The Architects Golf Club

Exceptional course. Better than surrounding courses. Convenient

As my title states....the only glaring issue with this course is that people simply do not fix their ball marks on the greens! Aside from fixing my own on each green, I must have fixed half a dozen others that surrounded it. Some were deep enough to hide half a ball. That said, I do want to leave a proper review of the entire facility because today was definitely an enjoyable round of golf. My wife and I arrived 20 minutes before our 9:45am tee time so it was unfortunate that I was not able to hit a few balls on the range. I hate teeing off tight and cold but was at least able to spend 7 minutes on the putting green. If you ever have to make the choice between hitting 15 balls or taking 15 putts, I would strongly recommend taking those 15 putts because these greens were some of the quickest I have putted on all summer (New Jersey greens that is). Those practice putts gave me the feel for the greens and I was able to get the speed right on most greens once the round got underway. The starter called our group a couple minutes before 9:45am and my wife and I headed over to the first tee to meet the other twosome we were paired with. We shook hands (2 great guys, first timers also) while the starter gave a few pointers on how to play the course. He suggested that 1: we all play the Blue tees no matter the skill level of the player and 2: add three or four yards to each approach shot regardless of what your range finder says. The other 2 guys were committed to the Blues so I said why not and joined them. I didn't want to be the one guy playing from the back tees though this is exactly what I would do next time I play here. The Blues were just too short for me (just shy of 6,300) where as the Gold tees were about 6,600 and even that is a bit short for me. Ideal yardage for me is about 6,800. My wife played the Red tees and I just asked her if she felt they were fair....yes, they were fair.

Despite the yardage, the tee boxes were very nicely groomed and all had nice flat lies with manicured grass. I love a nice, tight tee box. While it was not necessary, I hit driver off all par 4s and 5s as there is surprisingly quite a bit of landing room in the fairways. If you do miss one to the right or left though, there is definitely some thick rough waiting for you. Gotta keep your ball in the short grass that is for sure. The fairways were in good/great condition in my opinion. They were firm enough to give you some roll but not rock hard allowing you to take a bit of a divot. Now, because I played the Blues, most of my approach irons in to the greens were 9, PW, AW....I did not hit any long irons or mid irons in to the par 4s but would have from the Golds. The par 5s are basically reachable in 2 from the Blues too and I went driver, 4 iron on 13 to pin high (missed the 15 footer for eagle) for my second of 3 birdies. The greenside sand traps "looked" nice but could have used another layer of sand. I watched my wife hit out of a few and her club was bouncing off the surface like it was concrete. Finally, the greens.....despite the many, many unfixed ball marks, the greens rolled pretty darn nice. They were quick and bordered on fast. One thing I noticed as the round went on and from watching the other players putt, the ball did not break as much as you thought. First few holes, I would read a ball or two outside the hole and it simply would not break. By the back 9, I was basically taking dead aim or maybe playing left/right edge. The balls were just not breaking but again, they were rolling very very nicely. When I tapped in for par on 18....I walked off with a 74 and my low round for the year. Yes, I played very well but I also played from the wrong tees. The Gold tees would have been a more suitable challenge so keep that in mind when the starter gives you the whole "Blues" speech.

All in all, I really liked this course and would play it again for $49 anytime. Well worth the hour drive and I'm hoping to play here again before the cold weather comes. Pace of play was never an issue. Things moved well from start to finish.

This is one of the best golf courses I have ever played in New Jersey. I played from the Championship tees. Everything about this course is top-notch. The layout is great (each hole is a borrowed designed from some other famous golf course. I parred the 15 hole - a design borrowed from St. Andrews Golf Course in Scotland, which I was actually at 1 month earlier). Hence, all the holes are interesting to play. The greens are fantastic, though fast, sometimes even fast uphill). The condition of the course was also great. The facilities are also great, including nice showers in the locker room which I used after I played. Lots of bunkers. The rough is not as bad as some other courses, partly because they take great care of the course conditions. The only problem I had was the gnats, they were bad teeing off and in the fairway. The gnats are in your face, in your ears, sometimes under your cap. This seems to be a problem with golf courses in Northwest New Jersey this time of year (late August) for I had a similar problems with the gnats at Apple Mountain Golf Course just a few days earlier. Since this is a well-known golf course, be prepared to play in 4-somes in the summer. Every group I saw, including my own, was a 4-some. This is a course well worth driving a distance to get to. This course is definitely a bucket-list course. If you get to play it on a Hot Deal, it will be one of the best deals you will ever get on Golfnow. My only complaint besides the gnats? There are no hooks to hang your towel when taking a shower in the mens locker room. Hey, get some hooks for the towels.

