Buggy Round at Atlantic City Country Club

Atlantic City Country Club
One Leo Fraser Drive, Northfield, New Jersey 08225
Yards: 6175, Par 70 (Middle Tees)
Course Architect: John Reid, Willie Park, Jr.
Built/Open: 1897
Website: www.accountryclub.com
Score: 90 (46 out, 44 in)
Date: June 29, 2008

On a rare day out with the boys, we played Atlantic City Country Club this past weekend. Looking at the sun and white clouds while driving down to the club, I was thinking, what a prefect day for golf. Upon arriving at the club, I opened the door to my truck and was attacked. I totally forgot it was greenhead season at the shore, within seconds of opening the door, my truck had about 15 of them flying around within my truck. I quickly got my stuff and retreated to the club house. (If you have never heard of a greenhead, also known as: salt marsh greenhead fly, it is a large fly about an inch long, green in color, is an abundant and bothersome summertime [June to September] pest along coastal marshes. If there are enough of them, they will pick you up and fly away with you. Because the females bite during daylight, and because they occur in large numbers, have a long flight range, and attack persistently seeking a blood meal, they interfere with the enjoyment of coastal areas throughout much of the summer). Once our foursome was in the club house, we set out for the driving range covered in deet spray. I have to say, the greenheads were constant throughout the round but were not as bothersome as we expected.

I shot a round of 90 on a sunny, slightly cloudy and occasional strong wind off the bay day. My driving has been getting better with my new grip, I hit 6 fairways and didn’t slice any out of bounds and only lost two balls. One lost ball was picked clean out of a sand trap and disappeared into the marsh and the other was a 174 yard par three, wind directly in our face, just could not carry the marsh area, my buddy didn’t reach the green with a three wood due to the wind. My second / approach shots were bringing down my game this week, hitting the ball short or in the sand bunks protecting the greens. My putting was real good since the greens were slick and fast, just what I like since I usually putt the ball short of the hole. I only 3 putted twice and one putted 7 times. My sand play was looking good, other than the one I hit OB, I had 3 sand saves, and the nice fluffy traps helped my sand play today.

From The Web Site: As one of America’s oldest and most prestigious golf clubs, Atlantic City Country Club has been home to many firsts, including being the "Birth place of the Birdie." The Course has a tradition of fast a firm greens with uncompromising playing conditions and its bayside setting is reminiscent of the historic links in Scotland and Ireland.

Since our founding in 1897, the Atlantic City Country Club has been at the forefront of the sport, both nationally and internationally. The prestigious and historic Atlantic City Country Club proudly carries the distinctions of "The Birthplace of the Birdie," as well as being the site where the term “Eagle” was coined.

Six USGA Major Championships have been played at this legendary course. Walter Travis won the 1901 USGA Amateur Championship, after taking up golf late in life at the age of 35. In 1911, our Club Professional, Johnny J. McDermott, became the first American to win the USGA Open Championship, at the young age of 19! Babe Didrikson Zaharias won the first of three USGA Women’s Open Championships at the Club in 1948. The $7,500 purse was put up by fifty-five Atlantic City businessmen and fans paid $2.50 to see the final round on Sunday. Don January captured the inaugural PGA Senior Tour event played at ACCC in 1980.

Many other legendary names have played our course, including Sammy Snead and Howard Everitt. Bob Hope was an Atlantic City Country Club regular, first becoming acquainted with the Club when he worked on the vaudeville circuit. Arnold Palmer played our course from 1951- 1952 when he was a relatively unknown Coast Guard enlisted man.

Ringing in Tradition: The Atlantic City Country Club Bell was originally used in the early 1900’s to remind golfers that the last trolley was about to leave for Atlantic City. Today, we once again ring the bell at the end of each day and invite you to “Play a Round With History!”

Course Condition: The course was in excellent shape, everything, tee boxes, fairways and greens. The rough areas were cut to a fair height, penalizing but not impossible to hit out of. The fescue was tall and only in areas were you should not be in anyway. The sand traps were fluffy and easy to hit out of.

Shot Of The Day: Par three 17th, 150 yards. I took out my 26 deg. rescue club trying to cut the ball through the wind coming off the bay, left to right. Hit the ball real high and the wind took the ball way off course, pushing the ball way right landing to the right of the cart path and left of a back yard of a house on the course. Standing at my ball looking at where the pin is, I am about 30 feet above the surface of the green with a hill of junk in front of me also. Ok, over the junk, onto the green, hope it sticks. I take my nine iron, open it up, aim somewhere left of where I think the pin is, and swing away. I hit it clean and run around the junk and start hearing my buddy yelling from the other side of the green. I must have either hit him or came close, turning the corner he was pointing to the pin, my ball was sitting 18 inches from the hole, tap in for par.

Suggestions And Comments: If playing in the summer, wear light colored long pants and long sleeve shirt, bring bug spray with deet, or a flame thrower. Reserve sometime after the round and walk through the club house, it is a museum! And stop by the bar and have one of their crab cakes, the best on the east coast!



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