Photo Credit: tamarackgolfcourse via Instagram
Tamarack Golf Course sits off the New Jersey Turnpike, Interstate Highway 95, on Hardenburg Ln. Just 10 miles south of Rutgers University in the heart of Middlesex County.
This East Brunswick gem features two Hal Purdy designed 18-hole championship golf courses. Hal Purdy popularized the game of golf in the Northeast with his design work. Purdy began his golf journey at Lost Creek Golf Club in Lima, Ohio. He then gained development experience serving as a construction supervisor for Robert Trent Jones. Many consider him to be the number 1 golf course designer of all time, designing over 41 courses throughout his lifetime.
The Tamarack Golf Course has numerous services and facilities, including locker rooms, a pro shop, electric golf carts, a practice facility. And the clubhouse holds the popular Tap & Grill Room is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and drinks.
The driving range features two large putting greens in addition to 34 individual practice stalls, five target greens, tees, and teepads. The East and The West are Tamarack’s two courses. The East or Gold and Blue course is a 6,226-yard, par-71 course, with five par-3 holes and four par-5s. While, The West course or Red and White is a par-72 with a 7,025 yardage course, with four par-3 holes and four par-5s. The West’s championship layout is tree-lined with notable water hazards and three sets of tee boxes for competitive play.
The Tamarack Golf Course West was rated as the second most-difficult golf course in Middlesex, Monmouth, Mercer, Somerset, and Union Counties by the New Jersey State Golf Association and considered a competitive place to learn and play.
The Tamarack Golf Club is a mainstay Middlesex County for championship golf and has a long history of teaching youth life skills through golf. The First Tee of Raritan Valley holds clinics and camps at Tamarack for young golfers 5-18 years old. And it is the home course for many New Jersey high school golf teams.
A short drive from Farrington Lake, this well-known public golf course is also home to golf tournaments. It assists in forming leagues such as the Ladies 9 Hole, which welcomes new members for a friendly game. Another popular league is the Senior League for golfers 55 and older, whose Monday tournaments run from April through October. Tamarack Golf Club also supports accommodations for The Golfers with Disabilities league.
Another standing league, established in the early part of 1970, is the Tamarack Golf Association Sunday Golf League.
Booking a round of golf at Tamarack is easy. The prepaid online service offers low fees, although there is a 10 percent to 20 percent difference between resident and non-resident fees for this public course. Standard golf cart fees are identical for all players. But if you are in for a public golfing experience, try The Golfboard. The Golfboard is a skateboard, surfboard, snowboard, and golf cart combination. It requires a waiver and a separate fee. Bookings for Golfboard tee times are on a first come – first serve basis. A comprehensive tee-time policy includes a 24-hour cancellation window for all golfers.
Another Middlesex area country club is The Meadows at Middlesex. The Meadows is an 18-hole, 6,290-yard, par-70 championship course designed by Joe Finger and finished in 1980 by Tom Fazio. In addition to the course, players can cater to special events through the Caddyshack Bar & Grille. The county acquired the Meadows in 2014.
Photo Credit: meadowsatmiddlesex via Instagram
Another area golf course is the Raritan Landing Golf Course in Piscataway, New Jersey. The course is a 3,300-yard, par-58, 18 hole golf course that was designed by Stephen Kay in 1999. This unique course offers players small greens, stacked sandtraps, and narrow fairways lined with tall red oaks, providing a quick pace of play that tests a player’s accuracy and your scorecard’s final number.
Both The Meadows and The Raritan Landing golf courses are part of the Middlesex County Golf Courses group.
Photo Credit: raritanlandinggolf via Instagram