The hardest golf courses in New Jersey
The hardest 18-hole golf courses in New Jersey, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 162 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Old
Trump National Golf Club at Bedminster
Bedminster, NJ, USASlope rating 155, 77.7 course rating, Black tees, 7,590 yds
PrivateTom Fazio
- 4.6Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 4.2Scenery
- 4.5Facilities
Great course. Open layout and semi-hilly makes it challenging. Not too many flat lies and no holes that are given birdies, so you have to fight for your score. The greens aren’t fast sometimes, but easy to read and flat-ish. Also had a career back nine here so maybe I’m biased
Written by
@Slamminsam
- Caddies
- Restaurant
- Halfway house
Liberty National Golf Course
Jersey City, NJ, USASlope rating 155, 77.7 course rating, Tournament tees, 7,387 yds
PrivateBob Cupp & Tom Kite
- 4.6Conditions
- 3.9Layout
- 4.9Scenery
- 4.5Facilities
Great views of the Statue of Liberty and NYC. Certainly gets way more disrespect than it deserves. Not a natural look, but course is in great shape and still has a good variety of holes. Finishing stretch of 14-18 is awesome.
Written by
@BirdiesAvenue
- Pristine
- Locker rooms
- Caddies
Pine Valley Golf Club
Pine Valley, NJ, USASlope rating 155, 76.2 course rating, Back tees, 7,009 yds
PrivateGeorge Arthur Crump
- 5.0Conditions
- 4.4Layout
- 4.3Scenery
- 4.1Facilities
Best of the best. The experience is truly world class. Every hole is thought provoking and phenomenal. Nothing I can add that others already havent. Hell’s Half Acre lived up to its name.
Written by
@mccordgrice
- Must play
- Pristine
- Challenging
Trump National Philadelphia
Trump National Golf Club Philadelphia
Pine Hill, NJ, USASlope rating 153, 75.3 course rating, Gold tees, 7,370 yds
PrivateTom Fazio
- 4.0Conditions
- 3.6Layout
- 3.3Scenery
- 3.4Facilities
- Challenging
- Locker rooms
- Driving range
Upper
Baltusrol Golf Club
Springfield, NJ, USASlope rating 151, 75.9 course rating, Championship tees, 7,348 yds
PrivateA .W. Tillinghast & Mike Nuzzo
- 5.0Conditions
- 3.7Layout
- 3.9Scenery
- 3.9Facilities
Elevated tees, rolling fairways, and firm, fast greens make every hole engaging. Conditions are immaculate, and recent restorations have enhanced its classic charm. Often overlooked next to the Lower, the Upper is equally enjoyable—strategic, scenic, and a true pleasure to play
Written by
@tagliatelletodd
- Must play
- Pristine
- Fast greens
Trump National Golf Club at Colts Neck
Colts Neck, NJ, USA
Slope rating 147, 76.8 course rating, Gold tees, 7,169 yds
(New) Trump National Golf Club at Bedminster
Bedminster, NJ, USA
Slope rating 147, 76.3 course rating, Black tees, 7,564 yds
TPC at Jasna Polana
Princeton, NJ, USA
Slope rating 147, 75.0 course rating, TPC tees, 7,098 yds
(Championship) Ridgewood Country Club
Paramus, NJ, USA
Slope rating 146, 77.2 course rating, Black tees, 7,501 yds
Arcola Country Club
Paramus, NJ, USA
Slope rating 146, 75.9 course rating, Black tees, 7,302 yds
Galloway National Golf Club
Galloway Township, NJ, USA
Slope rating 146, 75.4 course rating, Gold tees, 7,111 yds
Plainfield Country Club
Edison, NJ, USA
Slope rating 146, 75.3 course rating, Championship tees, 7,091 yds
Laurel Creek Country Club
Mount Laurel, NJ, USA
Slope rating 146, 73.9 course rating, Champions tees, 6,917 yds
Due Process Stable
Colts Neck, NJ, USA
Slope rating 145, 75.4 course rating, Belmont tees, 7,138 yds
Bayonne Golf Club
Bayonne, NJ, USA
Slope rating 145, 74.9 course rating, Black tees, 7,106 yds
Medford Village Country Club
Medford, NJ, USA
Slope rating 144, 74.1 course rating, Gold tees, 7,100 yds
Watchung Valley Golf Club
Watchung, NJ, USA
Slope rating 143, 74.5 course rating, Blue tees, 6,670 yds
Cherry Valley Country Club
Skillman, NJ, USA
Slope rating 143, 74.4 course rating, Rees' tees, 7,103 yds
Essex County Country Club
West Orange, NJ, USA
Slope rating 142, 75.0 course rating, Black tees, 7,101 yds
(West) Royce Brook Golf Club
Hillsborough, NJ, USA
Slope rating 142, 75.0 course rating, Blue tees, 7,158 yds
Manasquan River Golf Club
Brielle, NJ, USA
Slope rating 142, 74.9 course rating, Black tees, 6,962 yds
The Ridge at Back Brook
Ringoes, NJ, USA
Slope rating 141, 75.2 course rating, Black tees, 7,215 yds
Panther Valley Golf & Country Club
Allamuchy, NJ, USA
Slope rating 141, 73.4 course rating, Black tees, 6,827 yds
Jumping Brook Country Club
Neptune, NJ, USA
Slope rating 141, 73.2 course rating, Blue tees, 6,573 yds
Shore Gate Golf Club
Ocean View, NJ, USA
Slope rating 140, 75.5 course rating, Black tees, 7,227 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. State pages include courses across New Jersey. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
Old at Trump National Golf Club at Bedminster is #1 on Course Vaults in New Jersey at Slope 155 (77.7 course rating · Black tees · 7,590 yds). 162 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. State pages include courses across New Jersey. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
This page was last generated Oct 26, 2026, 8:56 PM EDT. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
