Played in New Jersey for 2025. Ryan brings his personal rankings, Mike brings his own, and together we break down the Garden State’s best public tracks based on layout, conditioning, value, and overall “must-play” energy. From hidden gems to established favorites, we reveal what surprised us, what lived up to the hype, and which courses absolutely belong on your 2025 tee sheet. Whether you’re a weekend warrior, a public-track loyalist, or a golfer searching for your next challenge, this episode maps out the definitive New Jersey golf lineup heading into the new year.
To close the show, we roll through a fresh batch of quick hitters, including a recap of The Skins Game and a new round of Fast Facts, featuring our Black Friday and Cyber Monday Shop the DROP deals and a big thank-you to everyone supporting the podcast this season. We also check in on PGA Tour Q-School as the Second Stage begins December 2nd with Ryan McCormick, David Pastore, Jack Simon, Ethan Ng, and Melan Dhaubhadel all competing to advance toward the Final Stage. Tune in for rankings, reactions, and the ultimate guide to Golfing in the Garden State.
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You guys just like keep coming around. I just keep hearing about you guys. And I might need to tell Ryan to cut that up a little bit and just put it in my audio for my phone. First of all, I love the game. I had a passion to play the game, not only football, but I I love the game of golf and and and what it lends to a person and the friendships you develop on the golf course. It’s been a pleasure being on the drop. I wish you guys all the best down the road. Someone like you, you have that golf itch like a lot of us do. I keep track of you and you are moving. You are on the move. So, listen. I’m a big New Jersey golf guy. You’re very kind, Mike. And you, too, Ryan. It’s a pleasure to be one. Just a couple of Jersey boys here talking about something we love. All the best. I really enjoyed it. This is the Drop Podcast where we talk golfing in the Garden State. I’m Mike Porro and this is Ryan Koulot. What’s up, Drop Pod people? Welcome back to episode 165. Uh, Mike and I here. Let’s run through our weekly schedule. uh yesterday, December 1st. Again, can’t believe it’s already December. It’s really uh it’s really coming down to the end of the year here pretty quickly. Uh Mike, you’re down at uh in Myrtle Beach. You’re playing the Die Club. Uh the die course at Barefoot Resort, eighth hole, par five, uh 486 yards. Uh again, that came out yesterday, so head over to YouTube, head over to Instagram. Uh you know where those things usually live. Uh today, Tuesday the 2nd, episode 165. You got Mike and I here. Uh if you’re watching us on YouTube, make sure you’re subscribing to the channel to uh to catch all of our content. If you’re listening, make sure you uh rate, review, subscribe. All those things, they go a long way for us. Tomorrow, Wednesday, uh back to Ireland. I play St. Patrick’s 14th hole. It’s this beautiful par4, 365, uh yards. Um, and and for those that I I’ve talked to about this or or or anything, St. Patrick’s is uh may it’s on my Mount Rushmore of of golf courses that I’ve ever played. It is absolutely beautiful. The views are not going to disappoint. Um, I think you’re really going to like that video. Bonus content coming out Wednesday. Uh, Mike, we got to play Week Golf Course this year and uh for the for the the new opening of it and we were invited up there. We had a day. We talked about all that. My front nine at Weekquake is coming out on Wednesday as well. So, we got a double a double Ryan day uh on Wednesday. This week, our guest for Thursday is a Kimshad. Uh Ena is the 2025 USGA Women’s Midam Champion. That’s not of New Jersey. That’s not of the East Coast. that is all women that are midams in the United States. Uh that she won. So, um an awesome interview with her. She is she’s super charismatic and and we had a great interview with her, Mike. It was a lot of fun. You know, we don’t interview a ton of women. um as we’ve talked about, you know, at at past and kind of the women’s game is growing and being able to shed some light on that with Ena was um was a great uh you know, great interview and and something that that uh we should, you know, be doing more of or will be doing more of. And then Friday this week, uh 3:30 with me at Weekwake. So, um, bunch of stuff coming out for me this week, um, on the on the schedule. That’s our wrap for this, uh, for this week here. I will say this, you know, I think the video that people will see tomorrow of you playing week may have the best shot that anyone has ever hit between you and I on camera. And I think that shot that you hit, when people see that, they’re going to know exactly the shot that we’re talking about because you hit a lot of good shots, right? At times we all hit them, but it’s a very big difference when the camera’s on and when the camera’s not on. And big fella, I think that shot that you hit may go down as the biggest shot hit in 2025. No doubt about it. Yeah. I I don’t I don’t think people can truly appreciate um when the camera’s on the the added pressure that you and I have, you know, and and I don’t know if we uh you know, I don’t it’s not something that we really advertise, Mike, but it really is uh maybe I’ll speak for myself. I don’t know about for you, but like when I know that the cameras behind me, I I try I have to actively fight thoughts of like people are watching this, people are going to make fun of you. don’t this up. And I I have to actively think that. And and then it takes away from the thoughts that I’m trying to have in my my pre-shot uh you know, my my pre-shot routine thoughts. So, it really is um a little bit. And if it’s and if it creeps in just a little bit, I I’ve actively gotten nervous on camera in thinking about that in thinking about that that 4-foot putt that like, oh, people are gonna people are going to see this. People are gonna people are going to make fun of you if you miss this. And uh yeah, so it’s uh it is nerve-wracking having having people on or having people behind you watching. So that little bit, you know, goes a goes a long way for us. Listen, it’s that balancing act between being an entertainer, right? Because that’s kind of what you’re doing on camera and also a golfer because you want to play the best golf you possibly can on camera. But you also know that like good or bad, I got to