Sun Eagles Golf Course
Sun Eagles golf course first opened for play in 1926. The course was designed by A. W. Tillinghast.
Sun Eagle's Golf Course measures 6,357 yards from the back tees for a course rating of 70.7 and a slope rating of 121. The course par is 72.
From the forward tees the course measures 5380 yards. The longest hole on the course is # 15, a par-5 that plays to 575 yards. The shortest hole on the course is # 7, a par-3 that plays to 113 yards from the back tees.
Watch out for # 4, a 433 yard par-4 challenge and the #1 handicap hole on the course. The easiest hole at Sun Eagles Golf Course is # 11, a 470 yard par-5.
Suneagles has an interesting and storied history. In the 1920s, Max Phillips of the famed Phillips Van Heusen Clothing Company of New York City and the designer of the soft collared golf shirt, purchased the estate of 250 acres and the adjoining winter farm of 350 acres, to build a private golf club. Construction of the club began during October 1923, and when finished consisted of an 18 hole championship golf course, a swimming pool, tennis courts, polo stables, fields, and a magnificent clubhouse, which had a retractable roof over the ball room. Total construction costs for this project was $750,000 ($500,000 for the course and $250,000 for the clubhouse). A. W. Tillinghast, the man described as the "Dean of American-Born Architects," and whose courses include Winged Foot, Baltusrol, Bethpage Black and others designed the course. The first Golf Professional was the Scotsman, Seymour Dunn. Members and guests would frequently see Mr. Dunn on the course in a Scottish kilt as he wanted to establish the club with a Scottish flair. There were approximately 200 members when the Suneagles Country Club opened amid significant publicity on May 29, 1926.
In the 1930s, the club was purchased by the members from Phillips, and renamed the Monmouth County Country Club. Around this time an article in Golf Illustrated magazine was written about the course. The following is an excerpt from that article: "Possessed of a charmingly designed and appointed clubhouse, its fortunate members may stay at the club. No more delightful place could be available for a golfer as they look out over the course at the glorious country beyond through the ample casement windows. The clubhouse is Tudor in character and was designed by B. Hustace Simonson, known for the design of many of the finest examples in the U. S. of the architecture of this period. Monmouth County has one of the handsomest and best appointed clubhouses in the Metropolitan districts."
The U.S. Army purchased the Monmouth County Country Club in 1942 for the unbelievable low price of $42,000. This included the club house (Gibbs Hall), golf course, swimming pool, tennis courts, and the polo fields that is now known as the Charles Wood housing area.
Sun Eagles golf course was the site of the 1935 NJ Golf Association Open Championship which was won by the legendary golfer, Byron Nelson. His first professional victory. The course record of 65 was established in 1935 and is held by Gene Saranzen. Sune Egles was also the site of the 1963 All Army Golf Trials, which was won by Lt. Frank James, while Sergeant Orville Moody came in second. Orville Moody subsequently turned pro in 1967 and won the U. S. Open Championship in 1969. Other famous Sun Eagles golfers have included Babe Ruth, Sam Snead and the 1941 PGA winner, Vic Ghezzi. The professional for most of this time (39 years) was John W. Welsh Jr., better known as Jack Welsh, who still plays on the course (As of 2011).
Although Sun Eagles has changed while being under the ownership of the U. S. Army, it is still known as a challenging and rewarding golf course and one of the premier Army golf courses in the world.