As of November 2026, Atlantic City Country Club in Northfield, NJ is a fully private club, so only members and their invited guests can book a round.
Non-members can still visit for Taproom lunch, holiday events, simulator rentals, and weddings, so keep reading for a more detailed look at how it all works.
Can You Play Atlantic City Country Club? Access, Membership, and Fees in 2026
No, not unless you know a member. The course is open to members and their invited guests only, and non-members can’t book a tee time. There are no public green fees and no online booking, so a round isn’t something you can simply buy.
How to get on the course
Your options depend on your situation:
- Find a member host. This is the most dependable route. Your host books the round for you, usually through the club’s member portal, ForeTees.
- Book a Monday outing. Outings are accepted on Mondays only, which makes this the most realistic path for a non-member group. Email membership@ottingergolf.com to start.
- Ask about joining. Golf membership is closed, and future consideration is by referral only. You can contact the Director of Golf, Michael Burke, or the Director of Membership, Barbara DiCecco, to ask about referral or waitlist steps.
Guest fees and limits
The club doesn’t publish a current guest fee or guest-limit policy. Ask your host or the golf shop before you go. For context, a sister club under the same owner limits guests to five visits a year, but the rule may differ here.
Memberships that won’t get you on the course
Ottinger Golf Group owns the club, and some of its other memberships can look like a way in. They aren’t. The Associate Membership ($639.75 with tax) explicitly excludes Atlantic City Country Club.
The Social Membership covers dining only. It gives you up to 20% off for parties of up to four, plus access to member events.
A Social Plus tier adds free event tickets and entry to the July Fireworks Party. It’s a good fit if you want to eat there often, but it won’t put you on the first tee.
Why booking sites show something different
GolfNow, TeeOff, GolfPass, GolfLink, and LocalGreenFees still list the club as “daily fee,” with rates such as $99 to $225. Those listings are out of date. Don’t pay anyone who claims to sell you a tee time here.
The confusion has a reason. The club first opened to the public on March 17, 2006, after 108 years as a private facility, and a September 2020 report still described it as public, with rates of $125 to $225. It went private sometime between late 2020 and about 2022, though no exact date is confirmed.
Hotel stay-and-play packages
A 2014 deal with Caesars gave hotel guests preferred tee times. That arrangement dates from the public era and doesn’t appear to apply now. No Atlantic City stay-and-play package currently includes the club.
History and Ownership: From 1897 Hotel Owners to Ottinger Golf Group
Atlantic City Country Club began as an amenity for hotel guests and has changed hands several times since. It now sits under the same ownership group that runs two other clubs in the region.
How the club started
On September 11, 1897, a group of mostly Atlantic City hotel owners met at the Brighton Hotel. They wanted to give resort guests something to do, settled on golf, and picked land in Northfield.
A trolley line running from Atlantic City to Somers Point and Ocean City made the site easy to reach from the boardwalk hotels.
The founders planned 18 holes and capped membership at 200. John Reid surveyed the land, and the club and clubhouse opened on June 18, 1898, while construction was still going on. The trolley bell now hangs at the club entrance and serves as the club’s emblem.
Who designed the course
Four sets of architects have shaped the layout over the years:
- John Reid (1897)
- Willie Park Jr. (1915)
- Howard Toomey and William Flynn (1925)
- Tom Doak with Bruce Hepner (1999)
The Doak renovation
Hilton bought the club from the Fraser family in October 1997 for roughly $18 million. Part of the course closed in November 1998 for a $6 million renovation, and it reopened in 2000.
The work brought back firmer, undulating greens and native fescue, and it added a new irrigation system. Doak and Hepner also rerouted two closing holes and built a new par-3 17th.
Ownership over time
- Fraser family: Bought the club in 1945 or 1946, depending on the source.
- Hilton: Took over in 1997.
- Caesars Entertainment: Owned it next.
- Ottinger Golf Group: Took over on April 15, 2014. The group also owns Scotland Run and Ballamor.
Leo Fraser’s role
Leo Fraser ran the club until his death in 1986. He also served as PGA of America president in 1969-70, and he helped resolve the split between touring pros and club professionals that led to the creation of the PGA Tour.
Colorful stories from the clubhouse
The clubhouse once had a barbershop and hotel rooms, and dinner guests wore jackets and ties. Nucky Johnson was a regular, and the club says Al Capone “hid” there during the 1929 Atlantic City crime convention. In the 1940s, guests included Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, and Jack Kelly.
Championships and the “Birthplace of the Birdie”
Atlantic City Country Club has hosted some of golf’s most notable events, and it also lays claim to giving the game one of its best-known words.
