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3586 Route 22 West Whitehouse, NJ (908) 823-1212
TITLE: HIGH BRIDGE HILLS GOLF COURSE
DESCRIPTION:
Time: 11:42:32
Hunterdon County - High Bridge Hills, located just off of route 31 North between Clinton and Glen Gardner, is a tough golf challenge for any skill level. On Tuesday July 22nd 2008 the links like rough, with its flowing wheat like grasses, was three feet tall in places and thick on ground level. The greens were rolling as good as they have been since the course opened, quick and true and the fairways were tight and allowed one to spin the ball back on the greens if a proper shot was applied.
The course plays 6640 yards from the back tees, mostly due to several short par threes, so don't be confused by that number. Holes like number 5, which plays uphill at 462, and number 8, a 230 yard par three over a ravine, are a bear from the back, so be wise and choose the right set of tees. For the short hitter looking to keep the ball in play the white tees are enough of a challenge to allow for an enjoyable round.
When you go you will most likely start on what is officially called hole ten, but it might as well be hole number one because the morning dew burns off the back nine faster and you are usually told to begin from there. The first four holes are relatively short from the white tees and allow adequate warm up into your round. On Hole ten take an extra club on your approach as it is more uphill than it looks. The same goes for 11 where a subtle climb often leaves you short of the green. Hole 12 is easy - lay it up to the middle of the green regardless of pin and you will make an easy par. On hole 13 there is a transformer on the telephone pole that is a good aiming point of the blind tee. Do not go left as the woods are tighter than they appear and anything in that jungle is dead. Though it may not seem so the right side of the green slopes severely and the ball breaks a lot further left than you might think, take it another 6 balls to the rights from front to back.
The course also has a nice driving range should you arrive early and want to groove your wing before you begin. Go for the bigger bucket, the small one is inadequate for proper preparation or practice.
Once you hit hole number 14 your round is in full swing as you tackle this uphill par three over a pond. Most players wisely bail out to the right as anything left is dead into the woods.
15 is a reachable par five you can hit with two good strikes. Hug the left which will leave you a flat second shot where you can see the pin in the distance. On an uneven lie watch the pull hook into the left woods.
Depending where you play hole 16 you will face several different challenges. The back tees put you way atop the crest of the hill line and adds 65 yards to the hole. It’s a nice vista but unless you hit a big ball you most likely won't climb the hill in front of you and you will have a blind second shot. The white tees play at the bottom of a ravine and your drive goes straight up the hill with out of bounds right and the tall stuff to the left. Aim for the 150 marker and be diligent, although the cart path has aided many to reach the top of the summit.
17 is a straight out honest three shot par five. Right is dead and out of bounds off the tee and there are also bunkers out about 230 yards on the right. The large net on the right side protecting the neighboring houses indicates where a lot of balls end up. Play it conservative, hit it straight and you will have little problems.
18 is a tough hole. From the back it plays 435 yards uphill into the prevailing wind. Cregar Road borders on the right and the storage building on the other side of the road has a lot of ball ending up in their yard. The bunkers to the right are easily reachable from all the tees so the play is out to the left. The second shot climbs straight up the hill. The flagpole will show you just how hard that wind is blowing and the bunker in front is deep. A shot into the lip is dead.
Number one, or ten as it should be called, is a par five, green blind from the tee. Right ends you up in the three foot grass and a pull off the tee might place you in the pond guarding hole number nine. If you can get to the 250 stick you have a chance to get to the green in two, but beware, over the hill the fairway turns slightly to the right and anything left ends up in a large waste area where the ball will be difficult to play, if you can find it.
On hole two you can't see the pin so aim for the yellow house, the green is right in front of it. You can take as much as you can on the left but if you are short that grass will prevent arrival on the green in regulation. The green is flat and is receptive to shots flying in high or low.
Hole three is an uphill par five. Play left of the fairway bunker off the tee, place a second shot to the 100 marker and take an extra club for the uphill approach as the wind blows across and knocks a lot of balls into the hill just short of the green.
