The Golf Zone

The Golf Zone    239 US-206, Flanders, NJ 07836

The Golf Zone is one of the first courses we explored when we started on our New Jersey mini golf adventures, and is a rare 36 hole course away from the shore.

What we like about this driving range course is it really makes use of the land it has. The sprawling property features some unique hole design, but the construction leaves a bit to be desired. True, there are almost no noticeable rips in the course, but the water damage here is some of the worse we have ever seen. The black marks have discolored the course to the point that they seem like an actual obstacle.

It seems like this course also has some problems that may just never get dealt with, or have been covered up with some odd fixes. Several water features no longer run or are left empty, and places were there were evidently once streams have now been painted, filled with stones, or left empty. The bricks that surround the edges are rarely fixed to the ground.

Par for the Upper Course is 40, and the Lower Course is 39, which is a bit ridiculous for this sprawling course. On our last visit, we managed to get our best score ever, a 42 on the Upper Course. Our best score on the Lower Course is a 48. Given this courses similarity to Big Swing in South Jersey, we figure a more accurate par could be in the mid-40s. For 18 holes, its $10, and $16 will get you all 36 holes. That is right around normal for this area, but we are still envious of the $7 fee for all 36 at Big Swing.

That all being said, there is some real potential to restore and revamp this course. The layout is great, and the hole designs are all interesting and challenging. Not every course should have the manicured feel of a Harris course, but some of the blotches here are hard to ignore. Overall, this course is really teetering on a razors edge: with repairs, it could launch itself up our rankings, but if it continues to fall into disrepair, it will plummet.