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

Christopher Environmentally friendly has never played an formal round at 1 of the premiere golfing courses in the earth, which just comes about to be in his hometown.

He did play a spherical or two about 30 a long time ago when he was a caddy at the Pine Valley Golf Club, a super distinctive, non-public haunt for the abundant, renowned, and nicely connected. But that was when no 1 was looking.

The club, in truth, was extra than a club. It was, right up until the 1st of this year, its own municipality, with a borough council, law enforcement drive and a couple of staff, which includes security guards, to oversee the 600 or so acres of densely wooded hills punctuated by a person of the most coveted shrines of golfing in the earth.

But Green, 60, nevertheless cannot action foot on the house, which is wholly owned by the club – even however he is now mayor of Pine Hill, the borough Pine Valley consolidated with on Jan. 1.

Camden County officials are lauding the consolidation as a cost-conserving go that was lengthy overdue.

“Making Camden County a much more economical put to reside depends on us consolidating expert services and reducing the myriad redundancies in governing administration providers in little cities that have fewer than 100 residents,” Camden County Commission Director Louis Cappelli wrote in an electronic mail to NJ Advance Media. “Basically, it boggles my brain that we had two municipalities that are primarily just golf programs with a several homes on them.”

The other municipality Cappelli was referring to is Tavistock, which has 3 homes and considerably less than 10 residents. It also has a private golf system, but has a general public restaurant and banquet hall. It marked its 100th anniversary past 12 months.

On Wednesday, the condition submitted a civil rights criticism versus Pine Valley Golfing Club, alleging it violated New Jersey’s Law From Discrimination by banning women from becoming customers and restricting their capability to golfing and to entry club services.

When Pine Valley was its possess borough, it also effectively limited house possession to only men. The director of condition Business of Civil Rights in 2019 had peppered then Pine Valley borough officers with issues about “limitations on property possession,” in accordance to 157 webpages of files received by NJ Progress Media in 2021.

The club determined to let females to be members in 2021, just before the merger with Pine Hill. Point out officers mentioned Wednesday these policies adjusted only following the point out introduced its investigation. Club officers did not respond to phone calls, texts or emails looking for comment.

As a result of the merger with Pine Valley, Pine Hill received a $10 million tax ratable that has translated into $1 million in extra tax profits this calendar year, claimed Eco-friendly, who spoke to NJ Progress Media in advance of point out officers introduced the filing of the civil legal rights grievance.

The borough was already furnishing municipal solutions, these types of as police, firefighters and EMS, as part of a shared provider agreement for the residents of a lot less than two dozen properties in the previous Pine Valley local community. Most of the total-time personnel of Pine Valley, together with the longtime law enforcement main, retired or were laid off.

The consolidation also gave Pine Hill two non-public golfing courses. The 3.87-sq.-mile Pine Hill Borough was presently household to the previous Pine Hill Golf Club, acquired by the Trump Organization in 2009 and renamed Trump Nationwide Golfing Club Philadelphia.

“Before we had been a blue-collar group and we experienced (Trump Nationwide Golfing Club Philadelphia),” Environmentally friendly told NJ Progress Media. “Now, we’re nonetheless blue collar but we have both.

“The primary drive back residents have is, ‘Why can’t we play golfing there?’”

The median household value in Pine Hill is $135,000, in accordance to latest census information. The average assessment in Pine Valley is approximately $600,000.

Environmentally friendly stated most of the existing Pine Valley club customers do not linger in city right after a spherical, and the 10 inhabitants who essentially are living there generally hold a small profile.

“Day in and out, we really do not know who most of the inhabitants are,” said Green, a beverage company IT supervisor. “We may possibly see them at the neighborhood Wawa.”

Environmentally friendly stated he understands Michael Kennedy, the former mayor of Pine Valley. They show up at the exact church, St. Simon Stock Parish in close by Berlin Borough. He stated it wasn’t unconventional to see him at Mass. Efforts by NJ Advance Media to get to Kennedy were not effective.

Green mentioned he feels Pine Valley inhabitants voted past tumble to consolidate, in element, because of the time motivation expect
ed to serve on the Borough Council and other boards.

Eco-friendly mentioned there are 17 residences and three resident “dormitories,” very similar to motels, in Pine Valley now. That’s 3 much less residences than the 23 that had been cited in the community documents from 2019.

Green claimed he thinks the golf club is phasing out housing, but referred further more questions to the club President Charley Raudenbush, who did not answer to a number of requests for remark from NJ Advance Media for this article.

Inexperienced mentioned he is self-assured there was no pending litigation from the borough of Pine Valley ahead of the two boroughs consolidated, adding he stated he only sees an upside to including a 2nd non-public golfing club to the borough.

Trump Nationwide Golfing Club Philadelphia, although also non-public, is not practically as exclusive, or extremely rated, as Pine Valley in golf publications. Pine Valley was rated initial between 100 class in The us by Golf Digest in 2021. Augusta Countrywide, the dwelling of the Masters Event, was ranked No. 2. There were no Trump golf classes ranked in the top rated 100. Trump Nationwide Golf Club Philadelphia was rated No. 20 of 25 in New Jersey by the magazine, whilst Pine Valley was ranked No. 1.

Green mentioned former President Donald Trump did not go to the residence while he was in office. But previous Vice President Dan Quayle frequently flew in by helicopter to Pine Valley when he was in office, and Green was frequently on hand. He was a volunteer firefighter and they have been demanded to be on obligation in situation of emergency.

“He would arrive in and land on the exercise selection,” Eco-friendly explained. “All of unexpected, the Key Services would appear in and be almost everywhere. It was something to see.”

Environmentally friendly mentioned he when caddied for “a man who received the U.S. Open up,” but couldn’t try to remember his identify. He claimed he also carried the bag for former Flyers star Rick Tocchet.

He said he received the task there from his brother-in-law, who got his job from Green’s father-in-legislation. He reported they’ve swapped stories above the yrs about the well known persons they’ve noticed or read about passing as a result of.

“There applied to be a Catholic church two blocks from the again entrance,” Green explained. “People mentioned it was not that unusual to see Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra in there on a Sunday right before they teed off.”

There were also tales about the gangster Al Capone playing the study course in the 1930s. A hideaway he was rumored to have, a 36-acre estate in Pine Hill overlooking the program, offered for $1.3 million in 2019.

“It has been a excellent working experience, and at the end of the working day, it worked out well for all people,” Inexperienced stated.

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Monthly bill Duhart may well be arrived at at [email protected].