Ballyowen Golf Club

Came to play a round to kick off masters Sunday and was glad I made the long drive our to this course. It's a great looking facility with a friendly staff. The clubhouse is smallish, but the bar is a nice place to have a pint. The range is grass which is a big plus.

The course looks great and has a extremely fun layout. Shots off the tee require accuracy, but you do get rewarded when you hit your spot. The greens were receptive and putts rolled nicely. The par 3s are very memorable with water coming into play on 3 of the 4. The par 5s are great risk reward holes with none being too out of range after a proper drive.

The only issue was after the winter the fairways were extremely soggy. Many balls actually plugged almost completely underground... this made it pretty difficult to find your ball! This normally wouldn't be a problem - I've heard the course can play fast and firm in the summer.

Course condition was still very good even though I played the end of November. Excellent course!

Always pleasure to play in top notch course like at ballyowen

Thanks to GolfNow for allowing those of us on a limited budget to play courses of this caliber. Stellar layout, fair but demanding. Impeccable conditioning. Welcoming staff. Everything that golf should be. Favorite course in NJ. Played Bethpage Black the day before. Ballyowen can hold it's own against any course in the area.

very pretty and fair but must stay in play

It was very nice but expecting better greens.

For 156 dollars per golfer we should have been informed that the greens were recently aerated and not rolling true...

Made the value very poor...

rate should have been discounted....

Played tonight for $40. 18 holes in 2.5hrs. Can't beat that. Greens are aerated and pretty rough. For $40 can't complain. Just want others to know before making reservations. Course is overall in great shape.

Love this place.

Not a long course, but straight ball striking is a must. The native grass eats balls like a predator. The greens are very undulated and extremely fast. Very nice course.

The course is in great shape. The fairways are soft and the greens are fast and true. What more could you ask for from a golf course?

Play moved along smoothly and ranger were there to ensure speed was maintained. Really nothing to add they someone else hasn't already stated.

If you have never played here then it is an absolute must on your to play list.

Let me start by saying that I agree with everyone who says pace of play here is horrible. We waited on every tee on a Friday midday. The layout was fantastic though with few trees and some water but fescue everywhere. You have to stay on the short grass or you're in jail. The greens were quick but like most resort course a little torn up by non caring players. This is a top 50 course in my book and a good challenge of golf.

Excellent conditions on this day! (all around!)

What a beautiful course. Conditions were excellent and course was in excellent shape!

This course ranks, without a doubt, top 3 places to play in the NYC Metro area! The course is as close to perfect shape as you could get. The layout is fantastic. Staff are great. The price is reasonable. Can't ask for much more... One of my favorite courses that I could play over and over again.

Don't get to play here often but the course is in great condition . Booked a 1:30 tee time through Golfnow but did not know nor was informed that there is a member tournament going on at the same time. Had to start at the 13th hole and unfortunately did not get to finish the round due to weather..rain and lightning

My expectations were high, which makes my experience at Ballyowen all the more impressive. I found the course beautiful, but even more important, it was also a joy to play, with no two holes alike. While the course has a bit of a links look and feel (complete with the course starter dressed in a kilt), it certainly doesn't play like a links course. There are a few shots you can bounce into the greens, but for the most part, this is target golf.

Played the day after memorial day. When I woke up, ridiculous deals were plentiful on golfnow. I paid $18 for the first round. The course was so intriguing that I plunked down the regular twilight rate $50,00 for the second round. Shot a 92 the first time and an 88 the second. For some reason there was a fivesome I caught up to on the back 9, but it gave me plenty of time to put two balls in play and hit a lot of practice shots (otherwise it was relatively empty) If you've never been here (like I hadn't until yesterday), do yourself a favor and go. They never charged me the $3 resort fee and welcomed me down to the range where there are basically unlimited balls to go knock yourself out (unlike wild turkey, where you get 20 balls). The wind was light but strangely swirling and some of the pin placements were hard. The back 9 is definitely more difficult. 14-15 are some of the toughest par fours I have played (and long), 14 goes up a huge hill to a very guarded green and 15 plays a dogleg left to a another very guarded green. My other favorite holes are 6 (par 3 over water). Hit them straight or you will be mindlessly wafting through the fescue (which didn't seem as high as it could be) looking for your ball. There's two cuts of rough around the greens. The maintenance staff always seems to be working, I saw the greenskeeper out at 7 PM. 5 stars. two rounds for $68, no complaints here.

For some reason I still think Wild Turkey is a little more difficult, but maybe that's because for my first time at Ballyowen, I kept it straight.

Very enjoyable memorial day round, and it felt like my son an I were the only two players on the entire course. Went on to play Blackbear afterwards, but should have played this track twice instead. Will be back once the fescue dies down a bit.

Course was in great shape. Got out in the afternoon. There was an outing, hurting the pace of play. The marshal let me repeat a few holes, then the rest of the day was at my own pace.

I don't know why they don't try and group people together to avoid backups that I have experienced every time I play there. I went as a single and there was a single teeing off right in front and no effort was made to team us up.

Also there were two groups that were slowing things down on the back nine and the ranger, despite riding around and seeing the back up made no effort to speed up play or eject the offending foursome(s). Why bother having rangers or starters if they don't do anything?