Worldgolfer's Golf Course Reviews

Designer: Archie Struthers (2001)

Location: Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey

History: Originally supposed to be a Rees Jones design, plans fell through (thankfully) and former caddie and Assistant Pro at Pine Valley Archie Struthers took over the project as an amateur architect. Highly regarded, Twisted Dune is one of the top public courses in New Jersey, earning the following accolades:

• #38 Best Course in New Jersey – Top100golfcourses.com (2024)
• #5 Best Public Course in New Jersey – Golfweek (2025)

Conditions: 7/10, I will admit that we played the course on a dreary day after a huge rainstorm, so it was a bit soggy. You could tell the course was in great shape though, with well-manicured fairways and teeboxes.

Value: 8/10, Twisted Dune is a fairly good deal, with rates between $65 and $110 depending on the day with discounts available. It is one of the best values in the area.

Scorecard:

Tee                     Par         Yardage         Rating          Slope

Black                 72           7248               74.9              130

Blue                  72           6759               72.1               126

White                72           6332               70.0              122

Yellow               72           5777              67.7               119

Red                     72           4930             67.8               118

Hole Descriptions: Atlantic City is an extremely underrated and solid golf destination, with numerous excellent golf courses on both the public and private aisle. Twisted Dune is arguably the most unique of these courses, with a modern, links-like layout designed by an amateur architect. I played Twisted Dune the same week as our group played nearby Seaview and Atlantic City CC and Twisted Dune had a much more polarizing effect than the other two courses, which were universally felt to be fun and historic. Twisted Dune, on the other hand, played long in wet, windy conditions and quite penal, with seemingly endless fescue and a dizzying array of bunkers. While undeniably beautiful and memorable, I think my group was also disenchanted by the number of blind shots and local knowledge required to score here. Having now seen similar courses and true links layouts, I certainly appreciate some of its challenges more. It is definitely a course I would be interested in getting back to and is no doubt one of the best public courses in the Garden State.

Twisted Dune’s opening hole is perhaps the easiest on the course as a 346 yard straightaway par 4 running slightly uphill. Although fescue lines this hole on either side, the fairway is quite generous here for your first swing of the day. This green generally funnels left-to-right with bunkers defending it short, right, and long. The 2nd hole is a strong 402 yard par 4 featuring another generous fairway that narrows with a bunker down the left at 250 yards. While most of these holes are linksy and have no trees, the entire left side of this hole is guarded by thick forest and OB. This green contains numerous plateaus and is lined by a bunker left and two beautiful blowout bunkers long. Par is a strong score here. At 209 yards, the 3rd hole is the longest par 3 on the course and features an elongated, narrow green that slopes severely left-to-right with numerous bunkers surrounding it. Once again, thick forest lines the left side of this hole.

The 4th hole is another lengthy hole as a 552 dogleg right par 5 and probably deserving of its number 1 handicap designation. This hole begins with a brief forced carry over a hazard to a tree- and fescue-lined fairway that turns right around a large wastebunker around 250 yards. This lay-up runs uphill and must navigate a pair of cleverly placed bunkers which almost completely obstruct the fairway about 110 yards short of the green. Additional bunkers defend short and on either side of a back-to-front sloped putting surface. After three very challenging holes, the 5th offers a rare scoring opportunity as the shortest par 4 on the course at 340 yards. A slight dogleg left, this hole turns left around a bunker that should be easy to carry at just 170 yards. This hole’s major defense is a small green with numerous internal undulations and bunkers on either side. The 6th and 7th holes are two strong, straightaway par fours that run parallel to each other in opposite directions. Both holes are lined by fescue and bunkers for nearly their entire length and the latter plays tougher at 414 yards with an uphill approach to a tiny, two-tiered green.

