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BY: RORY SPEARS, ASSISTANT            EDITOR & SR. WRITER

Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs Resort

New Jersey is a state where there are more good looks on the golf scene, than some of of us people out in the Midwest might think.

While Atlantic City has it’s hotels, gaming, restaurants and more. The area has 18 great golf courses as well.

But when one gets north in New Jersey closer to New York City, it’s hard to believe one of the biggest resorts you will find anywhere sits proudly in two towns. That’s right, Crystal Springs Resort might be one of the biggest resorts those away from the east coast might not be familiar with. It’s so big one town can’t hold it.

The Golf is great, but so are the pools.

Where is Crystal Springs Resort, well it’s in Vernon and Hamburg New Jersey.Crystal Springs is the only four-season resort of it’s kind in the Tri-State Area.

You need a hotel, no problem the resort has four ( told you it was a big resort). The Grand Cascades Lodge, Minerals, the Appalachian and Black Creek Sanctuary. There is seven, yes seven golf courses and 15 restaurants, including the the four-star Restaurant Latour complete with it’s award winning 135,000-bottle wine cellar. Off the course there are not one but spas, ranked on Spa’s of America Top 100 spa list.

Sounds so good you want to go right now. Well you can, golfers turn the clubs upside down and use them as your ski poles. Ski specials are running already for the winter, and the popular New Years Eve packages are selling out quickly, so don’t wait if that interests you.

The Appalachian Hotel

For the golfer planning ahead, it’s never to early to get you golf package set up at Crystal Springs Resort. You book for rounds with the clubs or with the feet.

Crystal Springs hosted the first U.S. Pro-Am foot tour event, even before it hit the west coast where Foot Golf has become so popular. The Sept. 14-16 event brought in hundreds of players including some of the best in the world. The sport that came to the U.S. in 2011 and is growing quickly is now a part of Crystal Springs. If foot golf is your passion, your have found another home to play.

Ballyowen Golf Course, New Jersey’s                Top Public course. 1st hole.

For those who enjoy golf as it’s been played for years, Crystal Springs has plenty of choices for you. Seven golf courses including Ballyowen, that is rated by the major golf publications as either the No.1 or No.2 public course in the state of New Jersey.

The course designed by Roger Rulewich opened for play in 1998. The links style golf course will give the golfer plenty of challenges. Elevation changes, bunkers, mounds, and some strategic risk-reward carries. Some greens have multi-tiers, so placing your approach shot can be a key factor.

The Par 4 18th hole at Ballyowen, with clubhouse and banquet building in the rear.

The courses at Crystal Springs have a wide range of challenges, and while of them are fun to play. Some of are set up for the junior or senior golfer, or others who might be new to the sport.

So regardless of your skill level, don’t be afraid to try one of the seven courses at Crystal Springs. You can play 9 or 18 holes, besides Ballyowen you can play courses like Wild Turkey or the Cascades Course. Most of the courses are located right next to the hotels. You can always take a shuttle to any of the courses.

For golfers headed into New York City or out to Long Island, it’s an easy drive from the resort. So when the east coast or New York city is calling your name, don’t forget one of the biggest golf properties in America is not far away.

Call (855)-533-7621 for more information, online go to Crystalgolfresort.com. Crystal Golf Resort, plenty of choices, plenty of fun.