Atlantic City has proved once again that it is becoming the next golf hot spot on the East Coast with the announcement of Golfweek’s 2015 Best Courses You Can Play rankings. The city, which boasts 17 courses, was featured on the list four times.
“The Golfweek rankings are more positive proof that Atlantic City really delivers a high quality golf experience across the destination,” says Harry Bittner, president of the Greater Atlantic City Golf Association and general nanager of Shore Gate Golf Club, which was recognized.
The rankings, which are divided up by state, are evaluated by a team of 700, who rate each course on the basis of 10 criteria. They include routing, conditioning, variety and memorability of holes, among others. The result is an average of scores that dictate a course’s overall ranking. The number of courses for each state varies based on the number of courses, state population and level of play.
Number one on New Jersey’s list was the Atlantic City Country Club, which is located along Lakes Bay. This year’s improvements to the course include restored greenside bunkers, a new halfway house and clubhouse renovations.
Twisted Dunes Golf Club landed at No. 3 on the list—a position it reached last year. The 18-hole course was designed by Archie Struthers, who relocated 2 million cubic yards of earth to create it.
At No. 4 is Shore Gate Golf Club, which moved up three spots. It is the only course in the area designed by the California architect duo of Ron Fream and David Dale.
“Everything they’ve done, they’ve done well,” says Bittner of the design team. “The whole goal was to build a golf course that was pretty dramatic and different to give people something special—something they will remember. They had a really great piece of land with which to work and they really delivered.”
The private course Ballamor Golf Club was named No. 6, while Sand Barrens Golf Club snagged the 10th spot on the New Jersey list.
