There are more than 45 public or daily-fee golf courses in the seven counties that make up the South Jersey coverage area of the Courier-Post. So it was no easy task to select just 18 holes from nearly 900 as the best 18 in the region.

We understand you will not agree with all of our selections.

That's fine.

Still, we've managed to see, play and carefully study all of these holes over the past five years. Some needed a second look; others we knew were timeless and needed to be on our list.

The holes have been placed in the order that we will play them Monday. Our foursome will include sports copy editor Todd Shaner, myself and our two contest winners … Frank Tobolsky and Tim Salvatore.

We made our choices using three main criteria: fairness to the mid-handicap golfer, playability and aesthetics. This criterion is strictly our opinion on what makes a good-looking hole.

With that said, here is the Dream 18 as seen by the Courier-Post.

The third hole at Deerwood Country Club in Westampton may seem like an interesting choice.

The par-4, 365-yard hole is a dogleg to the right around a marsh. To play it correctly, a good drive down the left side of the fairway is needed. By doing this, the golfer has a better view of the green, which is guarded by a sand trap and small lake to its left.

Drive down the right side and you have the marsh to contend with, and that's what we like about this hole. To be fair, we're not fans of blind shots, but this is an exception. Why? Because the blind shot is the result of a poorly placed shot. At the same time, the shot is not impossible. Just hope you know how far you hit every club.

This hole also features a deep green that keeps a three-putt or worse alive. The key is to not be too aggressive on longer putts. And while a birdie is not out of the question, a good par is the best way to start your day.

The eighth hole at Golden Pheasant Golf Club in Medford has an advantage over most holes in South Jersey.

Since we play on mostly flat ground in South Jersey, elevated tees are the exception, not the rule. So this downhill, 173-yard par-3 has a look that gives it an advantage over 90 percent of the holes in the area.

The key here is a good short-‚to mid-iron, taking into mind the club differential for the elevation.

On our course, this is possibly the best birdie opportunity of the day.

If it's a par 5, we want it to be a five-shot hole, and the 13th at Rancocas Golf Club in Willingboro is just that.

This 545-yard hole requires a good tee shot beyond the tree line on the right. Hit it too far, and you bring a pair of bunkers into play. After your next shot, you should have a short iron into the green.

It's too long to be an eagle hole, so birdie or par are good scores here.

The par-4 10th hole at Pennsauken Country Club in Pennsauken is long.

Check that, it's very long. It's 442 yards, to be precise.

We plan to use every club in the bag on our course, and this hole goes a long way in doing that. A good drive is down the center to right side of the fairway. Hit it too far, and you're in the trees. The second shot is a fairway wood or a high iron. We know, only God can hit a 1-iron, so figure on a 5-wood into the green. By keeping it to the right side, you can roll the ball past a bunker to the front left.

Take your par and move on.

The par-5, 487-yard 18th hole at Ron Jaworski's Valleybrook Golf Club in Blackwood doesn't have to be long. With a fairway that slopes down to the left, the key here is to be on top of the hill for your second shot.

Tiger Woods could go for the green, but for us a well-played shot to the left side is the key. The right side is guarded by a pond that, for those of us who fade the ball (sure, I know it's a slice) avoiding the pond can be the difference between a par and an 8.

This hole also features a good bunker cluster to the left, so the third shot has to be a well-played short iron. Yet another big green, get it close and birdie is not out of the question.

Welcome to Pine Hill Golf Club in Pine Hill, which was ranked 31st in the country by Golf Magazine on a list of best places you can play (public or semi-private courses). It ranks two slots ahead of Bay Hill.

The course has quickly become a must in the area and is one of two courses … the other is Blue Heron East, at No. 100 … to be singled out by Golf Magazine in its best places you can play.

The par-4, 416-yard third hole is one of two picks from Pine Hill, the only course to get a pair of selections.

From the elevated tee, on a clear day you can see the Philadelphia skyline in the distance. A perfect tee shot is down the right side closer to center. Too far right and your view of the green is blocked by a hill. To far left and you bring a bunker into play to the front left of the green. Either way, you're hitting a high iron or wood into a green that rolls away from you.

On this big green, if you can get within 20 feet, you've done your job. Save par and move on.

The par-4, 430-yard 10th hole at Pine Hill is again from an elevated tee. Don't expect much roll here as the ball is on a downward flight by the time it reaches the fairway.

With a hill on the left, it's best to be a little to the right of center. The second shot again has to be long and must get over a swale in front of the green. If you reach in two, well, good for you. Now make par and get out of here.

The par-5, 485-yard seventh hole at Maple Ridge in Sewell is all about your shot into the green.

On this par 5, the drive just needs to be in the fairway. Then an iron short of a creek that cuts through the fairway will set you up for a short iron to the green.

