June 2025 – Hollywood Golf Club is a classic Walter Travis golf course located in Deal, NJ that I really enjoyed. Helps that we had a great host and weather day but the club is just awesome. Old but not stodgy. Tough but not unfair. Exclusive but not snobby. Conditioning was great. Greens were fast and true. Amazing bunkers. All of this to say, HGC is definitely in my top 100.
HGC is currently ranked #163 in Golf Digest’s Second 100 (one spot ahead of Bayonne). Here’s what Golf Digest said:
“Walter Travis was a man of many talents. As a player he won three U.S. Amateur titles and one British Amateur, and his 80-percent match win percentage ranks among the sport’s all-time best. He was a writer, editor and publisher of The American Golfer in addition to designing over two dozen golf courses. His greatest skill might have been bunkering courses. His work revamping Garden City in the early 1900s—adding, moving and deepening the bunkers as well as rebuilding the greens—transformed that course into what it is today, but his most ambitious work is at Hollywood. The elaborate bunker shapes and arrangements are nothing short of dazzling, especially as they’ve been sharpened and polished by Brian Schneider of Renaissance Golf, along with co-designer Blake Conant. They lay out like arrangements of gemstones and the spots on a jungle cat, varying from the size of a mansion parlor to little more than a bread box. Anything like it attempted today would be considered garish, but Travis’ Beaux Art bunkering at Hollywood is a study in artistry.“
They were spot on with the bunkering – really dramatic. HGC is ranked in the top 100 for Golf at #75 and is the #50 Classic Course as ranked by GolfWeek. That is all certainly high praise but still Hollywood flies under the radar – even in the Philly and New York areas. When I said I was playing Hollywood, I got a bunch of “Oh why you heading out to LA?” Maybe, it’s because HGC is located a little north for the Philly folks and possibly doesn’t get the Hampton-like respect from the NY’ers. Or maybe the members just aren’t into heavy self-promotion but regardless, this is a gem.
I’m finally starting to play a little better. After a disastrous 100 in the rain – with a screaming hangover – at Galloway the week before, I shot a respectable 92 here that was pretty much right on my index. This despite the fact we played the Blues which measure almost 6,600 yards – though we did play one temporary green which was about 100 yards short of the natural green and I took a par.
Before getting into the course, I’ll talk a little bit about the area. Deal is super close to Asbury Park. Asbury Park is of course the home of the Stone Pony and Bruce Springsteen. I think Bruce has three really good albums (Greetings from Asbury Park, … the E Street Shuffle and Born to Run). He has one hit or miss album in Darkness on the Edge of Town. An album (Nebraska) that people tell me I should give a deeper listen to. And the rest is garbage – in particular The River and Born in the USA which are overly commercial dreck. I also hate when these out-of-touch hypocrites start spouting on about their political nonsense like Bruce just did while in Europe. We don’t care what you think you out of touch has-been and we are glad your concerts are tanking now that you opened your fat mouth. Stick to singing. But I digress.
I’ve played a couple courses in the general area around Hollywood. Manasquan River is a nice private club about 30 minutes away and Pine Barrens is a nice private but accessible club that gives off a poor man’s Pine Valley vibes. Deal is across the street but our host said it’s short, good, but not great. Due Process and Trump Colt’s Neck are a couple of privates nearby that get some high praise (especially Due Process) but I have never played. I’ve also never played the publics in the area. So I can’t say whether it’s a worth-while guy’s trip – even for the connected.
Accommodations? I’ve stayed down at the Breakers in Spring Lake which is right across the street from the beach. It’s an aged, beach classic so you won’t get the Ritz vibes but worth a stay. For eats, we’ve had Ray’s Cafe (Sea Girt) which is a super casual joint – which is great for a shore trip dinner where you want casual. D’Jai’s is another casual shore bar/restaurant in Belmar. And the Asbury dining scene is really up-and-coming. I’ve stayed at the Asbury Hotel before and that has a funky lobby area for bands/performers. It’s right by the Stone Pony. In Asbury, we ate at Pascal & Sabine which is Italian and really good but there are – as noted – quite a few places in town.
Finally, this area is the birthplace of Jersey Mike’s subs. By the way, the founder just sold for like a billion dollars?!? I know a lot of hoagieheads put this chain as #1 for chains but it’s not even close. Primo’s and Lee’s are one and two for the chains though I do put Jersey Mike’s above WaWa and Jimmy John’s. Of course the shore deli’s are the best for hoagies so while my spots are all further South, if you’re down there check out my faves (Russo’s in North Wildwood and White House in AC). Trip Advisor agrees.
