For years in a row, this golf course has been ranked number one in the entire United States. Pine Valley Golf Club is widely regarded as the most exclusive and prestigious course in the entire country. Tiger Woods, arguably the best golfer to ever live, has never played this course. The course does not hold any tour events and is only available to its members and their guests. The course is located in Southern New Jersey and was founded by some golfers from the greater Philadelphia region.
The course is very famous for its exclusive membership program. The only way to become a member at this country club is to be invited by the Board of Directors. Some very notable members include George H. W. Bush, Sean Connery, Tom Fazio, and many others. The only way to play the course is play with a member, or actually be a member yourself. It is super difficult to get on this course but playing the course is certainly a once in a lifetime opportunity for all golf enthusiasts. May claim that this course is second to only Augusta National Golf Club in top courses to play. But for me, it’s not just the prestige that draws me to this wonderful course. The course plays in a very different way than many courses in the New Jersey area. This is most likely why so many players return year after year to try to play the course.
The layout and style of the course is very unique. A traditional course in the Northeastern United States will feature some very narrow holes, many trees, and bent grass. Typically, even though there are numerous exceptions, the course plays to accurate players rather than players who can hit the ball very far. If you go down south, the course layouts are often much different. They often feature a much more open layout and favor those who can hit the ball very far. The courses have large water features and many sand bunkers. What’s very interesting is that Pine Valley Golf Club features many of these aspects found in different geographical locations. The course has many sand bunkers that punish golfers who miss the fairway off the tee. This style is something we would normally see in golf courses in Florida or South Carolina. But, the course also features many trees and bent grass which are signature features from courses in Pennsylvania and New York. I personally appreciate the blend in style from two different areas in one single course.
Pine Valley is one of the most unique courses in the world not only due to its differences in the actual layout of the course, but also to the prestige that comes with it. As an avid golfer myself, Pine Valley is certainly one of the top courses on my bucket list to play.