By PAUL GIORDANO
Courier-Post Staff

WEST DEPTFORD

Golf in South Jersey is as good as it gets.

Stretching from the southern tip of Cape May, running north along the coastline to the northern tip of Ocean County and spreading west from the Atlantic Ocean to the Delaware River, the number of private and public courses totals 71.

That's 48 public and 23 private (see related chart).

Competition is keen. Keeping a course green, keeping it clean and keeping it attractive at a reasonable price takes a special blend.

The Vogt family at the Westwood Golf Club has created that blend. Their 125-acre layout in Woodbury is green and clean … and can be played at a reasonable price (see related chart).

The blend begins with the Vogts and greens superintendent Charles D. Hund, who has the course in near-excellent playing condition.

``We police the grass with pesticides and insecticides to keep the grass disease-free,'' Ken Vogt said. ``We feel we know what we are doing and spend the money to back it up as far as what the course needs.

``We have a good crew too. Our crew's been here for a long time. Unlike a lot of courses, we have a pretty stable crew. Our superintendent (Hund) has been here for 12 years. They take pride in their work, and they know what they are doing. They have the dedication, and that helps a lot.''

The second part of the mix is keeping play at a reasonable price.

``From the revenue side,'' Vogt said, ``we found it's good to do the volume that comes along with the lower price. It's good to try and reach a happy medium. We don't want to have the course overrun with people. We don't want to be underutilized either. It's kind of a balancing act between revenues and cost. But that's business, I guess. We try to do a good job, and we seem to be getting along OK.''

Fifteen public courses have opened in South Jersey since 1990 with three more on the planning board for the 2003 and 2004 seasons. On the private side of the fairway, five have opened since 1990.

It is a players' market. Greens fees range from $26 including cart at Holly Hills in Alloway, to $130 at the Pine Hill Golf Club in Pine Hill. And at the Jersey Shore, many of the high-end ($75-and-up greens fees) courses are starting to offer specials. But that's another story.

Despite the changing face and abundance of courses in South Jersey, the Vogts have managed to meet the competition.

``That's probably the most difficult,'' Vogt said. ``The competitive forces are constantly changing. They've changed a heckuva lot in the last 10 years. The number of courses certainly affected play. Although the number of golfers has grown, the number of courses has grown even greater, particularly in this area over that period of time.

``It creates a lot of competition, and you have to follow along and see what everyone else is doing and carve out your niche. That's all you can do.''

Westwood is prized property. It plays a par 71, 5,968 yards from the men's tees, and a par 72, 5,182 yards from the women's. It may be a little short, but don't let the yardage fool you. Westwood is basically a traditional layout, where the mental part of the game comes into play more than muscle and length.

Through the years, land developers and golf entrepreneurs have expressed their interest in Westwood.

``Certainly, we've been offered,'' Vogt said. ``And tempted to sell? I'd say I don't think we've gotten to that point yet. When someone comes around and wants to buy your course, it's somewhat of a flattering type of a thing.

šFrom a business standpoint, it's a healthy thing to have it going on. If it's good for them, then it's still good for us.''

The Westwood property was bought by Janet Vogt's father, William Raynor, in 1942. He built the course in 1961. Janet and her husband, Ken, took it over in 1991.

``This is basically our home,'' Ken Vogt continued. ``We live on the property, and we're here all the time. Our daughter Jennifer (Bell) is here too. She's an assistant manager and handles the marketing. I'm basically an outside guy. My background is that of an accountant, and I do the paperwork. My wife, Janet, runs the pro shop and, as you can see, has added the flowers throughout the course … a nice touch.

``Family is essential in a place like this that runs seven days a week with so many hours. You need to have family; otherwise it would be very difficult to do without that glue to keep things together.''

Reach Paul Giordano (856) 486-2424 or pgiordano@courierpostonline.com
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