entertain the camera because I want people to watch. Like that matters to us. And I still think, listen, that shot, you know, when people see it, they’ll say, “Oh, that’s what they were talking about.” Gotta tune in tomorrow. Gotta tune in tomorrow. [Music] [Applause] This episode is presented by All County Exteriors. If you’re a homeowner or a builder in New Jersey, there’s one name you need to know for exterior and interior remodeling. It’s All County Exteriors. From roofing, siding, windows, and doors to kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, and trim, they do it all. And with over 40 years of experience as a third generation family-owned company, you’re getting more than just a contractor. You’re getting a team that stands behind their work. Now, it is a great time to finally start that deck project you’ve been putting off before the winter weather hits and lead times pile up. And when you choose All County, you’re not just getting top tier craftsmanship. You’re supporting a company rooted in real community values, proudly giving back through organizations like Make a Wish, St. Jude’s, Roose for Troops, and parents of autistic children. Right now, they’re offering an instant 20% off a limited time. Call 732-370-22780 or email [email protected] to schedule your free consultation. All County Exteriors. Quality you can trust from people who care. [Music] [Applause] All right, so let me hit you here with the fast facts. Um, couple quick things off the top. Listen, I want to thank everybody for, you know, shopping the drop. You know, our Black Friday sale, Cyber Monday. You know, it’s it’s one of those things that you and I have said many many times, frankly, just getting the logo out there, getting the brand out there, having more people just simply rep it, u because they enjoy the good work that you and I are putting into this thing. Um, you know, there was many, many orders, um, damn near double digits, uh, at this point in terms of how many people actually ordered something. So, um, thank you to everybody for supporting, buying, repping. You know, those little things, as we’ve said many, many times, do not go unnoticed. Um, and then on top of it, listen, I I will also put this out there that if people want stuff before Christmas, um, if they want something to send to a friend, a relative, things of that nature, you got to put the orders in before December 12th. If they’re not in before December 12th, we can’t guarantee the shipping will be there for Christmas Day. Um, so just keep that in mind that if you were looking to get something, scoop something, put something in a stocking, it’s got to be done before December 12th. Um, so that’s what I got on the shop the drop sale. Now I’m going to pivot real quick into the PGA Tour qualifying. Second stage begins today, December 2nd. We’ve mentioned our guys being in there. Ryan McCormack, David Pastor, Jack Simon, Ethan Ing, and Milan Dodel. We got our five guys we’re watching, hoping they make it to final stage, which begins on December 11th. Um, so you’ll see us you watching, keeping tracks. OB, texts will be going out, DMs will be going out, rooting our guys hard. Um, hopefully they they get it done this week. Obviously, we’ll be able to relay and recap that information for you next week. And that’s all I got here, fal, for the fast facts for this week. So, not only that, Mike, we do also have some people that got exempt to final stage, correct? Yeah. So, so James Nicholas is heading to final to final. Yep. and John Pack is heading right to finals. Those two are going to the finals. So, at the very least, we got two guys we can kind of root for. Um, John to keep his card and and James to get his card. So, you got two different ends of the spectrum there. But, listen, I’ll take all seven if we have a possibility to get all seven down the road. So, that’d be great. Best of luck to those guys. How many from each stage move on or is it different each each uh location? Yeah. So, it’s always hard to get the actual numbers and they always say like they don’t put them out until round one is complete. If you recall back to first stage, a lot of guys end up withdrawing or you know just they get DQed, don’t show up, do not show, all these different things happen. So, that changes the amount of people per event because listen, if if 90 guys withdraw one, they can’t still keep top five and only six guys are playing. Right. Right. Something. So, so after round one, I’ll have a better indication. But we could assume that it’s probably fiveish people per location, right? Give or take a couple. It’s not like it’s top 20 at each location. No, I’d say maybe 10, 12 max. Okay. Somewhere in that ballpark. So, we do have the pos So, I was thinking it was smaller, right? So, we do have the possibility because um both Ryan and David are playing at the same location. Correct. Correct. So, it’s not like, you know, with with 10 or 12, there’s a bigger possibility that both of them move on, but at five, you know, it’s a lot tougher to to have. We’re not spread out as much. Correct. So, the guys got to go low. Got to go low. Yeah. Good luck to those guys. Mike, let’s get into our topic for today because um we have the the next the next couple weeks. We got uh let’s actually do this, Mike. The next three weeks, including today, so this is going to be week one. Uh we’re going to give you our top 10 public courses that we played in 2025. That’s what we’re going to do today. Next week is going to be the top 10 private courses, right? And then getting ready right for the Christmas season, we’re going to hit you with best golfing presents to get your golfing uh to get your golfer, right? So that’s that’s what we’re going to do for the next uh the next couple weeks here. So um let’s uh so let’s jump right into it. Mike, I’m excited for this. This is something that there’s been kind of a year-long um commitment, I would say, on on my end. Uh if we go back to probably a year ago, maybe a little bit less than a year ago, uh if we go back even further, we started doing course ratings, right? And then listen, pal, that might be episode three. I think if you really pulled up the uh the articles, we could go pretty pretty far back, right? That we were doing golf course ratings, but last year it kind of ended for me in in like July, right? I kind of got lazy with it and I said this is going to be my New Year’s resolution is that we are going to do golf