Great place to play. Good conditions for the end of summer. The range wasn't open and the pace of play was slow, everything else was great except the bunkers which needed more sand. But whose complaining, we're out playing

Everything from TD green was perfection. Staff are extremely friendly and courteous. The only drawback to the day was that they allow too many twosomes on the course without peering people up. Most times we waited 10 to 15 minutes on each Teebox waiting to hit. Other than that a fantastic day

A very nice layout of great holes from world renowned golf architects.

Well, after reading many reviews, I decided to take the 1.75hr drive to play this course and I'm glad I did. Played Monday late afternoon and was paired with another single. I had read about the long wait times on each hole but there was no one on the course today. Played 18 in 3 hours.

The course is in great condition. The Fairway traps and some green side traps do need some attention, but for $40 I'm not complaining.

The front is easier than the back as there are a few tough par 4's on the back. The greens show there use (abuse) because I thing no one knows how to use a green repair tool. Also, pick up your feet when you walk!

My partner and I had never played this course before and with each hole we both commented on the fact that they were gorgeous golf holes. The only "throw away" hole could be the short par 3, but even that presents challenges. The rough is exactly that. If you are off the fairway by 2 yards you might not find the ball it is so thick. And hitting a good shot out of it is almost impossible. I love this about the course even though I found the rough too often. Penalize the poor shot and reward the good one.

Can't wait to get back again. And based on the reviews, I think a late afternoon round will be my tee time again.

This was my first time playing Architects and it did not disappoint. Going in to playing this course, I always heard good things about it, and I can see why it has a good reputation. The drive from North Jersey, yeah it's not down the block, but for the right price, it's well worth the drive. I know it is off of route 78, but it's not hard to get to if you take exit 12 off of route 80 (That's what my friend and I did).

The staff was very courteous, the clubhouse isn't that big but it is very nice, and the practice facility (Driving range) was awesome as it was a grass range.

The course layout itself is great! Lots of variety, and the conditions are very good. The day that my friend and I played it was cart path only due to overnight rain the staff said. This was not a big deal.

The course is not too hard because it's pretty wide. In my opinion, the back nine is harder than the front. The toughest holes are 14, 15, and 16. They are long par fours. I like the 9th and 18th hole.

Great hot dog at the turn, haha.

Overall, it was a great day at Architects.

This is the slowest pace I have played at this course since I began coming here three years ago. We waited on every shot, leading to a 5 hour and 15 minute round on a Monday mid morning tee time in August. When discussing the issue with the marshal on the 8th tee he said, "everyone is where they need to be at this point." Considering there were two groups waiting on the tee with another group putting on the 7th green, we asked how long it should reasonably take to complete 18 holes. He replied by saying, "4 hours and 20 minutes." When told that we have already reached the 2 hour mark after playing only 7 holes, he became visibly frustrated and said, "I do my job very well and everyone is where they are supposed to be."

The slow play really ruined a great weather day and our desire to play. Two of my playing partners walked off the course after 13 holes due to the pace and couldn't find a manger to speak to once they reached the main clubhouse.

I hope someone fro. The course reads this, identifies the date I played (8/8/2016), and identifies the Marshall who worked during the AM hours in order to council him not only on how to expedite slow play, but also on how to speak to one's customers.

architects is a course with wonderful design with each hole inspired by the work of a renowned golf architect.

that makes for a very interesting array of hole designs far superior to comparable courses. the devil is in the details though and some of these need to be worked out better. the fairways are in good shape but there are too many ball marks on the greens and the traps are obviously not groomed daily. only a few holes have a working ball washer. and, i have played here twice, and it has been a 5 hr round each time; that could just be bad luck though. great views and it is super easy to get a dog or burger from the outdoor grill at the turn.

great price! Beautifully manicured tee boxes, fairways and greens. You have to make shots and sink putts to score well here. Beverage cart was there when you needed it. Round slowed around the turn ,however. Starter let a 2some tee off on ten and that was not a good idea.