At 145 yards, the 8th hole is the shortest par 3 at Twisted Dune and also probably its most forgettable hole. This level par 3 features a wide green that pinches in on both sides defended by bunkers left and long. This is an easy hole provided the wind is not whipping. The front 9 concludes with an interesting 523 yard par 5 that in retrospect doesn’t feel too linksy but is still a nice hole. This teeshot plays over a water hazard to a skinny, right-to-left sloped fairway lined by fescue down the right the entire way. A pair of bunkers on the right fairway about 315 yards away is an ideal line for shorter hitters. Water continues down the left side of this hole the entire way, yielding some intimidating approaches into a severe green that slopes right-to-left towards the hazard. Architect Archie Struthers has noted that the wonderful 5th at Merion provided some inspiration for this hole and there are some similarities.

The 10th hole is a shorter par 5 at 497 yards but another hole that can lead to big numbers with an intimidating teeshot over 150 yards of wasteland to a tight fairway lined by water and bunkers left. This hole runs slightly uphill the entire way and narrows on the lay-up with bunkers on either side about 70 yards short of another sloping, well-defended green. The 11th is one of the tougher holes on the course as a 432 yard dogleg right lined by fescue on either side for its entire length. This hole begins to bend to the right around 250 yards and this bunkerless, narrow green sits in a hollow, surrounded by mounds of fescue and tight lies. At 524 yards, the 12th hole is your third par 5 in four holes with a wide fairway lined by fescue. This teeshot is semi-blind, with a plateau you must carry to have a reasonable look at your second shot. A trio of large bunkers occludes much of the fairway about 70 yards short of a right-to-left sloped green.

The 13th and 14th holes sit by themselves along the edge of the property and mark the start of an incredibly challenging and memorable finish at Twisted Dune. The 13th is an 178 yard par 3 that plays over a sandy wastleland to a green sitting along the edge of a pond to the right. Large, gorgeous bunkers sit just left of the green and make a formidable hazard. This putting surface features several tiers, with a back-to-front sloped back portion and flatter front swale that slopes towards the water. This is one of two excellent par threes on the back nine. The 14th hole is one of the most difficult and unique par fours in New Jersey as a 374 yard dogleg right. While not a long hole, this teeshot is extremely intimidating, playing uphill with a nearly 200 yard carry to reach a skinny fairway lined by water on both side. This fairway narrows further and bends to the right around 240 yards around two right bunkers. Bunkers defend a back-to-front sloped, shallow green short and long left and a vertical ridge runs through the putting surface.

The 15th is probably the easiest hole down the closing stretch as a very nice 390 yard dogleg left par 4. This hole features an initially generous fairway that narrows and plays downhill and to the left around 250 yards. This green is among the most severe at Twisted Dune, sloping hard back right-to-front left and defended by beautiful bunkering and fescue. This hole has the look and feel of a minimalist design like Streamsong. The 16th hole is a majestic 191 yard par 3 playing slightly uphill over a ravine filled with dunes and rocks. This intimidating hole culminates in a two-tiered, severely back-to-front sloped green defended by six bunkers on all sides but short. It is an absolutely gorgeous hole and one of the best public one-shotters in New Jersey. The 17th hole is another challenge as a 382 yard dogleg left par 4 with a generous fairway that bends downhill and to the left. There’s no ground game here, as this approach runs uphill towards an elevated and perched back-to-front sloped green lined by deep bunkers short.  After being battered nearly all day, the 18th provides no respite as the longest par 4 on the course as 472 yards. Despite its prodigious length, this hole is relatively straightforward, playing straight with a pair of bunkers to avoid down the left at 190 and 280 yards. This green is also fairly flat and large but is defended by numerous bunkers on either side.

General Comments: We played on a soggy, dreary day so pace of play was quite strong. Apparently, it is usually an issue though due to so many people losing balls. The range is expansive and the practice green offers a good feel for the greens on the course. It is important to play the correct tees on this course.

Verdict: The faux-links and modern Twisted Dune is a penal and very memorable public layout near Atlantic City. While not everybody’s cup of tea, this is one of the best public courses in New Jersey and a course I look forward to getting back to.