Crystal Springs Golf Club
Hamburg, NJ
It was 6 am, and the line at Hamburg Hot Bagels was starting to form. Coffees in hand and dressed to golf, individual conversations morphed into one open discussion - On the menu: the day’s weather report (why the experts didn’t know what they were talking about), which golf course they were about to play, and comparing conditions of all seven of the Crystal Springs Resort courses.
Hot Bagels secured, we made our way to Crystal Springs GC, the resort’s namesake course and the first built on the property.
Considered one of the most challenging public courses in the state, its undulating, sculpted fairway mounds and heavily protected greens place a premium on accurate tee and approach shots. The course has a ton of character for a resort course, as no two holes look the same.
The Par 3 - 11th hole is one of the most distinct holes in the state. Beautiful as it is challenging, tee shots are hit from the edge of an 80-foot high limestone cliff, over a clear spring-fed pond down to an undulating, butterfly-shaped green. Personifying the course, the 11th plays differently each round with pin position, wind conditions, and several different tee box options dictating how it should be played on any given day.
Public: Course Website | Opened: 1992 | Designer: Robert von Hagge
