Beautiful course. Expensive, but worth it.
Seth Raynor designed a beauty here. Yes, it's expensive for a public course. Over $100 a round is steep for a weekday round. I would much rather this course be expensive than sold for more housing. Also everything in north Jersey is expensive.
That said, the course was in incredibly good shape considering the play it must get. The bunkers, fairways, greens, and tee boxes were borderline pristine. The maintenance crew was out filling divots and blowing leaves and otherwise keeping the course in tip top shape.
Pace of play was a little slow but it was really only the group in front of us. We called it into the clubhouse during the back 9.
I'd rather not have to do that and have rangers out on their own, but for October, I guess staffing is a little light.
Overall, it was a great day out. I will be back.
The course well maintained and in very good condition. Prices are on the higher side for being public, but that is the price for a well-maintained course without overly packed tee times. When we went, we were told there was no practice range to warm up, which is not ideal, but the other benefits make it worth going to regardless.
Don't forget that if you visit the 19th hole afterwards, the price of your 1st draft beer is 1cent for each stroke on your scorecard, so for most people you'll be paying somewhere around $1 for your 1st draft beer. For me, this also helped make the price of the greens fee here worthwhile.
Two weeks ago, our group (6pp) had played Rock Spring for our 5th time. The course was in great condition as always and it wasn't too slow of a play during our round. We always like to come here as a mid-season play to accommodate our Up State players. The course and operation are always easy and smooth, thanks to Brandon and Ramage, GREAT JOB! Being a regular season player at Rock Spring and regular golfer, it was our first experience to be approached by the course ranger. He advised us our pace of play was slow. We were caught off guard as we thought he came to inform us he spoke to the group ahead of us, who were actually playing slow. SMH lol I told him it's the group ahead that had one really slow player, and it truly wasn't too big of a deal or too long of a wait for us. He brushed my comment off and followed us for the next 3-4 holes before he left, seeing that he was misinformed. I totally respect everyone's position, but I would recommend observation prior to approach and be a bit more openminded. This was a minor experience and has NO effect or reflection to our future games at Rock Spring! We look forward to wrapping another round before the season is over.
Rock Spring is a true gem, and I’m so glad it’s now open to the public. Seth Raynor’s design rewards precision and punishes mistakes in all the right ways. The tee boxes are among the best in the area—flat, clean, and thoughtfully placed. The bunkers are deep and fluffy, demanding a plan and solid execution if you find them. New Jersey is lucky to have a classic design like this open to everyone.
No driving range with a course lay out and condition that warrant half the price per round. One hole, middle of fairway, had a strip of grass about 100 yards long and 2 feet wide ripped up. When I asked the pro shop why it was so expensive they told me we have people who pay $220.00 per round(I paid $160). It's expensive because it's an affluent area, not because of the quality of the facility.
$189 before tax and fees for a MID WEEK single. You’re outta your mind if you think anyone with a brain is paying that. Course is mediocre condition AT BEST with a road running through half of it. Constantly backed up. Zero rangers enforcing pace of play and they have audacity to charge this much. Get lost
This is delayed review from Oct. 24. Made my time online, forget the price, but it wasn't cheap but I had a gift card....I arrived for my tee time and was told the carts would be have to be back by a time that would have meant I'd get to play 14 holes..maybe. It was a full 45 minutes before dusk but they wouldn't budge. Clearly they weren't going to pay anyone to stick around until all the carts were back.
This is the must absurd idea for a course that sees themselves as a premier golfing destination, or at least charges like they think it is. They had no problem telling me that was the way it was going to be I could finish my round of course, but the carts HAD TO BE BACK.
So anyone interested in a $200 gift card let me know I'll give it to you. I won't go back.
Rock Spring Golf Club hosted our wedding this past weekend, and all staff that had a hand in it were fabulous. They worked with us all hours of the day/days of the week to make sure our day went off without a hitch. It is a beautiful location for a wedding and wonderful people to work with. They went above and beyond to make sure our day was the most special, memorable day possible. Huge thank you to Patrick and his team for making our day amazing in every way!