To the course. On the map above it is a little tough to see the routing. As is kind of a theme of the courses I’ve played so far this year, Hollywood doesn’t have an abundance of land but they do have a great short game area and range – unlike many of the courses this close to the beach. I love the facilities here. They have a main clubhouse. Dining and sports coat there (time depending). They have a great back porch area and had a tent up for outdoor dining. I hear they are going to shut it down and rebuild the main building so hurry and play there before they do. Then they have a super cool men’s locker BUILDING. You walk into the men’s grill, grab your drinks and head upstairs to change shoes etc. Finally the pro shop is in yet another building off the first tee.
I repeated one here from above. To the left is the range and to the right is the pro shop. Pretty wide open though the range left is OB. One is 408 yards which means I can’t get there in two unless I hit longer than 95% of my drives and the same percentage of my three woods. Happy with a bogey.
Here’s the approach on one.
Two is a short hole (343 yards and the #15 handicap) and the huge bunkers to the left are deceiving as they are a little bit off the green. GIR and par here.
Three is 400 yards and the #5 handicap. You see the greenside bunkers in the distance. There is a ton of sand to play in here. First double of the day.
Three from the green looking back at the main clubhouse and tent area. You see how the bunkers can really fuck with you here.
I am so pissed I missed the fourth that I borrowed this from Top 100 Golf Courses to show off this awesome par three. The bunker is well short of the green which also features a false front. I hit a sucky shot into that bunker but got my 54 degree wedge on and just missed my par putt.
Here’s five which is the hole where we played a temporary green that you may be able to see over the trees. I put a perfect drive to the left of the trap and hit a great nine iron which would have likely required a 7-iron at the regular green. Putted from the fairway but of course every putt was off the fairway here today and close enough for a gimme par.
Six is the number one handicap hole, par four and 395 yards. Hit a better than usual drive for me up the left but would still manage to double.
Seven comes back down along six incorporating the same fairway bunker complex as six to the right. This is a legit 520-yard par five that took me four to get on and a two-putt bogey.
No photo of eight (365 yards and 13th handicap). On nine (356 yards and nine handicap), I duffed my drive in front of the bunker. Didn’t want my caddy to have to walk back so took a breakfast ball. Put my second shot right of the green above the trap. A skull across the green and chip and two putt later and I still double bogey even with the charity. There’s a great halfway house between nine and ten and it’s pretty new. Beer coolers and a little bar area for mixed drinks. Grabbed a back nine screwy and a couple of Lites and we were ready to go after a respectable (for me) 45 on the front.
Hollywood is different in that it only features three par threes and ten is just the second of three par fives. 493 yards and the 8th handicap. Right is trouble. A bogey.
This is ten from my drive – taken to show off the bunkering.
Eleven is 381 yards and the number four handicap. Slight dogleg left and I’ll show you that greenside bunker below.
Here’s the bunker which is almost impossible to avoid though I did avoid it and chipped up and putt for a bogey here.
They call the 12th, Heinz as there are 57 bunkers. Add to that the distance from the backs (435 yards) and you understand why this is the #2 handicap hole. I avoided the bunkers on my drive. Then on my approach which was about 50 yards shy but then had some of my chipping woes return and hacked my way to a double after avoiding all 57 bunkers.
From my drive on 12.
Thirteen is a short, hard-doglegging left par four just 321 yards. Perfect drive just shy of this bunker, which you can see I promptly dunked it in. Got out and after thinking I hit my sand shot too far and into the creek beyond the green, I played a shitty provisional, but luckily found my ball and up and down for a bogey. I was struggling through this part of the course.
My woes would continue on the 14th – a 397-yard par four – and would be picking up for a triple.
Fourteen is a 168-yard par three. I think I was just off and bogeyed.
Sixteen is a short par five and “Miracle-of-Miracles” I birdied which have been few and far between this year.
If there is one thing people do know about Hollywood, it’s this door through the dune onto the 17th green. This is a tough par three, 224 yards which means I hit 3-wood, chipped onto the green and was thrilled with a two-putt four.
And here’s 18 – a long 418 yards from the blues and would double for a 45-47. Hollywood is definitely a fun course, love the facilities, the people seem great (especially our host Tim) and the caddies were cool and laid back. A couple of cold local brewery beers post round capped it off and looking forward to coming back. Get on if you can. Hope to add some drone shots my buddy Brian took.
Golf Scrapbook 