Architects - New Jersey - USA

Architects is a fun golf course to play if one lives within a 90 minute drive which takes in nearly all of Philadelphia, much of New Jersey, extending into New York City and as far west as Harrisburg and north of Scranton. Nearby is the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton area which has grown tremendously In population in the past five years.

As such, getting a preferred tee time is slightly more difficult than it once was, particularly on the weekends.

Stephen Kay and Ron Whitten were assigned the task of designing the course which is meant to pay homage to some of the more famous architects who did much of their work prior to the 1960’s. Of the eighteen holes, there are seventeen architects referenced. I do not know which the two took more of a bigger role. As I am not a fan of Mr. Whitten’s writings, nor some of his work such as at Erin Hills (now much improved), nor his course rankings when he was the head of architecture and rankings for Golf Digest, I have always wondered if the course would have been much better had Mr. Kay had sole responsibility. I like Mr. Kay’s work, particularly the fabulous Links of North Dakota.

It is a fun course to play even if I did not think several of the holes reminded me of the architects that inspired the holes. At times I thought the bunkering on holes were underdone compared to the courses I have played from those architects such as the first hole dedicated to Old Tom Morris. At other times I thought the bunkering was overly done (such as the eleventh in homage to William Flynn or the sixteenth for Dick Wilson). But this observation is not meant to be a criticism; instead I think it is a positive because it makes one think about the style of that architect if one has been fortunate to play many of their designs. Perhaps due to unfamiliarity, there are not many non-American architects used here. There are only four holes “inspired” by non-American architects. Donald Ross gets a mention on two holes. Curiously, Hugh Wilson is used as the reference for the third hole despite designing only five courses, although he contributed to a couple more. Perhaps it is because Mr. Wilson’s work was mainly in the greater Philadelphia area. However, I liked the third hole due to the placement of the green off to the right somewhat disguised by two right side bunkers short of the green.

For me, the best holes on the front nine are the stretch of three to five with the fourth (Devereux Emmet) having a cross bunker coming into two-thirds of the fairway at the landing zone. The fifth has seven bunkers to navigate even if the longer hitters can take the fairway bunkers out of play.

On the back nine most players will reference the well defended seventeenth, a par 3 meant to evoke Stanley Thompson, as perhaps the most memorable hole. One sees nothing but sand other than on the right side of the green. Indeed, I think the par 3’s are the best holes on the course with the par five’s being the weakest mainly due to a lack of length. The thirteenth, a par 5 dedicated to Alistair Mackenzie is also somewhat memorable due to the elevated green behind the fronting stream.

I favored the back nine as it is slightly more open due to fewer tree lines and therefore has a more expansive look and feel.

I have played both Bear’s Best courses in the USA in Las Vegas and outside of Atlanta. Both of these are done well in trying to copy many of Jack Nicklaus’s famous holes, even if the land is vastly dissimilar for those holes. I have played Royal Links in Las Vegas meant to showcase 18 of the most famous holes that have hosted the Open championship. This replica course is both over-priced and a disappointment. The Architects is a fun course to play and well worth it if looking for a public option in the area. It’s even better if you are playing with others who have been fortunate to play the designs of the seventeen referenced architects due to the discussion one can have.

For value and conditioning, this hovers between a 4 and a 3.5. As there are a few better public options in New Jersey I will rate it lower but I do recommend playing it. There are obviously much better private options in the 90 mile radius. If this were in another state such as Oklahoma and Kansas, it would definitely be higher.

Solid golf course with a neat concept of using different architects' styles on each hole. Cool idea but not much of a flow to the course.

Architects is an interesting compilation. Most replicas endeavor to pay homage to a single course or a single designer. Architects delivers a study in many of the best. It does a good job at that. It's a fun day out and is the best in the area it is at. It's public so you can visit any time. Many of the public in North NJ are muni's and are tough to get on for out of towners. Conditioning was very good in my 3 visits. Highly recommend a visit.

Architects is a fine track with absolutely great conditions for a daily fee course. I played it during prime season at the end of May, and it was absolutely flourishing.

