Private Eyes
Jumping Brook Country Club A Very Special Private Experience
By, JOHN TORSIELLO
J
umping Brook Country Club Par 4 17th in Neptune, New Jersey is one of the most storied and unique private courses in the Central portion of the state. Designed by A.W. Tillinghast and Willard Wilkinson, the pair crafted a superb test of playing ability that stands the test of time. Opened in 1925, the classic routing, with its sod faced bunkers, grass mounds, and elevated and undulating greens, still befuddles and delights the best players in the game. “What makes Jumping Brook great is that the atmosphere is very see on the scorecard as well. There’s a great laid back,” said Mark Bryson, PGA Director mix of holes that play differently depending of Golf Operations. “What with golf as our on which way the wind blows…and it blows only amenity (no pool or tennis) the out here…just ask our regulars! One of the focal point and common denominator is best compliments I receive from our members golf. The golf course is a challenging, old and I hear it a lot is `I never get tired or bored school layout. We have very tricky green of playing here”’. complexes that makes missing Like all golf course in our region, Jumping the green a big penalty if you Brook opened late this season because of don’t work on your short concerns over COVID-19. “The challenging game. The course plays part early on was just the unknown, nobody longer than what you had ever seen anything like this and for it to
affect everything that is great about the golf experience was thrown upside down,” said Bryson. Our members were great however and we survived that initial crunch. Players were requesting a 10 a.m. tee time and in some cases getting 2:30 p.m., but they were thrilled just to have the opportunity to play.” Bryson said the New Jersey PGA and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of New Jersey were “on top of things from the start”, sharing best practices on removing rakes, keeping flag sticks in without touching, etc.. And the superintendents association deserves a ton of credit for having the lobbyists confirming the orders and explaining them in layman terms for us to implement. Our ownership group, Epstein Family Properties, has been outstanding too. They were very upfront from the beginning that they would find work for anyone that wanted to work and the number one goal from the beginning has been to make sure that our staff and members remained healthy.”
Par 3 11th 88
Golfing Magazine Magazine •• New NewJersey/E. Jersey/E.Pennsylvania PennsylvaniaSection Section Golfing
