The Guru’s were graciously asked to participate in a golf outing at the Essex County Country Club in West Orange, NJ, (the oldest club in New Jersey) and we quickly jumped on the offer to play a private country club.  The entire course was manicured to perfection, a word to the wise, when playing this course make sure you eat your Wheaties because it plays long, however it plays fair, which makes for an enjoyable day.  I would recommend playing if you get the chance.  My co-host Mark and I both give this course a 9 out of 10.  In addition to our video review, we provided pictures of some of the holes of the course along with a brief write-up and rating of the different aspects of the course.  We hope you enjoy the review.

Golf Guru Ratings:

Ratings (1 -10):

Staff:   10

Staff at this course was top notch, from the time we pulled up everything was taken care of.  Our foursome was accompanied by two caddies who knew the ins and outs of each hole, and had recommendations for each golfer based on their skill set.  I must say it is an advantage when the caddie can tell you where you should aim on a putt, especially never having played there before.
 

Facilities:  10

Facilities at the course were great.  The course offered a driving range and putting facility to get nice and warmed up.  The course also offered a nice golf shop, however like most club shops everything was somewhat overpriced.  Once we finished our round, we went back to the club house for cocktails and a surf and turn dinner which was delicious. 
 

Manicured:  9

Overall the course was manicured very well.  Tee boxes were flat and trimmed nicely.  The fairways were like hitting off a carpet.  The ruff, although not overly high, was extremely thick and hard to get out of.   Finally the greens, although not overly fast, provided a true roll on the puts.

Booking Process: N/A (This is a private course)


Price: N/A (This is a private course)


Overall Golf Experience: 9

Essex County Country Club is a very challenging and fun course that I would recommend playing if you get a chance.  The practice facilities are incredible and the club house is very nice.  I found the course to be somewhat forgiving off the tee.  The challenge to the course in my opinion is the length and the many elevation changes from tee to green, so make sure to practice with driver and mid to long irons before playing here.

Course Rating and Slope:

                                         Yardage           Rating         Slope
Championship                 7101                74.0             137
Member                            6617                72.8             131
Foward                              6296                70.7             129
Gold                                   5999                69.2             126       
Women                             5656                74.5             139