The purpose of the Review of The Month feature is twofold. Top100GolfCourses has always aimed to salute and encourage those who are putting admirable effort into reviewing the world’s great golf courses. Moving forward, we are also looking to learn from these experts! We’ll be chatting with the month’s star authors and discussing topics such as golf in their area, what they like to see in a strong course review, and of course dig a little deeper into their own winning review.
November 2023’s Review of The Month comes from Mark White, a long-time Top100 contributor who is both well-traveled and well-detailed when rating courses. This month he took a look at Twisted Dune, a public option near his hometown of Philadelphia.
You can read all of Mark’s winning review below, and find other takes regarding Twisted Dune here.
I was delighted by Twisted Dune. This public course offers as many visuals as today’s more noteworthy architects focused on minimalism. As I played the course I did a mental comparison to the inland efforts of Doak, Coore & Crenshaw, Kidd, Wagner & Hanse, and Hurdzan & Fry and found many similarities. This course was built with an objective to create a links-links feeling and although this course falls short of that, it does offer many other positive qualities in visual appeal, solitude, fairness, bunkering, and reasonable chances for recovery. It also plays firm and fast. Despite being a flat course, the combination of tall fescue, pine trees, and manufactured mounds makes for a splendid setting.
This is a fine effort by a first-time architect, Archie Struthers, who I do not know if he has done anything else other than his involvement at Greate Bay.
The routing is good with only the first three holes moving in the same direction (one is slightly different direction). Following the first three holes, holes 4-8 go in parallel opposite directions while the back nine never repeats the same direction. The back nine is definitely the better nine. Only the gap in the tenth and eleventh offer a look at another hole on the back nine. Possibly the only quirkiness in the routing is that there are three par 5's within four holes at #9, 10, and 12.
The green complexes are good, sometimes somewhat hidden and sometimes set down in a sort of bowl. Only a few of the looks into the greens felt the same as there is good variation in the green surrounds or the change in terrain. .I counted three greens slightly downhill and three greens slightly uphill.
While the fairways are often generously wide the course is still difficult due to its length and the ability to run up a high score if one misses the fairway as there is no relief. If one misses the fairway they will either suffer a lost ball or have limited ability to substantially advance the ball as the fairways are ringed by tall fescue or pine trees.
The course features good bunkering in terms of number, placement, depth, variation in shape, and width. With the exception of a couple of holes I found the fairway bunkers to be more of a guide point in which one would aim away from them to the wider side of the fairway. But if one were to go in a fairway bunker it would likely be a pitch out as many of them have raised faces. There is a good variation in size of the fairway bunkers. The greenside bunkers also varied in size, depth and shape. The course does utilize center-line and cross bunkers as well. The bunkers were in good shape other than a large fairway bunker on the left side of eighteen which is littered with rocks.
I somewhat agree with a previous reviewer that the surfaces of the greens tend to be more flattish or with a gentle slope. However, I found that nearly every green had a section of more movement. Sometimes these sections were in the back, front, or a side. There are a couple of greens with a lot of movement.
Other than the dull and disappointing eighth hole, I thought the par 3's were the highlight of the course. The third hole is rated the number two index on the course due to its length, bunkering, and a green with a lot of movement. The thirteenth might be the best par 3 due to the strong visual from the tee and the defenses surrounding the green. The sixteenth is also quite good. It's likely a debate between those holes as to which is better.
The par 5's are also good, better from the two sets of longer tees as they are too weak from the white tees or less due to the width of the fairways. What I particularly liked about the par 5's is that every green complex was different. You never felt like you were playing the same par 5.
In addition to the weak eighth, the course is somewhat lessened by the par 4's where there are more average holes and often the greens are less interesting. Two of the least interesting par 4's are the opener, the fifth and sixth where the fairways are very generous and the green complexes less interesting.
The course measures 7279, par 72 from the black tees rated 75.2/144. The blue tees are 6775 yards rated 73.1/140. The white tees are 6325 yards rated 71.2/136.
