Galloway National Golf Club

Commerce Bank CEO Vernon Hill is a man on a mission, both in business and on the golf course. A low handicapper, he likes to play efficiently. On weekends back in the '80s, he and his partners regularly trekked down from Philadelphia to Seaview Country Club outside Atlantic City for a weekend round of golf. One particular Saturday, the course was so crowded it took Hill's group nearly five hours to complete their rounds. The bank chairman walked off 18 in a huff, declaring, "That's the last time I will do that!"

Hill decided then to create his own golf course and a world class golf club where slow play would never happen. Subsequently, with partner John Silvestri, he created a development company based in Cherry Hill, NJ. The company financed the eventual purchase of magnificent pristine pineland along Reeds Bay just north of what is now the Seaview Marriott. The search also began for an architect whose credentials would be in keeping with the developers lofty vision for the club.

According to Club Director of Golf Mike Killian, Hill and Silvestri visited some 80 golf courses around the country, consulting with various people in the golf business about club development and design. They ultimately selected Tom Fazio to design Galloway National.

Fazio, arguably the world's finest living architect, did not let them down. He ultimately produced what many agree is one of the finest golf courses on the East Coast and one that is ranked among the top 100 in the country. The course opened in 1994 and quickly earned top honors. Golf Digest designated Galloway National among America's Best New Courses for 1994.

The site for the course fronts the bay and winds through a dense forest of mature pines mixed with hardwoods on a site where the only sounds you might hear come from the nature. It is not uncommon to see deer crossing one's path during a round at Galloway.

Galloway National Golf Club - Hole No. 16 The land features rolling topography, sandy soils ideal for drainage, and marshes in addition to the dense pine canopy. All these elements offered Fazio a majestic canvas on which to work his creative mastery. At 6,900 yards from the back tees (6,400 from the alternative front tees), the course is essentially a parkland style layout with links and heathland features. The elevation changes, both natural and designed, are particularly evident on the back nine which have an alpine feel to them.

This nine includes the magnificent 475-yard 10th hat rises dramatically to an elevated green guarded left and right by large bunkers and No. 15, a slightly uphill 410 yard that features a large cross bunker guarding the elevated green on the left. That bunker wasn't in the original design but Fazio decided the hole needed more pizzazz. The hole is ranked among the 100 best in the country.

Galloway National returns to the bay side with the final three holes beginning with No. 16, a straight 532 yarder that hugs the property's largest lake and takes a pronounced upward turn about 300 yards out to an elevated green that offers a commanding view of the bay and the Atlantic City skyline. Hole 17 is a magnificent brute of 249 yards that sweeps down from the elevated tee box through a narrow gap between the pines to a marshside green guarded left by a two bunkers. The perimeters of these bunkers, like many on the course, are planted with tall fescue, giving the course a heathland effect. The layout concludes with a 430 yard dogleg right around the marsh. Fazio anchored his design with No. 18, which he built first.

Galloway National Golf Club - Hole No. 17 As good as the back nine is, the front is its equal strategically and scenically. It includes the 146-yard 2nd to a narrow, dramatically sloping marshside green that has intimidated nearly everyone who has played it including some Tour players, according to Killian. The 5th measures 190 yards and requires a carry over marsh to a green fronted by a steep hollow. The 432-yard sharp dogleg left 4th has a Pinehurst look as it is entirely enclosed by forest. The hole sweeps down and around a large waste bunker. This hole has greatness written all over it.

Like the golf course, the rest of the club facility is elegant and sophisticated but wholly unostentatious. The design of the modern splendidly appointed clubhouse is elegant yet understated, featuring fine oak paneling, carpeted locker rooms and a small gourmet restaurant. The gated entrance to Galloway National is likewise unobtrusive, and the first-time visitor can easily drive by it if he doesn't know exactly where it is. The practice facility is large and includes front, back and side hitting areas and bunkered greens for short game work. Killian, a gracious man who loves to teach, heads a small staff of highly personable, top flight instructors.

Galloway National currently has some 220 members, many of whom live out of state. The course is never crowded and in fact 10 groups on the tee sheet would be considered a heavy day on a course that hosts only 10,000 rounds a year. For the serious and discriminating golfer, Galloway National is ideal. It is located within convenient distance from Philadelphia, New York and other parts of the Northeast. It offers a world class golf facility at an initiation and annual fee structure that are appreciably less than many other comparable world class golf clubs. Currently, the club is completing its campaign to expand its individual and corporate membership. If you are interested in joining this special, beautiful club or just to learn more about it, you are invited to call 609-748-1000. Ask for Mike Killian or marketing Director Ron Giordano.