The most terrifying include the pushed-up par three 10th, fronted by the infamous Devil’s Asshole bunker, and the tiny pimple green on the par four 8th, which is protected by deep traps and usually approached with either a wedge or three-quarter pitch from an awkward downhill lie. The remainder of the course is equally dramatic, with tee balls regularly careering across barren wastelands and approach shots played into some of the most frightening targets on earth. This was Harry Colt’s most significant contribution to the layout, as he was the one who suggested the green be pushed back into the hillside, enabling the lower loop of holes to link with those on an elevated ridge. The next jaw-dropper is the 235-yard par three 5th, played directly across the river and into a beautiful green complex benched into a hill.
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Waiting atop the ledge is an enormous green full of bulging contours, the target sloping sharply to the front and with vertical ridges running through its putting surface. Following a wonderful dogleg opener comes the incredible mid-length 2nd, notorious for its daunting approach played over a huge sand hazard cut into the side of a steep ledge. Pine Valley opens with a four-hole loop on the clubhouse side of a river that cuts across the property. The putting contours throughout the layout are quite breathtaking and despite the sheer peril of missing island targets like the 7th, 8th or 10th, your recovery prospects around any of the open greens are just as dire. With almost perfect balance, the course provides an equal test of your short, mid and long iron ability, with half the greens demanding an aerial all-carry approach and the others open to a ball bouncing in from the front. There is also a great deal more variety than one might imagine, with the stronger holes offset by a diverse set of par threes and six par fours under 400 yards.
Though the penalties for a missed shot are severe and absolute, the landing areas from the tee are actually more generous than its fearsome reputation would suggest. The most penal and visually intimidating test imaginable, Pine Valley is carved through a forest of tall pines with its playing surfaces separated from each other by vast natural expanses of sand and scrub. The remaining holes, 12 through 15, were built the following year by Hugh Wilson and William Flynn, who followed his intended plans. Sadly Crump passed away suddenly in early 1918, with only fourteen of his holes opened for play. He also strongly believed that bad shots should be punished and it was this philosophy that dictated much of the Pine Valley design. Although he was willing to listen to other peoples ideas, Crump had strong views on how his masterpiece should be arranged, insisting on keeping each hole isolated and ensuring the routing regularly changed direction. Tillinghast, George Thomas, Charles Blair Macdonald and Walter Travis also offered their suggestions. Throughout the design process Crump consulted extensively with leading golf course architects, including Harry Colt who had a large input into the final routing.
Crump purchased the land in 1912 and spent the next six years living at Pine Valley, searching for holes and scouring the site for the fairway and green locations necessary to build what he hoped would become the ultimate test of golf. The course was founded, financed and primarily designed by hotelier George Crump, who first spotted this remarkable stretch of sand dunes while travelling by train with his golfing pals to Atlantic City. Recognized almost universally as the best golf course on the planet, Pine Valley is built among the sandy pinelands of southern New Jersey, around 20 miles south-east of Philadelphia.
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