The borough’s Planning Board is set to finalize its approval of a proposal.
EATONTOWN, N.J. — CarMax and self-storage facility CubeSmart on Route 36, along with 145 age-restricted single-family homes off Monmouth Road, will replace the links at the Old Orchard Country Club.
At an upcoming meeting, the borough Planning Board is set to finalize its approval of a proposal by Surrey Equities LLC to redevelop the 18-hole golf course, a 136-acre plot that was designed by famed architect A.W. Tillinghast and opened in 1929.
The project culminates years of efforts to build on the property. More than 15 years ago, a proposal to build 700 homes and 535,000 square feet of retail disintegrated after opposition from Eatontown officials, as well as from neighboring Oceanport, West Long Branch and Monmouth County freeholders.
In 2013, Eatontown Ventures sought to purchase the property to build 175 age-restricted townhomes plus 450,000 square feet of commercial space on the Route 36 boundary. A second proposal was to build a 450,000-square-foot commercial complex on 60 acres of the property and preserve the remaining 75 acres. Those plans were denied because commercial uses are not permitted on the property.
The township’s zoning rules only allowed 129 single-family homes or a golf course.
Last year, the Borough Council approved new zoning to allow commercial development along Route 36 but would secure 100-foot buffer zones between existing residential homes that border the course and 145 new age-restricted single-family homes that a developer is planning to build.
Surrey Ventures, a contract purchaser, later filed a plan to build its project: 145 age-restricted single-family homes and an 8,316-square-foot clubhouse, a CarMax used car and truck sales and service facility, and a CubeSmart self-storage facility. A 35-acre parcel on the property will remain wooded and undeveloped as dedicated open space.
According to documents filed in Borough Hall, the CarMax will be 7,694 square feet and include a 936-square-foot associated carwash, fuel dispenser and sales staging area. Currently, CarMax has stores in Edison, Green Brook, Maple Shade, Sicklerville and Wayne.
Plans call for a 33,780-square-foot three-story building for CubeSmart self-storage. It will have 101,340 square feet of floor space and 1,200 square feet of office space.
David P. Willis, an award-winning business writer, has covered business, retail, real estate and consumer news at the Asbury Park Press for 27 years. He writes APP.com’s What’s Going There column and can be reached at dwillis@gannettnj.com.
Monmouth County purchased the Hominy Hill Golf Course in 1976 and has run it as part of its park system since.
COLTS NECK, N.J. — Humble beginnings are rare in golf, and the Hominy Hill Golf Course is no exception.
The location, tucked away alongside farms and thick woods along Route 537 in western Monmouth County, exudes an unpretentious calm. The course’s meticulously manicured greens are lined with trees that loom like albatrosses, crowning the namesake hill and welcoming a refreshing breeze even on the hottest of days.
The features could make one believe the course possesses an athletic purity reminiscent of the Field of Dreams. Its status as a public course overseen by the Monmouth County Park System is a result of philanthropy from the original builder and owner, Henry Dickson Mercer Sr.
The genesis of the course is believed to be that Mercer, a member of numerous golf clubs including Augusta National, was discontent with the limitations of private country clubs refusing service to several racial demographics. This was not a purely altruistic act by the astute businessman, who was an executive at Chase Bank and Republic Steel and retired as chairman and president of States Marine Corp.; it was also logical sense.
Mercer, who died in 1978 at age 84, needed to entertain a diverse range of clients from across the world and he needed a course that would welcome them. So he built one in 1965, and it quickly became one of the most exclusive golf clubs in New Jersey as he was the sole arbiter to determine who gained entry.
Mercer commissioned Robert Trent Jones, one of the most renowned and iconic golf course designers in history, to create the pristine 18 holes. Jones’s prestige was such that he even coined a self-aggrandizing phrase that has lived on 24 years after his death: “The sun never sets on a Robert Trent Jones course.”
Hominy Hill’s inception was not born out of humble beginnings, but Mercer ensured the course’s legacy would be philanthropic. Henry and his son Dick sold the course to the county at a below-market $2.4 million in 1975, spurning more lucrative offers from developers.
For all the luxury, exclusivity and hubris associated with the course’s genesis, there is at least one constant virtue that has defined the course: it was never about the money.
