Berkshire Valley Golf Course Review

Berkshire Valley truly is an amazing course. This ishowever, there is no bar to sit at after the round.
a must play for any golfer in NJ you will not beThey do have a snack bar area in which you can
disappointed. When I pulled into the parking lot andorder food and can grab a cold beer. They also
was driving up to the club house, I knew I was inhave seating inside and outside. The outside
for a treat. The overall initial appearance of theseating overlooks the 18th hole, which is nice
course put a smile to my face. The first fivebecause you can watch people finish up as your
holes of the course start on top of a mountain.sipping on a frosty beverage. It should be noted
The view from the first hole is truly breathtaking,that the outside seating area, while nice, offers
as it overlooks the rest of the course. The firstonly a few seats and the inside seating area is
five holes are challenging because if you aren'tnothing to write home about, but serves its
straight off the tee, your ball will be O.B. With thatpurpose.
said, if you can survive the first five holes, theUsually when you hear that you are playing a
rest of the course pretty much opens up. Fromcounty course, you expect the conditions of the
the tee box, the landing areas on the fairwayscourse to be adequate but not great. Well this
appear to be tight, however they are wider thencountry course is the exception to that rule. I
they appear. I think other than the first 5 holes;thought the course was maintained and manicured
the course can be played by any level of golfer.to perfection. The conditions at Berkshire Valley in
You don't need to be overly long off the tee onmy opinion were just as nice as any top end
this course to score. There are more than a fewcourse that I have played. Every Tee Box was
holes that you can keep your driver in your bagimmaculate, every fairway was cut, the bunkers
and use a fairway wood or a long iron off thewere filled with sand and the greens from hole to
tee. Other than the first 5 holes, if you are erranthole were as consistent as any course I have
off the tee, you still have a decent second shotplayed. You could just tell that the groundskeeper
into the green. Most of the greens are protectedof the course took a lot of pride in the courses
by either water or sand so mid-iron play isappearance. Please note that the course is closed
important, maybe more important then a goodon Mondays for course related repairs
drive. This in my opinion makes it fun for averageLike most county courses, residents of the
golfers like me. This course is a must play if youcounty can make reservations can be made over
are looking for something new and fun.the phone or on the internet. Non-residents on the
The Staff at Berkshire Valley was great; theyother hand can only use the on-line option to book
couldn't have been friendly enough. We got lost ontee-times. Tee-times can be booked a week in
our way to the course, called the pro shop andadvance and are posted to the public at 8:00 PM.
they were very accommodating to us. Once weTimes fill up fast and it isnot uncommon to get a
arrived, they didn't rush us. They let us take ourbusy signal when calling a week in advance at 8:00
time and once we were ready, sent us on ourPM for a Saturday tee time, so make sure you
way up to the first hole.have the course number on speed dial and keep
The facilities at Berkshire Valley were up to partrying.
as well. The Putting green was more thanDon't be fooled by the county course name.
adequate, it sits down next to the 18th hole andWhen playing Berkshire Valley expect to pay a
pretty much overlooks the entire course. You getprivate course rate. In county residents will pay
a true feel as to what the roll and speed of the$70 for an early tee-time on the weekend, and
greens will be when you actually get on theout of county golfers are charged $95 for the
course. The Driving range on the other hand wasprivilege for playing this amazing course. Rates are
average at best, but most county courses that Ilower during non-prime hours and weekdays. In
have played don't even have a range so I can'tmy opinion the course is truly worth the price of
knock it too much. The Club house was nice;admission.