course ratings all year. And by we, I mean the podcast is, but it’s been it’s been more my thing um going through. So I I’m going to continue this uh I I continued this list throughout the whole year. There’s not one golf course that I played that’s not on this list. Um if I played 18 holes, it got a rating. Uh and and so I I took that list, right? And I put uh out of that list, I have 12 New Jersey public courses. Now, I specifically say New Jersey because I played on vacation, you know, over the summer, um in Carolina. I played in Ireland. So, I have more public courses than than just the 12, but these are 12 New Jersey golf courses that I played. we’re only going to give you a top 10. Uh so what I did was I took the course ratings and I ranked them right one through 10 and then I looked at the list and the ones that were close I used I used some judgment, right? And and I I’ll I’ll kind of give you I’ll kind of give you a numbers example here. I had three courses that were 8 I had two courses that were 8.6 67 and one that was 8.65. Of those three, I took that grouping of three and rather than put them in the order of the numbers, I I took, okay, I like this one the best of these three, and I like this one the second best, I like this one the third best. So, I I would say other than that grouping, Mike, there there’s another one. I I flipped um I flipped a couple uh or another another set, I should say. I flipped because I I like it a little bit better. Um but otherwise, I stayed pretty true to the to the numbers there. So, um I I just wanted to give that caveat something you and I talked about pre-show here that I wanted to just kind of make sure that we kind of understood where I was coming from. If I’m I’ll speak for you. I think yours is just gonna be, hey, these are the these are the 14 public courses that you played and you picked your favorite 10 and put them in order without any kind of without any kind of analytics for a guy who’s analytically driven. You just you’re just going based on feel. I love it. Listen, it two different ends of the spectrum. You’re taking a page out of my book and I’m taking a page out of yours. And I listen, I give you credit for for being consistent with that rating system because to your point last year, it can get overwhelming with how much golf we play and how many different courses that we play. So for you to get through posting season rankings, credit to you there. Yeah, I’m dying to hear this. I’m dying to hear this. And I’m I’m No offense, I’m stunned that two courses had the exact same rating. Stunned. It it is really pretty crazy. And um and honestly they were when I think back to them like I think they are like if you were to ask me like which one do you like better I’d have to like think about it right and I bet you’d have to do the same to like see which one you liked better. Um I think it’s a tough one. You you’d come up with one you like better but like they are pretty comparable um courses, right? And I do want we do want to give the caveat of this while we’re giving this list. This does not mean that we that we hated a course. There wasn’t one course that this year that we played that we were like that’s a dog track. Don’t go there. Um there wasn’t one. We we we really liked to absolutely loved every course that we played this year. I I think that’s a fair statement. And maybe not really liked, but liked. like there wasn’t one that we were like I’m good, right? We would go back to I think when I look at this list, Mike, I would go back and play uh every course including the two that are not on the list. I would go play again. Absolutely. So, I I think that that that’s something that we should also state that we’re we’re not trying to knock any of these courses. It’s not like, hey, the number 10 course, don’t go play it. Not worth your time. That’s certainly not what we’re saying. We you should go play all these. They’re all They’re all again varying degrees of of good to great. So there’s our caveat, right? So Mike, what do you want? 10 through 10 through one. You want Yeah. I want you to list them in order from 10 to 1. Straight in order. And then I want to discuss them with you. Okay. [Music] [Applause] Winter is coming, but there’s no golf facility still as busy as Galloping Hill Golf Course in Union County, New Jersey. The courses are open all winter. The Hill Tavern is still buzzing with holiday parties and guests and kids eat for free all winter again. The Clubhouse at Galloping Hill is a hub for social events. From stunning weddings to lively corporate events, the clubhouse is a dynamic venue that can host any type of event that you can imagine. But the real star of the winter is the swing suite at Galloping Hill. You can book by the hour just to focus on improving your game or book longer sessions for an unforgettable time with your friends while you watch the game, enjoy the bar style food and drinks while playing some of the most famous courses in the world on the simulator. It’s a perfect blend of sport and socializing where even non-golfers can have a blast. Head to learningcenter ghgc.com to book your slots now. Or if you’d like to reserve the space for a group outing, please contact Greg Ward at 908-241-8700 extension 308. It’s all happening this winter at Galloping Hill Golf Course. [Applause] Number 10, and I should say this on my list here, I didn’t put golf club or golf course or whatever. So, if I mess up, also caveat, I apologize. Oh, spare spare me the DMs. That’s all. Number Yeah. Number 10, Week Golf Course. Number nine, Se View, the Pines Course. Number eight, Berkshire Valley. Number seven, Crystal Springs. Number six, Charleston North. Number five, Heron Glenn. Number four, Francis Burn. Number three, Rock Spring. Number two, Shorggate. And my number one course, I’ve been saying it. I’ve been championing it. By Owen. It’s a solid list there, pal. It’s a solid list. And it’s always interesting to hear how things fall for different people. And and I can’t lie, after what transpired at Shorggate, I was afraid it was not going to be as high on your list because you’re going to have some some emotions towards that place. And I was like, I hope that doesn’t get in the way of how good that golf course is. But to your credit, you didn’t let it. I think that shows, Mike, if nothing, I’m honest. And I think that that’s the that that’s the thing like like Shgate is an excellent golf course. Uh it’s a big boy