The Meadows at Middlesex, Plainsboro, NJ: Course Review
The Meadows at Middlesex presents another course for beginners and seasoned veterans alike. The course offers a variety of holes, ranging from short par-4’s, to 215+ yard par 3’s. With trees lining almost every fairway, poor tee shots are penalized quite harshly. Even if your tee shot clears the trees, getting back into the fairway or attacking the green will present a challenge. However a good drive usually leads to birdie opportunities and most importantly an extremely enjoyable 18 holes of golf.
A unique aspect about this course is that it starts with a par 5 and a par 3, and then ends with a par 3 and a par 5. Hole 1 presents a long par 5, where if you avoid the trees on the right you can get to the green in three easy shots. Golfers with confidence can try to carry the creek and get to the green in only two. I opted to lay up in front of the creek, wanting to start my round on the safer side. Hole two is a short par 3 over a lake. If the pin is placed towards the front of the green, you are better off at just hitting your shot to the middle of the green and two-putting for par. Holes 17 and 18 are both very scoreable and a great way to end your round. Alike to hole 2, hole 17 is a shorter par 3 over a pond. There is a lot of green to work so this hole isn’t too challenging. Hole 18 is a 510-yard par 5. A few good shots will give many golfers a great chance at birdie to end off their round.
My favorite hole on the course was hole 11. Coming off of the front nine feeling good, especially after stopping for a few hotdogs, hole 11 presents an interesting challenge while providing some of the best views of the entire course. The left side of the fairway is lined with both trees and houses, while there is a lake spanning the entire length of the hole on the right side. Righty golfers will be scared of slicing their drive into the lake, so a long iron or a hybrid may be a better choice than a driver off of the tee. This hole isn’t too long, so hitting an iron out into the middle of the fairway still allows an attempt at hitting the green in two and walking away with a birdie.
All in all, the course is maintained fairly well. Bunkers are in good shape, but they only come into play on a small percentage of holes. Trees are incredibly prevalent on this course and present a challenge if you consistently miss the fairway. Some unfortunate tree luck can lead to some higher scores, but staying in the fairway minimizes the challenges that this course may present.
Price
No matter where you are playing, price is one of the main considerations when choosing a course. Unfortunately, The Meadows at Middlesex isn’t a great value in terms of what you have to pay to play. Late Sunday morning I paid $68 ($50 for the round + $18 to ride). While this isn’t an exorbitant amount for 18 holes, for what this course provides it is a little expensive. Surprisingly, the food and drink prices are much more affordable, as two hot dogs and a beer totaled around $10. However due to the price of the round, The Meadows at Middlesex is not at the top of my list when I’m choosing where to play my weekend golf. If I am in the area, I’d rather play at Bunker Hill which is no more than 20 minutes down the road. Don’t get me wrong, this course isn’t a “stay away,” but there are better options in Central New Jersey.
Check out additional golf content on our site, golfshopstop.com, and let me know other courses in New Jersey that are worth a weekend visit!