Really enjoyed this course, played on a nice fall sunday and the course seemed to be in okay condition, and greens were perfect. I played as a single (riding), and got paired up with a threesome walking. They were nice enough to let me go ahead and play through. The only reason I cant give this place 5 stars is because of the pace of play.
I played through my first group, only to meet another 4some on the next tee box hole #2. They thankfully let me tee up and play through them too. After going through another group on number 4, I realized I wasnt able to enjoy it rushing through all these other people. So I get behind another 3some who had what seemed to be an UBER-serious college golfer, reading greens for what felt like forever, with another friend who constantly barely out drove the ladies tee. (yes they were playing from the tips)
Felt like the longest round of my entire life. Decided to just kick back, relax, and just enjoy the day. Even though I had enough time to take a nap and go for lunch between every SINGLE shot.
The course was in good shape and features a nice variety of holes.
The greenskeepers aren't afraid to stick the pins on the edges of the greens. No driving range is a bummer, but I would definitely recommend this track.
$137 w/ the senior discount, no water in the carts, no ranger to be seen to speed up the slow players. Better off elsewhere. $165 without the senior discount by the way. Ripoff.
Saw the club response. The round was close to 5 hours.
Played Rock Spring for the first time on a hot, humid day in July. Loved the layout. Relatively straight forward design with aesthically pleasing features and wonderful greens complexes. Course was in excellent condition and the maintenance team was all over the course doing detail work and hand watering in between groups. This was the first Seth Raynor course I have played and it exceeded expectations. It's a public course that used to be a private country club. It definitely feels like you are playing a private club. I can't wait to come back and play it again. Highly recommend.
Fine enough course, cool Raynor design. 15 is an awesome golf hole. $140 is kind of a joke given how squeezed tee times are and lack of sand in the traps. Feels like a $60 course charging double, but if they get the business, so be it.
I shot my worst round so far this year, a 24 over 95 but at least I enjoyed playing only one of 2 public courses designed by Seth Raynor in the US for a good deal at $35 ($150+ during summer) with a great view of the Manhattan skyline 25 miles away.
Par 70 course with only 2 Par 5 holes was a bit challenging with deep fairway bunkers, but better course management is key to avoiding blow ups.
I didn't like hole #2, which had a blind first shot with a water hazard on the left in play.
Greens were humongous on some holes, but speed was really slow even on downhill putts as there was a significant amount of sand layer that was probably due to recent aeration, and the grass was not cut recently.
Shower facilities were available even after 6 pm.
No hot food or drinks are available during the winter season.
There were no rangers, so the pace of play was a bit slow.
Anyway, my best shot of the day came on the Par 5 - hole # 09, where I scrambled for a Par after my ball ricocheted off a tree branch into the fairway but back 20 yards from where I took my second shot.
I had 190 yards to the pin with a hurting stiff breeze and hit my 3 wood flush.
My shot leaked a little bit right and was just enough to reach the right upper fringe 25 yards away from the hole.
I had a really good Birdie chip with a 9 iron from the fringe to 3 feet for a satisfying Par.
I also had a good 15 foot putt for Par on another Par 5, hole # 14 after hitting driver off the deck for my second shot and then messing it up with a shank on my third shot.
A good wedge shot to the green and rolling in a 15 footer (my longest putt for the day) helped me set up an unlikely Par.
Even though I played badly or the course was a bit too much for me or a combination of both, the 39-mile trip was worth it.
Overall, I will come back and play again, but only during the winter season.