golf course. Why the only reason that they’re not hosting state state opens, state AMS, state midam stuff is it’s so far south. It’s really the only reason. And and as we’ve talked about, it’s it’s tough for a lot of the major uh players in the in the golf game for us. Like North Jersey is is significantly more populated. Therefore, it has a lot more of the golfers and and a lot of those guys, maybe rightfully so, but they complain about having to go too far south. And if you’re having a tournament that’s going to be a multiple day uh event, it they don’t, you know, I think you could stay in Atlantic City, you could make a nice little nice little couple days out of it, but you’re you’re still taking time off work. Like these these people have lives, they have jobs, but uh so I get it. I get why it doesn’t. That said, it is a fantastic golf course and it it doesn’t get lost on me for how poorly I played on that front. It it it doesn’t get lost how good it is. It it it doesn’t it’s fantastic. It’s a big boy golf course. It’s it is it has a bigger It almost has like a bigger stadium feel, right? Like we’ve been in gyms, right? You got those little band boxes and then you got like the arenas. It definitely feels like an arena that you’re playing in there. Now, give me the list that was tightly grouped together that you had to, you know, use some some coach’s discretion, let’s say, on. So, and again the the discretion could be for various things and we talked about the course rating system and it’s something that maybe we need to update moving into the future because some of these courses like uh uh like the the pro shop at Francis Burn is is bad. I would I would say it’s there’s nothing to write home about. It’s got a checkin. They got like a rack that’s got some polos or something like that, but there’s really nothing else there. So, it’s really tough to give that a good rating as far as like the pro shop goes when that’s one of the categories that we go off of. Whereas, you go to um like Bali Owens, beautiful pro shop, lots of merchandise, um views galore, they got, you know, all kinds of the aesthetics of the inside, right? Maybe that’s it’s not just the pro shop, but like the whole inside part. So again, a course like Bali Owen’s going to get a nine or a 10 for its its pro shop inside part. And it’s tough to give Francis Burn something. It’s tough to give it something that’s reasonable with where it sits, but also give it a fair rating. So every everybody passed. I would say everybody got at least a seven on something like that. But but the difference between like that one and the other one is is a big difference. So there there’s there’s things like that there. There’s also things like the weather. Mike, you and I have played some of these courses in difficult conditions. We we make our schedule. We put it out there. We’re going to play on this day and barring uh you know, lightning, we’re pretty much going and playing, you know, whether it’s i.e. Heron Glenn. I.e. Heron Glenn. So, uh, and and I tried to take that into consideration because Heron Glenn was one of those that was in that grouping of three that I talked about. Um, Herring Glenn, Rock Springs both got 8.67s and Francis Burn was the 8.65. And in my opinion, I like Rockspring, Burn, and then Herring Glenn. Um, in that in that kind of order there. Um, and and honestly there’s like the difference between Rock Spring and Francis Burn for me is is almost zero. Like I probably could have flipped them and and not had a not had a thought about that either. So that said, like it is kind of the day we catch it, right? And um and some of the some of those things on the rating are, you know, need to be slightly tweaked. I I still think we got I I think that we’re 97 98% of the way there. Um but some of those things I I I got to find a way to kind of take like a percentage of it, I guess. Uh in the final number. Now give me what was Bergkshire Valley’s rating for you and remind me where that sits. I put it at eight. It got an 8.55 which in the original list would make it seven. So, I flipped that to eight. Uh, because when I when I looked at that, I like I like Charleston North. Charleston Springs North I like a lot. I’ve said that to people. So, I put Charleston North at six. Uh, and I and um Crystal Springs was seven and then Bergkshire Valley was eight. So, that’s another one that I kind of flipped a a pairing there. Yeah. I listen, that was another great day at Bergkshire Valley. That was a golf course that like, you know, you sit up there. I I mean I still vividly remember that par three, the hardest hole on the golf course, 250 yards over the water will constantly stand out as as a monster. Even the history of it there with like the elephant houses that you can kind of see like the ruins of it. It’s got the Ringling Brothers, you know, history that we talked about there. Um yeah, the the way that the course is is set up. Um, it’s a it’s another it’s a great great golf course and I think that’s one that gets undertalked about uh in in that North Jersey area that it it’s it’s a it’s a great golf course. Really is. Yeah. No doubt. Solid list. Solid list. I you know I think I have some differences than you. Um which is kind of be understood I think in a lot of ways. You know I I we also see things differently. Like I I put uh like when I think about the list, I like more of the architecture of the course and the placement of trees, bunkers, hazards, the way things are. You are more of a of a like I’m more of a ground person. You’re more of a sky person. Is that fair to say? 100%. You like the views and those those matter more to you than the the placement of things. No doubt. We definitely have some similarities. when I was listening to your list and I’m kind of like following mine as you go along. Um, but it’s hard to argue. By Owen, listen, I know that’s your number one. We’ve said that now, God, for three years in a row of this being one of our favorite spots. If it’s not the best one, it’s got to be in the top three, if not the top two. And it’s constantly in the conversation. There’s no doubt about it because every time we’ve been there and played there, it’s damn near perfect. I mean, I don’t know if there’s really a complaint you can have about that spot. Um, so yeah, like listen, And I I I love it so much I legitimately looked into doing my wedding up there. So like it it’s it’s it’s a special special spot and