Monmouth County purchased the Hominy Hill Golf Course in 1976 and has run it as part of its park system since. The scenic nature of the historic course is well-known to local golfers.
A tee time scandal at Hominy Hill?
The illustrious history of Hominy Hill is not lost on the golfers who frequent the course. Over time, a steady balance was struck amongst the ecosystem of patrons as the community embraced rules that kept the locale pristine and also developed a casual decorum in contrast with the pretentiousness of local private golf courses.
“What you would see initially is reduced availability on the county’s website for scheduling tee times,” said Catherine Moraetis. “Tee times are generally released at 8 p.m. one week prior to the day you would like to play. There’s also an opportunity to schedule a tee time 30 days in advance (for Monmouth County residents).”
Catherine Moraetis enjoys a game of golf with friends. Monmouth County purchased the Hominy Hill Golf Course in 1976 and has run it as part of its park system since. The scenic nature of the historic course is well-known to local golfers. (Photo: Doug Hood/Asbury Park Press)
The latter aspect made it clear to frequent golfers that chunks of desirable times were missing. The issue was an increase in outings; pre-booked time slots for between eight and 48 golfers for mini outings and 72 to 100 golfers for full outings at Hominy Hill.
“When there is an outing… you will observe golfers who don’t understand the etiquette and the rules of play,” Moraetis said. “You will see outing participants ignoring the cart rules for the course and driving their carts on inappropriate parts of the course that cannot withstand the weight of a golf cart. There’s a reason why golf carts are only permitted on certain parts of the course, and that’s to preserve the fidelity of the course.”
The Monmouth County Park System oversees six public courses and data reflects a clear uptick in the number of outings at Hominy. The number of golf outing rounds more than tripled over the course of one year from 2021 to 2022, going from 392 to 1291. That number increased again in 2023 as 1447 rounds were played as part of outings. From 2014 to 2021, the number of golf outing rounds had previously peaked at a mere 493 in 2018.
As the number of outings grew rapidly, there did not appear to be any restrictions on when mini-outings could be booked at Hominy Hill. Weekends and holidays, coveted windows for golfers, were made available alongside weekdays. This year, the booking of mini outings was slightly limited to be after 1 p.m. on weekends with still no restrictions on Monday through Thursday.
By contrast, Somerset County’s coveted Neshanic Valley public golf course restricted all outing bookings to Monday and Tuesday. Another comparison for Hominy Hill is nearby Pebble Creek Golf Club, also in Colts Neck. That private course does not allow outings on weekends.
In addition to the issues outings pose to course conditions and other decorum, there is the straightforward issue of pace of play with such large congregations of golfers. Moraetis recalled such an instance with a golf outing that was from 1 to 3 p.m.
“You might wait an extra five minutes on the first hole and then you might find yourself waiting an extra eight minutes to tee off on the second hole. And then by the time you reach the third hole, you’ll find that you’re waiting 10 minutes between holes to tee off,” said Moraetis. “This becomes particularly important in the fall when the sun sets earlier, and so while you might schedule a tee time that would allow you four and half hours prior to the sunset. If you have the misfortune to get behind an outing, chances are you will not be able to finish that round.”
Moraetis began the process of bringing this to county officials’ attention in October of 2023 after a weekend of outings meant that golfers were unable to finish their rounds. Subsequent letters received an underwhelming response, so she attended a Monmouth Board of Recreation Commissioners meeting last Nov. 20.
Minutes from the meeting show that Ms. Moraetis addressed the board at 7:06 p.m. regarding the issues of outings and the fiscal inefficiencies of the practice relative to standard tee time pricing. She asked the board to reconsider the practice and suggested forming an advisory committee of golfers from Monmouth County. Her suggestions were initially received warmly.
“Vice Chairman Fiore agreed with Ms. Moraetis and said that outings should not be offered on weekends,” read minutes from the meeting. “He also said that golf staff should make better use of social media to get word out on golf course conditions, especially on days when there are frost delays.”
“Chairman Kevin Mandeville thanked Ms. Moraetis for bringing the issue to the Commissioners’attention,” the minutes states. “He directed staff to review the issue with the Board’s golf sub-committee and report back to the full Board at one of the regular December meetings.”
