Course Tour

 

432 Yards, Par 4
Royal Portrush No. 1
The first hole of the McCullough's Emerald Golf Links was inspired by the first hole at Royal Portrush. Set up perfectly for a starting hole, the fairway bunker is on the left side, rather than the right where the average golfer tends to hit the ball, especially on the first tee. The right side of the hole has a fairway to the right of the green, making for an easier approach. The original hole at Royal Portrush has a greenside sand bunker smack in front of the green. We felt this was a little too difficult for a first hole, so McCullough's features a bunker of grass instead of sand. The putting surface is rather simple, without the more severe contours that the golfer will experience on other holes, giving a good opportunity to warm up for the round.

 

 

206 Yards, Par 3
Biarritz No. 6
McCullough's Hole #2 is a rendition of the famous sixth Biarritz hole and has been redone many times by C.B. Macdonald and Charles Banks. The Biarritz Hole has a very long green from front to back with a very deep and large valley in its center. Similar holes to this can be seen at Connecticut' s Yale Golf Club and at the Mid Ocean Club in Bermuda. The original hole had bunkers on both sides of the green, but again, we decided not to penalize the golfer so early in the round. The only bunkers, therefore, are on the left side of the green.

 

 

 

489 Yards, Par 5
Gleneagle (Kings Course) No. 18
The 3rd Hole is the first hole at McCullough's to give the golfer the sense of elevation change, very uncommon in Southern New Jersey. A variation of the 18th hole at the Kings Course of Gleneagle in, the hole has nearly a dozen sand bunkers. Tee placement is very important, as it is on the original hole in , which, like our hole, has a series of cross bunkers 210 to 220 yards off the tee. These cross bunkers force the golfer to decide on this short par-5 whether to hit a driver or lay up. Our suggestion is, if you know you can't hit the green in two, lay up. If you think you can hit the green in two, go for it.

 

 

 

 

372 Yards, Par 4
Nairn No. 3
McCullough's 4th hole is a facsimile of the 3rd hole at the Nairn Golf Club. A medium length uphill par-4 with several strategically well placed bunkers and mounds, there is a lot of fairway movement as you approach the green. In the original hole, the green is deceptive because of those contours in the fairway. We created the same illusion here.

 

 236 Yards, Par 3
Carnoustie No. 16
Our fifth hole is in tribute to the great par-3 16th hole at Carnoustie. A long par-3, the large undulating green makes two putting a challenge. Bunkers are up against the green on the right as well as short of the green on the left. In either case, do your best to avoid them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

502 Yards, Par 5
Southport and Ainsdale No. 2
Hole #6 at McCullough's, one of the prettiest holes on the course, is inspired by the second hole at the Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club. The hole is a short par-5 with ten sand bunkers. There are two strategically placed bunkers in the center of the fairway, one about 310 yards off the tee, which will guide many players' second shot. The other is in the center of the fairway about 40 yards short of the green. In order to reach this green in two, the golfer must hit a draw or a fade around this bunker. Trying to fly the bunker is not as easy as it looks. Our greens are similarly terraced as the original, making two putting a challenge.

 

 

 

 

464 Yards, Par 4
Architect Alistar Mackenzie
The 7th hole at McCullough's is not only our signature hole, but also our most unique. Alistar Mackenzie, the original architect of Augusta National and Cypress Point, entered and won a hole design contest sponsored by Country Life Magazine in 1914, which he credits for spearheading his career. The hole was originally to be constructed at the Lido Golf Club in New York , but was never built there. We created it here on the recommendation of Golfweek's Brad Klein. As the biggest hole Stephen Kay has ever built, number seven's fairway is 159 yards at its widest point! The original hole design incorporated part of the Atlantic Ocean. Since that was not possible at McCullough's, we built a three-acre waste bunker to take the ocean's place. The hole's distance ranges from 380 to 480 yards, depending on how you play it. One can play to the waste area's island fairway on the left, or try to hit it over the island fairway and over the waste bunker to a large generous fairway, or simply bail out to the right and hoping for a one-putt to par the hole.

 

 

 

 

 

414 Yards, Par 4
Turnberry No. 10
McCullough's eighth is based on the 10th hole at Turnberry. Turnberry has the sea to the left, we have an enormous pond to replicate the water. The hole doglegs a little more right than at Turnberry, however, plays comparably. The original tee at Turnberry is slightly elevated, ours is even more so, again showing more elevation change than other courses in Southern New Jersey. There are no fairway bunkers to affect the tee shot, as there are also none on Turnberry's tenth. Like the original, there is a fairway bunker about 50 to 60 yards in front of the green with a large island of turf in its center. This bunker creates unique depth perceptions for golfers, making golfers decide whether to lay up short, go to the right, or go to the left of the bunker. Going to the left can be quite hazardous with the water only 25 yards from the bunker. Flying this bunker can be tricky as another bunker catches shots about 10 - 15 yards short of the green. The hole is very challenging and will play a little bit shorter than its yardage because of the downhill tee shot. A large undulating green and bunkers however, make par a good score.

