Final Renovations Underway At Galloping Hill In Advance Of 96th State Open

The final phase of preparation and renovation for the 2016 New Jersey State Golf Association Open is underway at Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth.

On Monday, Jan. 11, repaving and resurfacing crews and tree-limb cutting crews were on the course which will conduct the 96th State Open on July 11-13. Galloping Hill is the first county-owned course to host the Open..

One crew is milling and repaving nearly 10 miles of cart paths throughout the course, the first time in 20 years that the cart paths have been upgraded.

Hundreds of trees have been removed in recent years, dating back to 2011. The limb removal is the last phase in that project.

“The tree clearing is being done to open up playing angles, increase air flow, and to allow more light to get in under the trees and to prevent bare spots from appearing,” said Harry Goett, Union County Golf Superintendent.

Goett mentioned that course architect Rees Jones worked at Galloping Hill in 2013-14 to prepare it for the State Open and he completely rebuilt all 50 bunkers on the course. New, back tees, were added on eight holes to extend the course to a maximum of 6,850 yards.

The greens on holes No. 5 and No. 16 were completely rebuilt and resurfaced. They were made larger to accommodate a better variety of pin placements. Also, many areas throughout the venue were resodded while sprinkler heads were added where needed.

“The renovation as been a great success,” Goett said. “This spring, golfers will see the beauty of the golf course and now that it has added length, the course will not be a pushover that some golfers think it is.”

Last June, Galloping Hill hosted its first State Open qualifier. The only man to break 70 at 69 was professional Tyler Hall of Upper Montclair, who went on to win the State Open at Rockaway by seven strokes. Amateur Zach Stark of Cedar Hill shot 70 as the only other player to break par.

“We learned in the Open qualifier that the course played exactly as it should, It was good to see the pin placement and tee placements that may be in effect for the State Open.

“The contours and slopes of the putting surfaces are what make Galloping Hill a course that is challenging and one that will test the best golfers in New Jersey,” Goett stated.