Monmouth County purchased the Hominy Hill Golf Course in 1976 and has run it as part of its park system since. The scenic nature of the historic course is well-known to local golfers. (Photo: Doug Hood/Asbury Park Press)
County rebuttal
To a certain extent, some of the grievances against the management of Monmouth County Park System’s public golf courses can be attributed to a simple disagreement over the vision. And steps have been taken by officials to acquiesce the concerns around Hominy Hill and other courses while maintaining the core tenets of the MCPS philosophy.
“The recreation commissioners over the years have been committed to providing an exceptional quality playing experience for Monmouth County golfers,” said MCPS director Andrew Spears. “The six county golf courses are loved by county residents, and they provide a very unique playing experience. And again, the quality of play and the turf is something that’s been a top priority for the management of the golf courses.”
Spears noted that every year the county’s commissioners commit capital funds to invest in playing conditions at the golf courses including upgrades to bunkers or tees and greens. He cited the recently reconstructed driving range at Hominy Hill as one such example.
“The value of the courses to county residents, especially those who don’t play golf, goes beyond the fact that we’re providing a recreational facility,” said Spears. “The golf courses also are permanently dedicated open space, and they’re considered parkland. Some of our golf courses have recreational trails for non-golfers. So from an environmental and open space standpoint, the golf courses return benefits to the residents.”
That philosophy of the courses as multipurpose spaces would seem to underly the increase outings.
“We have really two different types of outings at the golf courses. One is the traditional charitable outing, where we close the course and do a shotgun start,” said Spears. “The other type of outing we refer to is a mini golf outing, and those are the outings where a group of golfers can block off a number of tee times.”
The county’s flier states that full outings can be booked Monday through Thursday at Hominy. Mini outings can be booked at any time Monday through Thursday but must be after 1 p.m. on weekends.
The increase in demand for outing rounds goes hand-in-hand with the upgrades to the facilities at Hominy as the MCPS aims to make the venue into more than just a golf course and potentially a coveted event space with meal complements.
A recent increase in prices also makes the mini outings comparably more valuable in terms of revenue. The cost per person as part of a mini outing is now $103 for weekdays and $118 for weekends, compared to $67 and $84 respectively for a single tee time.
But the push to make the courses into event spaces with meal complements hasn’t sat well with the regulars. The issues led to a season of discontent at Monmouth County golf courses.
Issues to present day
With a busy golf season already underway, the Monmouth County Parks commissioners convened at scenic Thompson Park for their bi-weekly meeting on June 17. The consternation amidst local golfers had persisted, and a few more voices had joined the calls for changes to the managerial approach to the golf courses.
“I’m here in part because I’m a little bit concerned about this outing program, most particularly focused at Hominy,” said Pamela Herzberg. “I was in the women’s golf clinic, and friends and I would sign up and make a habit of signing up every time registration was open. And we would try to and get together to take the clinic and then we could all play foursomes together at Bel-Aire (golf course in Wall) until it became harder to get into that program than it is to get tickets to a Bruce Springsteen concert.”
Herzberg, speaking during public comment at the meeting, proceeded to outline the specific issues that continue to chafe the county’s regular golfers.
“It’s ridiculous. We all set our alarms, we all warn each other to have to be online at 8 o’clock to register,” Herzberg continued. “We’re competing against people who, as it turns out, are coming from all manner of counties in New Jersey, not Monmouth County. And you know, good for the golf program, good for the quality of instruction that people think it’s such a draw that they’re coming from all these various counties. I don’t need to compete with them as a taxpayer in Monmouth County.”
To that issue, the county responded by noting state taxpayers chip in for the parks (grants from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection help local governments acquire and develop open space for recreation and conservation). But for longtime local golfers like Herzberg, the sudden impediments to enjoying the county’s courses are unacceptable.
“I’m sure there were plenty of county residents that would have filled those spots if it weren’t for the fact that people were faster on their keyboard in Union County. My husband and I spent $7,500 on golf fees and carts last year in Monmouth County, compared to $12,000 that I pay in property taxes,” said Herzberg. “It gets a little bit unreasonable that as residents of the county, we have to compete with people coming from all over the place who have no vested interest, no history in this county.”
Adding to the frustration is that there is no clear explanation of the vision or management strategy being employed by the MCPS. The significant uptick in rounds as part of outings was a recent development. There are also the recent renovations to the clubhouse to make it more appealing as an event space and a wide-ranging contract with Jacques Catering to be the exclusive caterer of Monmouth County Parks.
