Worldgolfer's Golf Course Reviews

Designer: Robert von Hagge (1992)

Location: Hamburg, New Jersey

History: Crystal Springs was built in 1992 by Robert von Hagge and is the first course and namesake of Crystal Springs Resort. This Resort now features six courses, including Ballyowen, which is considered by many the best public course in New Jersey. The Crystal Springs course is known as the toughest at the complex and is also award-worthy:

• #9 Best Public Course in New Jersey – Golfweek (2025)

Conditions: 7/10, Crystal Springs is in solid condition, but has been on the softer side with slower greens when I’ve played.

Value: 8/10, While I find Wild Turkey and Ballyowen quite overpriced, Crystal Springs offers the best value at the Resort, with rates ranging between $34 and $80 depending on the time of day.

Scorecard:

Tee                     Par         Yardage         Rating          Slope

Black                 72           6531                73.2               148

Blue                   72           6134                71.3                144

White                72           5637               69.0               135

Gold/Red         72           5091                70.1                127

Hole Descriptions: Billed as the toughest course in New Jersey, Crystal Springs is indeed a very difficult golf course and likely the toughest *public* course in the state with a fearsome reputation and 148 slope. While not a long course at just over 6500 yards from the Black Tees, Crystal Springs is a very quirky and visually intimidating course, with plenty of forced carries, hazards, small greens, and elevation changes. This sort of design won’t be for everybody, but there’s an argument to be made that this could be the most memorable public course in New Jersey with numerous unique holes and a famous signature hole, the downhill par 3 11th over a natural quarry. I’ve played here several times now and enjoy it more than I’d like to admit. I’d say it is comfortably a top 10 public course in New Jersey and well-worth a play at very competitive prices.

Crystal Springs opens with a 526 yard dogleg left par 5 lined by houses on either side. You must be accurate from the start here, as this fairway is very narrow and turns left around 245 yards. Peculiar mounds line the fairway on either side and large bunkers are found at the corners of the dogleg. Although possibly reachable in two by longer hitters, this approach remains very tight with another slab of fairway and elevated green at the end. This green is on the flatter side but is very small and shaped diagonally. Four bunkers line long right while a steep hill of rough defends the green left and short. Pars can be had here but this hole gives you a taste of the challenges to come.

The 2nd hole ramps up the difficulty with a 413 yard par 4 that also slides to the left. This fairway is again rather narrow with a bunker down the right at 280 yards and an overall right-to-left slant towards rough and thick forest. You likely won’t have a level lie on this approach towards a right-to-left sloped green surrounded by rough.

The 3rd hole is another difficult hole and is tied for the longest par 4 on the course at 416 yards. Although this hole plays straightaway and level, it features an intimidating teeshot with an immediate 175 yard carry over a hazard to a tight fairway lined by thick forest. A string of five bunkers runs down the left side for the final 100 yards, but really is in play more on a lay-up than the teeshot. This diagonal green is shallow and contains several mounds.

At 476 yards, the 4th hole is a short, risk/reward par 5 and one of my favorite holes at Crystal Springs. This hole begins with yet another visually intimidating teeshot over 190 yards of hazard to an even tighter treelined fairway also defended by large mounds down the right. Those who find the fairway will likely have a blind second shot towards a green tucked downhill in the left corner. I generally like the bunkering at Crystal Springs and the moat-like bunker that surrounds this flattish green is one of the best here. Three accurate shots all but guarantees a par, but eagles can be had here if you’re aggressive.

Crystal Springs is not really a walkable course, and the trek to the 5th hole takes you across a busy road and up a steep, rocky hill. This 150 yard hole is the first of a memorable set of par threes. A strange design, this one-shotter runs uphill to a very narrow, hourglass-shaped green defended by a deep bunker short and steep falloffs on the right. Rocky outcroppings line the left and nearly sit on the putting surface, leading to some very challenging left pins.

The 6th hole is the shortest par 4 at Crystal Springs as a downhill 375 yard dogleg left. This hole is very tight with trees lining either side of a fairway that turns left around 245 yards. A large bunker lines the right corner of the dogleg and longer hitters may want to hit less than driver here to avoid it. Another large bunker defends short right of a front-to-back sloped green that’s difficult to hold.

The 7th hole is another medium-length par 4 at 379 yards but plays quite difficult as a downhill slight dogleg right. This treelined hole is exceedingly tight and gets even narrower the further you hit your drive. I find this teeshot very challenging and almost unfair, as drives down the left can kick into the woods but teeshots down the right may be blocked out. This right-to-left sloped green is long but extremely narrow at just 5 paces wide with a bunker left.

