Over the summer I got to go to, in my opinion, one of the coolest places in New Jersey. It is a links style golf course located in the heart of Bayonne NJ called Bayonne Golf Club. Many people do not know about this magnificent golf course because before it opened in 2006, it was best known for being a landfill. This hosted old cars by day and late night teenage parties by night. But, like any harbor the Manhattan harbor is one that needs to be dredged. In past years the silt would be removed and dumped 3 miles out to sea but this was deemed harmful to ocean fishing. With on going channel dredging, authorities needed to indentify land sites to get rid of the river silt. It was late 90's when the Bayonne site was selected as a location to dump the silt. Also, if I remember correctly, I believe the city of New York paid the site to take the material off of their hands. During this period, the site of the current Bayonne Golf Club became the home for millions of cubic yards of Hudson silt. This material would arrive at the site's pier on a barge where it was mixed at a cement station with a ten percent mixture of cement. As the course was being built the architects forgot about how people were going to access the club and as a result, members must pass through a shipping yard containing huge ships, fork lifts, and 18 wheelers. It is amazing that one of the best links courses in the world lies in the shadows of Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, and the Verrazano bridge. Most of all, it lies in our home state.
Being an avid golfer, I'm very disappointed that I have yet to play at Bayonne. After hearing Mike telling me about his round there and seeing this post I've made it a priority of mine to play there. I'm planning on taking my helicopter there if anyone wants to join. Great pics.
ReplyDeleteThis is pretty wild. I happen to enjoy golf myself and this is a spectacular course, in an area that is not accustomed to having golf courses. New Jersey happens to have plenty of very nice golf courses including Baltusrol, home of Patrick Clark, and Canoe Brook, home of Michael Adelman. I am taking Patrick up on his offer and will join him on his helicopter to take us to Bayonne this summer. Pics are nice as well Michael, well done.
ReplyDeleteBefore Mike's post, I never knew about Bayonne. Not only are the images of Bayonne incredible but I think they serve as a great opportunity for New Jersey golfers and golfers from out of state. This golf course seems like a memorable experience and although I don't play golf myself, I definitely want to take a trip to Bayonne while living in NJ. This is also a great place for NJ residents to "escape " durning the day because it makes them feel as if they are in a different part of the world since this is typically not a place where golf courses are located.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis looks like a beautiful place. It is another example of the diversity of New Jersey as after driving through a shipping yard, you end up in a beautiful place like this.
ReplyDelete