Pine Barrens Golf Club

Pine Barrens Golf Club occupies a distinctive landscape in the New Jersey Pinelands, a vast ecological preserve characterized by sandy soils, scrub pine, and native vegetation. Designed by Eric Bergstol and opened in the late 1990s, the course takes full advantage of this unusual terrain, routing holes through corridors of pine and oak while incorporating the region's natural sandy waste areas into the strategic design. The property's gentle elevation changes and open sandy expanses give the layout a links-like quality uncommon in the northeastern United States. Bergstol's design emphasizes width and strategic options, with generous fairways that reward thoughtful positioning over pure distance. The sandy native areas frame many holes and come into play as hazards, requiring golfers to navigate carefully while still offering recovery opportunities for well-executed shots. The greens feature subtle contours that complement the natural terrain, and the course generally plays firm and fast, particularly during drier months when the sandy base drains quickly. The club operates as a public facility, making the course accessible to a broad range of golfers who appreciate its naturalistic design and the opportunity to play golf in the ecologically significant Pine Barrens environment. The routing takes advantage of the property's relative isolation, creating a sense of seclusion despite its location in central New Jersey. The course has developed a reputation among regional golfers for offering a distinctive playing experience that differs markedly from the parkland layouts common to the area.