New Jersey Golf Net

From the Asbury Park Press' Staying on course:

The daily-fee golf landscape, driven by a build-it-and-they-will-come mantra during a course construction boom that lasted nearly a decade, has undergone a major shift throughout the country in recent years.

At the Shore alone, Pine Barrens Golf Club in Jackson, Woodlake Country Club in Lakewood and Jumping Brook Country Club in Neptune have all opted to close their doors to the public in favor of a private club environment.

It's part of an overall retrenchment in an increasingly problematic market where overall rounds are down, competition for golfing dollars is up and an air of caution permeates the decision-making process.

Then there's Eagle Ridge Golf Club, where heavy equipment is rumbling around on 90 acres of land adjacent to their 18-hole course, carving out nine more holes. And with plans to do a major expansion on their 27,000-square-foot clubhouse early next year, the eight-year-old club is clearly bucking the trend among semiprivate facilities.

“It's a very exciting time for us,” said Jerry Kokes, one of Eagle Ridge's owners. “The more that go out of this business, the better for us. We'll be the only semiprivate course around with 27 holes.”

Read the full story.