Heron Glen Golf Course: Hidden Gem of Hunterdon County

As I pulled into the parking lot something was odd at Heron Glen Golf Course.  There were only two other cars in the lot despite the time being 11AM and a sunny sky.  I was not surprised though as my car told me it was 38 degrees outside.  I wondered if I missed a call, text, or email that the golf course was closed.  This seems plausible as there were still small snow piles here and there.  I went into the soon to be “old” club house and found a few souls there.  I was told that tee times were to begin at noon which was my tee time.  Sweet!  I bought a large bucket of balls and began to warm up over the next hour.  I would need it as I had not swung a club since Christmas in Georgia.

Heron Glen Golf Course Overview:

Heron Glen is fun golf course that offers subtle challenges. The mild elevation changes but some fairways tilt to one side favoring drives to the other side. There are several environmental areas to carry but the golf course provides drop areas on the other side for shots that do not clear them.  The back nine plays a little easier that than front with three each of Par 3s, Par 4s and Par 5s.

Tee times can be booked through the golf course’s recently updated website which looks great with beautiful overfly shots of the course in bloom. Residents of Hunterdon County receive discounts on prices.   The golf course also offers a Frequent Fairways plan that offers discounts for golfing at Heron Glen and earns points toward free round of golf.

Heron Glen holes are marker with new engraved hole signage.

New clubhouse under constructions. Should be open in May 2018. It will offer a great view of the 18th green from the porch.

Driving range at Heron Glen. On dry days, players can hit off grass. If the course is cart path only, they have mats to hit from.

Range ball dispenser was encircled by snow this morning.

Practice sand bunker just to the right of the driving range. Sand is in nice condition so it offers good practice.

Tee box at Heron Glen. Tee boxes are marked with plastic colored balls.

Heron Glen scorecard has pictures of the hole layouts with trap and preferred play line.

Heron Glen scorecard back page has local rules, course layout, and with Rating/Slope numbers.

Condition of Heron Glen Golf Course:

I can forgive a lot today as the cold weather has not yet let the greens to wake up from their winter slumber.  That being said, the golf course is in good shape.  The traps were still fluffy and allowed for good sand play.  The greens were both slow and fast at times but to expected at this time of the year.

The golf course played cart path only so I decided to walk after ditching several unnecessary clubs in my car trunk including my Momentus swing trainer.  Heron Glen is walkable except for the walk between 17 and 18 but you are on the home stretch so excitement carries you home.  Grounds crew is nice to walkers by mowing short cuts between a few greens and tee boxes.

Heron Glen’s 2nd hole is a long par 5. Best aiming point in the sand trap in the middle of the photo. Sliced a gobbled up by the woods on the right.

Heron Glen’s 4th hole challenges you to keep the ball in the middle or right side. The fairway tightens just behind the sand trap on the left.

Heron Glen 7th hole is a shot par 3 but winds in the area make it a tricker shot to gauge.

Heron Glen 8th hole is a par 5 that is very forgiving to sliced drives. They will land in between the 8th and 9th fairway. Like mine did.

Heron Glen’s 11th hole is 288 yards from the white tees. Players will try to hit the green by clearing the bunker on the right of the photo and rolling up to the green. Most miss.

Heron Glen 12th hole is a shot par 3 with slippery green that slopes to the front of the green.

Heron Glen 13th hole approach shot after a drive. The fairway is reachable across the environmental area for those who can carry the distance. Safe play is to hit a 100 yard shot and attack the green on your third shot.

Heron Glen 13th hole is a par 5 which makes players decide to layout short of an environmental area on their second shot or go for it. Best play is to get as close to environmental area and hit your third shot form there.

Heron Glen’s 15th hole is a medium par 3. Do power lines emit negative ions that push golf balls backward?

Heron Glen 18th fairway approaching last hole and view of new clubhouse under construction. Water on the left only comes into play if you let it.

The new clubhouse is said to opening in May 2018 which will be a great addition to the course.  The porch will offer a great view of the 18th green to cheer golfers home.  There will also be a restaurant inside to offer post round meals.

If I Ran This Heron Glen Golf Course:

There are few improvements I would make to Heron Glen except adding GPS to the golf carts. That is small request since there are yardage markers on the sprinkler head covers.

Pace of play slows down on the 11^th hole, as this par 4 is reachable with a good drive that hits the ground in just the right way. The 12^th hole is a par 3 and then the 13^th hole is long par 5 with a tricky drive landing area followed by smarter players laying up short of an environmental area. Not sure how the rangers could keep play moving but that is my one area of needed improvement.

Favorite Hole at Heron Glen Golf Course:

The 16^th hole is the best hole on the golf course, hands down. This par 5 requires thinking and strategy from the tee box to the green. The drive is from the bottom of a hill and needs to crest the hill but beware as the hill slopes down toward an environmental area so don’t use your driver. A good 200-yard shot down the left side will put you in good position for your approach shot.

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A dead tree blocks greedy shots that try to reach the green in two shots. I am convinced the pro shop can remote control the branches to grab balls flying by the tree like the Whopping Willow at Hogswart. If you make it through the branches, bunkers along the right side of the fairway guard the green after the environmental area.

The more patient you play this hole the better your result. The key is setting up your third shot in the fairway after clearing the environmental hazard. Find the middle of the fairway and you are in range of the hole with 100 to 120 yards to go. The green slopes down from the back to the front so you do not want to over hit you approach shot.  A par is a solid performance and double bogeys are more common.

My final say:

I’ll back. This is a golf course I can play over and over again without getting bored.  It is run well and has a loyal following.

Heron Glen Golf Course Scorecard:

Heron Glen Golf Course Location & Contact Information:

• Website: www.heronglen.com
  • Recently updated in 2018!
• Facebook: @heronglengolfcourse
• Instagram: @heronglen