Golfadelphia

6,605 yards, 137 slope from the Dick Wilson tees

New Jersey probably doesn’t get its just due but to many who live there, that’s just fine. The drive to Bedens Brook was through various small town Americana separated by leafy woods and large fields of farms exuding a relaxed charm that seems tougher and tougher to find at present. And the golf. There is plenty, much of it really good and fine with leaving those who care to discover it rather than vie for attention of any kind. Bedens Brook felt like that kind of place. All of it. The quiet countryside upon which the course stretches does have homes at points but all of it fits in nicely to the aura. Dick Wilson. Very much like the course, he is an architect that needs to be discovered nowadays. And just like the course, most of us would be well served to discover away. The more of his courses I play, the more I appreciate the unique character Wilson seemed to convey. There’s a wonderful intersecting of classic and modern design on those courses he composed and Bedens Brook is a wonderful rendition of those styles dancing along together. The fairways are situated about the sprawling countryside in fickle fashion, turning into hills and crossing over the brook at angles askew to the line of play, furtively suggesting to the golfer playing corridors that he must decide are actually there or not. The bunkering demands attention and to be carried at times, yet those who end up with a bad first impression of them will always have a measure of recovery. Indeed, the penal elements here are subtle and encourage creativity and resolve to extract oneself from whatever quagmire for a chance at redemption. The course gives the golfer a fine round of golf with variety, leaning on its natural surrounds in different ways throughout, yet always makes it incumbent on the golfer to account for the terrain during their strategic plotting. As is the case with other Wilson courses I have come across, the influence of Flynn is always in the air as well.

The promise of Spring was in full effect as I made my way to the course. A brand new car on its maiden voyage aside from the local here and there added to it but otherwise the vestiges of Winter were wearing off and golf was recapturing its rightful place in the natural order of things. It was still early enough in the season where the quiet and space many of us enjoy was still there, before most of the fair-weather set notice or think about bringing the clubs out of hibernation. Standing on the First tee felt like a gift, in more ways than one. Such as it should every time any of us find ourselves wandering the fairways.

The First is a 390 yard par 4 (from the Dick Wilson tees). “Play Away.” There’s a slight bend to the left and a bunker on the left but otherwise, the golfer is free to play away as he wishes with the opening salvo. The green is on the smaller side and well guarded by three bunkers at each side with a small entry point at the front. While the tee shot is generous, the approach requires a little bit more gumption for those trying to keep a respectable score.

The Second is a 152 yard par 3. “Tiny Mural.” Bedens Brook makes its first appearance on the right side while bunkers defend the green on the left. The green and apron before it give some room to work with the tee shot, which will move towards the creek upon landing. Alas, those missing left will need to sharpen up in a hurry to avoid Bedens on the other side.

The Third is a 536 yard par 5. “Shillelagh.” The name of the hole is an Irish reference to a thick stick of blackthorn or oak typically used as a weapon. Wilson loved his dog legs and perhaps used them as a weapon, with this one is a unique iteration of it. The tee shot must carry Bedens Brook to the fairway that is already starting to arc leftwards. It continues to arch until it meets the brook again, at which point the golfer must cross it again to reach the green, which sits above the fairway. A really booming tee shot could get far enough down the first fairway where the golfer may consider going for the green in two shots but for the rest of us, the second shot consists of figuring out how close to get to the brook to set up the approach shot. The green moves towards the brook.

The Fourth is a 385 yard par 4. “The Narrows.” A some what narrow fairway heading straight out from the tee with a trio of bunkers in front of it. There are trees off to the right and if you look close enough, can see Bedens Brook is still following us over there.

The Fifth is a 325 yard par 4. “Stouts Rest.” A shorter par 4 dog leg left. A decision must be made whether to take on the fairway bunker on the left. Those who do will have a nice wedge into the green. Those who opt for staying to the right of the bunker will have a longer approach but still on the shorter side, so it really depends on the golfer’s tolerances. A center line bunker in front of the green needs to be carried unless one of the side entry points are used, as the green boomerangs around the center bunker.

The Sixth is a 181 yard par 3. “Turn Around.” The front nine is very much an out and back so as this name delineates, we start to head back to the clubhouse. The green is tightly defended by bunkers where the only miss not finding sand is short and back left. The green is on the smaller side but its contours are set to receive longer shots and slow them down with a slight back to front tilt, yet anything too long and to the left may catch the slope moving off the green.

The Seventh is a 520 yard par 5. “Serpentine.” The fairway starts off heading right from the tee and the golfer should decide whether to take on the hillside and bunkers on the right, as a straight tee shot runs the risk of moving off the fairway on the left. The first fairway eventually ends at a pond that needs to be carried to reach the second fairway. That second fairway is lined with bunkers on both sides, which includes surrounding the green save for a decent size entry point at the front. The hole is long with some width but demands a fair amount of precision with each shot, the first two of which are on the longer side.

The Eighth is a 376 yard par 4. “Pump House.” A slight dog leg right moving downwards from the tee. The dog legs continue to present strategic decisions off the tee as to how much of them to try and take off in setting up the approach. Those overly ambitious left shots could find the water over there, once again tempering the tolerance for wild misses. A trough of water runs across the front of the green, demanding an aerial approach. The green is small, running back to front with its sides funneling to the center, countering its smaller size a bit.