On the bright side , a made a hole in one one the sixth, first ever!

It's a nice course and we will play again. The front nine for women is very fair but the back nine is a bit long, with par 4s at 357 (#14), 352 (#15) and a par 3 at 162 heavily protected by bunkers in the front. Also, a lot of the drives are up hill so that adds to the length of many holes. So a high handicap player may struggle but it's a nice challenge for better golfers.

At arrival, the staff was not very helpful for first timers, no mention that you must pay for a ticket to get balls at the range, no mention any playing information - the day we played it was 90 degree ride for the day. I will give them the benefit of the doubt because they had an outing and were very busy setting them up. The pro shop is very male-centric so even with a 15% off sale for shoe, nothing good for women.

The driving range was disappointing. the mats were old and had no options for tees if you wanted to hit driver. Most people just took their changes and stepped forward to the grass to tee up a driver. The practice area did have a bunker and given all the bunkers on the course, I recommend you warm up your sand wedge.

The bar/grill was nice, the service was great and the food good.

Extremely fun, tough layout. Greens were prime, pretty quick, the entire course was in great shape. I was very impressed, taking the trek from Ocean county it was a total different layout and scenery then I'm used to and I loved it. I'll definitely be back more then a few times.

The course itself is nice and it has a nice layout. It is open, the fairways are wide and the greens are large and have some decent undulation. There isn't much trouble to get in, except some fairway bunkers, and it is a very comfortable course to play. The greens were slow the day we played, I guess due to some rain the night before. I don't know if they are always that slow since it was my first time playing the course, and just giving my first impression of everything. It was also cart path only, which was not fun because it is a very large course, sometimes walking I would say close to 100 yards from the cart path to get to your ball. Not fun when it is 95 degrees out. I get the cart path only thing is to keep the course nice. I used to work on a grounds crew so I can't be horribly mad about that. The reasons I would say it is overpriced.... I understand bent grass takes a little extra to take care of but the weeds on some collars and bare spots was a bit of a sore spot. The bunkers were in rough shape. It rained the night before but paying that price, I would think that the crew would be out in the morning getting them done. They were rock hard and not even playable if you hit into one. With the course being cart path only, I did not see very many yardage markings to at least give you some sort of idea to how far you had in. Maybe I missed them but I was looking. With it being 95 degrees out, I thought there could be a few more water coolers also on the course. One on the front on 7 I believe and one of the back about 15, although there was a beverage cart riding around and the lady was very nice.

Being that it was my first time playing the course, traveling an hour and a half to get there, looking at the website and reading reviews, I guess I had very high expectations. Maybe I just played on a bad day. I don't know. Just my first impressions of the course.

Staff was great, layout was good, conditions were ok, but the place of play was terrible. Waited on every hole.

I'm sitting on the 14th tee with plenty of time to write this review because we're on pace for a 6 hour round. Course is over booked and rangers don't move people along. Every tee box has 2 groups waiting. Layout is nice, but conditions are worse than you'd expect.

I have been playing Architects Gold Course since it has opened. Through the years I saw the ups and downs of management and course care. I played this Sunday and here is what I noticed.:

1) Starter was very communicative as to what tees to play based on skill level and pace of play.

2) Every trap and there are many were ranked/groomed. BTW my tee time was 7:50

3) Greens were fast and true.

4) Definitely spending money watering on a daily basis. The grass was in great shape fairways, rough and greens.

5) Cart person came around a number of times. Which was good because it was 90 degrees.

6) Only negative and it is minor that some parts/spots of the fairway get a rust color. Not as bad as previous years.

7) Pace of play was fantastic. Never waited on a hole. On hole 7 one of the workers was a fore caddy.

Overall I had a great experience and I would recommend Architects Golf club for anyone that is looking for a high level golf experience!!!!

Course is in great shape. Makes you use all your clubs. Challenging but not brutal. Fun round

My friend and I decided to play here. It was my second time here. Unfortunately this time around was not as good as the first.

While the course was in good condition the pace of play was a buzz kill. We had an 1130 tee time and a group of 4 kids playing in front of us who did not the basics of speeding up the pace. We looked for a Ranger but unfortunately there wasn't one around. Playing a 5.5hr round is not something I call fun and the management needs to figure something out. Apparently we weren't the only ones complaining.

great course, but challenging