Running Deer GC
Pittsgrove, NJ
Ed Carmen
7,174, 74.3, 134
From Philly Burbs: Distance: 59 mi Time: 1 hr 29 mins
Commodore Barry Bridge US 322 E
Take exit #4/COMM BARRY BR/NEW JERSEY onto US-322 E - go 16.8 mi
Take ramp onto RT-55 S toward MALAGA - go 15.5 mi
Take exit #35B/GARDEN RD/BROTMANVILLE onto W GARDEN RD(CR-674) - go 2.3 mi
Bear Left on PARVINS MILL RD(CR-645) - go 1.3 mi
Arrive at 1111 PARVIN MILL RD, PITTSGROVE TWP, on the Right
Fat Guy Review, 2010: I'd never heard anything about Running Deer until a member of this semi-private course invited me to play in 2010, and after the round I have to say I'm surprised there isn't a little more buzz around it. This is a good, fun course.
I'd guess it's the location--a good hour-plus from Philly, ~90 minutes from the western Philly burbs, not quite far enough east to be considered a shore course (but close enough to have to plan your tee time around summer beach traffic), and 10 solid minutes off the closest interstate--that keeps the word from spreading.
I played with 3 members, two of whom had been around the club for 5 or more years. They said the previous owner took care of the place on a shoestring and even hand-mowed the large greens to save on gas. However, since being purchased by former Philadelphia Eagle and ESPN football commenator Ron Jaworski, conditions have greatly improved. Jaworski has put a good bit of money back into the place, as evidenced by the new 28,000 square foot club house, the new mowers cutting the fairways, and the numerous grounds crew running around.
The course is a good one, designed by Ed Carmen, who also did nearby Centerton. Here Carmen blends a nice mix of South Jersey sandy pine barrens and modern parkland, with snaking fairways, plenty of strategically-placed bunkers, and subtle doglegs dictating preferred halves of fairways for better approach angles. He also throws in some nice touches of the same rustic, rough-edged, exposed dirt slopes used so well in other South Jersey stunners like Twisted Dune, Scotland Run, and the former Pine Hill (now Trump National Philly). Jaworski had some of the trees surrounding Running Deer's fairways and greens removed, making for a more open, more playable style. The mix of the above elements produces some really fun hole designs. Tee shots are challenging but manageable, having to skirt encroaching bunkers or dogleg corners. Approaches into the large greens are also playable but challenging. The greens are in good shape, rolled regularly, and are usually pretty fast. Due to some of the quirky depressions next to the fairways, plus false green fronts, putting surface undulations, dogleg cutouts, etc., it's the kind of course you'd keep discovering on subsequent rounds, learning all the nuances until you're a practiced local, but it's still very enjoyable for the first-timer. The layout is largely flat with subtle slopes, and the next tee is usually just a short stroll through a wooded section, so it's a great walking course.
Now for the caveats: Once in awhile the snaking effect of the fairways is a little overdone, as evidenced by the 3 clubs I was forced to hit on the par-5 15th: Driver, 8-iron, 9-iron. That's not a par-5; it's a par-4 and a par-3 tied together. There were one or two other par-5s of similar design.
Overall conditions are pretty good, although the numerous cart paths are sand and some are not well-defined (sometimes just sandy two tire tracks leading off the fairway), taking away from the overall asthetic. Plus the numerous cart path puddles and tree roots have you driving at a crawl and reaching for your kidneys half the day, crossing the line from rustic into chincy. While the rustic elements work well visually where they're designed, there are some unintended "rustic" elements once you get off the fairways which take away from the experience a little. Most of the lies you'll get from the areas off the fairway are pretty dicey between the spotty rough and hardpan cart-traffic areas. Some additional cart path maintenance would improve the experience for riders, by either building up some hardpack sand and improving drainage to keep the intended minimalist vibe, or possibly resort to cement paths in some of the higher traffic areas.
As is true with most South Jersey pine barrens courses, there are some chunky rocks in both the waste areas and bunkers, so take a good look at your lie before hitting out of any sand. Pace of play can be an issue here; it's a semi-tough layout, and our holiday Friday early AM round stretched into 5 hours despite decent efforts seen from the rangers. My member hosts complained of too many South Jersey ego-centric Joe Public golfers playing from the Blues or even further back when they'd probably struggle to break 100 from the 6400-yard White tees if they didn't take 3 mulligans, a few foot-wedges, and a few rule-bending drops. My compatriots are usually dew sweepers, first off the tee at 6:30 on weekend mornings, when they can get around in about 3:15.
There are a few holes which are pretty picturesque, and overall the course is visually appealing. The raised fairway with a nasty dropoff left and the Ross-esque upside-down dirt-bowl green of the par-4 3rd, the approach over water to the dog left par-4 11th, and the tempting hero shot to cut off the dogleg over a small, sparsely pine-tree'd island on the par-4 12th are among the best eye candy here (other than the cart girl).
I'd be remiss if I didn't give the cart girl her own paragraph. For our holiday Friday early AM round, the long-haired brunette cart girl was quite probably the hottest I've ever seen (and I've seen hundreds). She was good-looking but not really Hollywood gorgeous, a little more girl-next-door than bombshell. She was no more than 20 if she was a day, with maybe a scant 6 or 7 extra pounds of curvy on her, with the lowest-cut shirt I've ever seen on a cart girl which somehow remained vaguely tasteful, she filled it out well and it was obvious she was proudly not wearing a bra. She was definitely working for her tips, and I cursed myself for neglecting to stop for cash on my way to the course. A brief glimpse of her on the front 9 gave me enough of a preview to pay more attention to her visit on the back. Thank God we didn't see her again until the 17th, because after a good look at her, my already-shaky concentration was completely shot. I wish I'd asked her name (I was too dumbfounded), because a couple visits from her during the round would almost be worth the greens fees all by themselves.
I'd definitely recommend Running Deer if you live in South Jersey. It's worth the 75-90 minute drive from the Philly burbs once or twice a year, if you can get a tee time where you can avoid getting caught up in all the summer beach traffic on Route 322--so avoid Friday afternoon, Saturday mid-to-late AM, and Sunday late AM-to-afternoon tee times between Memorial Day and Labor Day. There's talk of this course going private if they get another 50 members, so play it while you can. Fat Guy Rating: 8.25
Best Bar Nearby: Antler's Pub on-site has a darkwood wrap-around bar that seats 30, with two small TVs over the bar. There's basically no civilization in the immediate area, so I'd recommend hanging here after your round. The menu is comfort bar food, with 3 flavors of wings, 2 flavors of the house-specialty chilli, 3 types of quessadillas, and plenty of other apps, salads, burgers, and sandwiches. There are also 7 dinner entree's. Order the King-Sized Buffalo wing, a half-chicken served with gorganzola cheese and panko bread crumbs then tossed in hot sauce.