The Ninth is a 425 yard par 4. “Long View.” The final hole of the front runs straightaway to the green, uphill with a large fairway swale in the middle. A nice tee shot will take advantage of the swale and hit the downhill, all helping with a shorter approach. Trees run up the right side but the Eighteenth is on the left, so if you feel inclined to miss, miss left. The bunkers near the deep green are below it while most of the fairway feeds in at the entry point. It will likely be a longer approach so consider using the short space before the green smartly.

The front nine is out and back for the most part with a variety of dog legs and lengths requiring an array of shots and considerations. My ranking of them is 3, 5, 9, 1, 7, 2, 6, 4, 8.

The back nine starts with the 405 yard par 4 Tenth. “Press Away.” The opening holes of the back are strewn over a large hill that runs away from the clubhouse and right to left. A slight dog leg right near the start of the fairway finally straightens out to the green with bunkers on either side and pushed up from the fairway just a bit. It may not look it, but the right to left movement pervades, especially at the green.

The Eleventh is a 380 yard par 4. “Dogwood.” Coming back in the opposite direction, we now face uphill and left to right movement. Trees on either side confine the playing corridor even though staying along the high left side will account for the hillside movement upon the ball landing. The green opens up from the trees and maintains that same strong left to right movement, with the lower right bunker coming into play much more than it may seem initially.

The Twelfth is a 476 yard par 5. “Into the Woods.” The holes are switching back and the variations of the hill’s topography keeps things varied, it’s not ideal. We move downhill with the trees showing us the way on a long left bend. The downhill is prominent and continues through the green, so mind the approach which really should settle at the front or even short to account for the roll. But roll of the ball is the theme on each shot here, more so as you get closer to the hole.

The Thirteenth is a 166 yard par 3. “Reflection.” The green actually moves into the hillside on the right and away from the water on the left. There is room short and short right to miss if you feel the need not to hit the green and anything left will find the water. A subdued opening sequence to the back continues.

The Fourteenth is a 316 yard par 4. “The Charge.” Back up the hill we go, now on the high side so it’s more of a climb. Bunkers are on the right side, so staying on that hight left side is preferable to avoid them while the green is surrounded by bunkers and is on the small side. The entry point at the front is inviting for those trying to shy away from a wayward aerial approach.

The Fifteenth is a 415 yard par 4. “Silhouette.” Still on the hill but now moving around the clubhouse, the fairway levels out some what and allows the golfer to select a side to go down; the left has bunkers guarding the green while the right is open to the fairway except for the bunker at the far right.

The Sixteenth is a 202 yard par 3. “Out of the Woods.” A calculated romp through the woods emphasizing precision yields to a long par 3 that must carry a small valley to reach the hillside upon which the green is placed. There is plenty of room short while the sides are well bunkered yet there is enough room to have the ball move in from the high left, especially with the longer clubs in play here. The transition of the back nine is felt here, establishing a more rambunctious finish.

The Seventeenth is a 585 yard par 5. “The Dick Wilson.” The fairway is well below us from the tee and sweeps to the right, a tree can’t be found for what seems like miles. The golfer must figure out how much of the turn to take on off the tee, especially with the bunkers near the inside of the turn. The fairway keeps turning to some degree until the green while a couple bunkers continue on the right. The green is deep and bunkers on either side pinch the front while there is more room towards the back. It’s a nice par 5 where the tee shot sets up the next couple shots well due to the bunker placement.

The Eighteenth is a 370 yard par 4. “Final Test.” Running parallel with the Ninth, the fairway moves uphill while bunkers are on either side roughly where tee shots are bound to land. Likewise, bunkers are on either side of the front of the green while but width manages from the entry point to the rear. The hole is certainly set up for a a mere pittance of tolerance for missed shots, living up to its namesake.

The back nine is mills about a prominent hill in the woods before bursting forth in a lively closing sequence. Bunker placement amongst the terrain movement instills strategy with the shots while the par 5’s stood out from the rest. I would rank them 17, 12, 16, 18, 10, 11, 15, 14, 13.

Generally, Bedens Brook is a solid Dick Wilson design that showcases a variety of dog legs; a feature Wilson was famous for. Wilson anchored a lot of his design into the natural topography and that is certainly true here. There is outright challenge with some of the forced carries but the course relies more on strategy in how the golfer decides to make his way towards the green while he considers how to navigate the well placed hazards amongst the terrain moving in nicely plotted directions. The routing for the front nine was well done while the back didn’t really realize its potential until the final trio of holes. This could be as intended as the golfer needs to shift into another style of play, then switch gears yet again for the sprint to the finish. In general though, the gentle yet firm challenge and decisions flowed nicely together. I have been intrigued by Wilson because of the shades of Flynn I see in his designs. Bedens Brook is a great local example of this, a firsthand showing of the progression of course design from the Golden Age.

Clubhouse/Pro Shop: Well adorned and fits in nicely to the wooded countryside.

Practice Area: The driving range is between the First and Eighteenth while the putting green and short game area are steps from the pro shop.