Mercer Oaks Golf Course - West Course

So I’ve played this course at least 15 times this year, great layout, really nice greens and for the most part tee boxes have been good. Staff in the pro shop are super friendly especially the lady who’s always extra polite.

About few months ago I played right after it had rain, I was told it’s 90• cart rule. I was on the 18th hole 100 yards to the green, I pulled my cart 10 feet off the cart path close to my ball on the rough. A ranger who had been sitting by the cart return area drove to me and told me to get off the rough because it’s cart path only. At first I was puzzled why the ranger showed up 100 yards from the green on the 18th hole and why was he not told that it was 90• cart rule. I told him that I am going to the pro shop to complain, he then told me oh maybe it is 90• and I shouldn’t worry about going into the pro shop. I let it slide and didn’t complain about it. Few weeks later it was cart path only, I parked my cart on the first tee with two of wheels on the dirt. The starter came to tell me to move all four wheels on the cart path. Again I didn’t complain to anyone. Today I was playing with three other guys, we were on the 6th hole when a ranger showed up to tell us to speed up because there was no one on the 7th hole. We all looked at each other shocked.

There was no one behind us or in front of us, we weren’t holding anyone. We finished front nine in two hours and 3 minutes, we finished 18 holes in four hours and 11 minutes.

I seriously think Mercer oak should find better rangers who aren’t their to pull players chains.

We play different courses in NJ during the season and Mercer Oaks has been one of favorites!

Always one of my favorites, wet weather has decimated areas around the course. Rough has grown to the point of ridiculous and can't be cut because of rain on and off. We'll today was relativity dry so break out the mowers.

Nice track with no homes and nice views...very challenging and fun

This is a good couse in horrible shape!!! First hole green is a disaster.left side first fairway HUgE mud patch.All along the course fairways ripped up and muddy. Tee boxes too stink

Hole 3 left side green side bunker another huge ripped up spot.

They need to get out there clean up re-seed or sod. Quite frankly right now the place is a hole in the wall

I’ve played this course a few times a year since it opened in the early 90’s. It is typically a favorite for my son and me. We played on 9/9/18 and the course was in the worst shape I’ve ever seen it.

The day got off to a bad start when I booked a tee time with golf now for 2 at 1:20. My son checked us in so I didn’t pay much attention to the receipt but when we went to check in with the starter, he informed us our tee time was 1:50. I was hitting a few balls at the range when my son came up to tell me of our tee time. I pulled out my phone and showed the starter my 1:20 reservation. He asked me to check in with the pro shop who showed me I was on their tee time sheet for 1:50. I showed him my reservation confirming a 1:20 time. He pulled up a printout that said in handwriting “move to 1:50”. No explanation. No one knows who did it. I checked with Golf Now, they did not change it. I suspect a regular wanted to play with a buddy so they decided to move us. 30 minutes may not sound like a big deal but when you get there an hour early, it’s a long time to wait around to play. The starter was very apologetic and tried to work things out but the course was booked solid. He did manage to get us out 10 minutes early.

On to the course. They punched the entire course a few weeks earlier and while the greens recovered, the fairways and tee boxes did not. Charging $60 for this mud pie is criminal. These were the worst conditions I’ve played in 10 years, anywhere. Mud on the ball on every shot, bare fairways where there was no grass within yards of the ball and the rough was marginally better. I understand the need for core aeration but this was a poorly executed job. We had to play preferred lies everywhere to try to enjoy the experience. The greens were very slow, I’d say 7 on the stimp and it looked the the cups hadn’t been changed for days. Rough around the edges and it appeared they’d been run over numerous times by mowers.

I will say pace of play for a late Saturday afternoon was excellent. We played in 4:15 and waited just a bit on most holes but not too much. There were rangers on both the front and back keeping golfers moving. We saw the cart girls at least twice on both sides.

I recommend staying way from this place for at least a few more weeks. Hopefully they over seeded when they aerated but I saw no signs of it. It is a shame because this is truly a great track and is usually in pretty good shape.

The West course is always fun to play. With all the rain there were areas that needed a mower but you can’t blame the staff. Greens rolled great and the turkeys, deer and birds of prey were out en force as usual. Love this place.

Wide fairways and big greens. Double bogies are hard to make. Two memorable carries over water; otherwise, you play and putt for pars and bogies on a very nicely conditioned track.

Played east course last year, wanted to try the west, got a time through GolfNow, Cheaper to ride than to walk. Enjoyed the whole experience, wind made some holes difficult, I would go back and play again.

I was quite pleased with the conditions of the fairways and greens. We have had quite a bit of rain but the greens were well tended. Typically these greens have been slow compared to what I usually play and I have to adjust. But not this round. Keep up the good work!

the courses east and west are in great shape played there many times very nice

It's all good, especially for this time of year.

Greens were smooth and true.