1. Par 4 - 409/345/330. The opening offers a wide fairway and flat green. The left side of the fairway has a raised mound of about five feet going nearly to the green. The green is fronted on the right with an easy bunker. There is a bunker at the same location at the back of the green. Far off to the right I thought I saw another bunker which would be unnecessary. Overall, this hole is a good chance for par or less.
2. Par 4 - 439/400/390. I liked this hole with a large bunker in the landing zone down the left but there is a lot of room down the right. Longer hitters who can fly this bunker will face a narrower fairway. The green is in sort of a dell perhaps 20 feet below the surrounding land. Two large bunkers are off the left, the first beginning about 25 yards short of the green. Backdropping the green are two other bunkers somewhat carved into the side of the rise behind the green. The right side of the green is two-tiered. It is an attractive visual into this green complex.
3. Par 3 - 235/210/195. This is the number two index and deserving as a par here is a good score. The hole features a large, somewhat narrow green angled slightly to the right. There are two large bunkers about 25 yards short of the green. A longer, bunker is off the right side while three bunkers are down the left. The green has a central ridge and overall goes left to right. This is not an easy green to two putt.
4. Par 5 - 579/550/515. This hole has a straight tee shot but then bends to the right. Trees line the left side while the right side of the fairway features a long parallel bunker. As you near the green there are two center line bunkers. I decided to lay up short of them rather than try to carry them. The green is uphill and is somewhat small. Prior to the green are three bunkers set below it on the right, beginning about 30 yards out. Another bunker is off the front left. The green is small at the front where there is a sharper slant. The back of the green is surrounded by mounds and grass bunkers and more flat. The green complex is a lovely visual. From the second shot of the fourth fairway you will see across holes five to eight.
5. Par 4 - 345/340/330. This hole doglegs to the left with only a small fairway bunker off the left. The green is smallish and tucked between two bunkers. The back of the green will not hold approach shots. This green is flattish and easily read. It is the easiest hole on the course and unexciting.
6. Par 4 - 420/390/375. You move back the opposite direction on this hole where the green is set off to the right. There is an early fairway bunker on the right not in play. The fairway is generous. Farther up are two bunkers on the left and three on the right, very much in play off the tee. There is a collection of three bunkers about 30 yards short of the green on the right that give the illusion of being closer to the green. The left side features two bunkers of which the back sides have tall fescue. These greenside bunkers are perhaps the least deep on the course. The green is flattish with a large short grass area off its right.
7. Par 4 - 435/425/380. This hole is straight with no fairway bunkers. As you near the hole beginning about 110 yards out bunkers start to appear with four on the right where the last one is quite large just off the front of the green. A single bunker is on the left about 50 yards short of the green. The green is angled to the right and has three small bunkers arced near to the back. Behind those bunkers on the left are two more. One simply cannot go long on this hole. The green is flattish with a slight rise to the back.
8. Par 3 - 169/145/130. This is a nothing hole. The only positive aspect to it is that the green does have a right to left slant and back to front. There is a bunker on the left and two at the back of this green angled to the left. One expects more from a short par 3. The green is possibly a big too large but with higher wind it is likely appropriate. Given the quality of the other par 3's this hole is a letdown.
9. Par 5 - 565/525/495. The fairway is generous for both the tee shot and the second shot, somewhat negating the effect of the two ponds down the left, where the second pond goes the entirety of the left side of the green. Two small fairway bunkers on the right are not really in play given the width of the fairway, nor are the three bunkers on the right as one nears the green. The green has a strong slope on the back third both in a higher rise at the rear and movement to the left towards the water. This is a good chance for a birdie. The hole is more visually exciting than it is playing.
10. Par 5 - 540/500/455. I liked this hole where you play over a forced carry to the fairway with the hole ending with a slight valley then uphill to the green. The hole plays off to the right then back to the left with the green then set off to the right. The tee shot is to a wide fairway but the hole narrows for the landing zone for the second shot due to a combination of bunkers down the right and tall fescue. There is a small bunker on the left about 90 yards short that needs to be avoided. The green features two bunkers off the right and a small bunker off the front left. The green tilts to the left and front. It is a good green and good location for the green. The movement of the hole leads to decisions with the second shot whether to be bold or more conservative.
