Ballyowen Golf Club (Crystal Springs Resort)

105 Wheatsworth Rd,

Hamburg, New Jersey 07419

  • Office

    +1 (973) 827 5996
  • Pro shop

    +1 (973) 827 5996
  • Fax

    +1 (973) 827 0604
  • Golf pro

    Tom Reynolds (Director of Instruction).
  • Academy

    David Leadbetter Golf Academy

About the course

  • The Course:

    18 holes. Links-style course. Gently undulating terrain - a few slopes to climb.

  • Surroundings:

    Woodland and open countryside.

  • Designer:

    Roger Rulewich

Back
tees
Club
tees
Front
tees
Yards
7094
6066
4903
Par
72
72
72
SSS or slope
74.1
69.4
68.7

At the same location:

Crystal Springs Resort offers six golf courses. Alongside the Grand Cascades Lodge is Crystal Springs GC (par-72, 6816 yds, Robert Von Hagge, est. 1992); Wild Turkey (par-71, 7202 yds, designer Roger Rulewich), and Cascades (9-hole, par-36, 3627 yds, Roger Rulewich).

A short distance from Grand Cascades Lodge are the following: Black Bear (5 mi S, par-72, 6673 yds, Jack Kurtlander & David Glenz, 1996); Ballyowen (3 mi SW from Lodge, par-72, 7094 yds, Roger Rulewich, 1998), and the family-oriented Minerals executive course (3 mi NE at Minerals Resort, 9-hole, par-31, 2305 yds, Robert Trent Jones).

Location

Latitude:

41.135211

Longitude:

-74.582072

How to get there:

1.5 mi S of Hamburg / 47 mi NW of New York City (Times Square, Manhattan).

Crystal Springs Resort (Ballyowen course)

5-star: Fabulous – courses don’t get much better than this.

Est. 1998

The Ballyowen course at Crystal Springs Resort is widely regarded as one of the Northeast's finest golf courses. This excellent quality layout delivers as authentic a links golf experience as you'll find, akin to the great British and Irish seaside courses. However, in Ballyowen's case it's rolling rural countryside that flanks the course, rather than the sea or ocean.

The undulating dunelike mounds that make up the flowing layout, have the shape, contours and fescue grasses characteristic of all true links courses. The rise and fall of the terrain allows for some nicely elevated tees and one or two extravagantly perched greens. The most daring of these comes at the short par-4 13th.

The rolling, tumbling fairways offer plenty of space to land your drives, while bunker hazards lie in wait around the fast-paced, undulating greens. Water puts in a few telling appearances, as you'll discover in front of and alongside the green of the attractive par-3 6th.

The course broadly conforms to one of the defining traits of links golf, that "all living things might be found on the course, but not trees". Also pleasingly absent is any hint of roads and/or housing. As for authenticity of design, there's nothing tricked-up on this top-quality and challenging layout.

From the course you'll enjoy views onto tree-clad rolling hills, both near and far. Links aficionados may wistfully dream of "seaweed smells from sandy caves" and gently breaking waves. That aside, the Ballyowen delivers everything else you'd expect from a full-blooded links golf course.

List of courses: Appalachians

Visitors

Who can play and when?

Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.

Must book in advance.

Green fees

Visitor fee, 18-holes at peak times in high season: Mon-Thur $145-$156; Fri $200-$220; Sat/Sun $226-$246. Golf cart included.

Contact club for full details, discounts, Stay&Play packages, etc. [Last updated: 2024].

Other information

Walking permitted. Caddies available June thru' August (if pre-booked).

Practice facilities

Excellent

Did you know?

Crystal Springs Resort is home to six golf courses, located in and around the neighbouring towns of Vernon and Hamburg, New Jersey. The standard-bearer for the resort is the highly-rated Ballyowen course, a classic links-style layout. Surrounding the resort's Grand Cascades Lodge you'll find the also well-rated Wild Turkey and Crystal Springs courses. Nearby are Black Bear (18-holes), Cascades (9-hole) and Minerals (9-hole), which complete the Crystal Springs sextet.

The resort was also previously home to Great Gorge GC , located 4 miles NE of the resort centre. This 27-hole layout was designed by George Fazio. Originally owned by Hugh Hefner (founder of the Playboy magazine and Club), the course opened in 1970 as the golf course of The Great Gorge Playboy Club. Whereas the Playboy Club at Great Gorge has ceased to operate, the Great Gorge Golf Club is very much alive.

Where2Stay

  • Crystal Springs Resort

    Wild Turkey Way, Hamburg, NJ 07419

    +1 (973) 827 5996

    Visit website

    Crystal Springs is a world-class, year-round resort, located in the rolling farmland of northwest New Jersey and just an hour from New York City. Covering a huge area, the resort offers a myriad of opportunities and activities, both indoors and out. In winter, nearby Mountain Creek has over 40 ski trails. In summer, Crystal Springs' six championship golf courses come into their own, complemented by a David Leadbetter Golf Academy.

    Accommodations are based on the luxurious Grand Cascades Lodge, family-friendly Minerals Resort & Spa or recreation-oriented Mountain Creek in Vernon. The resort offers 12 restaurants, cafes, & bistros, with the Latour restaurant boasting an award-winning wine cellar.

    Two day spas, including the new Reflections Spa and Elements Spa are also available to guests. The resort also offers endless events, activities and area attractions, including hiking, wine tasting, festivals, shopping, skiing & snowboarding, mountain biking, waterparks and more!

    • Golf at this hotel:

      Wild Turkey and Crystal Springs courses.

    • Golf within 5 miles:

      Ballyowen, Black Bear, Great Gorge, Cascades (9-hole) and Minerals (9-hole family golf).

    • Golf within 20 miles:

      Berkshire Valley

Find a course

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Tournaments

124th US Open: the No.2 Course at Pinehurst once again plays host to this most illustrious championship (June 13-16). Wyndham Clark defends his title, having won at Los Angeles CC in 2023.

79th Women’s US Open: the second women’s major championship of the season gets underway at Lancaster CC in Pennsylvania. It’s the second time the championship has been held here.
(May 30-June 2).

Who's Who

Nelly Korda: won the Mizuho Americas Open (May 16-19) at Liberty National GC, continuing her extraordinary form in LPGA events. This was her sixth win in seven starts in 2024.

Xander Schauffele: recorded his first major championship win, and second record-equalling low score of 62 in a major. Only he, Branden Grace, Rickie Fowler and Shane Lowry have achieved this feat in a men’s major championship.

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.

Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.

Prince's Golf Club, Kent (UK)

Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.

Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available

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