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Running Deer Course Review
When people think of destination golf courses, those spreads for which you wake up at 5 a.m. and drive from far and wide to be first off the tee on a crisp summer morning, they tend to levitate toward the Jersey Shore.
But those golfers should be looking no further than Pittsgrove, home of Running Deer Golf Club. Running Deer offers a stunning combination of beauty, top-notch conditions, challenge, unique layout and serenity that makes for a memorable round every time out.
If you've played Running Deer before, try it again. Ron Jaworski recently purchased the course and the changes abound from the look of the clubhouse to the actual layout of the course.
Running Deer is a shot makers course and just about every hole presents a golfer a myriad of options, especially off the tee. Most holes offer a large, safe landing area short of hazards or trees, but also present risk/reward shots that require both distance and accuracy.
This is apparent from the first tee. A huge, sprawling bunker hugs the left side of the fairway, which snakes left then back right up to an elevated green. There is a reward for keeping your shot on the left side of the fairway, which is a simple, straight forward second shot and a great chance at birdie.
This is not a driver-heavy course, in fact, after the round, you might think back and remember using just about every club in your bag off the tee at one point or another. A long iron or hybrid is the right choice for the 357-yard par 4 11th, which opens up around 180 to 200 yards off the tee before a hard dog leg left with water running along the left side of the fairway and green. Your tee shot must be long enough to clear the dog leg, but shot enough to avoid the rough and bunkers deep.
The par-3s also require a different club off the tee for each one, as they range from 152 to 243 yards. The shortest, No. 5 plays just 126 from the middle (white) tees and is protected by water in front and to the right. The longest, No. 13, still plays 187 from the middle and features a huge, but challenging almost funnel-like green that can be one of the hardest on the course depending on the pin placement.
Because of the intricacies of each hole, most look quite intimidating from the tee box, but the course's bark is louder than its bite. In addition to landing areas and generous greens, Running Deer also offers five different tees that stretch the course from just 5,437 yards from the front (red) to 7,104 from the tips (black).
Running Deer also does a fantastic job of creating an escape for a golfer. Car sounds are rare and just a couple fairways run along country club houses. The flora and fauna serves as a constant reminder that you're in the heart of South Jersey, but the layout and challenge of the course is truly unique for the area.
The 521-yard par 5 fourth is a perfect example. An array of bunkers speckle the entire hole, giving it a distinctly non-South Jersey look and feel. This is easily one of the most attractive and memorable holes in the region.
The 408-yard, par-4 10th is another stunning hole from the elevated tee box. This is also one hole affected by the change in ownership. A line of trees used to jut out from the right side in front of the safe landing area. A solid but unlucky tee shot that ends up with no clear shot at the green through the trees would force a golfer to lay up more than 100 yards shot. Those trees were removed, opening up the green from that landing area, making the whole much more manageable for mid- to low-handicap golfers.
The 478-yard, par-4 12th, the hardest hole on the course, also lost a number of trees, making the green visible and giving a better idea of just how much the fairway slopes down toward the water - so beware and keep your tee shot to the left.
The water hazards on a few holes have also been cleaned up with the removal of reeds and grass, and the greens are faster than in previous years, but still roll as true as they always have. Management has made the effort to up the creature comforts that the quality of the course commands, from better carts, to someone to bag boys. Running Deer is one of the best facilities around and a boasts a course you'll remember, and make the effort to come back for.
Low handicappers will like: The beauty. Running Deer is a beautiful, truly serene course making even the highest scoring round seem relaxing and memorable.
Mid handicappers will like: The conditions. Plush fairways and perfect greens will allow a player's true game to show, for better or for worse. Also, it's a manageable course. If you play conservative, you'll avoid big numbers on the scorecard.
Low handicappers will like: The risk/reward shots. More than most courses in South Jersey, Running Deer has many options on every shot that can bite you, or leave you a good amount of birdies and pars at the end of the day. Also, the course plays more than 7,100 yards from the tips making it a daunting test for even the best golfers.
