Best golf courses near Ocean City, NJ

The backbone of this super-maximalist design from Dana Fry and Jason Straka in the South New Jersey cape are a pair of constructed 40-foot-high central ridges that that half of the complex’s 27 holes scramble up and down. The design is a head-spinning presentation of three different nines that show off electrified putting surfaces stuffed with all manner of tiers, baubles and side slopes, big sandy dunes, scrubby barrens, cavernous bunkers, a section on the north end that mimics holes forged from a quarry and a kaleidoscope of native New Jersey vegetation. The new Union League National earned second-place honors on our 2022 Best New private award.

Galloway National occupies a very fine stretch of South Jersey-pine barrens, a site that before construction had been compared to nearby Pine Valley. But Tom Fazio felt the land more favorably compared with that of Pinehurst, and his dream was to reshape this course the old-fashioned way, using horses and slip-scrapers much as had done a century ago at Pinehurst. But the economics and timetable didn’t allow him such a fanciful luxury. Instead, bulldozers were used to shove the sand around into graceful fairways and low-slung, fall-away greens. Pines and roughs of pine needles frame most holes and the eastern flank of the course runs directly along a tidal marsh that leads to the Atlantic. Galloway National now has enough exposed sand, by the way, that golfers today are reminded of both Pinehurst and Pine Valley.

Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw are known for their minimalist designs with quiet undulation and ridges, and Hidden Creek fits nicely in their portfolio. Like many other Coore-Crenshaw works, Hidden Creek offers wide fairways that emphasize finding the best angle in to give yourself the best chance to score. The course offers a great mix of doglegs in both directions, and there is quite good variety in the par 4s, including the short par-4 8th that is one of the highlights of the round. The par 3s are quite impressive as well as they range from 230 to 115. Hidden Creek is one of the best courses in the Dormie Network’s stable and more than holds its own in comparison to the other courses in the region.

Atlantic City Country Club is now private, but if you're headed to AC for a golf trip—do your best to try to get on. The par-70, 6,577-yard course dates to 1897 but has been updated several times, including in 1999 by architect Tom Doak. He did his best to restore many original features, including firm, undulating greens and tall, native grasses that frame bunkers and fairways. Willie Park Jr., the British Open champion in 1887 and 1889, is often credited as the primary designer, though at least four others are responsible for this classic layout. ACCC is routed along marshland and back bays and has the feel of a classic Northeast country club, which it once was. The course opened to the public in 1998 when Hilton Hotels bought it, then was owned by Caesars Entertainment but now went back to being private.As you play several holes along the shoreline, the neon-and-concrete kingdom of AC looms in the distance. The front nine is a brute with four par 4s longer than 445 yards. One of those, the opening hole, charmingly uses a portion of the practice putting green as its tee box. The back nine is much shorter (3,125 yards compared to 3,452 on the front) but also a lot tighter as you wind your way around the marsh. Several shots bring the hazard into play, and the 157-yard 17th is a blind shot over massive sand dunes.ACCC's clubhouse is akin to a golf museum. ACCC played an important part in the history of American golf. Not only did the terms birdie and eagle originate from rounds played there in 1903, but the course was the site of six USGA championships, including the 1901 Amateur and the 1948 Women's Open won by Babe Didrikson Zaharias. Bob Hope regularly played the course. So did boxer Joe Louis and quarterback Joe Namath. Arnold Palmer spent a couple of summers there in the 1950s while serving in the Coast Guard nearby. Everything from the wood lockers to the spike marks on the 19th hole's floor lets you know that you're experiencing a piece of golf's past. --Ron Kaspriske, senior editor

Twisted Dune offers enough gnarly lies, bump-and-run opportunities and sand to satisfy. The par-72, 7,248-yard layout has all the bunkers and waste areas you can handle. You'll be shaking sand out of your shoes for weeks. Wind is the course's other defense, which can be problematic on a long closing nine. Even from the white tees, you'll often find yourself hitting hybrids and woods for second shots. Luckily, you can chase them onto many of the greens because there aren't a lot of forced carries. Oh, and speaking of the greens, take a refresher course on lag putting before coming. They're huge. --Ron Kaspriske, senior editor

Seaview's Bay course, a 6,247-yard, par-71 layout, has a similar look and feel to Atlantic City Country Club, playing along Reeds Bay with views of the distant AC skyline. Five holes use the marshland as part of their defense. Architect Bob Cupp should get credit for doing a nice job of restoring the original design started by Hugh Wilson and completed by Donald Ross in 1915. Like most Ross courses, the smallish, tricky greens make up for any lack of length. And like ACCC, a visit to Seaview comes with a history lesson: It hosted the 1942 PGA and has been home to the LPGA's ShopRite Classic since 1986. What was once an elite private club is now a 36-hole resort. --Ron Kaspriske, senior editor

Shore Gate is a challenging, target-heavy golf course—likely inspired by nearby Galloway National with a hint of Pine Valley—that's very popular with Avalon vacationers. Penal, deep bunkers as well as tall pines with pine straw and sand present a strong challenge to public golfers. It's a former member of Golf Digest's Best Courses in New Jersey but still among the very best public options in South Jersey.

Ballamor—formerly a private club and now part of the Ottinger Golf Group—is the perfect addition to any Atlantic City-area golf trip. Built by Ed Ault and Thomas E. Davis on 350 acres of rolling land, wide fairways and large, interesting green complexes are a great test for all levels of player. In a sneaky area of good public golf, Ballamor stands out as one of the best in South Jersey.