If you want to know whether a golf course is worth playing, the scorecard can only tell you so much. Sometimes the most revealing information comes from the golfers who have actually paid the green fee, played 18 holes and walked off the course with an opinion.
GolfPass is one of the better places to find that kind of feedback, with golfers rating courses on conditions, layout, value, pace of play, friendliness and amenities. Based on GolfPass ratings and the comments left by golfers, three New Jersey courses stand out for all the wrong reasons.
For this list, I excluded courses that are listed as closed and focused on courses with enough GolfPass reviews to provide a meaningful sample.
Wild Oaks
1. Wild Oaks Golf Course — Salem, New Jersey
GolfPass rating: 2.8 out of 5
Reviews: 39
Conditions: 2.1
Layout: 3.0
Value: 3.7
Pace: 4.3
Recommend: 69.2%
Wild Oaks Golf Course has the distinction of having the lowest overall GolfPass rating among the active New Jersey courses that surfaced in our review.
The biggest problem isn't the layout. It's the condition of the golf course.
GolfPass golfers give Wild Oaks just 2.1 out of 5 for conditions, by far the course's weakest category. The layout scores a more respectable 3.0, while value comes in at 3.7 and pace of play is actually one of the course's strengths at 4.3.
That tells an interesting story. Golfers don't necessarily hate the course itself. Instead, many of the complaints center on whether the course is being maintained to an acceptable standard.
And that is a common theme when golfers rate public courses: A decent layout can survive a few quirks, but poor conditioning can quickly ruin the experience.
Wild Oaks is an 18-hole public course in Quinton Township, and GolfPass describes the layout as a par-72 course stretching 6,726 yards.
Bottom line: If conditions are your No. 1 priority, GolfPass reviews suggest you may want to think twice before booking Wild Oaks.
Ash Brook
2. Ash Brook Golf Course — Scotch Plains, New Jersey
GolfPass rating: 2.7 out of 5
Reviews: 45
Conditions: 2.3
Value: 2.8
Layout: 3.5
Pace: 3.7
Amenities: 2.2
Recommend: 37.8%
Ash Brook might be the most interesting course on this list because golfers seem to agree that there is a playable layout underneath the problems.
GolfPass gives the Scotch Plains course a 3.5 rating for layout, significantly better than its 2.3 rating for conditions. But value is only 2.8 and amenities are a disappointing 2.2. Just 37.8% of reviewers recommend the course.
The reviews can be particularly harsh when golfers discuss course conditions.
One golfer complained that the fairways were difficult to recognize as fairways and that the tee boxes were badly chewed up. Another review described extensive mud throughout the course and questioned whether the price was justified by the condition.
But it's worth noting that not every golfer dislikes Ash Brook. Some reviews praise the greens and the layout, suggesting that conditions can vary considerably depending on when you play.
That may be an important distinction for golfers considering a tee time. A course can have a poor overall rating while still offering a worthwhile round when maintenance conditions are favorable.
Bottom line: Ash Brook appears to have a better golf course hiding underneath its conditioning problems.
Stonybrook
3. Stonybrook Golf Club — Hopewell, New Jersey
GolfPass rating: 3.0 out of 5
Reviews: 72
Conditions: 2.2
Layout: 2.7
Value: 3.6
Pace: 4.3
Recommend: 59.7%
Stonybrook Golf Club has a slightly better overall rating than Wild Oaks and Ash Brook, but its individual category scores reveal why it makes this list.
Golfers give the Hopewell course only 2.2 out of 5 for conditions and 2.7 for layout. On the other hand, friendliness scores 4.1 and pace of play is an impressive 4.3.
In other words, the people working at Stonybrook and the speed of the round aren't the problem.
The golf course itself is.
One GolfPass reviewer described a dramatic decline in conditions, citing crabgrass throughout the fairways, bumpy greens and a green that was essentially unputtable. Another reviewer said most holes had little grass and described the conditions as the worst they had experienced after playing hundreds of courses.
Stonybrook is also a different proposition from the other two courses. It's an executive-style, par-62 layout measuring only 3,514 yards, so golfers looking for a full-length championship test aren't coming here for the length.
Still, the course's strong ratings for friendliness and pace suggest there are things golfers like about the experience.
Bottom line: Stonybrook may be worth considering for a quick, shorter round, but GolfPass reviews indicate that course conditions are the major concern.
What Do These Three Courses Have in Common?
There's a clear pattern in the GolfPass numbers.
Conditions are the problem.
Wild Oaks scores 2.1 for conditions. Ash Brook scores 2.3. Stonybrook scores 2.2. All three are considerably lower in conditioning than they are in at least some other categories.
And that's an important lesson when evaluating golf-course reviews.
A low overall rating doesn't necessarily mean a course has a terrible layout. In fact, Ash Brook receives a 3.5 for layout, while Stonybrook gets a 3.6 for value. Golfers can appreciate parts of a course while still feeling that poor conditions make the overall experience disappointing.
It's also important to remember that GolfPass ratings are based on individual golfer experiences and can change over time. Weather, maintenance schedules, renovations and management changes can all have a significant impact on a public golf course.
So should you completely avoid these three New Jersey courses?
Not necessarily.
But if you're booking a round based on what fellow golfers have experienced, Wild Oaks, Ash Brook and Stonybrook deserve some extra research before you make that tee time.
And if you're especially particular about pristine fairways and greens, the GolfPass reviews suggest there are better options elsewhere in New Jersey.
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