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Pine Valley Golf Club
Architect: George Arthur Crump Year: 1913 1 E Atlantic Ave Pine Valley, NJ 08021 Phone: (856) 783-3000 Course Access: Private |
Pine Valley Golf Club
Pine Valley was founded in 1913 by a group of amateur golfers from Philadelphia. They purchased 184 acres (0.7 km²) of rolling, sandy ground deep in the pinelands of southern New Jersey, and gave George Arthur Crump, who knew the area from hunting expeditions, the opportunity to design the course.
The site was challenging and the project became something of an obsession for Crump, who sold his hotel in Philadelphia and plowed his money into the course. Marshlands had to be drained and 22,000 tree stumps had to be pulled with special steam-winches and horse-drawn cables. This was all done at a time when many golf courses were still built with minimal earth moving, and the course was called "Crump's Folly" by some.
This was Crump's first and only golf course design, but he brought together celebrated architects such as A.W. Tillinghast, Hugh Wilson, George C. Thomas Jr., Walter Travis, and H.S. Colt to help him create the course. Crump set himself some idiosyncratic principles: no hole should be laid out parallel to the next; no more than two consecutive holes should play in the same direction; and players shouldn't be able to see any hole other than the one they were playing. He also felt that a round of golf on his course should require a player to use every club in the bag.
The first eleven holes opened unofficially in 1914. In 1918, when Crump died - reportedly penniless, four holes - #12, #13, #14, #15 - were incomplete; they were finished in 1922.
Pine Valley later spread to 623 acres (2.5 km²), of which 416 acres (1.7 km²) remain virgin woodland. Since Crump's death, alterations have been made by several other leading golf course designers. The club also has a ten-hole short course designed by Tom Fazio and Ernest Ransome III.
The site was challenging and the project became something of an obsession for Crump, who sold his hotel in Philadelphia and plowed his money into the course. Marshlands had to be drained and 22,000 tree stumps had to be pulled with special steam-winches and horse-drawn cables. This was all done at a time when many golf courses were still built with minimal earth moving, and the course was called "Crump's Folly" by some.
This was Crump's first and only golf course design, but he brought together celebrated architects such as A.W. Tillinghast, Hugh Wilson, George C. Thomas Jr., Walter Travis, and H.S. Colt to help him create the course. Crump set himself some idiosyncratic principles: no hole should be laid out parallel to the next; no more than two consecutive holes should play in the same direction; and players shouldn't be able to see any hole other than the one they were playing. He also felt that a round of golf on his course should require a player to use every club in the bag.
The first eleven holes opened unofficially in 1914. In 1918, when Crump died - reportedly penniless, four holes - #12, #13, #14, #15 - were incomplete; they were finished in 1922.
Pine Valley later spread to 623 acres (2.5 km²), of which 416 acres (1.7 km²) remain virgin woodland. Since Crump's death, alterations have been made by several other leading golf course designers. The club also has a ten-hole short course designed by Tom Fazio and Ernest Ransome III.
Course Photos
Course Review By: Chris Mavros, Golfadelphia
In a remote location in South Jersey, about 30 minutes away from downtown Philadelphia, resides the best golf course in the world. While I’ve read and researched and basically played every course in the area to get some semblance of what the course could play like, nothing really prepares you for when you get through the gate and make your way to the clubhouse. Pine Valley was created by George Crump, who purchased the property in 1912. Crump had never designed a golf course before, but collaborated with several of the Golden Age architects (Colt, MacKenzie, Wilson, Thomas, Travis, MacDonald, Flynn to name a few), who most likely recognized the sandy soil, rolling terrain, windswept native grass and pines as ideal for a golf course that could play year long. Tragically, Crump’s health and finances declined during the years the course was built, ultimately dying before it was completed.
I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to play Pine Valley. While definitely excited, I was more anxious than anything else. For the weeks leading up to the round, the questions and concerns piled up, all of which convinced the round wasn’t going to happen. Would the weather hold up, would the round get cancelled for some reason, would I suffer some freak injury that would prevent me from playing? If I did play, would I forget how to hit the ball? Beyond all that, however, was what would I think of the course. While I have played highly rated and regarded courses in the past, Pine Valley was by far the highest ranked and most exclusive I have had the opportunity to play. I wondered whether the ranking, prestige, praise and exclusivity would in any way impact what I really thought of it? Would the realization that I was fortunate enough to get invited factor in at all? I mean, many regard Pine Valley as the best course in the world. Better than anything in Scotland, better than anything in Ireland, better than every course I’ve played or seen on t.v. It is certainly hard to ignore when a course has such accolades heaped upon it, but while I was certain I was going to enjoy myself, I was determined to remain undeterred in evaluating my thoughts of the course independently of such accolades.... Continue Reading Here
I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to play Pine Valley. While definitely excited, I was more anxious than anything else. For the weeks leading up to the round, the questions and concerns piled up, all of which convinced the round wasn’t going to happen. Would the weather hold up, would the round get cancelled for some reason, would I suffer some freak injury that would prevent me from playing? If I did play, would I forget how to hit the ball? Beyond all that, however, was what would I think of the course. While I have played highly rated and regarded courses in the past, Pine Valley was by far the highest ranked and most exclusive I have had the opportunity to play. I wondered whether the ranking, prestige, praise and exclusivity would in any way impact what I really thought of it? Would the realization that I was fortunate enough to get invited factor in at all? I mean, many regard Pine Valley as the best course in the world. Better than anything in Scotland, better than anything in Ireland, better than every course I’ve played or seen on t.v. It is certainly hard to ignore when a course has such accolades heaped upon it, but while I was certain I was going to enjoy myself, I was determined to remain undeterred in evaluating my thoughts of the course independently of such accolades.... Continue Reading Here
Preserved Links Member Photos
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