The key here is to not be short on the hill the green sits on. It's safer to go long here. Sure, it's not as bad as when a bunker guarded the front of the green, back when the course was known as Eagles Nest, and Tall Pines before that. Still, in what is a shallow green when compared to the length of the hole, get to the top of the hill and work your par. Birdie is an option here.

This is our favorite hole on the course despite the wounds it has inflicted over the years.

The par-4, 411-yard 13th at Wedgwood Country Club in Turnersville is a great hole that requires two perfect shots just to get dancing.

A drive to the right side is needed to get on top of a hill that overlooks two lakes. A drive too far to the center or left puts you in the first lake.

Your second shot has an option: You can bail to the left onto a fairway that is next to the second lake or you can go for the green, which is about 160 to 170 yards over a lake. A very shallow green is guarded by three bunkers and out of bounds just 10 yards off the back of the green.

Make sure you're on the correct side of the green, or par will be a memory.

The par-4, 434-yard 12th hole at Scotland Run in Williamstown is yet another elevated tee with a beautiful view of the back nine.

A good drive will hug the left side of this slight dogleg to the left. Too far left and you're in the sand that surrounds the back nine of this course, which was cut out of a quarry. The second shot is partially blocked by a slight bump in the fairway if the pin is in front of the green.

This two-tier green holds all the cards if you want a good score. If the pin is back, be back. If the pin is up front, be up front.

Our front nine had a single par-3 hole. That all begins to change on the back nine with the par-3, 202-yard 17th hole at White Oaks in Newfield.

This long par 3 into a thin green needs a strong long iron for the golfer to be successful. From that point, the phrase "putt for dough" come to mind.

However, a bad tee shot here and tall grass and a slew of bunkers will make you pay dearly.

The 486-yard 10th hole at Buena Vista Golf Club in Buena is not the longest par 5, but shot-making and a tree line along the left side make this a strong hole.

A long waste bunker down the left means your tee shot should favor the right side. Bunkers along the right and left force you to place your second shot where the hole doglegs left for the final 100 yards or so.

You're left with a short iron to the green. Only if you're unbelievably long can you reach this hole in two. The biggest shot of the hole will be the second that needs to clear the tree line, but it can't go too far. A wedge in, and a birdie remains an option.

Twisted Dune in Egg Harbor Township presents another long par 3.

At 176 yards, the key to the 16th hole is to not let the chasm between the green and the tee play with your mind. The left side of the green is best and takes a bunker out of play. On our course, a birdie or par here could get you back on track.

The 435-yard 11th hole at Blue Heron East in Cologne is a long par 4 in which the drive holds all the cards.

With tall, wispy fescue around the fairway, an accurate drive is a plus. A long drive is more important.

The second shot will be over a bunker grouping that starts more than 50 yards in front of the green.

With a huge green, all that matters is that you've reached it. Take par and run. Bogey isn't the end of the world.

The shortest par 3 on our course, the 124-yard 11th hole on Blue Heron West in Cologne has a phenomenal look to it.

Over a lake with a nasty sand trap in front of the green, the key here is to be on the correct side of the green. This wide green has a ridge through the middle. If you're not on the green, go long. If you're short, you're looking at a six.

The 378-yard, par-4 13th hole at the Seaview Marriott Pines Course in Absecon is there to attack.

The dogleg left has a bunker grouping that protects the turn. A drive just past the bunkers to the right sets up a low iron into the green. With the tall pines … we know this a shocker … the premium is on accuracy. Good iron play here and a birdie can set up the final two holes of the day.

However, a bad drive and the day may as well be over.

The final par 3 on our course is the Seaview Bay Course's 224-yard No.‚14. The course is in Absecon.

This long par 4 goes against what we usually believe in, and that's a blind tee shot. A mound to the right with tall fescue blocks the green from the tee. The real problem lies to the left of the green where a bunker, surrounded by more fescue, is something you want to avoid.

A fade short of the green will allow the ball to roll up onto what is a flat surface. If you're short, hit a good bump-and-run shot, and par is still in the making.

The par-4, 411-yard fifth hole at Cape May National in Cape May may shock some of you.

We say, think again.

This par 4 starts off with a great look. Sand, tall reeds and a lake on the right frame the hole perfectly. A good shot down the left side leaves a medium iron into a green that has a thin opening. A well-played iron opens the door to birdie. A bad shot, and there is a wealth of places you don't want to be around the green.

So that's our Dream 18. Now all that's left is to play it and tell you how it goes. We're sure there are holes you may feel should be on the list but aren't, and some that are on the list but shouldn't be.

But that's what makes golf so interesting. For every type of golfer, there is a course that fits your game. More to the point, there are 18 holes in South Jersey that are perfect for you.

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