Ocean Acres Country Club — Local services in Stafford Township

After reading many of the negative reviews of this course and having some reservations of playing here decided to make a ttime and I was surprised to find that not all was as bad as described. Obviously not all was good either. I’ll start with the bad first. Went on their website and posted prices for green fees w cart was 59 until 11:00 and 49 after 11:00. Made a ttime for 11:25. Arrived at the pro shop and the person behind the counter rings me up for $59. I politely asked him why he was charging me the morning rate when it should be $49. Apparently the new higher rates weren’t posted and therefore it was 69 in the morning and 59 after 11:00. Btw I made the ttime that morning after seeing their posted prices. I told them that they should update their prices and wanted to know if they would honor the rates that I saw on their site but they stood by their higher rates. I went back on their site to show them but apparently in a matter of minutes someone went and changed the rates on their site. Just felt a little shady. It would have been nice if they honored the price posted before changing them. The cart paths are a hot mess but you can ride around them . It’s bad but not a deal breaker. There is no water on the course but cartgirl comes around often. The holes weren’t clearly marked so if it’s your first time playing there then you might have a hard time finding a couple of holes. There were some positives as the layout of the course was actually pretty nice. Conditions were fair . The greens were actually in good condition but just a little slow. I play often on many courses. Some very nice and unfornunately on some dogtracks. This is not a dog track. I would say average. With the right kind of investment this course can be a real gem . It’s actually a shame from what I hear how nice this course used to be. Played with 2 people that have been playing there for years and filled me in on some of the backstory about the course. Overall is it worth it to pay $69 to play. Not really. I would say $50 max . But if you want to play and don’t want to spend $100 plus on premium shore courses then this might...

VERY SAD STORY.....Have played Ocean Acres many times over past years, but don't recall writing a review. To be fair, it was once a respectable, playable, if modest, golf course. I am saddened to see the course permitted to degenerate to its present distressed state. The heat of summer has always taken a toll on this track, as irrigation appears to be limited or perhaps non -existant. I would have to write a book to adequately describe the deplorable conditions that pertained in mid -August of 2020, when i played a round of something that was vaguely similar to golf. The cratered and crumbled cart paths assure a bone -jarring, tooth- loosening, ordeal in transit to each successive hole. The fairways , laden with scarce clods of occasional grass would be more rightly described as penalty areas which are indistinguishable from the mottled and pock marked rough. The greens on the front nine might lead one to overlook the arid and ragged fairways and suggest that something approaching the game of golf might yet be experienced.... Then comes the back nine.... There are not words in our language adequate to describe the wretchedness of the back nine holes. There are at least six greens that exhibit immense patches of pure corduroy streaked bare dirt. At least three are entirely unplayable and nearly denuded of grass. In my mind, this array of 18 misadventures is not deserving of the title "golf course." I truly felt taken advantage of and, as I alluded earlier, deeply saddened, largely because no care, no concern, and clearly, no pride is evident here any longer. It was not always that way. Perhaps the cool rains of Fall may bring some natural recovery, but i am not sure any assist from nature can overcome abject neglect. Save your money....maybe go bowling....Oh I guess that's out with covid still active. OK, do anything....just don't golf Ocean Acres and beware of...

I grew up nearby and have played OA dozens of times in life. The best way to describe it is, wasted potential. The 10th hole island green is cool and the overall layout is unique enough to create replayability. The conditions on the course are mediocre to poor. In years past they had a pool and tennis courts that they let waste away. The restaurant, bar, and banquet hall hasn't been updated in decades (has anyone told them they are the only establishment with a liquor license on this side of the parkway)? The place is a gold mine if it were properly invested into and maintained.

The biggest problem is the price. In the summer months, when nicer courses are charging $100+ a round, I can occasionally justify paying $65 to play OA, but even then, their are usually other options of similar or better quality for less money (Cedar Creek, Atlantis, and all the Monmouth County courses). The summer twilight discount is not nearly enough of a discount. Why would I pay $40 for a round I might not finish before dark, when most other courses are charging $20 for their twilight hours?

The price becomes an even bigger problem outside of summer. There are three courses less than an hour from OA that are consensus top 5 public courses in NJ (Twisted Dune, Seaview, and Eagle Ridge). With fall/winter prices you can play 18 with a cart on any of them for only $5-10 than OA. It's just not possible to justify playing OA when there are top courses in the state nearby and available for essentially...