Golf at the Old Orchard Country Club and the Suneagles Golf Club

Summertime at the Jersey Shore means that area golfers can take the time and play two local courses — both designed by a legend.

The Old Orchard Country Club and the Suneagles Golf Club. Both are public, located in Eatontown, play at par 72, and offer reasonable green’s fees. Local players know the courses to be enjoyable and competitive.

Both 18-hole courses are the work of the renowned golf course architect Albert W. Tillinghast. His vaunted portfolio includes several United States Open championship courses including the Black Course at the Bethpage State Park (Long Island), Baltusrol Golf Club (in Springfield, NJ) and Winged Foot Golf Course (in Mamaroneck, NY). He also designed the respected NJ course, Ridgewood Country Club.

Old Orchard Country Club

Born in Philadelphia in the nation’s centennial year, Tillinghast’s hands touched 250+ golf courses in the United States,” according to his World Golf Hall of Fame profile. He died in Ohio in 1942.

I’ve probably played more golf at Old Orchard than anywhere else. I know the course like the back of my hand. If I could play one last time in my life, it probably would be there.

Built in 1927, amid 127 acres of apple orchards and farm lands, the course plays at 6,300 yards. The original golf pro was George Sullivan. Born in the UK, he served At OOCC for over 30 years and holds the course record of 65. The signature hole, the par-five 7th, sports an island green.

“Golf is a game that is played on a five-inch course: the distance between your ears.”
—Bobby Jones

Opened in 1926, Suneagles is located on the old Fort Monmouth post and plays at 6,357 yards. The US Army acquired the course in 1941. It was there that golf legend Byron Nelson got his first pro win in 1935. Tillinghast called Suneagles “among the best of my creations.”

The clubhouse, Gibbs Hall, the former army officer’s club, is on the National Register of Historic Places. I admire the course for its many fine par 4 holes, requiring superior long-iron play.

To seal the deal, just consider golf’s overall benefits: good exercise, fresh air, improved focus, strategy development, confidence builder, learned humility, and competitive spirit. Besides, few things in life can top a beautiful day on the course with good friends or family.

I learned the game from my physician-father and probably played some 100 rounds of golf with him. Dad was an enthusiastic golfer who used the game as a major stress reducer. I remember him telling me that a person’s true nature could be found on the golf course. During my life of playing golf, I found that he was onto something there. Go find yourself.

Note: Word is that golf at Old Orchard maybe coming to and end? A developer has proposed turning the course into a senior citizen community. So get out there while you can.

Gibbs Hall at Suneagles Golf Club.

Old Orchard Country Club 18-Hole course layout, 1938.

A.W. Tillinghast