TRAVEL FEATURE: ATLANTIC CITY

Atlantic City isn’t the kind of golf destination where you just play a couple of rounds of golf, have a few nice dinners out and then go to bed.

It’s more of a 24-7-365 kind of place, where you wake up, play 18 holes, have lunch, play another 18 holes, eat dinner in a fabulous beachside restaurant as the sun goes down, then head into town catch a show, have a spin or three on the roulette wheels, punch on to a nightclub, and then finally, when your eyes and ears can’t take any more, you retire to your well-appointed hotel room for a restorative night’s kip.

The following morning, you wake up, and you do it all over again until you’ve exhausted all of the championship golf that the Jersey Shore has to offer. That’s how they roll in The Big AC.

While other famous and somewhat more sedate American golf resorts such as Pinehurst and Pebble Beach offer golf, golf and yet more golf, Atlantic City has so much more to offer the travelling visitor, although there is no shortage of great places to swing a club, with over 20 courses located within 40 minutes of the downtown area, all of which are guaranteed to offer visiting golfers a warm New Jersey welcome.

YOUR GOLFING GUIDE TO AC

Here’s our guide to the best places to tee it up in and around ‘America’s Playground’

Atlantic City Country Club

The grandfather – or godfather – of golf in the AC area, Atlantic City Country Club was founded by a group of local hotel owners in 1897. Remodelled by none other than Willie Park Jr in 1913, the turf is softer than that found on a traditional links, but still has plenty of sand, while the ever-present wind can make club selection tricky.

According to the New York Times, the term ‘birdie’ was first coined here in 1903 when George Crump, the founder of Pine Valley, hit a bird in flight with his ball while playing a par four, but they – birdies – are hard to come by if you miss the fairway on this easy-walking course which is boarded by marshlands.

Ballamor Golf Club

Carefully carved out of gently rolling land and dense woods, Ballamor offers peaceful and secluded surroundings and a course that features generous, manicured fairways and large greens for comfortable approach shots.

Once a private club, Ballamor retains much of that feel today to the delight of daily green fee players looking to experience AC golf at its finest. ballamor.com

Scotland Run Golf Club

Located 45 minutes from Atlantic City, Scotland Run is built in and around an old sand quarry and as such offers a distinctive blend of holes. The most unique characteristics include expansive waste areas and an imposing display of cliffs. scotlandrun.com

The Links at Brigantine Beach

True to its historic Scottish roots, the seaside layout includes breathtaking bay views, native marshes, and gently rolling nearly treeless terrain. The mounds surrounding many of the greens favour bump-and- run approaches. BrigantineGolf.com

Eagle Ridge Golf Club

Nestled within the lush natural pines of Northern Ocean County, just minutes from the Jersey Shore, Eagle Ridge boasts a stunning 27-hole championship course, with the name of the three nine-hole loops – Links, Pine and Ridge – giving you a fair idea of the challenge on offer.

The rugged landscape is deftly blended with generous fairways, dramatic elevation changes and beautiful bent grass greens. Post-round celebrations can be held at the club’s very own pub, The Hut. EagleridgeGolf.com

The Seaview Resort

As their names suggest, The Seaview Resort boasts two contrasting layouts, the 6,300-yard Bay Course, and the 6,800-yard Pines Course. The former, which opened in 1914, was designed by Donald Ross, and is less a test of length, and more a test of imagination, accuracy and short game mastery.

Offering a Scottish-links feel, it boasts dramatic seaside views, deep pot bunkers and small, undulating greens.

The Pines Course, which opened in 1929, winds its way through New Jersey woodlands, presenting elevation changes and doglegs.

The course features large bunkers and expansive, sloping greens. The 16th hole was the site of Sam Snead’s miraculous 60-foot chip-in to win the 1942 PGA Championship – the first of his seven major titles. SeaviewGolf.com

Harbor Pines Golf Club

Harbor Pines offers outstanding course conditions. Located just a few minutes from Atlantic City, the parkland course features 12 ponds and 17 acres of water, along with distinctive bunkers and large, undulating greens.

It offers no fewer than seven sets of tee options to accommodate golfers of all skill levels. HarborPines.com

Blue Heron Pines Golf Club

Opened in 1993, Blue Heron was soon rated as one of the best courses on the Jersey Shore. Measuring 6,810 yards off the back tees, the largely flat course takes full advantage of the natural beauty of the pinelands, with majestic treelines framing breathtaking vistas. BlueHeronPines.com

Twisted Dune Golf Club

True to its name, Twisted Dune offers a links-style course with dramatic elevations and contoured fairways, delivering a challenging, yet playable design. Deep ravines, towering grass-covered hills, and well over 100 deep bunkers make Twisted Dune’s 7,200 yards a memorable golfing experience for all. TwistedDune.com

Shore Gate Golf Club

Shore Gate’s 18 holes are carved out of woodlands, with its dense treeline allowing golfers to play in splendid isolation from the first tee shot to the final putt. Undulating fairways and no fewer than 88 bunkers call for precise approach play, while five sets of tees make the course playable for all. ShoregateGolf.com

Cape May National Golf Club

Nicknamed ‘The Natural’, Cape May National is one of the most back-to-nature courses ever built. Surrounding a 50-acre private bird sanctuary the layout is among a new wave of venues that places environmental sensitivity at the core of its design, while also providing a classic turn-of-the-century golfing challenge. CMNGC.com