The topography opens up a bit when you reach the 517 yard dogleg right par 5 8th. This is one of the easier holes on the course, with a generous fairway lined by OB right and a string of 6 bunkers down the left. At around 270 yards, this fairway turns hard right and plays extremely uphill the rest of the way. Several bunkers defend this back-to-front sloped green well-short.

The 9th hole is an 154 yard par 3 that has always played considerably longer when I’ve played. This hole feels like it belongs on a Pete Dye course, with a forced carry the entire way over water to a shallow green supported by railroad ties and defended by fescue and several brutal bunkers long. This putting surface is quite interesting and features an almost double plateau template, with two back plateaus and a back-to-front sloped front swale. This hole feels a bit out of place at Crystal Springs but is yet another very memorable par 3.

At 399 yards, the 10th hole is a challenging dogleg left par 4 with an initial 200 yard carry over a pond to reach the first slab of fairway. There’s a bunker down the right at 260 yards and the fairway begins to turn left and straight uphill after this point. This approach requires at least one club extra to a severely back-to-front sloped green with a front left swale defended by a bunker left.

Crystal Spring’s 11th is its signature hole and is definitely among the most photogenic and memorable holes in New Jersey. Officially 185 yards, this par 3 plays off the edge of a cliff over a natural quarry to a bizarre, hourglass-shaped green with lots of internal movement. The left and right sides of the green are connected by only a sliver of putting surface and essentially allow this hole to have two different greens and numerous pin positions. Bunkers line the green on either side, water defends short, and a large rocky outcropping looms long and has a bad habit of kicking balls into the water. I don’t think the architecture here is very good, but again this hole is memorable and quite fun.

The 12th is one of the best holes on the course as an engaging, 494 yard risk/reward par 5. I really like the teeshot here, which plays about 190 yards over a hazard to fairway set diagonally to your right. Water runs down the right side for much of the way and this fairway features great land movement and significant undulations. Longer hitters will likely have the option to go at the green in two here, but doing so incurs great risk with a carry over a quarry to an elevated green tucked in the back left corner. A safe lay-up is down the right, leaving an uphill approach into a back-to-front sloped green containing several plateaus and defended by bunkers short and right.

The 13th hole is a pretty standard par 3 playing slightly downhill at 164 yards to a green surrounded by trees. This putting surface is quite large and contains several plateaus with bunkers short and right and some fairway to the left.

At 561 yards, the 14th is the longest hole at Crystal Springs and usually a true three-shot par 5 in contrast to the four other par fives on the course, which are shorter and scoreable. This marathon hole begins with a downhill teeshot to a narrow fairway lined by OB on either side. At about 250 yards, this fairway pinches in with trees down the left and a bunker right and then turns left. The rest of the hole is quite straightforward but remains very narrow. This green again contains several plateaus and is defended by a bunker short right. I am not really a fan of this tight, boring hole.

The 15th hole is the final par 3 on the course playing short and level at 131 yards. This large putting surface features lots of internal movement and basically any miss here will find one of several large bunkers that line this green.

Crystal Springs closes with three par fours beginning with the demanding 416 yard 16th. This is likely the toughest hole on the course with a semi-blind forced carry to a narrow fairway lined by mounding and trees left and a steep slope of rough right. This approach then plays over water to a narrow green that juts out over the hazard and slopes left-to-right with a bunker long. Pars here are well-earned.

The 17th is another strong hole playing at 397 yards as a downhill dogleg right. This teeshot is very downhill and plays to a wider tree-lined fairway that turns right around 270 yards. A large bunker lines the left side of the fairway at this point. This green is quite narrow and slopes left-to-right with a bunker down the right.

The closing hole is a 378 yard par 4 running uphill the entire way to a generous right-to-left sloping fairway. OB lines the left side, while mounding down the right tends to carom balls back into the fairway. This approach continues uphill over a bunker to an extremely wide green that slopes right-to-left with three tiers. Putting from the wrong tier makes for a very challenging two-putt.

General Comments: Sharing a clubhouse with the Wild Turkey and Cascades courses at the main Resort, Crystal Springs’ practice facilities include a large range and putting green. Pace of play has been variable when I’ve played, but this difficult layout generally gets less play than its sister courses.

Verdict: Crystal Springs is a very difficult and quirky layout that won’t appeal to everyone, but is arguably the most unique and memorable public course in New Jersey. It is worth a play at least once for this reason and is a good challenge for better players.