McCullough's Emerald Golf Links - Holes #18 and #8

Getting To Know: McCullough's Emerald Golf Links

An Insightful Interview With Sonny McCullough, President of Board and Town Mayor

By Brian Weis

Whether you have played a course 20+ times a year or looking to play the course for the first time, insights from an insider can help enhance your golf experience. Below is an interview with Sonny McCullough who shares some valuable tidbits about the course, memorable holes and must eats and treats at the 19th.

Give Our Readers An Overview of the Golf Course/Property
Located just minutes from Atlantic City, this layout is a tribute to St. Andrews, Carnoustie, Prestwick, Gleneagles and Turnberry, among others. Designed by architect Alister McKenzie, McCulloughs features a three acre waste bunker plus an island fairway that is 160 yards wide, on the par four 7th hole. With water on 5 holes and the regions only 100 foot elevation changes, visitors to this course are treated to remarkable vistas and a challenging round.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
McCullough's Emerald Golf Links is a unique golf course for the Atlantic City area. The course has some amazing elevation changes, risk vs reward holes and country club conditioning for a municipal golf course.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
Purchase a yardage book as there are a few blind shots off the tee. This will save you a few shots.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
Top 35 New US Public Course To Open in 2002 - Golf Magazine
Top 2 US Municipal Course To Open in 2002 - Golf Magazine

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
Architect, Stephen Kay, hailed #7 as our signature hole. The 464 yard hole doglegs left over an acre sized sand trap. An aggressive line will make the hole shorter. Bite off only what you can chew.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It? I love elevation changes and the returning holes to the club house offer some great views and intimating shots. The tee box on the 8th hole is elevated a few stories above the fairway. A precise drive is needed for placement between the pond on the left and woods on the right. Hole 18 mirrors number 8 with an elevated tee. New Jersey is known for being flat so having these holes makes us very unique in the area.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
Late fall (2015) we will be reopening the steak house on property. Our steaks were amazing and I am excited to reopen the restaurant. The best way to end your round at McCullough's Emerald Golf Links is with a juicy steak and ice cold beer!

Back Tee Stats
Par: 71
Yardage: 6535
Slope: 130
Rating: 71.7

More Information
McCullough's Emerald Golf Links
3016 Ocean Heights Avenue
Egg Harbor Township, NJ, 08234
609-926-3900
www.mcculloughsgolf.com/

Revised: 12/09/2015 - Article Viewed 39,123 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.