Long Beach National Golf Club

Situated on over 155 acres of meticulously maintained grounds nestled within the woodlands of South Jersey, the newly named LBI National is being re-imagined and revived. The property’s 35,000-square-foot clubhouse features a restaurant, a pro shop, multiple private dining and event spaces, and an Atlantic City skyline view. LBINational.com

Renault Winery Resort & Golf

Vineyard National’s popularity among local and visiting golfers stems from the fusion of pristine greens, challenging play, and the novel experience of teeing off among the original vines the winery’s founder cultivated to create his famed ‘American Champagne’ over 150 years ago. RenaultWinery.com

McCulloughs Emerald Golf Links

Located just minutes from Atlantic City, McCullough’s offers players a distinctly different links-style experience. With wide-open fairways, tricky winds, true undulating greens, and remarkable grass mounds and bunkers, players will be both challenged and fascinated.

The course’s signature par-4 7th hole, which features a three-acre waste area and an island fairway 160 yards wide, is a tribute to famed architect Alistair Mackenzie, who won an award for the design in 1914, but never had the opportunity to build it. McculloughsGolf.com

OFF-COURSE ACTIVITIES

Take time out from bagging birdies to experience fun-filled days in Atlantic City and the Jersey Shore. When you’re not on the golf course, Atlantic City and its environs is blessed with an embarrassment of riches when it comes to sightseeing and entertainment.

BOARDWALK EMPIRE

First and foremost, you have to walk the boardwalk. First built in 1870, it’s six miles of classic AC, filled with novelty shops, independent boutiques, lively bars, hotels, and great cafés and restaurants.

And, if you want a bit of amusement on the side, there are old-fashioned carnival rides and traditional seaside games to enjoy as you make your way along the eastern seaboard’s most famous stretch of shoreline.

The Boardwalk also hosts countless events throughout the year, from concerts and music festivals, parades, food events and competitions, so it’s always worth checking in advance to see what activities will be happening during your visit.

CLASSIC CASINOS & LUXURY HOTELS

After the sun goes down, many people head to the countless resort hotel casinos that helped put Atlantic City on the map, including Bally’s, Caesars, the Golden Nugget, Hard Rock, Harrah’s and the Tropicana.

Here you can try you luck at all the casino classics, from roulette, poker and blackjack through to the penny slots and much more besides, and then, when the chips are down –
or if you’ve lucky enough to win – you can simply head upstairs for a relaxing night’s sleep in your five-star room.

For more late-night revelry there are plenty of gambling-free nightspots to suit your vibe. Bally’s Beach Bar at Caesar’s is a popular option and is open until midnight most nights of the week, while Boogie Nights at the Tropicana will be right up your street if you’re looking for a bit of a retro disco atmosphere, while there are number of big-name music acts hosting live concerts through the year.

FAMILY FUN & SHOPPING HEAVEN

If you’re traveling with family, there are plenty of places to take the kids when chilling between rounds. There are arcades and rides at Steel Pier, Storybook Land, and there’s also the Atlantic City Aquarium, which has recently reopened follow a major renovation.

While shoppers can head for the Playground Pier or Tanger Outlets, which offers over 110 stores to browse, including all-American classics such as Gap, Old Navy, J.Crew, Michael Kors, Tommy Hilfiger, Polo Ralph Lauren, Nike and H&M.

If you’re not staying in a rooftop penthouse suite, but you’re looking for a view, and then
a climb up to the top of the 170-foot Absecon Lighthouse – which was built in 1857 – is another box worth ticking on Atlantic City’s extensive must-do list.

The 227-feet tall Observation Wheel offers stunning views of the city from the comfort of one of 40 air-conditioned gondolas. For real high rollers, helicopter rides are offered from Steel Pier for the ultimate bird’s eye view.

WINING & DINING

For foodies, the choice of restaurants and eateries in AC is off the scale, with enough diners and dives to feed your appetite and your soul for a several months of Sundays.

The late great chef Antony Bourdain was a New Jersey boy, and many of the favourite joints that he visited during his TV food & travel shows are very much open for business, including the Knife & Fort Inn, Dock’s Oyster House, Tony’s Baltimore Grill and James’ Salt Water Taffy.

Wine, beer and spirits buffs can also indulge their passions in a wide range of wineries, breweries and distilleries that are located in and around the city, from the Balic Winery in Mays

Landing, the Renault Winery Resort in Habor City, to the Tun Tavern Brewery right in the heart of AC.

GETTING AROUND

While golfers will be better suited by hiring a car to get to-and-from golf clubs, once inside the city, the best option for getting around is using the natural-gas powered Jitney minibus service, which, for just $2.50 a trip, will take you anywhere along the main tourist routes 24 hours a day. Electric trams also travel the length of the

Boardwalk and are a great way to take in all the sights, as are Atlantic City’s famous Rolling Chairs, which first saw service in the 1880s, and are as popular with visitors now as they were back then. Bikes, both pedal powered and electric, are also available to rent, offering the freedom to hop off and on as you desire.

GETTING THERE

Atlantic City is just an hour’s drive east from Philadelphia International Airport, which is serviced by regular direct flights from the UK by American Airlines and British Airways, with a flying time of eight hours.

For an up-to-late list of the concerts, festivals and live events taking place in Atlantic City, visit www.atlanticcitynj.com

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