Normally at this time of the year, I would be writing a story about one of my favorite things: golf the South Jersey shore. Of course I also write one in the fall, on the same subject. Because I think those two so-called shoulder seasons offer the best opportunties to tee it up down there, although obviously any time you can sneak in a round or two before heading for the beach or the boardwalk is a good thing. 

But in the spring, sometimes it’s still not quite warm enough where I live to really enjoy it the most. At the shore that’s usually not a problem, unless maybe the winds are blowing in off the ocean. And even when that happens, it still seems more pleasant in those parts anyway. Maybe it’s just the smell of the salt water. Or the salt water taffy. I don’t have to know exactly why. I just have to know what it, has always been and will always be. 

This year, though, our lives are anything but normal. Due to the Coronavirus that has turned the entire world upside down. And our situation in this country is no different. And it’s no secret that New Jersey and some surrounding states have been among the hardest hit places. So it’s a challenge, for every single one of us. We have to practice social distancing, and take whatever other steps the medical experts deem necessary to help us make it through this pandemic as quickly and as healthy as possible. It hasn’t been easy. Nobody said it was going to be. But we have to do what we have to do, to try and minimize the risks to the many. 

That, obviously, means that golf courses are among the many businesses that have been impacted. Fairly or not. We could argue all day as to whether they should be closed and still not come up with an answer that will satisfy anybody. It is what it is. I don’t know when they’re going to reopen again. It could be weeks, or months. Hopefully sooner than the alternative. I guess it all depends on how well we wage this battle. I have no doubt it will get better. But that’s as far as I’ll go. Anything more is well above my pay grade. And probably yours. I tend to err on the side of caution. That’s me. We all have our thoughts. But we’re in this together, more than anything. That means that every move that anyone makes could infringe on someone else’s rights. We can’t lose sight of that. 

Do I miss making bogeys with my friends in the great outdoors? You betcha. But I’m also realistic. I’m a 62 year Diabetic. My wife is 61 and has asthma. That puts us in the high-risk group. So my main goal at this point, and for the foreseeable future, is to not get infected. And to not infect others. It’s really that simple. So I’m willing to do whatever I have to to put the odds in our favor. 

But when the time is right, these courses will be there for us to enjoy once more. And they’re going to need our support more than ever, must like the restaurants and other outlets that we used to take for granted in our everyday existence. So I look forward to that day. Like everyone else, I can’t wait to get back to whatever the new normal is or becomes. After what we’ve been through and the challenges we’ve faced and the sacrifices we’ve made, it will feel even better maybe than we remembered it. Hitting that first drive into the woods will bring a smile to my face. And I won’t be the only one. And we will deserve those moments. So will the golf courses, where we go a couple of times a week to spend four hours forgetting about everything else going on around us. You can’t put a value on that. It’s priceless. And only a golfer might understand. 

With all that being said, I’m going to run down some of my fave places to play. Hopefully some or most of them are near the top of your list too. Maybe we’ll even bump into each other at one. Or two. Hey, you never know. I’ll be the balding midget hitting a 3 wood from about 175 yards out. And loving it. 

So in no particular order, here goes: 

We’ll start with Blue Heron Pines, the course that started the whole upgraded daily-fee experience back in the early 1990s. Does it really seem like it was that long ago? Ron Jaworski has owned it for about the last five years, and has only made it so much better. He took all the junk out that was not only slowing down play but taking away from the beauty of the grounds, and basically restored it to its former standing. I still wish they also had the sister East course, where Brandt Snedeker won the now-defunct Public Links Amateur championship in 2003. But it hasn’t been there in awhile. Shame. Good thing we still have the original layout to play. 

It’s very user friendly. Not too difficult, but there are certain holes that can bite you before you realize it. I’m thinking of the par 4 10th, and the par 4 14th in particular. If you make par on either of them you’re doing well. The 14th might be one of the best anywhere. The second shot is all over water to a relatively small green, with little bailout. What’s not to appreciate? But there’s enough holes where even a middle handicapper can do some damage, like the short par 4 first and seventh, so anyone can have fun. And still feel like they’re being tested. And if you know Jaws and the way his family run things, you know that the hospitality is not to be beaten, from the food and beverage to the pro shop. It’s all worth a stop. 

Shore Gate might be the toughest course in the Greater Atlantic City region. Especially, as I always say, if you play it from the wrong set of tees. So please try not to. Be honest with yourself and you’ll have a much better time. I’d love to have a buck for every guy who shoots in the low 90s who wants to play for all the way back. I just shake my head and move up to where I’m comfortable. I way past the point of caring what anyone else thinks. Good for me. 

