Hole 1 at Pine Valley Golf Club

Clementon, New Jersey
Par
4
Yardage
421 yds
Stroke index
3
Hazards
8 bunkers
Hole 1 aerial at Pine Valley Golf ClubHole 1 map
Hole 1 green slope contour at Pine Valley Golf Club

41 yd wide × 38 yd deep · 2.3 ft total elevation range

Light = gentler slope · Red = steeper slope
White lines: 1 foot of elevation. Arrows: downhill. General terrain, not a pin read.

Approach from bottom

Contour source

USGS one meter x50y441 DE DelawareValley HD 2015 · collection 2015

Map source & reference

Mapbox Satellite composite · capture date not provided. Green at the top; the labeled map reference is below.

Scorecard yardage is for Championship tees. The aerial shows its labeled reference position; distance rings measure to the green.

Championship tees · Par 4 · 421 yards

The plan for No. 1

A par 4 and stroke index 3. A risk-reward opener: the drive carries sand to a fairway that bends right, and sand reaches out to catch a weak fade (Golf Digest).

Off the tee

Favour the left. The angle of the dogleg and a cluster of pines mean a drive down the left sets up the clear shot in (1962 Shell's broadcast).

Approach & recovery

The approach must be precise, with trouble left, right and long (Golf Digest), and the green needs a high shot to hold (1962 broadcast).

On the green

No bunker guards this green; its defence is judging depth (Golf Club Atlas). The surface runs 31 yards from front to back; read the contour panel for slope.

Watch for

  • Two bunkers left
  • Six bunkers right

Hole 1 Green Complex & Slope

USGS 3DEP terrain analysis

Green Surface

Green size: 7,218 sq ft

Dimensions
38y Deep × 41y Wide
Mapped green boundary
Elevation Relief
2.3 ft
High-to-low drop
Max Slope
6.9°
Graded terrain

Course coverage

Tournament and creator videos about Pine Valley Golf Club — shared course coverage, not hole-specific clips.

Featured by these creators

Creator videos about this course

YouTube creators who filmed or featured Pine Valley Golf Club. · Stats as of Oct 12, 2026 · 5d ago

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Research notes

  • 1962 broadcast: the 1st doglegs severely right after a carry over sand; a cluster of pines and the angle of the dogleg mean the drive should go down the left for a clear shot in, and the green needs a high approach to hold. (00:05:38)[1]
  • The 1st has a bunkerless green, so the defence is depth judgement rather than sand.[2]
  • The 1st is a risk-reward drive over a hazard to a bending fairway where sand reaches out to catch a weak fade; the approach must be precise, with trouble left, right and long. — Jerry Tarde (narration) (00:01:39)[3]
  • A 12-handicap guest: every drive has a forced carry and the landing area is rarely visible, but a roughly 230-yard driver carried them all from the men's tees and found generous fairways beyond. (playing the course)[4]
  • About half the approaches need a carry, and anything short is punished; laying up on the par 4s and going in with a wedge is no disgrace. (playing the course)[4]
  • Eight of the 10 short-course holes replicate approach shots on the main course (2, 3, 10, 13, 14, 15, 17 and 18), with the same elevation change and direction. (short course)[4]
  • Greens can reach 12 to 13 on the Stimpmeter at tournament time, and the aim of a putt may be 90 degrees from the straight line to the hole. — Jerry Tarde (narration) (00:06:41)[3]
  • On the 4th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 11th, 13th, 16th and 17th the player is unlikely to see the drive land. (Holes to Note: 9th)[2]
  • Recent Tom Fazio work has removed trees, exposed more sand and moved tees back; hard holes got harder. — Jerry Tarde (narration) (00:07:31)[3]
  • The landing areas off the tee are more generous than the reputation suggests; about half the greens need an all-carry approach and the rest accept a ball bounced in from the front. (review)[5]
  • Crump died suddenly in early 1918 with only fourteen holes open; the 12th through 15th were built the following year by Hugh Wilson and William Flynn to his plans. (review)[5]
  • Crump insisted on keeping each hole isolated and on a routing that regularly changes direction. (review)[5]
  • Harry Colt had a large input into the final routing; Crump consulted many leading architects but held strong views on how the course should be arranged. (review)[5]
  • Hotelier George Crump bought the land in 1912 and spent the next six years living at Pine Valley, searching out the holes. (review)[5]
  • Pine Valley has held the No. 1 spot in GOLF's world ranking for decades, with a routing that hopscotches between islands of turf across sandy ground. (3 things to know)[6]
  • The par 3s ask for roughly a three wood, 4 iron, 9 iron and 6 iron into the 3rd, 5th, 10th and 14th for a good player. (Holes to Note: 10th)[2]

Sources

  1. Byron Nelson vs Gene Littler at Pine Valley | 1962 Shell's Wonderful World of Golf — PGA Tourhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XdVWUTLhdI
  2. Pine Valley Golf Club course profile — Golf Club Atlashttps://golfclubatlas.com/countries/pine-valley-golf-club/
  3. Every Hole at Pine Valley Golf Club — Golf Digesthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVL-gbO0fLU
  4. Pine Valley Golf Club review — UK Golf Guyhttps://www.ukgolfguy.com/pine-valley-golf-club
  5. Pine Valley Golf Club — Planet Golfhttps://www.planetgolf.com/courses/usa/pine-valley-golf-club
  6. Pine Valley: GOLF's Top 100 Courses in the World 2025-26 — GOLF.comhttps://golf.com/courses/pine-valley-golf-top-100-courses/