Seaview Bay Course

The verdict

The Bay Course at Seaview is a piece of golf history hiding on the marshes near Atlantic City. It opened in 1915, laid out in part by Hugh Wilson, the architect of Merion, and finished by Donald Ross, who added the bunkering, then restored toward its original lines by Bob Cupp Jr. in 1998. It rewarded its early ambition immediately, hosting the 1942 PGA Championship, where Sam Snead claimed the title in the old match play format.

This is not a course about length. At a par 71 of roughly 6,247 yards from the back, it is short by modern standards, but that is the point: it defends with bunkering, breeze off Reeds Bay and the cunning of classic green complexes rather than yardage. For golfers who love a strategic, walkable, old world layout with genuine pedigree, the Bay is one of the most charming public rounds on the Jersey Shore, and a longtime home of the LPGA along the coast.

The holes worth the trip

The Bay plays along and across low ground near the water, so the wind is the defining variable, swinging clubbing from one round to the next. The greens are the heart of the design, classic in size and contour, well guarded by the bunkering Ross added, and demanding precise approaches rather than brute force. Miss in the wrong spot and par becomes hard work even on a short hole.

Because it is compact and walkable, the round flows, and the historic feel never lets up: small, firm targets, strategic bunkering, and tidy lines from a classic era of design. The restoration recovered much of the original character, and the result is a thinking golfer's course that punishes the careless and rewards the player who works the angles and respects the wind. It is the kind of layout that improves the more you play it.

For traveling golfers it is the heritage round of an Atlantic City golf trip, the historic counterpoint to the region's bigger, modern courses and a chance to walk the same turf as a major champion.

Where to stay nearby

The Stockton Seaview Hotel sits beside the course, a restored 1912 property with rooms, dining and a second course on site that makes the Bay an easy stay and play. For a livelier base, the Atlantic City casino hotels are a short drive away with rooms, restaurants and more golf within easy reach.

For a wider Jersey Shore golf trip, Seaview pairs with the dramatic man made dunescape nearby at Twisted Dune Golf Club and the classic Robert Trent Jones municipal test up in horse country at Hominy Hill Golf Course.

Looking for a base nearby? See our recommended hotels and resorts.