Fundamentally, the belief is that the management philosophy should benefit county residents – whether that’s directly through availability of the course for local golfers, or fiscally by generating a surplus of revenue that could support other initiatives.
Abe Sanchez has been a resident of Monmouth County for several years but previously resided in South Florida amidst some of the best, and most expensive, golf courses in the world. He vouched for the elite quality and fair pricing at the courses, but he too expressed a belief that the management of the courses should benefit local residents.
“The maintenance of our courses here in Monmouth County is superb. It’s amazing,” Sanchez said. “For a course like Hominy Hill, it could easily be $120 (per round) and I think still most people would probably pay for it. And a course like Shark River, you would get upwards of $80 or more. So we do have really good rates here for our county residents. It’s something to appreciate, but at the same time to be able to use it and not just be limited.”
While golfers want to see tee times maximized and disruptions to playing pace minimized, the source of tension in many ways can be boiled down to a lack of an articulated vision by the park system. At the same meeting that Sanchez, Herzberg and Moraetis attended, the discourse in the public comment portion of the meeting was framed in a way of voicing concerns while seeking answers about the direction of MCPS management of the courses.
In the absence of answers about the direction and strategy, Herzberg recited the group’s mission statement, then added: “I don’t see anything about out-of-county residents here.”
Regardless of the feedback from residents, the MCPS has pushed forward. Hominy Hill hosted its first “Brewed in Monmouth: Taste of the Tee” event on May 17. On that Friday afternoon after 4 p.m., tee times were only available as part of the event with the cost being $55 for regular attendance and $95 to play nine holes of golf as part of the event. That continued the following month with an event on June 28 priced at $69 for dinner and $109 to include a tee time. That same week in late June, the course also hosted a 3 p.m. “Group Wedding” event with the Monmouth County Clerk.
Those events highlighted the relationship the county has with its official caterer, Jacques Exclusive Catering. In both cases, Jacques was compensated with all the revenues for regular attendance ($55 or $69) whereas MCPS received the portion of revenues that included tee time ($40). All 56 spots with a tee time were sold.
The relationship with Jacques, and the slate of events that come with it, is also a source of ire for the regulars. A series of public records requests revealed that Jacques took over as the exclusive caterer with a two-part bid that totaled $75,300 with terms extending over two years including an option for a third year. It also revealed Jacques was not on schedule with payments, but the county declined to collect late fees when it finally received payments in July for the annual fee and for events hosted up to that point in the year.
“Giving the caterer the opportunity to offer the services to the golfers directly, such a through the Taste of the Tee or through the box lunches or the grill room, contributes to the visibility of the facility as a catering venue,” Spears said.
The numbers
For all the disagreements about management and back-and-forth about policy and approach, the numbers paint the clearest picture of the efficacy of the current direction.
Both the outings at Hominy Hill and additional events as part of Monmouth County Park System’s agreement with Jacques appear to have only marginal economic benefit while potentially alienating the core group of local golfers.
The number of rounds played as part of outings more than tripled at Hominy from 2021 to 2022 as part of a broader trend across Monmouth County’s public golf courses that featured more outings. But records show that the “golf group program” (outings and mini outings) made up around 1.7% of overall the county’s $16,4 million in revenue in 2022 and around 2% of $18.6 million in 2023 revenue.
There are more peculiarities with the financial data regarding group golf programs. In 2019, 1,610 rounds of golf were recorded played as part of outings and the correlating revenue was $159,025. By 2021, the number of outing rounds played had increased by over 88% to 3,040 rounds, but the associated revenue had only gone up by just over 25% to $199,375.
Hominy Hill records show the course produced revenues of $3.63 million in 2023 and $3.41 million in 2022. Even if the entirety of the county’s $75,300 agreement (which is actually a multi-year contract) with Jacques Exclusive Catering was paid over the course of one year, it would represent 2% of annual revenue.
For all the upheaval, it hardly seems worth it to experiment with the golf courses’ viability in its primary function as a sporting venue, alienating local resident golfers in the process, when the upside appears to present only marginal gains for the county.