Hole four is a beautiful view of the Spruce Run Reservoir. A moderate par three, a flag on the left of the green is a sucker pin. A high risk shot played perfectly will reward as evidenced by my playing partners birdie, but more times than not people get stuck in the front side bunker or worse yet go cascading off the hill on the left which is dead. Play to the middle. Take one less club than the yardage indicates unless the wind is straight in your face, then its anyone's guess.
Hole Five is the arguable the hardest hole on the course. You have to hit a long ay uphill to reach the 200 yard mark. It’s a blind shot with route 31 all the way down the left side. If you stay to the right enough to avoid the row of trees that jut out on the left your second shot should be played to the left side of the green as the hill allows balls that are bouncing to funnel back into the green nicely. This green has two tiers so take that into consideration.
Hole 6 is the easiest on the course. Clearly running out of space this par three was added to make up an 18th hole. It plays about 90 yards from the white tees, has a green that runs back to front slightly and should provide little challenge. Cheers to playing partner Dale Kempf and his lovely hole in one.
Hole 7 climbs back up the hill. Bunkers to the left are in play. Laying up just past the 150 stick with an iron is a smart play leaving an uphill shot from about 130. Take at least one extra club up the hill or you will be woefully short. This is also a two tiered green that breaks left a little more than you think front to back.
Hole 8 is a beast, simply stated. With the white tees playing back you need a 190 club to reach the green over the ravine. Playing from the back tees at 240 into the breeze and you better swing at least 3 wood. There is a drop zone just below the stairs, use it if you're in the ravine, the grass at the bottom is really thick, you will have a hard time finding your ball and you will back the course up if you take to long. Don't be surprised if you have to wait on the tee, this hole takes the Mickey out of a lot of players.
And number 9, also now known as eighteen, is a great finishing hole. You can't see the green from the tee, but if you aim at the left edge of the white tent that is a good line. The second shot has visual intimidation with the pond and a lot of people bail out to the right bunkers, but be warned, a misplayed sand shot out of there has just as good a chance of going in the water as your approach shot so bear down in the fairway and put the water out of your mind. The green is enormous so use enough club and let it rip.
Overall this is a very good golf experience. The staff is nice, the carts have GPS, and there is usually a young lady running around providing beverages on the course, though they could use a few more water coolers for those July days when its scorches.
During the week pace of play is wonderful. We played 27 holes in 5 hours and that was with a lot of looking for balls in the rough. However when this course gets busy on the weekends it can be a slow play nightmare. The aforementioned par three hole number 8 sometimes has three foursomes on it which can get a bit tedious and the high grass has some people looking for 20 minutes for that 1 dollar ball, Drop One Please, so don't expect to race around the track on a Saturday mid morning. It just won't happen, but that is not uncommon in a lot of places. Get there at 11 a.m. during the week and you will sail through. Do call ahead as it is a popular place for scramble tourneys and also be aware that the local high school team uses this as home base and you don't want to get behind them or one of the local afternoon leagues which typically go off around 4 p.m.
As for amenities the clubhouse is merely adequate. A bar was added this year but the genius who designed it failed to put it near a window facing the ninth or 18th greens which would have made it a much nicer place to relax after the day. If you are looking for a 19th hole try either http://www.circa-restaurant.com/ on main street in High Bridge, a two minute drive, or the Sunset Inn http://www.sunsetinnclinton.com/ , southbound on 31, they cater to the golf crowd and if you bring your scorecard they may still give you a free drink.
Overall rating for public golf, three and three quarters out of five, with the length of play when it's busy being a lessening factor as well as the lack of good food and meager clubhouse. And if you use the email address of the web site good luck, they don't answer it.
http://highbridgehills.com/view.asp?id=74&page=845 scorecard
http://highbridgehills.com/view.asp?id=74&page=844 - rates
http://highbridgehills.com/view.asp?id=74&page=853 directions
http://highbridgehills.com/view.asp?id=74&page=842 the generic home page
ready to go
Favor the left
Think Birdie
watch the bunker
right
A nice uphill par
three
Grip it and rip it
an eagle
opportunity
The view from the top
at 16
Fore right
Keep it off the road
Aim just left of
the range
Shot 2
atop the par 5
third
Where all the
sailboats?
The uphill view
and the funnel
down
The easiest shot
of the day
The elevated
green
a long way down
Large Green on 9
Never to
young to start this great game
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