The Seaview Marriott Resort & Spa, on Route 9 in
Galloway Township, NJ, just across the bay from Atlantic
City, is a special place. It has a history and tradition
that rivals the best of the classic, old-style resorts that
used to attract the "stars" of business, film and sports.
The elegant hotel's reception area is strewn with vintage
black and white photos of famous people who have graced
these halls over the years.
Situated on 670 pristine wooded acres, Seaview is marked by
gracious, friendly service and all the outstanding
recreational facilities of a Golf Digest four-star resort,
highlighted by two of the finest classically designed
courses you will ever play, the Bay Course, designed by the
renown Donald Ross, and the Pines Course.
The 2001 ShopRite LPGA Classic was being played on the Bay
Course during my visit, but I did play the Pines and loved
it. From the back tees (6211 from the middle set), the Pines
Course is 6,731 yards of classic golf at its best. Built in
the 1920s, the course features a dozen doglegs, and every
hole meanders through tall, thick southern Jersey pines.
There are no gimmicks one often sees on modern designs, just
pure straight-ahead golf.
After a terrific front nine, the course begins to sizzle
starting with the long, uphill par 4 11th. From there, you
play the downhill short but treacherous par 3 12th, the
436-yard slight dogleg right 13th which features a landing
area off the tee into a small valley from where the green is
obscured by a rise, and two fabulous and very long par 3's
in succession. The 468-yard sharp dogleg left 17th is one of
the finest parkland par 4's anywhere, magnificent in its
beauty and downright massive in its challenge. The modestly
long par 5 finishing hole up the hill, tops off one of the
most enjoyable rounds of your life.
But you needn't stop at the Pines. The Bay Course is one of
Ross's finest designs and is the resort's signature course,
though at 6,247 yards from the tips, is considerably shorter.
It features all of the famed designer's trademarks and
dynamic vistas of the bay on which it sits.
To make your round more enjoyable, the resort provides a
forecaddie. If your game still goes south, try some lessons
at the Faldo Institute right there at the resort. Meanwhile,
a full-service health and fitness center, Elizabeth Arden
Red Door Spa, tennis facility and superb cuisine complement
the excellent golf at the Seaview Marriott. 
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