and I don’t think that like that stretch of holes early like it gets great early. that first hole, if you want to say that’s like a a hoham hole or that’s like a just get it out there, hit the fairway, get onto the green, like you got you got some false fronts, but you could take, you know, if if you’re not warmed up or whatever, you could take your par, your bogey, and move on to the second hole, which has the riskreward, but then that that stretch three through four, five, you could go all right. Yeah. Well, I’m just going to end at nine, right? I’m just gonna end at nine because I’m gonna end the front. But like 10’s a great hole. Uh like par five if you if you pump it out there. Like that’s an eagle hole. But the but the ri like you eagled it, right? I doubled it because my drive went like I didn’t take enough to cut the corner. So I went into the woods, right? You didn’t you didn’t go into the woods. You hit the speed slot. You had like a what 120 yards into the green? Something like that. So like that’s a great hole as well. Um, yeah, I think the next that like that stretch of holes there, but then you can also go to like that ending of 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, right? And that’s no that’s no that’s no knock on 13, um, 13, 12 or 11, you know, it’s just like there’s so many great holes there. Like you talk about like a stretch of hole, the whole stretch is good. There’s not there’s you know I and and again I don’t want to seem like I was knocking hole one or two but like I I like there are great every hole is a great hole there. So yeah, I I don’t think I don’t think it’s in question, honestly. Um to to me, uh Shgate got an 8.9, Bali Owen got a 9.15. And and in this like if you looked at all the numbers, they’re all pretty bunched up there. Um that actually is a big jump despite it only being like 0.25. It’s a It’s a pretty large jump. Yeah. Well done. Well done with the list. Well done with the ratings. where to be consistent. Um, job well done. No doubt about it. We’ll give you we’ll give you the the privates next week. Yeah. And I’m going to do the same thing next week. So, I’ll give the same disclaimer. I might even just copy and paste this one in, you know, into the next week’s episode. But yeah, that’s what that’s I’m just going to do the same exact thing for next week. [Applause] George Wall Ford in Redbank, New Jersey is family-owned and operated, proudly serving New Jersey residents with superior customer service since 1960. Rye, share your story about your experience there. I can’t say enough good things about George Wall Ford. Um, I needed a new car. I had I had an old I loved the brand that I had. I loved, you know, it was an SUV, but had 165,000 miles on it. It was just time, you know. So, I hopped on over to George Wall Ford. I saw a guy Jerry and Jerry and his team were awesome. I mean, from from stem to stern, they’re there. They’re helping. They’re knowledgeable. They have so many cars on the lot that you can go in and say, “Hey, I want a sunroof, a navigation. I want this kind of rims on it. There’s a great chance that they have that car with all your specs, the color, all that thing. I’d like to be higher in my car.” And I went and saw Jerry. He pointed me in the right direction. And again, it’s it’s awesome to have that kind of help and support from your salesman to the finance guy to to even they got somebody who helps you set up your car, right? I got an app on my phone now that’s got my auto start on it. I can locate my car if I don’t know where it is. Uh I could take a trip to to Japan if I wanted to and be like, did I lock my car? And I can go into the app and lock my car. So just the hands-on approach over there is is incredible. So, if you need a car, head on over to George Wall and go ask for Jerry. They were awesome there. Again, stemm from everybody. I can’t say enough good things about it. It was an unbelievable experience. There isn’t a better place to shop for a brand new car. Just call 732-741932 and ask for Jeremy Wall, George Wall, Ford in Redbank for all your car buying needs. [Music] [Applause] All right. So, here I’ll I’ll throw mine at you and you can start to yell at me about mine because I’m sure there might be some some comments made here. I’m going to be writing them down while you go. So, we obviously to your point, you played 12, I played 14, you know, um, and obviously not every time we played together, but there are a lot of similarities in terms of the golf courses that we played. So, like you, I’m going to go from 10 to one. Here are my top 10 public golf courses played in New Jersey in 2025. Number 10, Wequake. Number nine, Blue Heron Pines. Number eight, Galloping Hill. Number seven, Berkshire Valley. Number six, Heron Glenn. Number five, Rock Spring. Number four, Balammore. Number three, Shgate. Number two, Baly Owen. and number one, Francis Burn. There’s my top 10 with obviously four being what I like to deem honorable mention. Uh the least shocking thing about this podcast is that you had Francis Burn number one. Yeah, I didn’t think that was going to come as a surprise. I think I think honestly I I’ve said this on repeat too many times and I’m not going to sit here and do it again. To me, the conditions, the price, the golf course, the history, that place simply has it all in my eyes. And that’s not a place I could ever get bored of playing because every time that we’ve been fortunate to play it, there’s never been an issue about the golf course. The greens roll, the conditions are phenomenal. Chris does a phenomenal job. Tim behind the scenes is handling things like that whole crew that they have over there. I for me just simply gets it done. So that’s you know again not a secret. Um but to me that is number one. So Mike the first thing that that pops out to me is is our top fives are the same because if I had Balammore and I didn’t get to play Balamore this this year but had I it would be in the top five because I would that would bump Herring Glenn out like out of that top five spot. Uh, I know that we’ve kind of have a little bit different juggle there because I have Burn at four. Um, you got Shgate at three, I got a two, B. Like, I know that we’re kind of juggled in that um in that time period. But, um, I I think that goes to show that while we’re while we’re different, we’re kind of the same. That that these are the best golf these are the best public golf courses in New Jersey. Um, one