Former private NJ golf course turned public and it’s great

Been looking for some good public courses to play throughout the Garden State? We've got a bunch of them that are great.

And the weather is finally breaking so that we can get out and have the golf season officially be underway.

This past week I played a public course that I hadn't played before. It's Hopewell Valley Golf and Country Club.

I had heard good things about this course for a long time. They had briefly closed in 2019, but reopened in 2020 to the public. The course did not disappoint either.

It was really well manicured and had a solid layout as well. The course had a good amount of undulation which I always love because in my part of Jersey every golf course seems to be flat.

And one of the best kickers of all? I had a mid-afternoon tee time. Usually golf courses are incredibly crowded during this time and you're forced to wait a lot and have your round take really long.

But shockingly the course wasn't overly crowded. The tee times were spaced out so that it didn't cause any backups along the way.

The greens and fairways were rolling a good speed too. Nothing overly complicated, but just enough so that players of all skill levels could enjoy it.

I highly recommend this course if you're in the area. And if you're not, carve out some time one day to make the trip. It's a public course in New Jersey you're going to want to play.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kyle Clark. Any opinions expressed are his own.

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.