127. Galloway National Golf Club
Tom Fazio (1994) / Tom Fazio (2013)
Galloway National occupies a very fine stretch of South Jersey-pine barrens, a site that before construction had been compared to nearby Pine Valley. But Tom Fazio felt the land more favorably compared with that of Pinehurst, and his dream was to reshape this course the old-fashioned way, using horses and slip-scrapers much as had done a century ago at Pinehurst. But the economics and timetable didn’t allow him such a fanciful luxury. Instead, bulldozers were used to shove the sand around into graceful fairways and low-slung, fall-away greens. Pines and roughs of pine needles frame most holes and the eastern flank of the course runs directly along a tidal marsh that leads to the Atlantic. Galloway National now has enough exposed sand, by the way, that golfers today are reminded of both Pinehurst and Pine Valley.
100 Greatest History: Ranked on 100 Greatest, 2005 through 2012. Ranked on Second 100 Greatest: 2013 through current. Highest ranking: No. 74, 2007-2008. Previous ranking: 117th.
Panelist comments, Galloway National Golf Club:
“Certainly among the very best at the Jersey Shore — the layout and mix of holes are superb.”
“The course is routed on beautiful terrain of New Jersey sandy scrub with different points on each nine coming back to the bay for views of Atlantic City. Loved the flow of the rolling hills of the golf course and each hole separate from the others.”
“Galloway National is an excellent Tom Fazio effort that is reminiscent, in some ways, of Pine Valley. It’s a long and difficult course with plenty of sand in play with a difficult and rather subtle set of greens. The short holes are the highlight of the course, three of them are near the Intracoastal waterway. The green on the 2nd may be a bit too severe for the windy nature of the hole and the routing is a bit disjointed in terms of road crossings. The best holes, in this evaluator’s opinion, are the opener, the long 4th, the 9th and 10th as well as the 12th, 15th, and the finisher.”
“The first green complex is reminiscent of Pine Valley’s green, a nice ode to Jersey’s best, and perhaps the world’s best, with a strong middle section of holes and finishes with a truly demanding and exhilarating last six holes.”
“Golfers are reminded on every hole this is a coastal course with design and aesthetics of marsh, sea oats, sand sand sand, etc. Architecture of clubhouse very modern and contemporary.”
Courtesy of Jon Cavalier
Courtesy of Jon Cavalier
Courtesy of Jon Cavalier
Courtesy of Jon Cavalier
Par-3, 17th hole
Courtesy of Jon Cavalier
par-3 2nd
Courtesy of Jon Cavalier
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