through five in in some kind of realm right there. Because again, while I didn’t get to play Baly Owen, it is also I’m sorry, Balammore, it is also that like that’s a big boy course as well. I think that’s, you know, when we were thinking back to the calendar that you and I put together for places we wanted to play, you know, if you think back to January and February and March of of this calendar year, we had set it out like we’re going to try to play the best of the best in the state. So we know that we can share with the audience here are the best public spots to play and we get it. Tea times are never the easiest. Getting on the courses are sometimes difficult. Prices sometimes don’t always suit everybody’s needs. But that was our mission. And I think when you look at our lists, yes, they’re very similar in a lot of ways, but it also encompasses the best of the best. And that was the goal that we set out. And frankly, I think we accomplished it. And I will say this about Balamore. I think if you’re talking hidden gems in the state of of public golf in New Jersey, that course is Balammore. And I know a lot of people in North Jersey have never played it, don’t know even what I’m talking about. But I’m telling you what, just like you and I have ventured north, south, east, and west. The people in the northeast, northwest, or frankly the northern part of the state, you’ve got to venture south to go play Balmore because I think it’s one of those courses that’s always in phenomenal shape. Mhm. The people there are unbelievably nice and it’s a spot that you’re going to leave and be like, “Wow, that place is no joke.” Mhm. And it doesn’t get a ton of play. Like I I would imag Let me rephrase. I would imagine it gets get a ton of play cuz the the what have I played it once, twice? Did I get down there twice? whatever it is. Like the one time that I’m thinking of that I played it, I thought I played it I think I only played it once that I’m saying it. Um did it twice the time that I’m thinking of it was late in the year and it was not chewed up which is shocking because you think like a public course that is that caliber it it gets chewed up. And you look at and and we didn’t get there, but Harmony Hill, that’s the knock that that people have on it that the later the season gets, it gets kind of it gets kind of chewed up in certain areas because it gets so much play because it it’s such a highly ranked course, highly rated course. Everyone talks about Harmony Hill, but you have certain spots of the course that just get chewed up, for lack of a better term. You know, if you’re uh you know, the the hole that I think of always is the tenth hole. If you’re not a great golfer, you’re hitting a a driver to the to this area that’s maybe 40 yards long, right? If you’re a good golfer, you’re laying up to that same area because it’s the right spot to lay up to. So, in this like you play it at the end of the year, you’re getting a lot of a a lot of divot marks or or places that have to get fixed. And that again, not a knock on the course. It just it gets so much play and and the whole area is kind of in that in that um you know, everybody that plays kind of plays from this same again 40-ish yards, 30-ish yards area. That wasn’t the case when I went to Balammore that it was there was none of that. It was in pristine shape. And again, I played it with leaves on the ground. So, it had all season to get chewed up and was in perfect condition. Yeah. and and and huge shout out to our friends over at Keer Sports for me, you know, and I was looking at the list when you talk about courses that they manage and oversee. I believe I got Rock Spring, Herren Glenn, Bergkshire Valley, Galping Hill, four of my top 10 and and probably damn near similar on your list to the top 10 in New Jersey that we’ve played. Clearly, they know what they’re doing. You talk about a golf management company that oversees things. Listen, they do it well. They do it well. And and I and I do got to point this out as I you’ve said it. I’m going to reiterate it. These are the courses that we’ve played in 2025. So please don’t come yelling at me. Well, what about Architects? What about to your point Hill? What about we didn’t get there in 2025. Who knows what happens in 2026, but we got to focus on the places that we did play. Agreed. Yeah. It’s not I can’t we can’t hypothetically put you know courses in cuz as I started this with I would hypothetically put Balamore into my top five but didn’t play it so can’t can’t put it in. I do have a question here for you. All right. So looking looking at your list. Okay. Looking at your list of all the ones that you’ve played all 12. All 12. Do you have a course that you think could climb the rankings in 2026? Oh wow. That was no hesitation. I no that was I mean I said it every if if you are a follower of the podcast you should have an idea what I’m talking about uh I don’t even have to finish the question then no the the course the course that I think hand goes up it’s like the kid in class the hand goes up before you even how do you know the question well I just know the question well how do you know I just know and then you give the right answer okay you know well we’ve been doing this as long as we have you know we got an ID of each other my I said it it wasn’t on my list and and I would be shocked if it doesn’t climb higher there. It’s Great Gorge, right? When we were up there, we talked about how just two years ago, the place was covered in in you couldn’t tell the green from the fairway. There were um what do they call them? Uh not dandelions, those those big reads were growing all over like the like it was it was a jungle two years ago. So, I I think about what that course could do with this, you know, another year. And that is that’s easily a course that I I like the layout. It’s got the history they’re doing like that um Heft’s hut like that little, you know, it’s got the the this is the old Playboy Mansion uh club there, which again, and this is not even considering if they do something with the hotel, right? If this is just the golf course, as they continue to grow that golf course as they, you know, fix things that are are in need of fixing, right? Like the the cart path had was now bumpy because trees have grown and roots have pushed the the cart path. So like they when they smooth that out, right? That’s a that’s a that’s an aesthetics thing that like they can fix as they