Ballyowen Golf Club

I had a 6:20 tee time amd played alone. Unfortunately I had to wait at every single hole given the number of people who were working on the greens. That is unacceptable for $110! In addition the people working on the course was not very friendly and did not pay a lot of attention to the fact tgat I was there waiting.
Apart from this the course is very nice and was in great conditions as well. Played from the black tees and it was a quite challenging experience (especially the 4 par three (all above 190 yards)
I'll go back but would not go as a single early in the morning.

Beautiful course, some holes are more difficult but fun course to play, can't wait to go back.

Course is one of the best public course around. Green fees at peak are high ($140), but experience and condition are top notch. When the fescue is down, it is not nearly as tough of a course. There is a links feel to the course, but it does not play like a links course. It is similar to other Rulewich courses I have played (Wild Turkey, Berkshire Valley, Grande Dunes), but the fescue makes the Highlands feel. First two holes are dog leg left holes, with trouble left. The second being more of a cape style hole with death left if you try to cut off too much. The par 5 third is a three shotter with a difficult uphill approach. The par three 6th is 175 yards completely over water to a wide green, followed by a tough dog leg right with water completely along the right side. The 10th is a fun reachable par 5 in the risk reward mold. 11 is another 3 over water, but not as difficult as 6. Two of the toughest holes on the course are 14 and 16 long uphill par 4's. Eighteen presents a tough uphill second shot with the clubhouse and often a bagpiper playing in the background. The course offers a nice 19th hole, as well. Treat yourself to this course if you have never been. It is a must play. Condition is always good, regardless the time of year. Fall is a great time to play.

Enjoyed a nicely layed out course on a beautiful day. Wide open but if you don't hit targets, you can loose balls in the tall grass. Wind makes it more of a challenge.

Fairways are very forgiving, greens were great. Everything is first class.

The course is really good, but the pace of play was really bad - took more than 5hrs and there was no one forcing the pace of play. Other than that course and the staff were really good

Tough layout but in pristine condition.

WIth fescue on just about every hole there is bound to be some slow-downs w/ people looking for their balls.

We teed off ~ 330 on a "replay rate" after black bear and the ranger was being rather cantakerous towards us ushering us forward.

While I appreciate a fast round, i think a warning or two would be sufficient rather then telling us we needed to finish the next 1.5 holes in 15 minutes. I can only imagine how much of a hardo this guy would be if I was playing an earlier round.

We enjoyed our round here, it was very scenic & the course was in terrific condition. The staff was very friendly, and made us feel like we might have been playing in Ireland.

I drove two and a half hours north to play this course! Upon arrival I was highly impressed with the overall theme of the course! The staff wore traditional knickers and the starter wore a kilt which I thought was outstanding! The views surrounding the course was breath taking! I was told by the guys I was paired with that I was lucky that it does tend to get quite windy there but in that day there was barely a gust! The course itself was beautiful extremely well maintained and just a joy to play!

Always a pleasure to play and if you can a tee time on a hot deal, even better.

The course is outstanding , staff is wonderful! They could fine tune some better amenities , the carts are loud, & jumpy! There could be a towel available! Maybe , water on the golf course to drink!!! The snack cart is stocked very basic!!! Overall as a public golf course , it is fabulous !

A wonderful golf course. Demands accuracy. Putts roll well and true.Unfortunately thunderstorm hit and was unable to play the back nine.

Great course fun to play, wide open scenic course. Highly recommend.

By far best course in Crystal Springs resort.played many times and still a special course with great staff

Course was in excellent condition. Green were in fantastic condition and very fast. Practice Tee area was in need of some care.

Usually play here once or twice a season. Course was in great shape. Greens on this course are tough; fast and undulating. they had a special to purchase a future round for 1/2 price which we bought. Great day all around.

Amazing course, great layout and great views. Advertised as a "links" but having grown up in the West of Ireland, it's not a links! A links doesnt have par 3's over lakes! maybe over the ocean, but not lakes! But take nothing away, this course deserves it's billing as the #1 public course in NJ. Good pace of play, great condition despite the weather the day before. A little expensive, but definitely worth it.

EXCELLANT!!!! Fair test for both the beginner and the low handicapper. Total links course with no trees. Lots of elevation change. I would recommend buying the yardage book that would help with aiming points. Deep rough! Greens slow compared to South Florida! Loved the Bag Piper playing at 5 o'clock near the clubhouse! BIGGEST white swans I have ever seen! Great sandwiches in the bar after the round. Helpful bartender suggesting local things we could do was great.
SAVED $40.00 by booking with GolfNow!!!!! I would recommend using them any time you get the chance!

I reserved the 6:10 tee time for $105 ($35 off 6:20 tee time). I ended up going out as a single and was the first guy off behind the 4 maintenance guys that play every morning. They let me through on hole 6. Course was in great shape. It's tough to play alone, especially with my aging eyes and the tough rough. Lost a few balls. Did not score well but I was done in 3.5 hrs and just a gorgeous day. It is a good deal at $105 and sometimes on GolfNow you can get better deals. Full price is hefty and I don't often play at those rates.

It's hard to knock this course because it is easily one of the most pristine public golf courses in all of NJ. It is a step ahead of its brother & sister courses (Crystal Springs & Wild Turkey) at least as far as the conditions goes.

All that being said, for me, it is a forgettable course in terms of its design. It is a rather generic links course with very little in the way of memorable holes or unique features or signature holes. In fact, the bag pipers playing off in the distance is probably the most unique thing about this course.

Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful golf course and compared to other courses that charge similar $100+ green fees, it is probably in much better shape. There is just something so generic about it that I only find myself wanting to play it once a year as opposed to Wild Turkey that I would play over and over and over.

It's a great course for long-hitters because there are a ton of risk/reward opportunities, but it is also friendly enough for those that like to lay up and play it safe. The fescue can drive you insane if you’re not hitting the ball straight, but the tee boxes, fairways and greens are amongst the best I have played this year.

Overall the facility is top notch, staff is super-friendly, food is very good, and I know I got what is probably my best bargain of the year with a $55 Hot Deal. Certainly worth playing if you get the opportunity.