Major championships and firsts
The club’s list of firsts starts early, and the pace didn’t slow down much after that.
- 1901 U.S. Amateur: Walter Travis won using the new Haskell rubber-core ball. That same year, the first intercollegiate Ivy League golf championship was played here, and Harvard took it.
- 1911 and 1912 U.S. Opens: The club’s professional, John J. McDermott, won the 1911 U.S. Open at age 19 and defended the title in 1912. He is still the youngest winner in the tournament’s history.
- 1948, 1965 and 1975 U.S. Women’s Opens: Babe Didrikson Zaharias won in 1948 with an even-par 300, Carol Mann followed in 1965, and Sandra Palmer won in 1975. The 1975 event made the club the first venue to host the championship three times.
- 1980 Atlantic City Senior International: This was the first event of what became the PGA Tour Champions, and Don January won it.
Across all of this, the club has hosted six USGA championships in total.
The birdie story, as the club tells it
On a windy day in December 1903, Ab Smith of Philadelphia hit his second shot on the 12th hole to within inches of the cup. A playing partner called it “a bird of a shot,” which was slang at the time for anything excellent.
A one-under-par score on a hole then became a “birdie,” and visitors carried the term home with them. A memorial rock marks the spot, and the club says “eagle” followed as an extension of the theme.
Most accounts place Smith in a group with his brother William and George Crump, who later founded Pine Valley.
Where the accounts disagree
The details of this story aren’t fully settled, and a few points vary depending on who’s telling it:
- The year: The club and most outlets say 1903, but Smith himself later recalled the round as 1898 or 1899.
- The hole: Sources name the 12th, the 2nd, or the 3rd.
- The speaker: Some accounts credit Smith with the remark, while others credit a playing partner.
Atlantic City’s claim is still the most widely accepted origin story for the term, so it’s fair to call the club the birthplace of the birdie. Treat the specific date, hole, and speaker as tradition rather than established fact.
The Course: Layout, Tees, Signature Holes, and Rankings
Atlantic City Country Club is a par-70 layout with bentgrass greens and fairways. The golf course covers 140 acres, and the full property is roughly 170 acres.
Layout: parkland out, marsh back
The two nines play very differently. The front nine is parkland style and measures 3,452 yards from the Blue tees, with four par 4s longer than 445 yards. The back nine is tighter at 3,125 yards, winding through tidal marsh with views of the Atlantic City skyline.
Tees and ratings
Ratings are for men unless noted.
| Tees | Yardage | Rating/Slope |
|---|---|---|
| Blue | 6,577 | 72.2/133 |
| Blue/White | about 6,311 | 70.6/131 |
| White | about 6,175 | 69.8/129 (women’s 76.5/144) |
| White/Gold | about 5,789 | 67.9/127 |
| Gold | about 5,477 | 66.3/121 (women’s 72.4/135) |
Yardages vary slightly between scorecards, so check the club’s current card before you play.
Signature holes
- No. 1: A 450-yard par 4 whose tee sits on part of the practice green.
- No. 4: A 144-yard par 3 with views of the city skyline.
- No. 6: A 592-yard par 5.
- No. 12: A 134-yard par 3 played over marsh.
- No. 15: Known as “Tidewater,” this par 3 plays about 190 yards, and only the pin is visible from the tee.
- No. 17: A 157-yard par 3 that is blind and uphill over dunes. It has been compared to No. 8 at Maidstone.
- No. 18: A 432-yard par 4 guarded by large fairway bunkers.
Rankings
The course sits in the upper tier of New Jersey golf, though its position has shifted a little in recent years.
- New Jersey: No. 22 for 2025-26, down from 20th, and it was 21st in 2021-22. Another state list places it at No. 21.
- National classic courses: No. 194 for 2026, after T175 in 2025.
Practice facilities
The club has a driving range, a pitching and chipping area, and teaching pros. The putting green doubles as part of the first tee. These facilities are for members and their guests.
What Non-Members Can Do: Dining, Events, Simulators, and Weddings
You can’t play the course without a member connection, but several parts of the club are open to the public. The clubhouse in particular is worth a visit for the history alone.
The Taproom Bar & Grille
The Taproom is open to the public and works almost like a small museum. It’s filled with club memorabilia, including part of the original 1897 floor and the Warren Somers founding certificate, and it has skyline views. Daniel Harman is the executive chef, and the dress code is smart casual.
Lunch covers salads, pub sandwiches, and burgers. Dinner moves to steaks, chops, and seafood. Reservations go through OpenTable.