The 18th hole
Even as the summer turns to fall and the daylight wanes, the allure of Hominy Hill doesn’t waiver. And neither has the slate of Friday events as another Taste of the Tee event was hosted Sept. 20.
The crown jewel public golf course continues to shimmer even as its direction pivots. Once the apex of exclusivity as a private venue, Hominy is now being pulled in a variety of directions as its inclusivity as a public entity reaches an inflection point. Innumerous stakeholders feel entitled to shape the locale’s future.
It’s difficult to know what Henry Dickson Mercer would think. Surely he envisioned the course being under the public domain as a noble act, giving everyone an opportunity to enjoy the venue he created. Little did he know that five decades later golfers and course managers would clash over the vision.
Hominy Hill’s existence is rooted in the pompous grandeur of those who created, it’s destiny might be defined by something similar. Still, the tree-lined greens and fairways exude a certain kind of humility. The sun may never set on this Robert Trent Jones course, but the concern continues to be what happens in the shadows.
Hockey is a very tight-knit community, and Notre Dame is part of that community. So when tragedy strikes it, the Irish feel the rightful need to know that they’re mourning as much as those the tragedy directly impacts. Unfortunately, that time has come once again.
The Gaudreau brothers’ time at Boston College spanned from 2011 to 2017. The Irish went 7-6 against the Eagles during that time with most games coming when the Irish were a member of Hockey East. But the Eagles went to three Frozen Fours and won the 2012 national championship. Johnny Gaudreau also won the Hobey Baker Award to cap his collegiate career in 2014.
We at Fighting Irish Wire extended our deepest condolences to the Gaudreau family during this difficult time.
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The New Jersey Amateur Golf Championship has its first pair of title-winning brothers.
BLOOMFIELD, N.J. – Reed Greyserman has given the New Jersey Amateur Golf Championship its first pair of title-winning brothers.
Greyserman, 19, won the 123rd Amateur on Wednesday with a record-setting performance to join his older brother, Max, who won it in 2015 and is in his first year on the PGA Tour.
“I was there when Max won, and he’s doing awesome,” Greyserman said. “Obviously, the goal is to be where he is.”
Greyserman, an incoming freshman at Princeton, was a wire-to-wire winner and finished at 14-under 270 at the renovated Forest Hill Field Club. The Short Hills resident shot 3-under 68 during Wednesday morning’s third round and 72 in the afternoon finale for the record-setting 270 and three-shot victory.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Greyserman, who plays out of Hamilton Farm and previously had two top-five finishes. “To finally get it done here is everything.”
🏆 Greyserman grabs the 123rd New Jersey Amateur Championship presented by Provident Bank in impressive wire-to-wire fashion!
The 19-year-old recorded rounds of 64-66-68-72 over 72 holes to hoist the Edwin M. Wild Trophy at Forest Hill Field Club. With the victory, Greyserman… pic.twitter.com/oo7F8fTsKy
Liam Pasternak, 17, of Essex Fells, bidding to become the first high schooler to capture the title, was runner-up at 11-under 273. Pasternak was in Wednesday’s final pairing with Greyserman and shot 68 and 70.
“I thought it went really well,” said Pasternak, who in May won the New Jersey high school Tournament of Champions as a junior at Morristown. “I felt really confident.”
This should be remembered as the “New Jersey Brothers Amateur,” because Jeremy Wall, 29, of Manasquan River also was vying to join his younger brother, Jack – the defending champion – and deliver back-to-back sibling titles. Jeremy closed with 69 and 70 to tie for third at 10-under.
Mark Costanza, 35, of Baltusrol, bidding to become just the seventh player to win the State Open and State Amateur, also tied for third at 10-under. Costanza, State Open titlist in 2020, rallied with 67 and 69 to reach 10-under.
The New Jersey State Golf Association switched the Amateur from match play to stroke play in 1971. The previous record for lowest 72-hole score was set by two-time champion Dawson Jones in 2019 with a 15-under 273 at Neshanic Valley. Jones’ 15-under remains the lowest score relative to par, and Greyserman’s 14-under is tied for second with Jones’ 14-under in 2017 at Tavistock.
The five former champions made a collective stellar showing this week, all finishing among the top 12. Jack Wall of Manasquan River was eighth at 5-under after carding 68 and 70. Will Celiberti of Arcola, the 2022 titlist, was ninth at 4-under after shooting 66 and 70.
