Private Eyes

Jumping Brook Country Club A Very Special Private Experience

By, JOHN TORSIELLO

Jumping 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 laid back,” said Mark Bryson, PGA Director of Golf Operations. “What with golf as our only amenity (no pool or tennis) the focal point and common denominator is golf. The golf course is a challenging, old school layout. We have very tricky green complexes that makes missing the green a big penalty if you don’t work on your short game. The course plays longer than what you see on the scorecard as well. There’s a great mix of holes that play differently depending on which way the wind blows…and it blows out here…just ask our regulars! One of the best compliments I receive from our members and I hear it a lot is `I never get tired or bored of playing here”’. Like all golf course in our region, Jumping Brook opened late this season because of concerns over COVID-19. “The challenging part early on was just the unknown, nobody 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.”

Jumping Brook opened on May 2 and Bryson said “it was a big relief” to re-open because the weather was ”getting really nice and the demand for play was very high”. He added, “When we re-opened it ran smoothly because a lot of the directives that needed to be implemented, we had in place for early March right before we had to shut down.”

Bryson reported play as being “unbelievable” one the course opened. “We have been very active and our memberships have increased greatly. When golf was able to come back, I knew we would be in a position to potentially have seven-day weekends. Most of our members were working from home, so it afforded them the opportunity to come over to the club at anytime of the day. Without commute times the free time that they had was spent at the golf course. It has been awesome.”

Ownership decided to take advantage of the closure by renovating the entire top floor of the clubhouse since there would be no banquets indoors for an extended period. Said Bryson, “They took advantage of what would have been a long lingering project to knock out a great improvement.” The flooring in the main lobby and the flooring leading to all the banquet rooms has been replaced; and the main bathrooms and the central lobby with a fireplace were all modernized.

“When we are able to open back up indoor activity, people will be very excited to book here with the changes that were made,” said Bryson. “In terms of the course, the work that Tom Higgins and his assistant Ron Simpson and their staff continue to do every year to make our course outstanding each and every year. Sometimes it is detail work, sometimes it is major projects but we continue to improve year over year.”

The staff at Jumping Brook is well seasoned, with employees in all departments having been with the club for a long time. “This provides us the opportunity for continuity and familiarity with not only the operation and what is expected of them but also getting to know our members and their expectations as well,” Bryson said. My assistants, Steve Greffrom short par-fours, like the 292-yard first that lets you unwind and put a small number on the card, par-fives that can be reached in two and demanding, long par-threes that are laced with trouble. Yardage from the tips is just over 6,619 yards. The 11th, a 180-yard parthree, is indicative of the difficulty you’ll face on the short holes at Jumping Brook. The green is on a plateau with sand short right. The slope is severe from back to front and a false front guards entryway onto the putting surface and kicks balls hit short away. The 14th is a reachable par-five and is another wonderfully designed hole that both teases and intimidates. Your drive must steer clear of two grass mounds that surround the fairway landing area, Par 4 10th and a water hazard snakes up the left side and reaches out fen and Louis Hampton, have both been here with me for over 12 years, and Steve Staubach our food and beverage manager has been here 12-plus years. Both of our support staffs are repeat folks too that come back year after year. It has been a tremendous place to work.” into the fairway to catch too bold a tee shot. The second shot must negotiate another grass mound in the center of the fairway and a cluster of three grass mounds in front of the green. The putting surface again slopes from back to front, although the grade is not severe. This hole can reward with birdie or eagle or disappoint with bogey or One of the best compliments worse if not played properly. I receive from our members The 17th, another short, 330-yard par-four, is a simply superb hole. The and I hear it a lot is `I never get tee shot must negotiate a grass mound tired or bored of playing here’ that guards the left side of the fairway landing area. And a small sod-faced -Mark Bryson, PGA Director of bunker penalizes a longer shot down Golf Operations the right side of the hole. The best play is a fairway wood or long-iron to around the 150-yard mark, because

Jumping Brook will be launching a program for new members coming whereby if those individuals place a deposit on Oct. 1 for next season, they will be able to play the club as a member for the months of October, November, and December of this year as well. Bryson proudly said Jumping Brook has “18 signature holes”, adding “each hole is played with the same goals in mind to; hit the fairway at all cost off the tee and be below the hole on your approach shot…always!!” The course has a pleasing mix of holes, anything crushed with a driver might find a pond at the end of the fairway. The water also comes into play on the approach shot and a greenside bunker and small grass swale surrounds a small, narrow putting surface. There is a subtle tier running across the middle of the green to further complicate matters. For membership and other information about the club, call Bryson at 732-922-8200, extension 17, or email him at mbryson@ jumpingbrookcc.com. www.GolfingMagazine.net