N.J. county commissioner says consolidation of elite golf course ‘town’ with neighbor was long overdue

Christopher Inexperienced has by no means played an official spherical at one particular of the premiere golfing programs in the entire world, which just comes about to be in his hometown.

He did engage in a spherical or two about 30 a long time back when he was a caddy at the Pine Valley Golf Club, a super exceptional, personal haunt for the abundant, famous, and well related. But that was when no one particular was seeking.

The club, in actuality, was much more than a club. It was, until the initially of this calendar year, its personal municipality, with a borough council, law enforcement pressure and a few of workers, such as protection guards, to oversee the 600 or so acres of densely wooded hills punctuated by a person of the most coveted shrines of golf in the entire world.

But Green, 60, continue to simply cannot step foot on the home, which is wholly owned by the club – even nevertheless he is now mayor of Pine Hill, the borough Pine Valley consolidated with on Jan. 1.

Camden County officers are lauding the consolidation as a charge-conserving transfer that was extensive overdue.

“Making Camden County a more affordable position to are living relies on us consolidating companies and cutting down the myriad redundancies in government solutions in very small cities that have much less than 100 residents,” Camden County Fee Director Louis Cappelli wrote in an electronic mail to NJ Advance Media. “Basically, it boggles my thoughts that we had two municipalities that are basically just golfing courses with a number of households on them.”

The other municipality Cappelli was referring to is Tavistock, which has 3 homes and much less than 10 people. It also has a non-public golf study course, but has a general public restaurant and banquet hall. It marked its 100th anniversary last year.

On Wednesday, the state filed a civil rights complaint against Pine Valley Golfing Club, alleging it violated New Jersey’s Regulation Against Discrimination by banning females from getting to be members and restricting their capability to golf and to obtain club services.

When Pine Valley was its possess borough, it also effectively restricted residence possession to only males. The director of condition Workplace of Civil Rights in 2019 had peppered then Pine Valley borough officials with inquiries about “limitations on residence ownership,” in accordance to 157 webpages of files acquired by NJ Advance Media in 2021.

The club decided to let women of all ages to be members in 2021, in advance of the merger with Pine Hill. Point out officials said Wednesday people procedures adjusted only following the state released its investigation. Club officials did not reply to phone calls, texts or emails trying to get comment.

As a final result of the merger with Pine Valley, Pine Hill got a $10 million tax ratable that has translated into $1 million in added tax earnings this 12 months, claimed Green, who spoke to NJ Progress Media prior to point out officers introduced the submitting of the civil legal rights criticism.

The borough was presently giving municipal services, this sort of as law enforcement, firefighters and EMS, as portion of a shared provider settlement for the inhabitants of fewer than two dozen households in the previous Pine Valley local community. Most of the total-time workers of Pine Valley, like the longtime police main, retired or have been laid off.

The consolidation also gave Pine Hill two non-public golfing classes. The 3.87-sq.-mile Pine Hill Borough was currently house to the previous Pine Hill Golfing Club, purchased by the Trump Corporation in 2009 and renamed Trump National Golf Club Philadelphia.

“Before we had been a blue-collar community and we had (Trump Nationwide Golf Club Philadelphia),” Green advised NJ Progress Media. “Now, we’re even now blue collar but we have the two.

“The most important drive back again residents have is, ‘Why just can’t we participate in golfing there?’”

The median home value in Pine Hill is $135,000, in accordance to latest census data. The regular evaluation in Pine Valley is practically $600,000.

Green said most of the current Pine Valley club members do not linger in city after a round, and the 10 residents who in fact are living there generally preserve a low profile.

“Day in and out, we really don’t know who most of the people are,” claimed Eco-friendly, a beverage business IT supervisor. “We may possibly see them at the neighborhood Wawa.”

Inexperienced reported he appreciates Michael Kennedy, the previous mayor of Pine Valley. They attend the same church, St. Simon Inventory Parish in nearby Berlin Borough. He stated it was not uncommon to see him at Mass. Attempts by NJ Progress Media to reach Kennedy ended up not effective.

Inexperienced mentioned he feels Pine Valley inhabitants voted very last drop to consolidate, in component, due to the fact of the time determination essential to serve on the Borough Council and other boards.

Inexperienced explained there are 17 properties and three resident “dormitories,” very similar to motels, in Pine Valley now. Which is 3 less residences than the 23 that have been cited in the public documents from 2019.

Environmentally friendly claimed he thinks the golfing club is phasing out housing, but referred further questions to the club President Charley Raudenbush, who did not react to various requests for remark from NJ Progress Media for this write-up.

Eco-friendly claimed he is self-confident there was no pending litigation against the borough of Pine Valley in advance of the two boroughs consolidated, including he explained he only sees an upside to including a second personal golf club to the borough.

Trump National Golfing Club Philadelphia, even though also private, is not just about as exclusive, or really rated, as Pine Valley in golfing publications. Pine Valley was rated initially between 100 study course in The usa by Golfing Digest in 2021. Augusta National, the property of the Masters Match, was rated No. 2. There had been no Trump golf programs ranked in the prime 100. Trump Nationwide Golfing Club Philadelphia was rated No. 20 of 25 in New Jersey by the journal, even though Pine Valley was ranked No. 1.

Green mentioned former President Donald Trump did not stop by the home though he was in office. But previous Vice President Dan Quayle commonly flew in by helicopter to Pine Valley when he was in business, and Eco-friendly was usually on hand. He was a volunteer firefighter and they were being essential to be on duty in scenario of crisis.

“He would come in and land on the observe vary,” Environmentally friendly stated. “All of unexpected, the Magic formula Assistance would occur in and be all over the place. It was a little something to see.”

Environmentally friendly explained he at the time caddied for “a man who received the U.S. Open,” but couldn’t try to remember his name. He stated he also carried the bag for previous Flyers star Rick Tocchet.

He claimed he acquired the task there from his brother-in-legislation, who received his work from Green’s father-in-legislation. He stated they’ve swapped tales above the a long time about the well-known men and women they’ve viewed or listened to about passing as a result of.

“There employed to be a Catholic church two blocks from the back entrance,” Environmentally friendly stated. “People reported it was not that uncommon to see Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra in there on a Sunday ahead of they teed off.”

There ended up also tales about the gangster Al Capone enjoying the training course in the 1930s. A hideaway he was rumored to have, a 36-acre estate in Pine Hill overlooking the program, marketed for $1.3 million in 2019.

“It has been a excellent practical experience, and at the end of the day, it labored out very well for all people,” Environmentally friendly explained.

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Bill Duhart could be reached at [email protected].