There’s a lot of sand to contend with, and a lot of holes that can really make you work hard just to survive. The second springs to mind, where you have to drive it over water and then still have a fairly long shot into a well protected green. It’s one of those where you can bite as much off as you want, and hope you didn’t get greedy. The ninth is a little like Pebble Beach, with water all the way down the left side. Again, you have to make a decision on how daring you want to be. This layout has a great set of par 3s. And even though it doesn’t have a clubhouse, the food at the turn is top notch. Go for a dog and make full use of the condiment cart. Then try to go out and hit a good drive on 10. You’ll need it. I usually still have a mouthful of food to deal with. And the home hole is everything you could ask for and then some, a truly stout par 4 that doglegs slightly right and demands two pretty decent shots. But the green is so large that you could do that and still walk off with a 5. It’s been known to happen. 

Atlantic City is one of those places that gives me goosebumps just thinking about. It’s hard to get any better. And it’s always in pristine shape. I loved it in the old days, before they made some cosmetic changes with a new ownership and added some new holes. It remains the course against which most others are measured, in my opinion. 

Again, you have some holes that you can get. And some holes that will get you. Water comes into play a fair amount, notably on the back nine, where the views of the bay are just spectacular. The stretch of 14 through 16 is a keeper. A short par 4 that has a tee shot which hugs the marshes, followed by a par 3 that’s all carry and if the wind is howling can alter your club selection by almost an entire bag and a par 4 with a dogleg around water to a small green that’s hard to hold. It’s hard to get much better. If you haven’t been there yet you really must put it on your to-do thing. I know I can’t get enough. 

Twisted Dune is unique. And that’s putting it mildly. It’s a British links style track that you just don’t find much on this side of the Atlantic. Some folks might not like that. I happen to love it. Then again, I love playing over there. If you can keep the ball in play you can score. That’s easier said than accomplished. Even though the fairways and putting surfaces are generous. But if you veer offline, you are faced with some high grass that will not be conducive. So you might want to pack a few extra balls, just in case. 

The neat thing about TD is you will have birdie opportunities. It’s that kind of course. And you will also make some double bogeys. It’s all part of the experience. Nothing wrong with that. It just makes you appreciate the good shots all the more. There are blind shots, and bounces that may work out for you or end up hurting you. That’s how they treat the game over there. And I have to respect that. There’s so many good holes, elevation changes and even enough water to get your attention. I particularly like the 16th and 17th. First you have a par 3 over a ravine of maybe 165 yards or so. And the green has all kinds of bunkering around it. Then it’s a straightaway par 4 with a second shot over another gully. Real good stuff. It’s the kind of place you have to try once, if only to say you did it. But I’m guessing that once you do that you’ll be back. Just because it’s so strikingly different. 

McCullough’s Emerald Dunes has grown on me so much over the years. I really didn’t think a whole lot of it when I first played it way back when. But I was proven wrong over time. I’m not going to tell you it’s the best course down there. But it’s a place where you can have a really good time. And be tested all the same. Certainly in some spots. 

When the wind is up, it can even be bearish. I played there once in a big breeze, and it was a totally different experience. And not in a bad way. The eighth and ninth holes are as good a close to a side as you’ll find: a dogleg right par 4 where you could have a blind second shot, and a par 3 over water going back to the clubhouse. I had to start a round on that hole once. Don’t ask. It’s a long story that involves a slight encounter with vertigo. Which I wouldn’t wish on anybody. But somehow I managed to pull my club back and actually hit a decent shot. At least by my standards. In other words, it found land. 

I have to admit it has my favorite short par 4. I believe it’s No. 14. A really good player can try to hit a drive over the trees and avoid the 90-degree dogleg. I’ve seen it work, and not. Me, I just try to hit it straight down the middle, which for whatever reason I almost always do, and leave myself with a little wedge to an elevated green. I nearly made an eagle there once, and have made a few birdies. Maybe that’s why I like it so much. These days it fits my length-challenged game. And who doesn’t need a little help now and then. 

Ballamor is a course that’s harder than it might appear at first glance. For the most part it’s fairly open, although it does play through woods. What always sticks out in my mind about this place is the fact that just about every green has a ridge running through it. And that is always on your mind, since it can cause major problems in some cases if you’re on the wrong side of the undulation. I’ve hit what I thought were really good approaches into a green only to find when I got there that I was faced with a nearly impossible putt. It happens. And once you get used to that you can usually handle it better. So a little local knowledge is never a bad thing. I guess if they want to really play with your mind they can stick the pins in some borderline unfair places. But it does keep you on your toes. 

