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| Blue Heron West No. 14 |
The Blue Heron Pines West Course Has a Country Club Feel
By Tom Robinson,
Staff Writer
COLOGNE, NJ - During a trip around the Blue Heron Pines West Course,
golfers will play holes that architect Stephen Kay constructed to
pay tribute to such legendary courses as Pine Valley, Pinehurst
#2, Bethpage Black, and Oyster Harbors.
The course, however, does not rely solely on its connection to
golf's elite. It can clearly stand on its own merit.
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The Difference
Between East and West |
| COLOGNE, N.J. - The
Blue Heron Pines East and West courses are located across
Tilton Road from each other about 12 miles west of Atlantic
City. Everything but the round of golf itself will make
it very clear that the two courses are part of one operation
signified by the Blue Heron logo.
Even parts of rounds on the two courses will seem
similar, but there are also distinct differences in
the way the two courses play.
Depending on personal taste, some golfers will prefer
the West Course, designed by Stephen Kay and opened
in 1993, while others will favor the East Course, designed
by Steve Smyers and opened Memorial Day Weekend, 2000.
For those who simply love getting a look at many different
golf courses, there is plenty of reason to try to play
both.
The
East Course plays more to a links style and can
be up to 400 yards longer than the West Course. The
East is the type of course where trouble comes in the
form of mounds, sand bunkers, fescue, and other wild
grasses, that although penalizing, do offer the opportunity
for recovery.
Trouble on the West Course is more likely to come in
the form of actual penalty strokes from a shot into
a water hazard or a ball lost in the thick rows of trees
that border each hole.
Even the greens play differently. Green-side recovery
on the West Course is more likely to require a pitch
from the rough. On the East Course, collection areas
allow for more chips that fit into the running kind
of shots that could be favorable elsewhere on the course.
Slopes blend the collection area and green and make
for more putts with significant breaks.
Players wanting to try both courses can save on the
greens fees. Peak season weekday fees for each course
are set at $99, including cart, but golfers seeking
rounds at both courses can play the two for $175 by
making arrangements for the second course as part of
their first day at Blue Heron Pines. (TR) |
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The United States Golf Association has already decided to conduct
the 2003 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at the West Course.
Blue Heron Pines features a restaurant, full banquet facilities,
an award-winning golf shop, one of 15 Golf Digest schools
in the country, AND two outstanding golf courses.
The West Course opened in 1993 as New Jersey's pioneer into the
idea of a top-notch, daily fees golf course other than those tied
directly to resorts.
"We want daily fee players to be able to enjoy a great golf
course and experience a superior level of service," said Roger
Hansen, course owner. "In short, we want them to feel like
members for a day."
The country club caliber experience starts when golfers pull up
to the bag drop and continues through the round of golf and beyond.
The West Course provides the opportunity for a strong start, but
gets tougher as the round progresses. Depending on which of the
five sets of tees are used, the back nine plays from 102 to 143
yards longer. It is on the back nine that two similarities to Pine
Valley, the New Jersey private club that is often regarded as the
finest and toughest course in golf, are highlighted.
The 11th hole plays 114 yards from the white tees and up to 135 yards
from the back (gold) tees. The tee shot is almost all carry over water,
but the work doesn't end if the water and a deep pot bunker in the
front right are successfully carried. Blue Heron Pines touts the hole
as a variation of the 10th hole at Pine Valley, but it also has some
similarity to the famous island green 17th hole at the TPC Sawgrass
Stadium Course.
Like the 17th at Sawgrass, made famous through television and the
Tournament Players Championship, players can make a mistake if they
breath a sigh of relief following the tee shot. Both holes have
tricky greens that are made especially difficult with a front, right
pin placement, which makes putts from anywhere else on the green
treacherously fast with sharp breaks.
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| Blue Heron West No. 16 |
Hell's Half Acre comes to mind at the 483-yard, par-5, 14th hole.
Similar to the seventh hole at Pine Valley, the fairway is split
by a waste area of sand and shrubs. A solid tee shot is needed to
be in position to carry the waste area, which starts 188 yards from
the middle of the green and runs up to a spot 101 yards from the
middle.
The longest par-4 is the 17th, which plays 401 yards from the white
tees and 451 yards from the gold.
In all, the course measures 6,114 yards from the white tees with a
course rating of 70.1 and a slope of 128. The gold tees play 6,810
yards and the blue 6,524 yards.
Golf for Women magazine has listed the course as one of
the top 100 for women in the country. The green tees play 5,720
yards and the red tees are 5,053 yards with a women's rating of
68.4 and slope of 116.
The best chance for birdie may be on the first hole, which is
a straight 290-yard, par-4 where accuracy clearly overshadows distance.
There are three fairway traps on the right, another trap on the
left that could grab long tee shots, and water well behind and right
of the green.
Although 11 is the only hole where water has to carried, there
are 10 holes where water could be a factor.
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| Blue Heron West No. 12 |
The hazard at 15 is another of the reasons the back nine can play
tough. The 383-yard hole has a pond that cuts into the left side of
the fairway between the landing area and the green. A large waste
area on the right encourages players to send most tee shots left,
which in turn means more water that has to be cleared on the second
shot.
The second shot at 15 can be made easier only by making the first
shot more difficult by trying to carry the waste area and hit a
tighter landing area on the right.
Several rows of trees line each of the wide fairways. On some
holes, the trees are
thick enough for errant tee shots to be lost.
Blue Heron Pines Golf Club is located just 15 minutes from Atlantic
City, 45 minutes from Philadelphia, and two hours from New York
City.
Blue Heron Pines West Course
P.O. Box 961
Cologne, N.J. 08213
1-888-4STAR-GOLF or (609) 965-GOLF
www.blueheronpines.com
e-mail at info@blueheronpines.com
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| Blue Heron West No. 18 |
Fees, including cart or Powakaddy:
Jan. 1-March 11: $51
March 12-April 15: $71
April 16-May 13: $78
May 14-June 23: $99
June 24-September 6:
$99 Monday-Thursday, $125 Friday-Sunday
September 7-October 17: $99
October 18-November 30: $71
December 1-31: $51 |