Where do I start? This place is an absolute JOKE! Which is a shame because it is a good course. Not sure what kind of sick humor these people are into but $155 tee times in November? Really?? And then you're still charging $125 for 4:00 and later tee times? What are these people on???? I don't want to hear about that "dynamic pricing" nonsense! It's unfortunate because you'll still have the smooth-brained C*VID golfers that will pay the absurd prices so they'll keep on charging it and these other people who hop on here and get on their knees for this place. Rumors are that they hiked the prices up because the neighborhood around it was tired of all the traffic. If that's the case shame on the neighbors and shame on this place for kowtowing to such idiocy. Don't waste your money here. Better yet don't even waste your time here! You charge $155 how about paying a ranger to keep up the pace of play? Just a thought, rounds that last 5 to 5 and a half hours are the best, and I've even experienced nearly a 6 hour round here in the past, which is honestly pathetic that they allow such a slow pace of play. Only played here once this year and won't be returning until they catch a grip and lower they're prices. Disgraceful!
An exceptional round for course architecture enthusiasts, with dramatic Raynor sculpting on full display. Otherworldly green sites that called for some very fun short game shots! I’m thrilled that the course is taken such great care of. It’s a pleasure to walk, as you can soak in the views across the course in every direction.
I live in Montclair, NJ and play golf 1-2 times a week. This is the best public course in northern NJ. It’s expensive but you get what you pay for.
The course is in fantastic condition, I can almost always get a tee time without much advance notice. Challenging layout keeps each hole interesting. Great course of all levels, newcomers or seasoned veterans.
Staff are super cool. Cart girls are cool. I love the hotdog stand at the turn.
This used to be a private club and has been converted to a public course. As a result, you will find many remnants of a private Country Club, including full bath facilities at the turn. The course itself is very well maintained and they have brand new electric carts that include a touch screen to assist with scorekeeping, yardages, weather, music and more. It's priced a little higher than most municipals, but seems Justified when factoring in the quality of the course and the technology that they've invested into. Highly recommended and will myself be playing there many times in the future.
Played yesterday. I have read all the previous reviews and I understand the architect is highly regarded and this place gets a bunch of play from the “NYC crowd” because they don’t want to plunk down $275 for Ferry Point.
Course is NOT worth $100 maybe $50 tops. Poor drainage, rocks and mud in the bunker very little sand if any. Layout is nice. The views are great and yes you’re playing a former private course. But the condition and pace of play (no course people pushing the foursome hacking in front of us)
So, 100 bucks for waiting every shot, bunkers in lousy shape and poor drainage. Hard pass unless someone else is paying or they reduce rates
Fantastic experience here. Staff were informative and friendly. Great rolling terrain and Raynor greens. Slightly towards the more expensive side, but this course delivers.
Not worth the $120 weekday green fee, but a decent last minute option if you want to play a round. People are friendly and professional.
The greens are painfully slow, like some par 3 pitch and putt course. Zero sand in the bunkers. There’s no driving range to warm up, but clearly they have space to create a proper area (even if it’s just for irons and a practice bunker). Carts are electric and clean. Good course for walking but unsure if they charge you less for that option.
If you play in the morning, there’s no food or drink available on course before 10am, so arrive prepared. Drainage is so-so after heavy rain. A four hour round (or less) is possible on a weekday. Seems like weekend play could be very slow going.
Within a one hour radius of NYC there are better options for the same price. If you live in NJ, I’m sure you have even more to choose from.
Besides enjoying summer meals often, I celebrated my 85th Birthday here last August 2021, with my good sistah/friends.Food & cocktails were Delicious and our server was fantastic. I loved my personal Birthday Pie.Yummy!! It was lovely on the patio.
Played 5/6/20. 2somes only. Moved along fast. 3hrs 15mins. Foam and flags in cups, no holes. Condition: Aeration holes, lots of divots, poorly mowed, crusty bunkers, course needs some work. Could be a gem.
An extension of my home and the most beautiful piece of property in Essex County. I have been a member here for many years and RSC has provided me with so many wonderful memories. Its a shame that MGC is selling the course. RSC, you will be greatly missed.
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