The 18th is a great way to finish. It’s a par 5 that’s like Pebble Beach in reverse. The water here is on the right. And the third shot is always tricky because it’s always over just enough of the wet stuff to make your knees quiver a bit. And again, the green is anything but flat. And of course the people sitting on the back veranda having their lunch or a post-round beverage of choice can sit there and watch you try to navigate the final obstacles. As if I needed any extra distractions. 

Harbor Pines has never left me disappointed. And whenever I’ve been there the conditions have always been immaculate. Plenty to be said for that. The par 4 ninth is formidable. It’s straight, but there’s trees to the right and water in the opposite direction. And the second shot is always a long one, to a large green that is anything but receptive. This place has a really nice mix of long and shorter holes, so there’s variety. And the golf gods know I need my shorter holes. The par 5s tend to stand out. But it is cut through woods. So keeping the ball in play off the tee is a priority. But there are several spots where it opens up a bit. If you bring some game you can usually have a decent shot at a good round here. Of course the minute you start thinking that is when you look at the scorecard and realize that you’re like 10-over. So take it lightly at your own peril. 

Seaview is the longtime home of the LPGA’s Shop Rite Classic, which this year had to be moved from late May to hopefully early August due to the health crisis. There are two courses, the Bay and the Pines. The Bay is where the ladies play. It’s a Donald Ross gem. So subtle, yet so inviting. The greens are small, and they’re most of the battle here. No surprises. It’s Ross’s trademark. It’s a second-shot type of course. So you need to be on with your irons. The wind can make it play as difficult as it wants. The par 4 second is a prime example. It goes back toward the bay, and depending on the conditions it might be anywhere from a 4 iron to an 8. Seriously. Then you come right back with a par 5 heading back the other way, and you might get on that in two. But that’s what makes it what it is. And it is timeless, a throwback to another era. 

The Pines is totally different. It’s cut out of the woods, so the doglegs have a whole other feel to them. You can be blocked out if you’re on the wrong side of the fairways. Nothing seems to come easy on this 18. The par 5s have all kinds of hidden danger, and two of them come back to back (9 and 10). The closing stretch features consecutive par 3s that can certainly leave you gasping. Both are long, and each (16 and 17) can produce bogeys or worse faster than you can take your club back. So beware. Yet in its own way, the Pines is every bit as good as the one across the street. I just hope that the Shop Rite actually gets played this summer. The people down there really need this flagship event. It means so much to the community in ways that maybe some didn’t even realize until it went away for a few years about a decade back.  

Cape May National is at the southern end, so I don’t get there as much as I probably should, mostly due to logistics. But over the years it’s earned a reputation as “The Natural,” for its setting. And every time I’ve been there it’s lived up to that billing. The ambiance is serene, and the routing superb. There’s a little bit of everything there, in terms of difficulty and shots you’re going to face. But it’s very fair, and in some spots even rather humbling. I think you really have to play it a few times to know what you’re trying to do, and understand the right places that you have to be in order to put together a good round. It’s one of those courses where every time I go back I tend to find something that I hadn’t noticed before. I have some friends who think this might be the best course down there. I wouldn’t argue the point with them too much. The great thing is that everyone can have their opinions, and we can all be right. At least to varying degrees. Because there isn’t really a bad one in the bunch. 

Last but certainly not least, there’s Vineyard National, which is part of the Renault Winery. I played there with designer Ed Shearon. I was immediately impressed, and I haven’t changed in the time since. If anything I’ve grown to like it even more. It’s just part of a complex that includes a hotel and an award-winning restaurant and is now operated by a group that intends to make it a premier destination on the East Coast. They certainly have enough to work with. But the golf component is more than sufficient for me. 

They have a hole that wraps around some grape vines, another with a split fairway, a par 3 where the tee keeps winding around to give players of different skill levels easier shots as you move up with each teeing area, and a green with a false front that can be ruthlessly diabolical for the unsuspecting. It has a little something for everyone, which is always welcome. Because we’re not all Rory McIlroy, yet neither are we all Rodney Dangerfield either. Most of us fall proudly in the middle, and all we want is a pleasant four hours trying to make our share of whatever we count as a good score. This provides that, early and often. 

So there you have it. There’s also some really fine private courses that you should check out if you’re so inclined, like Greate Bay, Linwood and the Shore Club (formerly Wildwood). I’ve had the pleasure of playing all three, and if I was looking to be a member any of them would be somewhere I would feel comfortable playing three times a week. 

I only wish I could be writing this under better circumstances. But we can’t control that. And if we needed to be reminded of how fragile that can be, this has no doubt taught us a harsh lesson. But we will stay strong, we will be back and our lives will go on. Somehow, someway. I just wish it was within my power to tell you when. Because just like you, I need to be standing on a first tee again too. 

Until then, wherever you are, please stay safe. So that others might stay safe as well.