The Pines At Clermont

Par 62 layouts get dismissed by golfers who equate length with legitimacy, but The Pines at Clermont occupies a corner of New Jersey that earns its own kind of respect. Clermont sits in Cape May County, the southernmost reach of the state, where the landscape flattens into a mosaic of pitch pine, scrub oak, and coastal wetlands — the same Pinelands ecology that defines this stretch of South Jersey. A course carved through that terrain carries a character that longer, more manicured tracks often lack: a scruffiness, a naturalness, an honesty about what the land actually is.

An executive or short-course layout like this one rewards shot-making over raw power. With a par of 62, expect a card dominated by par 3s and short par 4s where ball-striking precision and putting matter more than distance off the tee.

Cape May County draws visitors for its Victorian beach towns, wildlife refuges, and easy pace — and the golf here fits that spirit. This is a place to play quickly, enjoy the surroundings, and not take the game too seriously.