Worldgolfer's Golf Course Reviews

Designer: Unknown (1962)

Location: Lincoln Park, New Jersey

History: N/A

Conditions: 4/10, Twin Willows’ greens are very slow and all of the teeboxes are mats.

Value: 3/10, At $25 to walk weekdays and $30 to walk weekends, Twin Willows won’t break the bank, but is way too expensive for what it is.

Scorecard:

Tee                     Par         Yardage         Rating          Slope

N/A                    30           1171                  N/A               N/A

Hole Descriptions: Built on a small, flat property in northern New Jersey, Twin Willows is a strange but interesting 10-hole par 3 course. All of these holes are short (under 136 yards) until the last hole, which stretches to 192 yards and kind of feels like the bonus hole at a mini-golf course. Each of these teeboxes features mats, the greens are tiny, and the bunkering here is nothing short of bizarre, with railroad ties, church-pews, and Alps-style bunkers all included in the design. The net result is a course that plays harder and more memorable than expected, but also feels disjointed and very artificial.

Twin Willows opens with arguably its easiest hole at 87 yards. This short par 3 is a simple pitch from a mat to a small, subtle green lined by a left bunker.

The 2nd hole is the shortest on the course at 83 yards and is the only hole to feature water, with a carry over a pond the entire way. This hole features a severely back-to-front sloped green lined bunkers on either side long.

The 3rd is another shorter hole at 105 yards playing over a ditch to a green with some back-to-front tilt. There’s a tree just to the left of the green and another down the right that needs to be cut down because it sits too close to the teebox. Bunkers defend this putting surface left and long.

At 113 yards, the 4th hole plays between trees and over a drainage ditch to wide green that slopes right-to-left with two tiers. There’s a narrow, coffin-like bunker left of the green and another long lined by railroad ties.

Running along the edge of the property, the 100 yard 5th hole features the most elevation change at Twin Willows, running uphill and semi-blind. This hole features two bunkers short of a small green that contains a vertical ridge.

Despite playing just 96 yards, the 6th hole is the number 1 handicap I assume because of the green. This putting surface is absolutely minuscule and slopes hard right-to-left with menacing bunkers short and right. I will always remember this hole as my wife made her first natural birdie by sinking a 30 foot putt from the fringe.

As you walk down the 6th hole, you notice a striking set of church pew bunkers down the left. These bunkers run down the left side of the 7th hole as well, but are not really in play on either hole. The 7th is one of the longer and tougher par threes on the course at 133 yards. With the aforementioned bunkers down the left, this one-shotter plays through a tight chute of trees to another small green containing mounding along its edges. The defining feature of this hole is a Principal’s Nose/Alps-like barrier bunker short of the green that mandates an aerial approach.

The 8th is probably the least interesting hole on the course at 126 yards. This par 3 essentially plays in an open field with a circular, back-to-front sloped green.

The 9th is another straightforward par 3 playing 136 yards to a circular green lined by small bunkers short and right.

As mentioned earlier, the 10th hole is by far the longest on the course at 192 yards and somewhat feels out of place. This is a challenging hole, playing through a tight chute of trees and a net and over a bunker to a larger green. This green feels like it was expanded at some point, with a circular centerpiece surrounded by a ring of swales.

General Comments: Twin Willows might have the most expansive practice facilities of any par 3 course I’ve played, with a full range, practice green, and short game area to hone your game. Pace of play was absolutely brutal when I played on a summer evening, as the course was full of beginners.

Verdict: A 10-hole par 3 course in northern New Jersey, Twin Willows features a strange design with very small greens and some truly wild bunkering. It isn’t very good, but it certainly is interesting.