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Pine Valley, USA |
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Pine Valley Golf Club
Clementon
New Jersey (NJ) 08021
USA |  | George Crump and Harry Colt |  | Charlie Raudenbush |
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 | +1 856 309 3203 |  | 1 mile W of Clementon off 683 |  | Members and their guests only |
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Pine Valley Golf Club was the dream of a Philadelphian hotelier, George Crump, who sadly died before its completion. The legacy that he left behind is universally considered to be the perfect example of penal golf course architecture.
The course is located on the New Jersey side of Philadelphia and it’s impossible to believe that the world’s best golf course is set in such featureless countryside. Crump started work on this desolate piece of land in 1912 and, after receiving Harry Colt’s seal of approval on the routing, 14 holes were ready for play in 1916. Crump died in 1918 and his dream 18-hole course was one year away from completion.
Pine Valley officially opened in 1919 but it took three years for anybody to get round in 70 strokes and it quickly became renowned the world over as the ultimate test of golf. The members were quick to realise their was an opportunity for a quick buck and offered a standing bet to anyone playing for the first time that they won’t break 80. In 1954, Arnold Palmer took all bets going and cleaned up, shooting a 68. “I was desperate for money at the time,” he explained. “I was about to be married. So I collected all the bets I could find. I don’t know what I would have done If I had lost – it was far more money than I could afford.”
“Pine Valley fills you with dread and delight… it takes your breath away… it’s a monster, but it’s beautiful.” Wrote Robert Trent Jones in the Complete Golfer. “It is frequently alluded to as the most difficult course in the world, and this reputation is justified. To my way of thinking, it also possesses more classic holes than any other course in the world – ten of the eighteen. Of the remaining holes, five are outstanding, two are good, and one, the 12th, is ordinary, which, at Pine Valley, is tantamount to being a misfit.
I remember playing a round at Pine Valley not so long ago with Lowell Thomas, who as you know, has travelled the world as widely as any man. On this 15th, after we had driven across the lake that separates the tee from the start of the fairway, Thomas turned and looked back across the water, then quietly gazed at the rest of the scene around us. ‘In all my travels,’ he said, ‘I do not think I’ve seen a more beautiful landscape. This is as thrilling as Versailles or Fontainebleau.’” | |
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If the above course review article is not accurate, let us know by clicking here |
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In the section below, headed “Your Reviews”, are golf course reviews posted by visitors to the Top 100 website. There are no specific rules for reviewing a golf course except you MUST have played the golf course first. Merits of each course are left entirely to your discretion. Important factors, such as course location, condition (or presentation), course difficulty and historical importance are all left for you to judge and we have developed a simple rating system where you can allocate one score to each course. | |
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 |  | | Average Reviewers Score: |  | | When i found out I had an invite to play Pine Valley I could not sleep the night before. Amazing place, probably the only place in America that you could smoke in the clubhouse but not on the course. I played in 100 dergees heat and 100 percent humidity, shirt dripping wet but who cared. I was on the No1 course in the world. Every hole an amazing challenge and not a bad one at all. Difficult slopy greens, demanding tee shots, and if you miss the fairway, you are in all sorts of trouble. What a course, place and privilage to have been there.  | | 19 January 2010
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| | | Worked here for a year. I have some stellar pics, wish I could get them on here... | | 31 December 2009
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| | | Simply the finest golfing experience available. So much history, great caddies and each hole presents a new unique set of challenges.The Devils ****hole bunker on the 10th is simply a 10ft deep scrap with no sand in the bottom, hit it in there at your peril. Best hole on the course? Clearly the 17th as my 10 yard birdie putt sank from view! Beg or borrow to seal a round here. | | 24 September 2008
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| | | I came off the course thinking that without any doubt that PV had the greatest short par4's that i've ever been lucky enough to play, but then looking back, The par3's were outstanding as well as the Par5's, not a bad hole anywhere. Only 4 other people on the course that day (1st Dec 07) I finished with a birdie to make it even more memorable. The sandy waste areas really work, it was refreshing to see an American Course not obsessed with perfection... Is it No1? It's hard to beat Royal County Down in my opinion but Pine Valley runs it very close | | 13 December 2007
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| | | The entrance to the course over the railroad track behind the run down amusement park, gives no indication to the hidden world that lies beyond the gate. Pine Valley is best designed golf course I have played that demands every club in the bag is used well. Each hole is framed in pine covered heath, where the penalty for missing the fairway is severe. Changes in elevation and the introduction of water make this the complete golf course. You may see more famous holes on TV, but as a collection of 18 of the best Pine Valley deserves its #1 world ranking. | | 17 July 2006
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| Response: | | | Ortwin Klang | 20 March 2007 | | 100 % agreement. It is one of my top 3 courses so 6 points | | | josh | 25 April 2007 | | How were u able to get on this world class but highly private club? | | | angus moir | 02 May 2007 | | I have played 60 of the top 100 and all of the top 10 but NOTHING comes close to PV.Every hole is a stunner and they even have a short course which replicates some of the famous shots on the big 18...if you are ever invited,accept. | | | Keystone | 05 June 2007 | | No doubt. If you aren't a good golfer then PV wont be much fun.(but well worth the pain and suffering of a bad round) It's quite a struggle to keep the ball on the fairway. Once you're in the sand you are in for a long day. Seeing how the course has sand in place of rough it's quite a challenge. | | | Alan Jope | 19 August 2007 | | I have played 9 of the top 20 on this list and Pine Valley is by far the best golf course I have ever played (twice). It is physically and mantally exhausting as a momentary lapse will be severely punished. However, the course is challenging, not unfair, and any decent golfer will enjoy it thoroughly. |
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