Ballyowen Golf Club

Ballyowen is one of the best in NJ but Tuesday was just unacceptable.

Outing was scheduled from 9-1 which is absurd thinking four hours is sufficient time to clear the course for afternoon tee times. This led to a predictable delay to then experience 5 1/2 hour pace of play on a Tuesday afternoon. No cart restrictions either. Just a shame a beautiful course could allow that type of experience for its customers.

On the bright side, absolutely loved the thick rough which is rare on most courses. Wide fairways and thick rough is ideal and wish more courses were designed/maintained this way.

Course is nice, greens a bit beat up but thats on the dopes that dont fix ball marks. The main issue the day we played was SLOW play, at one point there was 4 groups on a par 5…after that hole a 2 skipped the par 3-we didnt see them for a while, that left a 4 and a 3 in front of us and it was hit, talk, look for a ball..front took 2.5 hrs-we skipped 10 (passing both groups) played 11-18 and then played 10 in less than 90 minutes, and that included catching the 2 that skipped the par 3 and waiting for them on 17, 18….we were a threesome and basically kept the ball in play….we played 2 extra holes and called it a day, packed the cars, had a beer at the bar, checked out the pro shop…as we were leaving the foursome was just finishing up….pathetic.

Invited my friend and financial advisor to join me for a round at Ballyowen. It was his first time at Ballyowen and he belongs to a private club. He raved about the course and the conditions and played a great round. I always look forward to playing the top public course in NJ. Well done to the staff and grounds keepers.

Very impressed with the course. Absolutely beautiful and well maintained. Staff were helpful and polite. Cart girl Hannah was very pleasant and she makes a really nice Transfusion!

Took advantage of a hot 🔥 deal price for a 2:20 tee time. Got there 40 minutes early to check in and loosen up a bit at the range. We arrived to the starter house to find no starter and was told he's gone for the day. Folks were congregating at the 1st hole now discussing who had what tee time. End result, it unfortunately turned into what felt like a free 4 all. And it was slow!! 2hrs and 40 minutes later we finished the front 9. Sun fell prior to us finishing the round on the 17th green. It just felt like they dropped their usual excellent level of service the same time us folks that took advantage of the discounted tee times showed up. Great course and excellent conditions were unfortunately tainted by the lack of organization this particular afternoon.

A fun and challenging track, well-maintained, but was not advised that the greens were aerated. Impossible to putt accurately. Staff says it is the responsibility of GolfNow to advise when you sign up.

Course is long, and technical. Great place to play. The pace of play is slow, due to people not being honest about there HCP. I play high 80s and the blues is challenging. Cary path only makes it even more slower because of the elevation change of the layout. Course is fun and food at the clubhouse is great.