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Commerce Bank CEO
Vernon Hill is a man on a mission, both in business and on the
golf course. A low handicapper, he likes to play efficiently. On
weekends back in the ‘80s, he and his partners regularly
trekked down from Philadelphia to Seaview Country Club outside
Atlantic City for a weekend round of golf. One particular
Saturday, the course was so crowded it took Hill’s group
nearly five hours to complete their rounds. The bank chairman
walked off 18 in a huff, declaring, "That’s the last time
I will do that!"
Hill decided then to create his own golf
course and a world class golf club where slow play would never
happen. Subsequently, with partner John Silvestri, he created a
development company based in Cherry Hill, NJ. The company
financed the eventual purchase of magnificent pristine pineland
along Reeds Bay just north of what is now the Seaview Marriott.
The search also began for an architect whose credentials would
be in keeping with the developers lofty vision for the club.
According
to Club Director of Golf Mike Killian, Hill and Silvestri
visited some 80 golf courses around the country, consulting
with various people in the golf business about club
development and design. They ultimately selected Tom Fazio to
design Galloway National.
Fazio, arguably the
world’s finest living architect, did not let them down. He
ultimately produced what many agree is one of the finest golf
courses on the East Coast and one that is ranked among the top
100 in the country. The course opened in 1994 and quickly
earned top honors. Golf Digest designated Galloway National
among America’s Best New Courses for 1994.
The site for the course fronts the bay and winds through a
dense forest of mature pines mixed with hardwoods on a site
where the only sounds you might hear come from the nature. It
is not uncommon to see deer crossing one’s path during a
round at Galloway.
The
land features rolling topography, sandy soils ideal for
drainage, and marshes in addition to the dense pine canopy.
All these elements offered Fazio a majestic canvas on which to
work his creative mastery. At 6900 yards from the back tees
(6400 from the alternative front tees), the course is
essentially a parkland style layout with links and heathland
features. The elevation changes, both natural and designed,
are particularly evident on the back nine which have an alpine
feel to them.
This
nine includes the magnificent 475-yard 10th hat
rises dramatically to an elevated green guarded left and right
by large bunkers and #15, a slightly uphill 410 yard that
features a large cross bunker guarding the elevated green on
the left. That bunker wasn’t in the original design but
Fazio decided the hole needed more pizzazz. The hole is ranked
among the 100 best in the country.
Galloway
National returns to the bay side with the final three holes
beginning with #16, a straight 532 yarder that hugs the
property’s largest lake and takes a pronounced upward turn
about 300 yards out to an elevated green that offers a
commanding view of the bay and the Atlantic City skyline. Hole
17 is a magnificent brute of 249 yards that sweeps down from
the elevated tee box through a narrow gap between the pines to
a marshside green guarded left by a two bunkers. The
perimeters of these bunkers, like many on the course, are
planted with tall fescue, giving the course a heathland
effect. The layout concludes with a 430 yard dogleg right
around the marsh. Fazio anchored his design with #18, which he
built first.
As
good as the back nine is, the front is its equal
strategically and scenically. It includes the 146-yard 2nd to a narrow, dramatically sloping marshside green that has
intimidated nearly everyone who has played it including some
Tour players, according to Killian. The 5th measures 190 yards and requires a carry over marsh to a
green fronted by a steep hollow. The 432-yard sharp dogleg
left 4th has a Pinehurst look as it is entirely
enclosed by forest. The hole sweeps down and around a large
waste bunker. This hole has greatness written all over it.
Like
the golf course, the rest of the club facility is elegant
and sophisticated but wholly unostentatious. The design of
the modern splendidly appointed clubhouse is elegant yet
understated, featuring fine oak paneling, carpeted locker
rooms and a small gourmet restaurant. The gated entrance to
Galloway National is likewise unobtrusive, and the
first-time visitor can easily drive by it if he doesn’t
know exactly where it is. The practice facility is large and
includes front, back and side hitting areas and bunkered
greens for short game work. Killian, a gracious man who
loves to teach, heads a small staff of highly personable,
top flight instructors.
Galloway National currently has some 220 members, many of whom live out of state. The course is never crowded and in fact 10 groups on the tee sheet would be considered a heavy day on a course that hosts only 10,000 rounds a year.
For the serious and discriminating golfer, Galloway National is ideal. It is located within convenient distance from Philadelphia, New York and other parts of the Northeast. It offers a world class golf facility at an initiation and annual fee structure that are appreciably less than many other comparable world class golf clubs.
Currently, the club is completing its campaign to expand its individual and corporate membership. If you are interested in joining this special, beautiful club or just to learn more about it, you are invited to call 609-748-1000. Ask for Mike Killian or marketing Director Ron Giordano.
_______________
Alan B. Nichols is
a professional golf-travel writer residing in Bethesda, MD.
He is the featured golf-travel writer
for GolfLink. Alan appreciates your
comments on his features and the courses he has written
about.
E-MAIL ALAN NICHOLS

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