SJ Sports: The Grass is Greener

The Olde Masters Golf Center in Egg Harbor Township is capable of capturing a person’s attention. Maybe you’re driving south on the Atlantic City Expressway when it first catches your eye. The expansive green turf is hard to miss when you approach mile marker 11 — particularly at night when the property is illuminated.

“We get calls from people every day who are on their way down to Atlantic City,” said Peter Castle, Olde Masters’ vice president and general manager. “They get down to the hotels or casinos and call us and say, ‘What are you?’”

Perhaps your first viewing is part of a planned trip. Those who walk through the doors on that initial visit will find an impressive pro shop, country club appearance, and friendly staff.

“Usually a person will say ‘wow’ or ‘this is unbelievable’ when they first see this place,” said Stacy Bunker, the facility’s Director of Golf. Olde Masters, located on Delilah Road behind the former Tom’s Garden Center, opened in January 2002.

One can tell by first sight this is more than a place to hit a few golf balls.

Before golfers have a chance to take their swings they walk through the pro shop, which is visually pleasing and features a wide range of clothing and equipment. Those in search of a bite to eat can visit the café just down the hall.

“We’re trying to accommodate the masses,” Castle said. “We’re trying to give people what they want, whether they’re seven-years-old or 97.”

Once customers head outside, they will find a double-decked hitting area that features 96 hitting stations with synthetic mats, and 24 of them are covered and heated. There are also areas for those who wish to hit off of real grass.

The customers take aim at a landing area that is covered by 525,000 square feet of synthetic turf. The turf is multi-colored to give the appearance of fairways, bunkers and greens.

Bernard Mosco of Ventnor is an Olde Masters regular who says he “loves this place.” An avid golfer, Mosco goes there two or three times per week to practice and take lessons. “It’s very unique,” he said. “Everything here is new and the upkeep is very good. The balls are good. The mats are good. You can hit off of the (natural) turf in the spring and summer time, and then you can practice your short game. You can practice your whole game here.

“Once I found this place, I kept coming out here.”

Bunker said customers packed the hitting area on one February day, even with inches of snow still covering the ground. Eighty-five thousand of Olde Masters’ 100,000 practice balls were on the range at one point during the snowy stretch that month, she added.

“I think it’s important for people to know that we’re always open and they always have a place they can practice,” Bunker said of the facility.

The golf center also includes a short-game practice area. There are bunkers, an 8,000-square foot USGA putting green and a 22,000-square foot USGA target green.

Bunker, plus staff pros Chuck McGuire and Cheri Rice, run clinics for women, seniors and juniors, respectively. They also give individual lessons, even offering a video analysis that breaks down your swing frame by frame.

While Mosco and many others were hitting a bucket of balls on a mild weekend day in mid-March, the miniature golf course could be seen bustling with adults and kids.

Already Olde Masters has been selected one of the top 10 driving ranges in the country by Golf Range Magazine. It’s the second largest range in the country, according to Castle.

There are plans to increase the grass hitting areas, add a four-hole golf course by the end of April and build another miniature golf course, possibly next year. Long-drive and closest-to-the-pin contests also appear to be on the horizon.

“We don’t plan on sitting on our laurels,” Castle said emphatically. “We’re going to try to make it bigger and better all of the time.”

Content provided by South Jersey Sports Club.

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Author: SJ Sports-Don Latham