Two-time champion Mike Stamberger of Spring Lake tied for 10th at 1-under after a 71 and 70. Corey Brigham of NJSGA E-Club, the 2002 titlist, and Austin Devereux of Manasquan River, the 2020 titlist, tied for 12th at even par. Brigham shot 68 and 70 and Devereux had 70 and 74.
Greyserman once again fought off a challenge with a strong finish in the final round. Leading Costanza by two shots, he birdied the 15th and 16th holes. On the 16th, a 160-yard par-3, he hit an 8-iron to within two feet and sank the birdie putt.
“I knew where the scores were at,” Greyserman said of the leaderboard, adding, “After the birdie on 16, it was smooth sailing coming in.”
Our hundreds of raters weigh in on the best public-access and private courses in New Jersey.
Looking to play the best golf courses in New Jersey? Welcome to our annual Golfweek’s Best ranking of public-access and private courses.
Following are the rankings for both types of courses, as judged by our nationwide network of raters. The hundreds of members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them on 10 criteria on a points basis of 1 through 10. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings are averaged to produce all our Golfweek’s Best course rankings.
The courses on the first list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort or by staying at an affiliated hotel. If there’s a will, there’s a tee time – no membership required.
KEY: (m) modern, built in 1960 or after; (c) classic, built before 1960. For courses with a number preceding the (m) or (c), that is where the course ranks on Golfweek’s Best lists for top 200 modern and classic courses in the U.S.
* indicates new or returning to the rankings
Best public-access courses in New Jersey
Neshanic Valley in New Jersey (Courtesy of Neshanic Valley)
When Ed Turner first played the course in 1957, it was the Officer’s Club, with no enlisted men allowed.
EATONTOWN, N.J. – The grill room was buzzing with a young clientele on the lower level of the grand Tudor Revival-style structure formerly known as Gibbs Hall, having recently reopened after a major renovation as the centerpiece of Suneagles Golf Club.
Seated at one end of the space, Ed Turner and Mike McMahon, a pair of Oceanport residents, took a moment to survey the scene.
When Turner, 88, first played the course in 1957, it was the Officer’s Club, with no enlisted men allowed on what was Fort Monmouth Golf Course. McMahon, 80, first walked the links in 1980, and has been a fixture through the place’s metamorphosis, becoming a private golf club this year.
Now the former helicopter pilots, who each served two tours of duty in Vietnam, are the last two retired military still playing at the historic 1926 course, continuing to carry their bags around the layout designed by famed architect A.W. Tillinghast, whose handiwork includes Baltusrol and Bethpage Black.
“We’re the only retired military still here, so he and I are drawn together,” said Turner.
“When I was first here no civilians and no enlisted men here. That’s the way the military was back then. It wasn’t that long after World War II, so we were segregated between officer and enlisted, big time. And when the enlisted started coming here, probably in the early 1970s, it was just senior non-commissioned officers. Then it evolved.”
Fort Monmouth closed in 2011, with Salvatore Martelli, whose Martelli Development Inc. built Colts Neck Golf and Country Club, purchasing the property in 2018. The restoration and expansion of the clubhouse, renamed Tillinghouse, is part of the redevelopment plan that includes 60 luxury market-rate townhouses and 15 affordable townhouses on the course.
Golf, war intertwine
As a member of the 1st Cavalry Division, Turner saw his share of combat action, mostly near the Cambodian border, during his time in Vietnam between 1966 and 1969, getting shot down once.
And while golf was an afterthought most of the time, Turner does recall a course in Saigon where the sand traps weren’t the only hazards.
“On my second tour I would play there sometimes, but it wasn’t something I could do that often,” he said. “The course was actually in an area that had a lot of trouble with the enemy.”
While McMahon never played in Vietnam, where he was part of an aviation detachment of the 196th Infantry Brigade, he was exposed to the game as a youngster growing up in Denver, with his parents dropping him off at the golf course for the day during the summer.
The updated clubhouse, now known as Tillinghouse, at the Suneagles Golf Course in Eatontown is shown Tuesday, October 3, 2023.
And when he returned from Vietnam, he discovered his brother had lost his 8-iron. Fortunately, one of his fraternity brothers at Regis College had made him an offer he was able to collect on.