continue to grow and and um bloom the course, so to speak. Uh if you remember they talked about like how out of bounds like that one hole that was a dog leg right that you couldn’t you couldn’t hit it because you you couldn’t hit it far enough you couldn’t start it far enough right well he said 20 yards in there was out of bounds like they found out of bounds stakes 20 yards into the tree line there so like as they shave that back and make it a better uh more to the original like how it’s supposed to be designed I think that’s a course that’s going to Frankly, I think that’s a course that’s going to explode. If that’s a if that’s a stock, I’m buying and I’m buying a lot of it. Yeah. Listen, phenomenal phenomenal views there. No doubt about it. The ups, the downs, the mountains. Where else? You’re not getting that in a lot of places. No, that that place had it. And and nothing stands out more to me is when you and I were on that first tea and it was like, don’t fall off the cliff cuz life will end right here. that that is something that I will stand in my mind probably for forever. Yeah, no doubt there. Uh what is what on on your list is one of those high climbers that that you had. What’s the I I I think and I and I just continue just to be probably really Essex County biased in a lot of ways, but I think Wequake is going to be that spot because I think Wequake hits on every type of golfer, right? It’s not just the bomb and gouge. It’s championship caliber. It’s top of the line. It’s 70 thou 7,000 yards. All that. It hits every type of golfer. And and being what it is, you can be an average handicap and go out there and truly experience and enjoy that spot. We’re not feeling like I’m overmatched. I don’t have the game. Whereas, if you are a very good golfer now, you got to think a little bit more when you’re out there because you can’t just hit it wherever the hell you want. and and I think the work that they did over there spec specifically our buddy Stephen K um and what he had, you know, really envisioned with that spot, rerouting some holes, improving the bunkers, the greens. I think that’s a spot that you’re going to sleep on and not take it serious, but then once you tee your first ball up there and you get to see it, you’re going to be like, “Wow, this place is way better and way more serious of a golf course than I kind of thought it was.” Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, you’re you’re not wrong there. Uh the one thing, Mike, I did you say that it it’s 7,000 yards. Did you say that? No, no, I said it’s not cuz I was going to correct you and say it’s not. No, I I just pulled up the scorecard. Uh it’s about 5600. It is a par 70. So, and people look at that and they’re like there. Yeah. And people look at that like, “Oh, this is rinky dink. This is this is boring.” I’m telling you, it’s it’s a very fun fun track. And I think we know who has the course record. And I think the I think the length of it is is in the right spots, you know, like there’s some there’s some shots that are, you know, you have some par fours that are shorter, right? But you have some par threes and and par fives. Like it’s it’s it’s long in the right spots and it’s challenging in the right spots. Like you might you might not want to hit driver because you go into, you know, there’s there’s a ditch out there. But then if you try to hit driver, right, and go over it, you could be in the in the hazard. But if you go over, you have a reasonable shot in. Or if you lay back, you know, and you hit, you know, a a hybrid or a five iron or something off the tea, then you have three-wood into a green. So you got riskreward there. So that’s kind of what I mean. It’s in the length is in the right spots there. So, it to your point, Mike, people are going to look at that scorecard and be like, I ain’t playing in there. And you’re missing out on on a great golf course. You are on top on top of where it’s located. I think when I pulled in there in that little Wequake Park, on top of being right in the middle of Newark, like I’m like, there’s no way a golf course fits in here. And then you see the views, the picture, the backdrop. I’m like, man, this is actually really, really cool. Really cool. And and this is another thing about it, Mike. The scorecards in Essex County are second to none in in New Jersey. They really are. Tim and his and his people there have done it right. The they got the little the little history of the course there. It’s got each hole has a name. I I love that. And And if you don’t love that, I think you’re missing out on a nuance there because it is it is giving you a little bit of a hint on how to play the hole. It’s giving you a little bit of a hint on what to expect. Um I I I they that scorecard slaps. It really does. Yeah. And even to your point, even if it’s not something that you want to enjoy while you’re playing because you’re focused on the golfing aspect, even when you go back after the round like us golf sickos and actually look at it, you’re like, “Oh, that’s actually a pretty cool detail that may get overlooked because you’re so focused on shooting your 65 or breaking a 100, whatever you’re trying to do.” Yeah. I don’t I don’t like that second part there. But uh how uh I wonder we get Have you talked to Tim? I wonder is that 65 still held up? I didn’t I haven’t asked him. Yeah. I don’t even know if that’s actually legit. I mean the score is legit. I don’t know if it if it was actually counted. No. What do you mean it should certainly count? You had the course record for until someone shoots a 64. Yeah. We didn’t skip holes. We played I mean we battled potential rain, but yeah, 100% that’s legit. I think that’s just like a thing for you and I that we’re just going to like stamp somewhere. I don’t know if if I got Tim to fully give me credit for that. I guess we’ll have to ask him. Yeah, Tim Tim needs to put up a plaque of course records there. Put your name up at the top there. So that’s uh so that’s our our uh our top Publix. Um, uh, you know, I’m sure make sure you’re checking out our socials. I’m sure we’re going to have that the full list there if you want to just look at it, digest it a little bit, but we’ll have something out there for you. But that’s our, uh, a wrap on our top 10 public courses for 2025. What a list. What a list. I mean, I think if you just step back and look at that list, that’s that’s the cream of the crop really. minus maybe a