I recently played the Forest Course at Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club with a few golf buddies and wanted to share the experience. The club, located in New Jersey’s Upper Raritan Watershed just off Route 78, has an interesting past: it began as a peach orchard in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, later became a dairy farm, and then opened as a golf club in 1965 with its first 27 holes.
Today Fiddler’s Elbow offers three distinct 18-hole courses: the River Course, routed along the Lamington River; the Meadow Course, named for the land’s former use as pasture; and the Forest Course, a Rees Jones design tucked among white pines, beeches, oaks and other hardwoods.
We came to Fiddler’s Elbow thanks to winning an auction at a charity golf outing. We arrived early to enjoy lunch and took full advantage of a sunny day and the attractive outdoor patio. Service throughout the club was excellent—from the pro shop to the locker room to the snack shop at the turn. My only real critique is the lack of detailed yardage or strategy notes on the scorecard and at some tee boxes. For example, Hole 12 is a tight dogleg left; it would be helpful to have the distance to the corner indicated. Otherwise, it was a thoroughly enjoyable day.
Hole 1 | 362 yards, par 4
The first hole is a pleasant invitation to the round. It plays relatively open—avoid the bunker on the right and you’ll have a good chance to start with a par. Interestingly, the first hole doesn’t prepare you for the tighter, more demanding holes that follow on the Forest Course.
Hole 3 | 518 yards, par 5
After two open holes the layout begins to live up to its name. Trees start to narrow the fairways and Rees Jones’ affinity for sand becomes apparent: a dozen bunkers sit between tee and green. Missing the fairway here can quickly turn the hole into a scramble.
Hole 5 | 431 yards, par 4
Hole 5 is a real test. The tee shot must find the middle of a long, narrow fairway. In addition to the constricting trees, three fairway bunkers on the right are strategically placed in the landing zone. Even drives that look safe can bounce or roll into those bunkers, forcing a difficult recovery.
Hole 9 | 516 yards, par 5
The front nine finishes with the forest closing in and a demanding green complex. At 516 yards this par 5 requires three solid shots to reach in regulation. The green itself is relatively open with a single bunker right, but it slopes noticeably, making any approach leaving you above the hole a nerve-testing downhill putt.
Hole 10 | 369 yards, par 4
Hole 10 sets the tone for the back nine. Bunkers lie in wait down the right side of a narrow, tree-lined fairway. Two of our group found those bunkers and saw their scores balloon; the other two hit the fairway and enjoyed a straightforward shot into a receptive green.
Hole 12 | 379 yards, par 4
Although the course describes Hole 12 as a dogleg left, it plays more like a distinct left turn. It’s not especially long, but it demands a well-placed drive into the corner so the second shot can carry the water guarding the front of an uphill green. Without clear distance markers to the dogleg’s corner, the hole proved more difficult than expected.
Hole 17 | 174 yards, par 3
This short par 3 is all about commitment. A pond sits between tee and green, and the putting surface is tiered, sloping toward the water. When the pin is cut near the front, any aggressive putt struck from above the hole risks rolling into the pond, so precise distance control and careful reads are essential.
Hole 18 | 559 yards, par 5
The finishing hole brings together the course’s defining elements. As the longest hole, it begins with a long carry over water to a flat ledge, then the fairway narrows and descends into a valley toward the green. A series of bunkers guards the right on the second shot, and the green is two-tiered—presenting a challenging finish where club selection and course management are rewarded.
Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club
811 Rattlesnake Bridge Road
Bedminster Township, NJ 07921
tel 908 439 2230
fiddlerselbowcc.com