Pinch Brook Golf Course — Local services in Florham Park

Let me start by saying my rating isn’t based on the condition of the course itself. For a county course, Pinch Brook is in solid shape. The fairways and greens were well maintained, and overall the course played nicely.

A special shoutout to John, the starter — he was incredibly friendly and welcoming to me and my group. He set a great tone at the beginning of the round, and I really appreciated his kindness.

Unfortunately, our experience with the course ranger was a completely different story. He seemed to be on a serious power trip. My girlfriend is new to golf, and while we were playing a bit slow at the start, it wasn’t anything outrageous. Still, the ranger pulled up and got right in my face, demanding that we speed up. It was unnecessary and aggressive — I could literally smell his breath, that’s how close he got. A simple, polite request would have gone a long way. We immediately picked up the pace, and the group behind us didn’t catch up to us again.

By the time we hit the back 9, we didn’t see another group in front or behind us. On hole 12, a single player was moving quickly, so we let him play through on the 13th tee box out of courtesy. He passed us without issue and was long gone.

Despite this, the ranger came back around and abruptly cut off my cart, pulling up within arm’s reach. He demanded we skip a hole to maintain pace. I asked why — there was no one behind us, and we had just let the single through. He insisted the group behind us was catching up (they were still two holes away). When I questioned him, he snapped, “Just move to the next hole — it’s not like I’m kicking you off the course.” I told him there was no reason to say that, as we hadn’t done anything wrong. He continued to raise his voice, so rather than argue, I picked up my ball and moved on.

We finished the round in 4 hours and 35 minutes, which is very reasonable for public golf — especially with three newer players and my girlfriend playing her first-ever full round.

This could have been a very positive experience if not for the ranger's unprofessional attitude. Just a heads up to future players: the course is nice, but be prepared for a ranger who seems more interested in throwing his weight around than helping players enjoy...

I takes a lot for me to write a bad review because I work in the service industry but other people should be aware of what happened. This past Friday I had a tee time with Pinch Brook when I went online my tee time was booked for the wrong day. I had called 10 days before and booked my tee time over the phone and asked the pro shop to confirm my time multiple times. I called the course to see if there was anything they can do to squeeze us out on the course due to their mistake. I had clients that took off of work to play a round of golf with me that were making a far trip. The girl I spoke to on the phone realized someone made a mistake and told me the course was completely booked. She then put me on the phone with the Director of Golf Bethanie. I had told her my situation and told her my clients and I were not from the area and wanted to play still. Instead of trying to help me when her employees made a mistake she refused to let us go out as per the tee time we had and kept saying we would slow her golf course down. I worked in the golf industry for 12 years and these things happen and we always do our best to make sure our customers are happy. Yes, it would be alittle slow to start and put you behind for a few minutes but the course works it self out and the pace always gets moving. Her refusal to help and take responsibility for her employees messing up was not right at all. Your course is not Bethpage Black, you could of assisted. Your course and your employee made a mistake and you should take responsibility for that and do something to help. Bethanie, please take the time train your employees to take the right time over the phone. You made me really scramble and look silly in front of my client. Another course in the area was accommodating and...

2025 review. I barely write golf reviews but think Pinch Brook deserves one after reading some of the negative ones. I played here in 2023 and it was just OK.

I managed to play with the starter yesterday and what seemed like 2 local. They were fantastic playing partners.

The course, IMO, is in very good condition. The bunkers had soft fluffy sand and rakes compared to the pools of water years ago. The fairways and greens are hard but it hasn't rained in a couple of days so it makes sense. They are however very well maintained, so kudos to the field team.

This course, although it being a par 65, is not easy. I regularly shoot in the 90s, sadly, and this course has a lot of par 3s that will tally up the scores if you hit it poorly. There are also a lot of hazards, so precision is key. If you are looking to improve your game