America's Number-One Golf Course Is A Timeless East Coast Masterpiece With World-Ranked Fairways
In clubhouse conversations about the top-ranked golf courses in America, you don't often hear Pine Valley get mentioned. This mystical private course barely exists on social media due to its strict no phones policy, and its setting, tucked away from the rest of the world in New Jersey's Camden County, furthers its anonymity. Yet Golf Digest, Golf magazine, Golfweek, and Planet Golf all list Pine Valley as one of the best courses in the U.S. — and on three of those lists, it's number one.
Pine Valley Golf Club is located in the Southern New Jersey town of Clementon, which is close to Philadelphia and a short drive from the seaside escape of Cape May. Because of its high reputation among golf insiders, the course is many die-hard golfer's white whale course to play. There are, according to The Wandering Golfers, likely over 1,000 lucky members of Pine Valley who get to call the course home, and the course's exclusivity only adds to its allure. There's very little publicized about membership costs or the club's selection process. This mysterious gem in golf is a beauty known for its immaculate architecture, and there are so many aspects of the Pine Valley experience that place it above any other course in America.
What is it that makes Pine Valley the No. 1-ranked course every year?
From the first greeting, the hospitality of the staff at Pine Valley makes you realize this isn't like any other golf experience. Guests and members rave about the staff's attentiveness and the little touches at Pine Valley. From the discreet valet parking to the wet towels on the golf cart for a hot summer day's cooldown, they cover it all. Before the on-course adventure begins, be sure to check out the world-class practice area to work on your game, with pristine fairway grass and greens.
The 18-hole course looks like a golf postcard from the first tee, with tall pines native to the area flanking each hole. Founder George Crump designed this course with the help of a handful of great architects. Those who have played Pine Valley rave about the immaculate fairways that don't have a blade of grass out of place. The course is protected by creatively deep bunkering, and famed course designer Tom Fazio provided the most recent update to Pine Valley with the reconstruction of many of the sand traps to maintain their level of difficulty. The modest 6,500-7,000 yard layout isn't forced as you wind through the secluded woods of New Jersey. Each hole lets players feel a sense of isolation they normally never would on a course, worlds away from the boardwalk beach towns of the New Jersey coast.
The experience of playing Pine Valley
From the understated entrance at the end of a dead-end road to the modestly sized clubhouse, the focus is on the golf at Pine Valley, and the beauty is in the club's simplicity. Players walk away raving about the near-perfect conditions on the greens and fairways and the uniqueness of each hole's design along the journey. They lament the difficulty of the bunkering and praise the stunning visuals throughout the course.
Golfers have difficulty picking out a favorite hole at the course, but the par-four second hole is popular for its unique putting surface that requires precision on the approach. "The best players can hit a driving iron to the end of the fairway these days," said one user in the Golf Club Atlas forums. Other users highlighted holes four and 13, praising four for its strategy and 13 for its great, simple design.
Most people will never get the chance to play at Pine Valley, unfortunately. Playing at the exclusive club is all about knowing or connecting with a member who will allow you access to the course and a day you'll likely never forget. If you do get in, though, know that there's lodging and accommodations on the property for the luckiest guests to enhance their experience. It's that magical mix of tranquil beauty on the course and the extra touches throughout the property that showcase Pine Valley Golf Club's mystique and make it the highest-ranked course in America. For more New Jersey golf destinations, check out the highly exclusive Bayonne club that has its own marina.