Ballyowen Golf Club

There are not too many links style courses in the area, so this is a rare treat. I've played in Ireland and this reminds me of that, but it's not quite up to that standard. At $130 a round it is a bit pricey, but this is the one course in the area that I think is worth it. So I'll drive an hour at 5 am every time with my wallet in tow for this one.

We played at 6:10 on Saturday morning and were finished by 10:10. We were warned once for slow play, but the ranger was pretty nice about it. One of our group is 83, and that coupled with the fact that our foursome was following the first twosome out that morning probably led to the gap in front of us.

One thing I learned about links style courses is that it can be very difficult to find balls that roll even a few feet into the rough. I think that lso contributes to the pace of play. You can't drive your cart everywhere so you almost always have to get out to search for your ball. You really neeed to keep your eye on where you land, and use landmarks to find your ball. My advice is to look for one minute, and then drop, unless your playing for all the money in the world.

The course is in great shape, and the greens are fast and true. We played from the middle (blue) tees, and there were birdie ops out there. I would imagine that from the tips with a bit of wind, the course really tightens up.

This course in beautiful. Very tough and links courses are tough when sunny, hot and humid which it was when I played. Course was also wet from previous nights rain so it was cart path only which meant a lot of walking up and down a lot of rolling hills. People were friendly, and helpful. Cart girls were very attractive and nice. Everyone wears kilts to add to the feel. Well worth the drive, I went an hour + and would do it again.

We had read that it has been called the top public course in NJ, so we had to give it a try. It was nice enough (very well maintained), but the layout was a little disappointing--apart from a series of three on the front nine that surrounded the lake, the rest seemed very similar with no real standouts.

What keeps this review from being a 5 star was the presence of one very rude ranger. Twice on the front nine he came up to our group (roaring up in his cart while I was mid-putt, by the way) to tell us we were falling behind. While I have no problem with rangers trying to keep pace of play, the group behind us was an entire hole back, so it was not like we were keeping anyone from playing through. Additionally, his rationale for accosting us was that we had fallen behind the group in front of us. Well, the group in front of us was a two-some! Of course the two-some is going to play faster than the foursome! To cap it off, he then followed us for about 5 holes (always staying about a shot length's behind us). Very frustrating. It's a shame, because the rest of the staff was very friendly.

Only problem was "cart path only".Fescue makes the course difficult if you go there

It is very enjoying to play on this course! Great sheep!

Had a great time playing Ballyowen Saturday May 2nd. Greens need maybe 2 more weeks to repair from aeration. Fairways and tee boxes were great. Will definitely be back.

Got lucky and got out on one of the warmer days this season. Course is in great shape for being so early in the season after a brutal winter. Even with the frost last week, the course has handled it well. Course is absolutely gorgeous. Would recommend to anyone, whether going out for a round with friends having a good time or trying to entertain clients. Staff is great and Kevin behind the desk is as knowledgeable as it gets about the course and the resort! A ++ to Kevin & Mark's staff over there.

Beautiful Course in scenic Sussex County, the course has a lot to offer all types of golfers.

Great Links Style Course. Course is very up & down with serpentine, winding fairways. Early spring so the "fescue" was non existent. Unfortunately, my swing was horrible, so I lost a lot of balls, but more due to sheer laziness than anything else (I buy 'em by the gross online). Honestly I had no business being on this course (I'm a "2 off the tee" hack), but for $45 bucks mid day on a sunny, breezy Monday, I simply couldn't pass it up. Convinced me that lessons are needed. Great course, beautiful.

Course in very good shape even with snow & ice
No croud on a windy but sunny day
Golfnow rate was excellent. Will return.

Beautiful course and so much fun, it's pricey but well worth it.

We had a fabulous time at Ballyowen Nov 25 with 67 degrees! We were greeted by all staff and restaurant employees with friendly, professional service. Thank you! The day was perfect and my opponent in the match shot 73. My 35 on the front sadly did not carry over to the back nine...lol... but the course seemed to come alive in the wind giving us every challenge Roger G. Rulewich had in mind. Thank you Ballyowen and Crystal Springs Resorts. We love what you've created here. Now I realize we don't have to retire in Florida...just visit Fla, January to March, the rest will be golfed right here at home in New Jersey.

When I played there was a Cold weather delay and the staff called me let me know so I would not be waiting around in the cold . That was very nice of them

Great course.....will be back...! Weather was iffy first few holes but hey...! it's a Links course....!

Ballyowen is always in excellent condition even in the end of season. The price from golfnow is too good to pass.

Played the course with some friends this past saturday. The course is in nice shape. The greens were a bit tricky to get a feel for the speed but also in good shape. The course was packed so we waited on every hole. It took over 5 hours to complete the round.

The staff was friendly and helpful. We got there early to have lunch, and it's a good thing we did as they were closing the Pub at 2pm for a wedding which we were told is a regular occurrence. Since that was the only place to get food it would be a good idea to let golfers know that when they make a tee-time that there are no other eateries available on the premise and they'll have to go elsewhere if they want to eat after their round.

The pro shop was well stocked for men, but only a small section for women. I'm guessing not many women play this course.

The starter and ranger were nice and personable. They couldn't do much about the pace of play. It would probably be helpful to space the tee-times out. We played after 1pm at a price of $95 per person which I thought was a bit pricey.

Overall it was an okay experience. If you like links style courses you might find it more enjoyable. If you prefer a woodsy layout I suggest you take a pass on Ballyowen.

Beautiful links style course. There was a 2 hour frost delay and I thought that the starter might have a nervous breakdown dealing with it! But our 1:40 tee time went off at 2:10. The course is absolutely beautiful. Rolling hills, and several greens 20+ feet above your 2nd shot, and most of us aren't really experienced enough to figure out how to adjust club selection in order to hit the greens. Definitely enjoyed the experience. Got on at $40+tax on a Tuesday. Sometimes $140, so that was a steal.

My first time playing here so I'm not sure whether to fault the course or the two foursomes in front of us who were apparently all doctors, but still could not seem to grasp a few basic concepts: 1) if you park your cart 40 yards from where you think you lost your ball, do NOT walk all the way to the ball, spend five minutes looking for it before deciding its gone, only to walk all the way back to the cart, grab a club and another ball, and back to the spot to hit it; 2) if three out of the four of you are women, you do not need to wait for the group in front of you to clear the green when you're 250 yards out, a distance which even the sole male in your group had no possibility of hitting; 3) do not explain your pace to the two-some behind you (us) who you did not let play through as being reasonable because "we're new here" - that is no excuse.

The course was really nice. Conditions were good, not excellent. Greens are fast and true. The wind was howling which made it a true links challenge. I would imagine that the course has a lot of birdie opps when you catch it on a calm day.

BUT - there is no excuse for a Tuesday morning, 9am, 5 hour round. That was just ridiculous. Course ranges seem totally content with a 4:30 pace, which means when a group is only 30 min behind that pace, they dont feel the need to do much about it. Maybe if you shot for 4hrs, you'd actually get groups in in 4:30.

Typical links course- keep it in the fairways and you have no trouble. Some blind 2nd shots on few holes made the round a bit more challenging and other than the weather (80 degrees & HOT!) it was a very nice round. "Play/manage the course" and you will have fun. We did.

First 6 holes took 3 hours and ten minutes--that' translates into a 9 and half hour round. Rangers were asleep at the wheel. Didn't see one until I phoned into the clubhouse and complained.

Probably should have asked to be comped for another round.