Warm Winter Brings Out Golfers

By Mike Moretti

It’s been the kind of winter New Jersey golfers could only dream about, particularly after last year’s conditions that kept snow on the ground from late December all the way into March.

Golfers did not have to look very hard to find a place to play throughout this mild winter.There was so much play in Union County, in fact, that the county closed its two courses for the month of February to keep them from getting too beat up by the time spring rolled around.

And in Monmouth County, courses were opened early because the icicles were barely forming, nor was there snow cover at any point this winter!The winter was also a boon for the members of the John Caliendo Winter Golf League, who last winter were shut down for five consecutive weeks. This year, some members resorted to wearing shorts!

CLICK HERE View Caliendo Winter Golf League slideshow, courtesy of Golf Digest

It was so warm, state climatologist Dave Robinson called it the fourth warmest winter ever in New Jersey. Robinson said the last 13 consecutive months, including February, have all been above average, since record keeping began in 1895. On 19 winter days through February, the high temperature was 60 degrees or higher at one or more locations in the state.

``After the past two winters that were very cold, it made no sense to stay open. We weren’t sure what the demand would be,” said Alan Roberts, the manager of golf facilities for the Monmouth County Park System, which operates six public courses. ``We were supposed to be closed for the winter, but we decided to open up some courses in February.”

And the golfers followed. Just for February alone, the Shark River Golf Course in Neptune reported 1,400 rounds of golf played. The executive Bel-Aire Golf Course in Wall had 1,700 rounds played. The South Course at the Charleston Springs Golf Course in Millstone, playing to full tees and greens as was Shark River, was opened Feb. 15 and in two weeks, 700 rounds of golf were played.

On March 1, all six Monmouth County courses were opened. In previous years, only Shark River was opened for the entire winter, albeit with temporary tees and greens. No temps were in evidence at any courses this year, however.``I’m happy for the high school teams. Last year, they couldn’t practice at all,” Roberts said. ``This year, Mother Nature has given us a break. The only ones complaining are those in the ski business.”

At nearby state-owned Spring Meadow Golf Course in Farmingdale, some 3,878 rounds were played December through February.``It was so warm, the ground never froze all the way down to where it would rewarm and allow the golfers to damage the roots of the grasses,” said head professional George Christensen. ``We rotated two cups on the greens, rolled them to keep them smooth, and let the golfers tee off anywhere on the tee boxes.”

Armando Sanchez, Union County Director of Golf Operations, said the warm winter forced the overseers’ hands in closing the Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth and the Ash Brook Golf Course in Scotch Plains for February. In January, Galloping Hill played to in excess of 1,500 rounds and Ash Brook to 850 rounds.

``We had a couple of reasons for closing. First, the course was definitely getting beat up, and second, if we kept it open, it would’ve caused a lot more work in the spring to get it ready. The divots in the fairways just weren’t healing and we were getting ruts from the carts.``At the same time, we needed to do some in-house work such as redoing several bunkers, tree removal and drainage,” he said.

Galloping Hill and Ash Brook reopened on March 1.``Generally, we are open all winter. All the extra money we made this year goes back into the course any way,” Sanchez stated. The Fox Hollow Golf Club in Branchburg, a semi-private operation, remained open and saw 500 golfers come through this winter.

``The extra money is like gravy. It’s good to have some activity in the winter. The renovation of our sand bunkers was already in the budget,” said Mark McAvoy, golf operations director. ``Golfers get a break with winter rates, and the nice weather gives them a nice start to the season.”

The 36-hole Royce Brook Golf in Hillsborough, another semi-private facility, totaled more than 4,700 rounds from December through February, mostly to public golfers who saved nearly 40 percent off the regular summer rates.

``We called it `The winter that wasn’t’,” said head pro Joe Febonio. ``We closed the West Course, which is reserved for members, but opened several times to handle the overflow, when we would get 150-160 golfers here on a nice day.``The other thing was that in February, we were selling clubs and doing club-fittings above our budget. Spring fever came a little early this year,” he added.

Other public courses like the High Bridge Hills Golf Club in High Bridge, and the Beaver Brook Country Club in Annandale, both in Hunterdon County, saw plenty of action.``It’s been a lot easier to play these courses when the greens aren’t frozen,” said Eric Houseknecht of Royce Brook., a member of the Caliendo Winter League for 11 years. ``Sliding the balls up onto the green is not my forte.”

Houseknecht remembered a scene at a couple winters ago at the Seaview Golf Resort’s Bay Course in Galloway when a blizzard blew in off the bay over the homeward nine. ``The putts were rolling and accumulating snow so the golf balls looked like snowballs,” said Houseknecht, who said the winter of 2010-11 caused Winter Leaguers to sit out five straight weeks until mid-February when they finally played at the Links at Brigantine Beach.``This winter has been unprecedented,” he added.

Private courses like the White Beeches Golf and Country Club in Haworth remained open all winter for members and saw limited play.``The club was pretty much closed all winter, but we had a steady group of golfers in January and February,” head pro Jim McGovern said. ``It’s been incredible. We had that October 30 snowstorm and thought it would be the worst winter ever.

``It’s been so mild, I don’t know if any one of us can relate to it. I don’t think there’s any negative effect to the courses. I had friends in Florida call and ask when I was coming down, but there’s been no need to. We opened March 1 and had 25 players on Sunday (March 4). “