Architects has some really great holes and does a great job of capturing some signature "Architects" with key design points. A prime example of this is the 10th George Thomas hole, which makes good use of his split fairways. A straight drive avoiding the bunkers that cover the dogleg right is a trick, and will land you in a gully 40-50 away from a surprisingly elevated green with treacherous bunkers blocking your way.

A complaint I could see one having about the course is that, being that every hole is to represent a different designer, it ends up lacking a general feel, especially on the front. Thinking back, no holes on the outward nine really stick out. However, the feel of the back becomes way more consistent during holes 11 through 16.

The final par 3, 17, is my favorite. Done in the style of Stanley Thompson, it really captures his big, skewed bunkers in front and behind the green that are really captured in some of his famous designs like Cataraqui.

All in all, Architects is absolutely a great course you should play if you're ever in the Easton area.

I agree with the previous reviewers. I visit NJ to see my family a few times a year and this is always on my short list of places to play. Why? It is a lot of fun to play, has been consistently in good condition, and with various discount options it is very reasonable to play. And I admit I enjoy the semi-representation of the architects recreated work.

Does the opening hole represent Old Tom? Sort of. Well the stacked sod bunkers look like it, but clearly the turf is different than St Andrews. But who cares?! Sometimes the best part of golf is the fun of the round and the walk through the woodlands.

And there are challenges. Though the first hole is pretty straight forward par/birdie, the second surprises you with a VERY challenging par 3 where most would be ecstatic to be somewhere on the green.

Played the course (which I played already several times few years ago) on Sep 2nd and found it as pleasant and fun as I remember. While I am not really able to judge the resemblance of the different holes to the architects to which they are inspired, I can say that the layout is quite nice and that this is one of the nicest public course you can play in NJ. On the second nine there are several very lomg par four which are challenging and beautiful at the same time. Greens were in quite a good condition and green fee at $69 on a Saturday morning should be considered a very good deal!

Replica courses have been around for quite some time. The issue is whether such a devotion to what's been done previously can still have enough pizzazz to carry it's own weight when duplicated. The Architect's Club is an attempt to highlight design principles of key designers who have all since passed away. Architect Stephen Kay worked with Golf Digest Architecture Editor Ron Whitten in putting together the details and there are various holes honoring the likes of Donald Ross, Old Tom Morris, Dick Wilson, William Flynn, to name just a few.

The first four holes of the course are fairly mundane. The design elements early on won't exactly get your pulse racing. That changes when you reach the par-4 5th -- a 357-yard hole modeled after the work of Walter Travis. There's plenty of detail provided and the putting surface is appropriately contoured.

At the par-4 7th you encounter an uphill dog-leg right hole modeled after the work of A.W. Tillinghast. The key is determining how much of the corner you wish to cut. The green would also make Tillie smile as it's slanted somewhat severely from back to front with enough vexing internal contours included.

The par-3 8th that follows models itself from the design beliefs of Seth Raynor and is well done. The closing hole for the outward nine is one the best hole at Architect's and is created in the spirit of Donald Ross. The 440-yard par-4 commences with a blind tee shot and is generally into the seasonal playing wind. Complicating matters is the close proximity of a pond just to the left of the green.

The back nine carries much of the weight at Architect's. The par-5 11th is a solid uphill dog-leg right mimicked from Flynn. The stretch of holes starting with the 14th through the 17th is exceptional. You encounter a trio of good long par-4's in succession -- from the likes of Perry Maxwell, then Ross again and concluding with Wilson. The 17th is the best of the par-3 holes at Architect's -- modeled after the works of Canadian architect Stanley Thompson. When the pin is cut towards the extreme far left it takes a superior play to get near the pin as bunkers rigorously guard the putting surface.

Unfortunately, the 18th is suppose to be a Robert Trent Jones, Sr. hole and it's quite lame. The hole features bunkers bracketing the fairway so strategic choice is limited and the green is excessively large and not especially memorable.

All in all, Architect's has its moments. The land provides enough movement to keep things interesting -- especially on the back nine. The phrase, "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," is spot on and for those who don't have access to private clubs -- where such works can be experienced directly -- the time at Architect's can be helpful as an introduction. However, replica courses can get tiresome because the desire to see the actual works trumps those fixated on serving as mere clones.

by M. James Ward