Pine Valley — Simply The Best

When I looked in my achieves recently, I was surprised to find I had never actually written much about my experience of playing Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey — generally regarded as the best golf course in the world. Well, that’s been rectified, as the FP Weekend has a large feature — complete with a photo — of my tour around Pine Valley.

Here’s a sample:

Rarely has something so world-renowned been hidden in such mundane surroundings. I’m driving down a narrow road in Clementon, New Jersey, in an SUV with two companions in the early morning light. To the left is a rundown amusement park, then some equally decrepit houses. There’s nothing to suggest a beautiful gem is nearby. A few kilometres further, amid a swarm of pine trees, we pull into a small laneway.

A security guard greets us, checks for our names and invites us in. We’ve just entered the grounds of Pine Valley Golf Club, widely considered the best golf course in the world.

That said, most people, even fervent golf fans, may not immediately recognize the name of the course. That’s not surprising. Pine Valley has never hosted aU.S. Open or a PGA Championship tournament. Sure, the best golfers in the world — Jack Nicklaus played it on his honeymoon while his new bride, Barbara, watched from the car — have tested the course, but quietly, on their own. Pine Valley, after all, is a private, mens-only club that doesn’t seek publicity. Greatness, it seems, doesn’t need a publicist.

The full story is here.