“He said ‘Mike, if you come back with both arms and legs I’ll buy you a set of clubs,’ ” McMahon said. “I picked them up at the Hogan Factory in Fort Worth, Texas.”
In fact, golf has been a common thread weaving through their 20-plus-year military careers and civilian life.
After leaving the military, Turner began a decades-long career in international business that took him to the Middle East and Asia, including a 12-year stint in Japan. He now spends half the year living in Thailand, where he still plays golf most days.
“Thailand is a golf Mecca,” Turner said. “The way it works for most of us over there – It’s mostly Australians and Europeans – is we don’t join a club like here. I’ll play out of a bar and the bar organizes golf each day and we go to different courses. There are 17 courses in the area and we go every day different places. I don’t walk there but caddies are mandatory. So the caddie drives the cart and I half walk, half ride.”
McMahon, the starter at Jumping Brook Country Club in Neptune, recalls fondly the golfing community that existed at Fort Monmouth back in the day.
“After I retired we used to play with other military.” McMahon said. “There were six colonels who had priority for tee times and they would get the tee times and we would mix in with each one of them every week, so you would play with a different group of guys and it was a lot of fun. “
Links to the past
The Suneagles course has been part of golfing history over the years. World Golf Hall of Famer Byron Nelson won the New Jersey Open there in 1935 for his first professional victory at what was then called Monmouth County Country Club. Fellow Hall of Famer Sam Snead still holds the course record with a 7-under-par 65.
Orville “Sarge” Moody won the All-Army championship there in 1967, before turning pro and winning the 1969 U.S. Open.
Fort Monmouth eventually opened the golf course to civilian contractors at the base, with the course operating as a semi-private course in recent years, before going fully private this year.
“I think the military was forced to open it up from a financial standpoint to keep everything running,” McMahon said. “The military didn’t have enough force structure here to support the course. That’s when they opened it up to the civilian workers.
“Looking into the future, who knows? Netflix (set to build a studio on a 289-acre site) will change the demographics even more.”
But as the redevelopment of Fort Monmouth progresses, changing the landscape at Suneagles dramatically, Turner and McMahon provide an important link to the course’s rich history.
Stephen Edelson is a USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey sports columnist who has been covering athletics in the state and at the Jersey Shore for over 35 years. Contact him at: @SteveEdelsonAPP; sedelson@gannettnj.com.
#Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco’s hometown of Vineland, New Jersey, held a Super Bowl LVIII parade in his honor
The Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII over the San Francisco 49ers 10 weeks ago in Las Vegas. The glow and celebrations from that night haven’t slowed as players and coaches continue to be honored by their hometowns.
On Saturday, running back Isiah Pacheco was back in Vineland, New Jersey, being greeted by fans in his hometown for the second consecutive year as a Super Bowl champion.
“Every movie has a main character,” said Pacheco at the City Hall steps, according to The Press of Atlantic City. “What a good movie will show you is a main character is nothing without other people around him to shape him and support him, which y’all do.”
[gambcom-standard rankid=”5375″ ]
Kansas City Chief running back and Cumberland County native Pacheco had a parade thrown for him in Vineland in celebration for his Super Bowl win. pic.twitter.com/4PpVQqSzBu
Pacheco’s Vineland high school football team, along with family and former Rutgers teammates, was in attendance to support. Pacheco had another solid season in 2023, appearing in 14 games and finishing with 205 carries for 935 rushing yards and seven touchdowns to go with 44 receptions for 244 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Rozier played at Nebraska from 1981-83, running for 4,780 yards and 49 touchdowns. His best season was in 1983, when he ran for 2,148 yards and 29 touchdowns en route to the Heisman Trophy.
Rozier would play two seasons in the USFL before joining the NFL and Houston Oilers for the 1985 season. He played for the Oilers from 1985-1990 and closed his career with the Atlanta Falcons for the 1900-91 campaign.
The New Jersey native was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
Mike Rozier Way
Husker legend, Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier was honored earlier today in his hometown of Camden, NJ with a street dedicated in his honor.
A soft opening for the driving range, putting green and miniature golf course took place on Thursday.
