Atlantic City Country Club
Across the marsh grasses from the strand, sits a grand course from
another era. Private for so many years, the ACCC has hosted six USGA
championships, crowning victors of the rank of Walter Travis and Babe
Zaharias. The course was built in 1901 by John Reid and Willie Park,
jr., then saw a renovation in 1925 at the hands of William Flynn and
Howard Toomey. In the late 1990s, Bruce Hepner and Tom Doak of
Renaissance Golf restored the majority of holes to their initial edge,
but chose to reroute two of the closing holes and build a brand-new
17th, to offer a greater, more balance finishing challenge.
If you’ve never teed off from a putting green, you’ll have your chance
on the first at AC. A feature unique to courses from another era, this
unification of green and tee suggested a oneness of the golfing
grounds. Since you’ll have driver in your hands, don’t worry about
taking a divot. Just head directly over from the practice green to
the tee blocks and swing away. AC greets you with a classic half-par
opener, so pretend it’s a par five and ease into the round. The next
few holes are briefer in length, including what will become your
favorite, short-pitch par three, the fourth. There you have your first
glimpse of the marshes and the Atlantic City skyline, before turning
back inland. At Atlantic City, with the exception of the risk-reward
16th and the unforgettable home hole, the memorable plays are the
par-three holes. From the deceptively-understated 8th to the volcanic
number 12, from the reversed-by-Doak 15th to the brand-new 17th,
you’re guaranteed to hit five different clubs and have a quintet of
diverse experiences.
Twisted Dune
In 2003, the Borgata Casino opened its rooms to guests. Much of
the fill needed to support the foundation came from a horse farm
in Egg Harbor Township. Golf course development was a sure thing
in the late 90s and early 00s in the mid-Atlantic region, so Archie
Struthers hopped on the opportunity to develop a large-scale ode to
the region’s most famous club, Pine Valley. After considering other
designers, Struthers the developer became Struthers the golf course
architect and laid down plans for an unforgettable, roller-coaster ride.
“At the end of the day , we built a big , sprawling golf course that is all
manufactured, with the intent of making the contours look natural.
I’m pretty happy with how the golf course looks and plays…there’s
lots of good shots there, and it flows nicely.”
When considering the amount of fill to be removed, and how far
down the property would be lowered, Struthers began to think of
Volume 3 • Issue 29
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