Hours and seasons. The Taproom runs seasonally from April through December. In late fall 2026, it serves lunch only, Wednesday to Sunday starting at noon, and it’s closed Monday and Tuesday. In-season hours run longer and add dinner Thursday to Sunday. The room acts as a member-only dining space during the season, then becomes available for private rental from November through March.
Holiday events this season
Two public events are coming up:
- Thanksgiving Dinner Buffet, Thursday, Nov. 26: Seatings run 12:30-1:30 pm and 3:30-4:30 pm. Tickets are $65++ for non-members, $55++ for members and guests, and $25++ for children ages 3-12. Kids under 3 eat free, and each adult gets a glass of champagne.
- Breakfast with Santa, Sunday, Dec. 13: Seatings run 9:30-10:30 am and 11:30 am-12:30 pm. Tickets are $55++ for non-members, $45++ for members and guests, and $25++ for kids. RSVP through OpenTable or at 609-236-4400, ext. 2.
Club 1897 Virtual Golf & Sports
This 10,000-square-foot facility has three simulators and three big-screen TVs, with food and drinks from the Taproom. You can choose from 84 courses, including Pebble Beach, Oakmont, and Torrey Pines. It has been advertised for events and hourly rentals, so confirm availability before you plan around it.
Weddings and private events
The club offers a range of spaces, depending on your guest count:
| Space | Capacity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Classic (Grand) Ballroom | 40-240 guests | An older page lists 260 |
| Skyline Ballroom | 100-325 guests | Coming 2027, with 25-foot ceilings, a bar, and a fireplace |
| Sky Deck & Covered Patio | 30-100 guests | |
| Bay Room | 30-60 guests | |
| Taproom rental | 30-100 guests | November through March |
Beyond those rooms, the Skyline Garden hosts outdoor ceremonies. The bridal suite and the groom’s suite are also available, and the groom’s suite includes a mini bar, a pool table, and a shower. Park Place is an on-site retreat of more than 4,300 square feet.
For budgeting, third-party estimates put the ceremony site fee at around $1,000 to start, with couples often spending about $60,000 overall. Treat both as rough figures and ask the events team for a current quote.
The new Skyline Ballroom points to where the club is heading: private golf, paired with banquets, weddings, and public-facing dining.
Planning Your Visit: Location, Dress Code, Contacts, and Tips for Guests
The club sits in Northfield, a short drive from Atlantic City, and a little preparation goes a long way. Because hours, prices, and policies change, a quick phone call before you head out is worth the time.
Location and directions
The club is about 6 miles west of Atlantic City. Expect roughly 15 minutes from the Boardwalk and 20 minutes from Atlantic City International Airport.
If you’re coming from Atlantic City, follow these steps:
- Take the Atlantic City Expressway to Exit 4.
- Turn left onto Franklin Ave.
- Turn right onto Rt. 322/Black Horse Pike.
- Turn left onto Main St./Shore Rd. and continue to the club.
Parking is on site, and no fees have been published.
Dress code
The details come from older listings, so confirm them with your host. The guidelines call for a collared shirt, no denim, and no metal spikes. Expect traditional private-club etiquette overall.
Who to contact
The main line is 609-236-4400 (fax 609-415-2838). Press ext. 2 for dining and ext. 3 for events.
- Nick Borro: General Manager
- Michael Burke: Director of Golf
- Barbara DiCecco: Director of Membership
- Barry Shewalter: Head Golf Professional
- Mark Beaumont: Superintendent
- Angela Zbikowski: Director of Events
For weddings and banquets, email events@accountryclub.com.
Tips if you’re playing as a guest
Arrive early, since the first tee shares space with the putting green. The marsh holes get windy, so club up. Greens tend to be fast and firm. On the blind 17th, trust the yardage rather than the view. Confirm cart, caddie, and walking rules with the golf shop before your round.
Your next step, by goal
- You want to play: Find a member host or book a Monday outing.
- You want to join: Ask about referral and waitlist steps.
- You want the history: Book Taproom lunch or a holiday event now.
What to double-check
A few details aren’t fully nailed down. The exact date the club went private isn’t confirmed. Official guest policies sit behind the member site, so ask your host. Hours and prices shift with the season, so call 609-236-4400 before you visit.
Conclusion
Atlantic City Country Club keeps its golf private, but its dining room, holiday events, simulators, and wedding venues are open to everyone. Add in more than a century of history, and the trip is worth making even without a tee time. If you want to play, find a member host. If you want to eat or celebrate, book now. Either way, call 609-236-4400 to get started.
