Pine Valley Golf Club

The second hole in 1921, featuring a carry over wasteland to the green.

Pine Valley was founded in 1913 by a group of amateur golfers from Philadelphia. They purchased 184 acres (0.7 km²) of rolling, sandy ground deep in the pinelands of southern New Jersey, and gave George Arthur Crump, who knew the area from hunting expeditions, the opportunity to design the course.

The site was challenging and the project became something of an obsession for Crump, who sold his hotel in Philadelphia and plowed his money into the course. Marshlands had to be drained and 22,000 tree stumps had to be pulled with special steam-winches and horse-drawn cables. This was all done at a time when many golf courses were still built with minimal earth moving, and the course was called "Crump's Folly" by some.

This was Crump's first and only golf course design, but he brought together celebrated architects such as A.W. Tillinghast, Hugh Wilson, George C. Thomas Jr., Walter Travis, and H.S. Colt to help him create the course.[4] Crump set himself some idiosyncratic principles: no hole should be laid out parallel to the next; no more than two consecutive holes should play in the same direction; and players shouldn't be able to see any hole other than the one they were playing. He also felt that a round of golf on his course should require a player to use every club in the bag.

The first eleven holes opened unofficially in 1914. In 1918, when Crump died – reportedly penniless, four holes – #12, #13, #14, #15 - were incomplete; they were finished in 1922.[5]

Pine Valley later spread to 623 acres (2.5 km²), of which 416 acres (1.7 km²) remain virgin woodland. Since Crump's death, alterations have been made by several other leading golf course designers. The club also has a ten-hole short course designed by Tom Fazio and Ernest Ransome III.

Although it is rich in golf tradition, the clubhouse is plain, and simple. The clubhouse consists of the great room and the bar. There is also the pro shop, several dining rooms, the main dining room, the private board room, and the patio. There are numerous pictures of Crump, as well as much history and antique golf memorabilia. Upstairs are member's lockers, several guest rooms, and a small lounge named the John Arthur Brown room.

Pine Valley Slope, Rating, and Yardage as of 2010

In "The Complete Golfer," course architect Robert Trent Jones wrote that Pine Valley "is frequently alluded to as the most difficult course in the world, and this reputation is justified. To my way of thinking, it also possesses more classic holes than any other course in the world."[6] Johnny Miller wrote that "There are no weak holes. Every single one is a masterpiece. There is a surprise around every corner, 18 unique and beautiful challenges."[7]

Pine Valley Golf Club is a highly exclusive club. Male-only membership is by invitation only from the board of directors. The only way a guest is allowed into the club is if they are invited and accompanied by a member. Women are permitted to play the course on Sunday afternoons.[8]

There are about 930 members spread throughout the world, and the list is a closely guarded secret.[8] Notable members of the club have included George H. W. Bush, Sean Connery, Ben Crenshaw, Tom Fazio, Robert Trent Jones Jr., Connie Mack, Bob McNair, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Roger Goodell, Dan Quayle, Brian L. Roberts, Jay Sigel, George C. Thomas, Jr., and A. W. Tillinghast.[9]

Entrance to Pine Valley

Pine Valley hosted the Walker Cup, an amateur competition between teams from the United States and Great Britain & Ireland, in 1936 and 1985.

In 1962, Pine Valley was the venue for an edition of Shell's Wonderful World of Golf, a match between Gene Littler and Byron Nelson.

The club admits spectators for one day in late September every year to watch the Crump Cup, a nationally recognized tournament featuring elite mid-amateur players.[10]

Pine Valley Awards and Rankings[18]

• Golf Club Atlas - a well illustrated course guide
• Into Pine Valley - An account of the Crump Cup
• Aerial photos
• Aerial view of Pine Valley, 1938 - From the Dallin Aerial Survey Company