Shark River Golf Course

Shark River opens with a pair of 420-yard-plus par 4s, the first of which requires a draw and the second a fade. Execute on either and you will have a great look into the green. Fail and you’re staring at an In’N Out Double-Double start. But then it lulls you back to sleep with a par 3, a drivable par 4, another short par 4 and a gettable par 5. By the time you eventually bounce back, though, the closing finish pounds you over the head, starting with No. 15, which I believe is one of the most difficult holes in New Jersey. The 16th hole, a par 4, plays 450 from the tips and the 18th is a 586-yard par 5 that plays about 700 yards. I’ve shot mid-70s here and low-90s, likely within the same month. It’s always in great shape and the mix of extremely difficult and extremely gettable holes never gets old. Afterward, make sure to hit up Kelly's Tavern right up the road for the coldest post-round beer known to mankind. --Christopher Powers, senior writer