It had been more than a decade since a new municipal golf course has been built in the state of New Jersey, but the soft opening of the Old Bridge Golf Club at Rose-Lambertson, nicknamed “The Rose,” put an end to that drought on Thursday.
Old Bridge’s mayor, Owen Henry, was part of a contingent on hand this week for a ceremonial opening.
“This is a jewel, and this is going to be here for the current and the future residents and generations of Old Bridge,” Henry told our network partner, the Courier News.
Although a soft opening for the driving range, putting green and miniature golf course took place on Thursday, the 18-hole course won’t open until mid-October.
Old Bridge Golf Club at Rose-Lambertson, called “The Rose,” (Photo: Alexander Lewis/myCentralJersey.com)
The project is located on about 218 acres of township-owned property – the Rose and Lambertson Tract area – on the north and south side of Lambertson Road. In a series of transactions, the township used state Green Acres funds to purchase the property to maintain it as open space.
Designed by New Jersey golf architect Stephen Kay, the complex includes a par-71, 18-hole course, an illuminated 30-bay driving range and a miniature golf course with lighting, water features and rolling terrain.
There’s also a 6,000-square foot clubhouse with a pro shop, concession area, cart barn and restrooms, as well as a 5,000-square-foot maintenance building and 110 parking spaces. The rental electric carts will be equipped with GPS screens.
The routing of the 18-hole layout was driven by wetlands and the natural topography. Unlike most American golf courses, the 9th hole does not return to the clubhouse because of the property’s unique features.
The Rose is the centerpiece of a more than $35 million public-private partnership between 2020 Acquisitions and the township.
Tiger Woods and baseball star Mike Trout announced in March they were partnering to build a new private golf course, Trout National – The Reserve, in New Jersey about 45 minutes south of Philadelphia.
The routing, perhaps the most important part of the design puzzle, is now complete. The group released a map of the routing Friday in a media release, timed with a new social media video of Woods and Trout at Trout National. The course – par 72 at 7,455 yards – is slated to open in 2025.
With the course designed by Woods’ TGR Design, the club will also feature a “cutting-edge” practice range, short-game area, clubhouse, restaurant, “five-star” lodging, a wedding chapel and more.
The planned routing for Trout National – The Reserve in Vineland, New Jersey, includes a former silica sand mine and rambling farmland. (Courtesy of Trout National – The Reserve)
Trout recently spoke on Bleacher Report’s “On Base With Mookie Betts,” about what inspired him to build a course and his love of working with Woods.
Here’s the full release on how the routing came together:
The wait is over. Excited to share the latest from Trout National – The Reserve. We've finalized course routing and are continuing to make progress on this unique and exciting project with @TigerWoods and @tgrdesignbytw. pic.twitter.com/rpu2on1KUg
(VINELAND, N.J.) – Trout National – The Reserve, a world-class golf club collaboration between Mike Trout, the three-time American League MVP and 10-time Major League Baseball All-Star, and local partner and businessman John Ruga, announce the course routing by golf icon Tiger Woods’ TGR Design.
The 18-hole, par-72 golf course, which is slated to complete construction in 2025, is routed through two unique natural landscapes giving distinct character to the course. A former silica sand mine and rambling farmland offers ample playable sandy waste areas as well as sprawling fairways offering multiple routes from tee to green. Large and undulating greens with low-cut surrounds emphasize the challenging, yet fun design where risk-reward opportunities create the ideal environment.
“Some of my favorite golf experiences have been ones that have challenged my game while still having fun and that’s what we wanted to create at Trout National – The Reserve,” said Trout. “Tiger, John and I walked hole by hole and this course will do just that. Our vision and his design is creating something special here in my hometown.”
“Mike and John found a site with a lot of character to make some outstanding golf holes,” says Tiger. “The sandy and diverse terrain has so many great natural features that have given us a lot of options on how to create a world-class golf course.”
“The land that is home to Trout National – The Reserve has great history here in the city of Vineland,” said Ruga. “Tiger and his team were able to incorporate the history and let the land shine through in this championship golf course. It will truly be a memorable experience on the course.”
Accompanying the 18-hole championship golf course, the golf offerings at Trout National – The Reserve will also include a flexible short course and expansive putting course along with world-class practice facilities and performance center. Other club highlights include a modern state-of-the-art clubhouse, five-star lodging, innovative amenities, a chapel and more.