11. Par 4 - 460/449/390. This is another wide fairway which opens up to provide a view of the tenth fairway and clubhouse. The hole is a dogleg right where the green is hidden if going down the right due to a 25 high, wide mound which seems to shrink the width of the fairway. This long green sits on lower ground and has some movement in the back fourth particularly due to a hump on the left. The only bunker I recall is one set well off the back of the green. It is not a particularly difficult hole but it is fun to play.
12. Par 5 - 565/525/515. The final par 5 offers another wide fairway all the way to the green but one must make a decision to carry, go left or lay up short of the three cross bunkers on the right 70 yards short of the green. The hole goes slightly left than back to the right. The green is quick off the left third while the entire green slants to the left. There is only a single bunker on the left. While I favored the tenth as my favorite, the par 5's are all in the "good" category.
13. Par 3 - 195/180/165. I liked this hole as the best hole on the golf course. From a slightly elevated tee you look down at a large fronting bunker on the left side and a pond off the right for the entirety of the green. This bunker continues down most of the left side followed by another bunker at the rear. If one misses to the right the ball will not stay on the short, steep bank. The green is long and has a lot of subtle movement. It is also shaped like a lima bean with the most width at its front and a smaller back section.
14. Par 4 - 410/375/355. The hole begins with a short forced carry over a pond. It features the narrowest landing zone due to a pond down the right and thick trees down the left. The pond continues to the front left of the green. The fairway has more movement than other holes with a depression on the right. The right side of the fairway features two large bunkers between the fairway and pond. The front right pin placement is difficult to access due to the pond followed by a small bunker. A final greenside bunker is off the left. The green has a right center vertical spine. The green breaks towards that front right. This is one of the more interesting visuals on the course for the approach shot into this green.
15. Par 4 - 420/390/350. After the tee shot the hole falls downhill to the green which sits within a bowl. A single large bunker is on the left but it is fairly flat other than a raised far left side. The best look into the green is from the left half of the fairway. The green is angled to the right with two bunkers on the right, the farthest one nearly hidden. The green is large and somewhat flat. I liked the look into the hole but did not find the hole to be difficult.
16. Par 3 - 215/190/175. This is another attractive par 3 from the tee. The green is sloped steeply back to front with a slight tier on its front third. It is another large green built on a ridge into the side of a hill. Two long bunkers are below the green down the left while another left bunker sits roughly level with the green on the right. The use of the deep grass bunker on the front right allows for recovery. I never found my tee shot despite seeing it land which must have landed just shy of the green into that deep grass bunker but did save a bogey.
17. Par 4 - 410/390/370. This hole doglegs left offering a wide fairway opposite the large fairway bunker on the left. There is a valley about 80 yards wide that ends at the front of the green. Two small bunkers are in the front middle and right. The green has more movement than most of the other holes although this movement is only on the back half. It is one of the more attractive approach shots on the course and a good chance for a birdie.
18. Par 4 - 495/475/410. This hole features a wide fairway. There is a tall “eye-candy” bunker on the left in play off the tee. It is unfortunate that bunker has a lot of rocks in it which is not something I saw in other bunkers. Another bunker follows it but it would take a very long tee shot to reach it. The hole is essentially straight. Nearer the green are taller mounds on the right with three bunkers to the right of it. The left side has three bunkers as well including one pressed right against the left side of the green.. You can land short of the green on the right and have your ball kick onto the green. The large mound on the right presents one with a decision to make. The green is somewhat flat but quicker than others.
Twisted Dune does offer a lot of good golf both due to its visual appeal. New Jersey is a golf-rich state so to be included as one of the top 40 courses in the state as a public course reflects the quality of this public course. It is a course one should seek out if in the area.
