Tavistock

New Jersey hosts many great golf courses from many Golden Age architects, and Alex Findlay should not be forgotten. Tavistock Country Club ensures he can hold his head high among his compatriots from that era.

Infrastructure ensured that Findlay wouldn’t remain alone on the marquee, however, as the 295 highway forced part of the course to be moved and redesigned. The club hired an even bigger name, the relatively-local Robert Trent Jones, to create the new holes. Half a century later, Ron Forse and Jim Nagle would be the last party to arrive, combining a bit of renovation with a return to the aesthetic Findlay’s original era.

Three of the most memorable holes also have the most memorable names, and they coincidentally play in a row toward the end of your round. The par three “Cussed Winds” will certainly live up to the hype if you choose the wrong club for this 205-yard green, surrounded by sand hazards. “Big Poison” is a 450-yard par four that presumably describes the pond sitting up by the green, and then the par five “Big Bend” wraps significantly for 540 yards, bending to get away from the blasted highway.