Where to go
Sports
Golf
Running Deer Course Review
When people think of destination golf courses, those spreads for which you wake up at 5 a.m. and drive from far and wide to be first off the tee on a crisp summer morning, they tend to levitate toward the Jersey Shore.
But those golfers should be looking no further than Pittsgrove, home of Running Deer Golf Club. Running Deer offers a stunning combination of beauty, top-notch conditions, challenge, unique layout and serenity that makes for a memorable round every time out.
If you've played Running Deer before, try it again. Ron Jaworski recently purchased the course and the changes abound from the look of the clubhouse to the actual layout of the course.
Running Deer is a shot makers course and just about every hole presents a golfer a myriad of options, especially off the tee. Most holes offer a large, safe landing area short of hazards or trees, but also present risk/reward shots that require both distance and accuracy.
This is apparent from the first tee. A huge, sprawling bunker hugs the left side of the fairway, which snakes left then back right up to an elevated green. There is a reward for keeping your shot on the left side of the fairway, which is a simple, straight forward second shot and a great chance at birdie.
This is not a driver-heavy course, in fact, after the round, you might think back and remember using just about every club in your bag off the tee at one point or another. A long iron or hybrid is the right choice for the 357-yard par 4 11th, which opens up around 180 to 200 yards off the tee before a hard dog leg left with water running along the left side of the fairway and green. Your tee shot must be long enough to clear the dog leg, but shot enough to avoid the rough and bunkers deep.
The par-3s also require a different club off the tee for each one, as they range from 152 to 243 yards. The shortest, No. 5 plays just 126 from the middle (white) tees and is protected by water in front and to the right. The longest, No. 13, still plays 187 from the middle and features a huge, but challenging almost funnel-like green that can be one of the hardest on the course depending on the pin placement.
Because of the intricacies of each hole, most look quite intimidating from the tee box, but the course's bark is louder than its bite. In addition to landing areas and generous greens, Running Deer also offers five different tees that stretch the course from just 5,437 yards from the front (red) to 7,104 from the tips (black).
Running Deer also does a fantastic job of creating an escape for a golfer. Car sounds are rare and just a couple fairways run along country club houses. The flora and fauna serves as a constant reminder that you're in the heart of South Jersey, but the layout and challenge of the course is truly unique for the area.
The 521-yard par 5 fourth is a perfect example. An array of bunkers speckle the entire hole, giving it a distinctly non-South Jersey look and feel. This is easily one of the most attractive and memorable holes in the region.
The 408-yard, par-4 10th is another stunning hole from the elevated tee box. This is also one hole affected by the change in ownership. A line of trees used to jut out from the right side in front of the safe landing area. A solid but unlucky tee shot that ends up with no clear shot at the green through the trees would force a golfer to lay up more than 100 yards shot. Those trees were removed, opening up the green from that landing area, making the whole much more manageable for mid- to low-handicap golfers.
The 478-yard, par-4 12th, the hardest hole on the course, also lost a number of trees, making the green visible and giving a better idea of just how much the fairway slopes down toward the water - so beware and keep your tee shot to the left.
The water hazards on a few holes have also been cleaned up with the removal of reeds and grass, and the greens are faster than in previous years, but still roll as true as they always have. Management has made the effort to up the creature comforts that the quality of the course commands, from better carts, to someone to bag boys. Running Deer is one of the best facilities around and a boasts a course you'll remember, and make the effort to come back for.
Low handicappers will like: The beauty. Running Deer is a beautiful, truly serene course making even the highest scoring round seem relaxing and memorable.
Mid handicappers will like: The conditions. Plush fairways and perfect greens will allow a player's true game to show, for better or for worse. Also, it's a manageable course. If you play conservative, you'll avoid big numbers on the scorecard.
Low handicappers will like: The risk/reward shots. More than most courses in South Jersey, Running Deer has many options on every shot that can bite you, or leave you a good amount of birdies and pars at the end of the day. Also, the course plays more than 7,100 yards from the tips making it a daunting test for even the best golfers.