Review: Vineyard National at Renault (Part 1)

When it comes to wine, New Jersey is not the first state you think of. In fact, it's probably pretty far down. But there are wineries even in the most urbanized state in the United States, and that includes Renault Winery. I bring this up because this vineyard is also home to a golf course, which is a unique proposition for me. I've played a couple golf courses in orchards, but never a winery. Now all I need is to find a golf course associated with a farm brewery and I'll have the trifecta.

Anyway, the course, which is technically called Vineyard National (that's a dumb name, so I'm just going to call it Renault), is about 25 minutes northwest of Atlantic City. It's a pretty new course, built in the early 2000s by Ed Shearon, a Northeast regional architect. I don't have much else to say about it because this was more of a course chosen to fill a day rather than someplace we were looking to play. Truth is, we'd already played everything we wanted to, and as you can tell from the pictures, it was a pretty gray and miserable Friday. But hey, I'd read some good things online and it looked interesting on Google Maps, so maybe Renault would turn out to be a hidden gem. Let's find out.

The first hole is decidedly not a gentle start to the round. At 450 yards it's the longest par 4 at Renault, and it played directly into the wind, making the long par 4 even longer. The trouble starts from the very first shot, as there's a bunker right in the middle of the fairway, plus another right guarding the optimal line into the green. Play safely out to the left and you'll have a slightly uphill approach to a shallow green with a deep bunker in front. Not a shot you ever want, especially with a mid or long iron in hand. Playing to the right means you at least have a decent chance of holding the green, which is separated into two distinct sections. It's a tough hole, especially considering Renault lacks a driving range, but without water or anyplace to really lose a golf ball, it's not unreasonable.

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is 415 yards and a lot more straightforward than the first. The fairway is wide, and the two bunkers right aren't a huge factor in the drive; a good driver can get past them. The second shot is tougher, since water lurks right. It looks like there's a pot bunker just short of the green, but it's a deception. That bunker is actually 30 or so yards short, so it's not much of a threat either.

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is the shortest hole on the course, playing a diminutive 144 yards. There is a pond between the tee and the green, and that's obviously a threat, as is the beach-style bunker in front, but this is still not a difficult hole. There's plenty of room to play safely out to the left, and the green isn't particularly undulating. Just use enough club and you should be fine. 

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole is a long par 5, playing 550 yards. It's a straight hole, and there's not much trouble on the tee shot except for the group of dense trees right. If you can get your drive far enough, the second shot is pretty easy too, but if you don't hit a good drive, there's a series of massive bunkers left between 100 and 200 yards from the green that narrow the fairway. You don't want to put a lay-up shot into one of those. If you get past those bunkers, the third shot will be a little wedge to a smallish green sloped from back to front with a single bunker left.

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is 10 yards longer than the third, but since there's no water it feels even easier. However, what it lacks in water it makes up for in copious amounts of sand. Four bunkers on all sides of the green, and they're not small bunkers either. The green can feel a bit small, but there's a tier you can use to bring a golf ball back down toward the hole if it's in the front like we had. Much like the third, this is also a pretty easy hole. 

The fifth hole.

The sixth hole is 575 yards, making it the longest hole at Renault. This front nine is interesting in terms of routing, with the third through sixth going 3-5-3-5. There's over 400 yards of difference between this hole and the third. It also features a rather interesting hazard, but on the tee shot the primary concern is the bunkers. The ones left aren't really a factor since they're closer than they look, but the big one right of the fairway is very in play. If you avoid that, the second shot will be a lay-up to a fairway squeezed between a small pond left and the vineyard right. Yes, the namesake of the course does feature into a couple holes. It's not a very wide gap in between, frankly, and I wish there was a bit more room for the lay-up. The green is pretty undulating and guarded by one bunker front left. I've played a couple courses with orchards in play, but this is the first vineyard I've seen on a golf course. 

The sixth hole.

Approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole, a mid-length par 4, plays over the vineyard for the first 100 yards or so, then takes a nearly 90 degree turn to the left at 250 yards. If you want to use driver, you'll have very little fairway to work with, as the fairway is pinched between multiple bunkers. I'd recommend laying back with a fairway wood or long iron. That leaves a short or mid iron into the green, which has two bunkers right. There's more vineyard behind the green, but its far enough away that it doesn't come into play.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is 330 yards with a rather interesting bunker. It's massive, about 100 yards long, and runs right down the middle of the hole, splitting the fairway into two halves. Which side you go down is up to you; the green is completely open, with no bunkers or other hazards. It is quite a large green, however, and fairly undulating. If you have the length to carry the bunker, you should do it, since there's really no reason not to.

The eighth hole.

After walking back almost the entirety of the eighth hole (seriously, the ninth tee is really close to the eighth tee), the ninth hole is a mid-length par 4 with a couple of impressive looking yet ultimately mostly irrelevant fairway bunkers. They're too close to be much of a threat, so the drive is pretty simple. The fairway is canted from left to right, so that's something to consider for the second shot. That's the real tricky shot on this hole, as the green is quite small and very closely defended by two large bunkers on each side. So while the hole isn't very long, this is actually one of the toughest holes at Renault.

The ninth hole.

The ninth green.

That's it for this week, next week we'll take a look at the back nine.