 

 

172 Yards, Par 3
Royal Dornoch No. 10
Our 9th hole is a variation on the 10th hole at Royal Dornoch. Royal Dornoch is where Donald Ross started and learned most of his trade as a golf professional, greenskeeper, and ultimately as one of 's greatest golf course architects. The 9th hole is a penal-style of architecture in that there is no run up shot. The golfer is forced to fly the greenside bunkers to reach the green. There is a slight chance, however, that a little draw which lands on the far right side short of the green might bounce on. Our putting surface is similar to Royal Dornoch's with some of the green having two terraces. The green is medium in size and offers a great opportunity for birdie, but two putts may not be that easy if your ball is not in the correct quadrant of the green. The bunkers surrounding the green are typical Scottish style - deep and scary.

 

 

 

 

466 Yards, Par 4
Royal Dornoch No. 14Scotland McCullough's Hole #10 is based on another of Royal Dornoch's. Like the original 14th in Scotland, our 10th has no sand bunkers, as its length provides the challenge. Its Scottish authenticity stems from the natural moguls and berms surrounding the hole as well as the steep slope behind the green that leads up to the 11th tee. As Donald Ross would say, the hole plays as a "par 4 1/2", meaning a 5 is more common than a 4. Trying to get your third shot close in one putt and leaving this frame with a 4 should feel like a birdie.

 

 

 

341 Yards, Par 4
Gleneagles (Kings Course) No. 12
The 11th hole is based on the great short par-4 12th at the Kings Course of Gleneagle in Scotland. As in the original hole, ours too has quite a bit of elevation change. The challenge on this hole is getting the tee shot up and over the fairway bunkers that guard the approach to the fairway. Aiming to the tower on the left side makes the tee shot easier. The green is simply protected by a greenside bunker on the right side, but be careful not to go over this green. A typical Scottish-Irish low run up shot to the green is probably more appropriate.

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443 Yards, Par 4
Royal County Down No. 3
Our 12th is inspired by the 3rd hole at the wonderful Irish course, Royal County Down. It is a long par-4 with many bunkers scattered both left and right of the fairway. The tee shot at Royal County Down encourages one to come down the left side of the fairway as does our hole. Bunkers that appear to be near the green are really a little bit further back, as is typical of many Irish golf courses.

 

 

 

 

 

203 Yards, Par 3
Gleneagles (Queens Course) No. 5
The 13th is a long, downhill par 3 based on the 13th at Gleneagle's Queen Course in Scotland. Our variation is a reverse of the hole, with our water on the left instead of the right. Both holes have forced carries over water to get to the center. Both holes are severely punishing if shots are short of the green or if shots are long. Proper club selection is imperative.

 

 

 

 

517 Yards, Par 5
St. Andrews No. 14
McCullough's 14th is based on the same numbered hole as St. Andrews, known to golf aficionados as the birthplace of golf. St. Andrews' 14th is among the world's most famous, with the "Hell Bunker" about 80 yards short of the green. Our hole is very similar, with the exception of the pond immediately in front of the tee. Our fairway rises and falls with hollows, and Hell's Bunker is just that if you're in it, similar to Scotland. The original 14th hole at St. Andrews shares its double sized green with the outgoing 4th hole. Not at McCullough's; however, it is as large and undulating as the original. This hole is the course's longest par 5 and not many golfers will reach it in two.

 

 

283 Yards, Par 4
Royal Dornoch No. 5
After crossing the road, the golfer arrives at McCullough's short 15th hole. This hole is based on the 5th hole at Royal Dornoch in Scotland, which plays through a valley surrounded by large dunes to its side, similar to Emerald's fairway which is 20 feet below the trees. The deep fairway bunkers on the right are in location and depth to the originals and must be avoided. Playing too far to the left, however, will give the golfer a more difficult second shot over greenside bunkers. Our green is similar in that there is a fairway to the immediate right of the green that golfers could either pitch, chip or putt from to try to get close to the pin.

 

 

136 Yards, Par 3
Royal Troon No. 8
McCullough's 16th hole is based on one of the most photographed holes in Scotland - #8 at Royal Troon, known as the "Postage Stamp". It is called such because of the small narrow green. Our hole is very similar to Troon's, except our green is a little larger. Our bunkers are just about as deep and the green is partially hidden as is the original. A par is a great score on this hole. Remember, Tiger Woods had a triple bogie on this hole.

 

 

 

501 Yards, Par 5
Waterville No. 11
Our last par-5, the 17th, is based on the 11th hole at Waterville in Ireland. The original hole has large sand dunes with high fescues growing on them, and a green that is blind from certain portions of the fairway because of these dunes. Our hole gives the golfer the same feel and look as the original. The hole is not overly long and therefore requires more accuracy than brute strength.

 

 

 

 

358 Yards, Par 4
Prestwick No. 4
The 18th at McCullough's is based on the great 4th hole at Scotland's Prestwick. Along the right side of Prestwick, a long creek and out of bounds area gobbles up many golf balls. Our pond will do the same. Fairway and greenside bunkers are placed exactly as they are in Scotland. The creek and out of bounds at Prestwick challenges a golfer who wants to cut the corner and shorten the hole, severely penalizing him if he doesn't make it. McCullough's finishing hole ends as a true heroic hole that offers a golfer great reward for cutting the dogleg, yet severe punishment if he does not.