01/18/06

THE HUNTERDON COUNTY NEWS
- Breaking News -

PRIVATE COURSE REVIEW HARKERS HOLLOW

http://www.harkershollow.com/

Located about ten minutes off of route 78’s exit 4, Stewartsville, Harkers Hollow is well within reach of many Hunterdon residents looking for a classically designed golf club that has now morphed itself into a more family friendly hang out.

Harkers, founded in 1929, and host to famous golfer Gene Sarazen, was one of the old men’s clubs of the area and in fact until the mid nineties the club had a men’s grill that forbid women so the boys could hang out and play cards and do whatever else they thought needed to be out of earshot of woman kind. Those days are now over. Harker’s membership was bought out several years ago and the club is now under the wings of a management group that has taken the old girl and given her a good shake to pull her up into modern times and make it very family friendly. As you can see in the first picture below they have put in a marvelous pool that also has an outside bar/eating area cabana attached to it and it is truly a wonderful place to lie in a hammock and just forget about life for a while. Harkers, primarily a golf club, also has tennis courts should that form of exercise be more to your spouses or children’s liking.

The tough thing that all golfers know is that the game is not something you do in an hour, so you have to leave the family unit for an extended amount of time, and don’t fool yourself, the half hour each way you spend in the car adds on to the time spent on the course and in the 19^th hole. It is a serious time commitment. Places like Harkers Hollow are trying to blend that so that when you finish nine, you can have a drink and a snack while seeing the kids at the pool. When the round is done you can have a late lunch or dinner at the clubhouse and again recreate that family moment that is otherwise gone at some other places that frown on having the little one’s around. And not to mention, if you get a family membership the unit can also go their without you during the day while you are working in the summer and have a social gathering with the others you will meet, as this is another one of those tight knit clubs where everyone is friendly and ready to say hello.

So let’s get to the nitty gritty formula that we have developed regarding private facilities and whether you might want to join.

1) Is the course in good condition? - Wonderful – Several years ago the club had a manger named Bob Bolig who spent so much time working with the USGA and getting the course in tip top shape that this course plays as good as you could want. Under the USGA tutelage bob removed trees, trimmed trees, built stone walls, the one running along 15 is remarkable, and just did an out and out great job which the new owners have continued to do. The greens, in this modern era, are small and they get them running fast as lightning. If you only play this course once in an outing don’t get frustrated with the 3 putts, they will come, as not only are the greens fast but they have these seductive little breaks in them that are hard to see if you don’t have the pleasure of playing with a member. 13 and 15 quite simply do not break as you would imagine and you will stand their hands on hips wondering how in the world the ball went in the exact opposite direction that you imagined. The fairways are tight and many of the Tee Boxes have flowers growing, stone walls and walkways. The entire place is just in great condition and has been for a long time.

2) Can you play a fast round? The membership at Harker’s demand that you play fast and they self impose their will upon slow players who either let others play through or get a bit of a tongue lashing. This is not a course for lally gagging around talking about this and that. This is a golf club whose members want to play golf. They have a wonderful 19^th hole should you need to get your business opinions into the folks you are playing with. During the day during the week there are very few people using the course, which changes a bit on the weekends as they host a lot of club tournaments. Member guest, Calcutta etc.. that you have to be a little more aware of.

3) Is it affordable? Obviously that is a subjective question based upon your economic circumstances, but if you go to http://www.harkershollow.com/membership.html you can find out about all different plans that are available, and as we always say, in the fall many clubs do membership drives and either eliminate upfront fees or drastically reduce them so it never hurts to make a phone call and at Harkers you can do that at 9 0 8 - 8 5 9 - 0 9 7 7 .E X T 2 0 0 1

4) What are the Members like? Great group of golfers who have somewhat changed into a more family atmosphere than previously. Everyone is very cordial and welcoming and if you are someone who can hold a conversation and play a polite game you will be inundated with invitations to play.

5) The Staff – It all starts with the pro and Pete Dachisen has seemingly been caring for this club with his loving hand for an eternity and he sets the tone for the club, fun, but serious. All the others, from the wait staff by the pool, to the girl in the half way shack to the guys cleaning your clubs after the round were very professional, respectful and kind. The starter gave us as much information as he could in the few minutes he had with us to try and give us a tip or two and it did make the round more pleasurable.

Overall impression, this is a very nice course to play. Are some of the holes a bit repetitive up and down and across and back along the hillsides, perhaps, but until you start making birdies on all of them you will see that they all have their unique attributes that will keep you coming back. They keep the rough at a fair and yet penal level, which for us shorter straighter hitters is nice s the big guys can run into some trouble with their wayward efforts. The driving range, which is a bit strange as it is a five minute cart ride from the club house, is a great place to practice, with multiple sand bunkers to tighten up that little practiced part of the game. The Clubhouse has a sprawling deck that gives one a nice vantage point to relax after a tough week.

This is a fine club that is very close to Hunterdon. If you are considering joining a private course this is one that you should put on your list to examine before making your choice.