Pine Valley Golf Club

George Crump's penal masterpiece in the New Jersey pines: island fairways, vast sandy waste areas and greens that punish any miss. Ranked No. 1 in America.

A group of Philadelphia amateurs bought 184 acres of sandy pineland in 1913 and handed it to George Crump, a hotelier who knew the ground from hunting trips. He sold his hotel to fund the work, pulled roughly 22,000 stumps, and drew on advice from H.S. Colt, A.W. Tillinghast and others. Crump died in 1918 with four holes unbuilt; they were finished in 1922.

Crump set strict rules: no two consecutive holes running the same way, no hole parallel to the next, and no other hole visible from the one being played. The result is a sequence of target holes where fairways and greens sit as islands in scrubby sand. Short par 4s like the 2nd demand position over power, while the long holes leave little room for recovery.

The club is famously exclusive, with roughly 930 members worldwide. It has hosted the Walker Cup twice and stages the Crump Cup each September, the one day the public can walk the grounds. Pine Valley has topped Golf Digest's list for years because almost every hole is regarded as a model of its type, and its standing bet that first-timers won't break 80 still says plenty.

Holes to know

2

Par 4

An early short par 4 where finding the fairway is essential; sand to the right usually forces a layup.

13

Par 4

A long par 4 open in front, so the approach can be run along the ground onto the green.

15

Par 5

Starts with a drive across a lake and is often described as one of the hardest par 5s anywhere.

Championships

• Walker Cup 1936, 1985

Design history

• 1922: Holes 12–15, unfinished when Crump died in 1918, completed to finish the 18