couple, you know, maybe minus a couple, which we’re not just going to get to them all, but when you look at the cream of the crop and the top 10 and the top 20s of public golf courses in New Jersey, we did a pretty damn good job of Yeah. of hitting those spots. Yeah. Again, like we we missed out on Harmony Hill. Uh I me not getting to Balammore is another one that that people talk about. People talk about architects. It’s another one we didn’t get to. Um and I wonder how many that was another one that got commented a lot to us was null west. N West. Okay. So, uh what’s that? Not Mountain Ridge, Mountain Mountain View out in Mountain View out west. Is that one that’s that’s uh that’s in there as well? Like that’s another gets a little bit of love. So, yeah, there’s a there’s a there’s a sprinkling of them, but you know, again, I think we did a pretty good job of covering covering all that there. That’s We did. We did. So, hopefully enjoyed that. I do want to recap and just quickly hit a little quick hitter here at the end is I know we talked about it pregame pregame pregame unless back in the college days pre-show um and you were you had no clue that the Skins game went on you know and I I don’t know if my algorithm was just different in terms of what was getting pumped out there non-stop but the the Skins game took place this past weekend um out there I spent no time on my phone this weekend and I spent all my time on my hands and knees knees as I was tearing up the uh flooring in my in my kitchen uh and fixing cabinets in the kitchen and repairing walls in my in my uh condo. So I I I had a busy weekend but so I was not on my phone as much. You were on the YouTube of howto in terms of projects and DYI projects. You know me on the other hand is is watching this and I I kind of like the idea that they brought the skins game back after 17 years of of being absent and and not really doing it. It’s another one of Chad Mum’s former guests of the show, one of his babies. I think his idea is he’s gonna really dive deep into the golf sicko side of of this world that we kind of live in. And, you know, being out there in Florida, Panther National, Justin Thomas, and Jack Nicholas’s new spot, getting to actually see a a super secluded spot like this um that most people don’t even probably know exists, but when you do, you’re like, “Wow, super sweet.” And I think one of the things that really kind of caught my eye, and I’m sure you can attest to this, is like the banter that these guys have in a nonserious environment is so enjoyable to watch because listening to your boy Shane Lowry just kind of give it in every aspect to people. Seeing Xander go winless and still maintain a positive attitude. And then going back and watching Keegan Bradley beat Tommy Fleetwood to win the most money earned kind of goes back to you and I conversing about the RDER Cup and saying maybe he should have just picked himself and bet on himself because this is just another example that Keegan Bradley goes out and wins but didn’t want to bet on himself come the Ryder Cup and who knows it would have been a different outcome. But I do kind of like these things. I just unfortunately money in golf doesn’t mean anything anymore because they make so much damn money that just seeing Keegan Bradley putt and win 2.1 million is it’s kind of like winning a golf tournament. But I do enjoy the banter. Yeah, I I think you have to love the banter. The banter is the is the best part of it. Um, I mean, even down walking down to one of the holes or after the round was done, one of the other Xander gets interviewed by Colt Nost and Colt Nost goes, “How does it feel that we’re both walking away with the same amount of money today?” And it was like one of those little zingers that you’re not asking a guy during a tournament cuz he’d probably beat you up. But to hear him throw that zinger right at Xander and Xander take it in stride and then be handed a check. You know, the winners get the check at the end of at the end of tournament. They gave Xander a check that said zero dollars. Love that. It was love it. That’s great trolling. Great trolling. And you know, Chad does obviously a great job with with what they got going on. So, it was a fun little watch. You know, it was nice thing to tune on early in the morning. It was 9:00 a.m. Black Friday, quiet day before all the football got going on. It it was it was a good little watch. Well, uh, if any of you are looking at, uh, Panther National like I did, just to kind of give, you know, some some little, uh, info on it, uh, the black T’s are 7,200 yards and they are not the furthest T’s to play. Wow. They’re not. No. What’s the the back T’s are the JT T’s Justin Thomas and they are 70 Call it 7,900 yards. No. Yes. Yes. 7864 is what it is on the card. The That’s insane. The back nine from those T’s is 4,000 yards. 30 39.88. Yeah, that is sick. Yeah, sick. So, uh they do go up, you know, you could play it as as close as uh 56, you know, so it they do have a ton of tea boxes there for everybody. But that is wild. Crazy. Crazy. And you got to think that’s that’s an over 8,000 yard course because I’m sure if they went to the farthest part back of every T- box, you’re talking about closer to 8,000. You throw a little condition in there, a little wind blows, forget about it. No. Nope. Better have more than a dozen golf balls out there with the water, too. Well, and I I was just going to say, hole one, no water. Hole two, no water. Hole three, water at the green. Hole four, screwed. Water all over. Hole five. M. You can’t hit a ball left. Hole four, five, six. You could get past that water. Uh, seven. Water comes into play. Eight’s a par three with no water. Nine. Got to go over the water on your second shot. No thank you. Yeah, there’s there’s a good amount of water here. Um all over. So yeah, really really cool. Uh really cool thing. My god. I was again I’m I was shocked that I missed it because I didn’t hear any commercials leading up to it, but just not I I was MIA on my phone all weekend. So, between family and uh parties and and uh tree lightings and um then you know having to having to do some work in my condo. So, you got anything else for today, Mike? No. Tune in tomorrow. Ryan verse Wequake probably shot of the year for 2025. Don’t miss it. All right. Check that out. Wednesday, Thursday. Stay tuned for Ana Kim Shad 2025 women’s USGAA women’s midam. Till then, cheers. [Music] [Applause]
