Preakness Valley GC Benefitting from Renovation

After $2.7 million in improvements, one of the U.S.’s oldest courses is displaying a “night and day” difference in its ability to cope with bad weather; work to further improve drainage for a back nine in a wetlands area is planned.

One year after completing a $2.7 million renovation, Preakness Valley Golf Course, formerly known as the Passaic County Golf Course, is benefitting from the improvements and is now “in the best shape it ever has been,” according to a recent profile published in the Bergen County Record.

The New Jersey course has been able to remain open even during spells of bad weather, the Record reported, as “nearly a decade of work and millions of dollars in renovations are starting to pay dividends, and local golfers are reaping the benefits.”

Preakness Valley is operated by Passaic County as the county’s only public course. Founded in 1892, it is recognized by the United States Golf Association as one of the first 100 golf clubs established in the Unitied States. It includes two 18-hole courses, practice greens, and a driving range.

The new tee boxes that were installed last year at the course have grown in, the Record reported, a new irrigation system is keeping the course “lush and green,” and new cuts of fairway, fringe and rough are “well-manicured.” Perhaps most importantly, a newly designed drainage system is allowing the course to dry out more quickly and remain open on days it wouldn’t have in the past.

“Before the renovations, if we got one inch of rain, both courses would be closed,” Course Superintendent Darryl Sparta told the Record. “But not any more.”

However, while Sparta said the course “is in great shape,” he added that he was still “far from satisfied.”

“I want it to be even better, and I know it can be even better,” he said. “There are nothing but good things to come.”

Future improvements already in the works include a completely redone cart path system, enlarging the irrigation pond, and finishing the course’s pump house. Also, an agronomist was recently brought in to survey the course and see if drainage can be further improved, especially on the back nine of the Red Course, which is located on wetlands and still didn’t drain sufficiently in June to avoid postponement of the Passaic County Amateur Championship.

But even without those additional improvements, there is a “night-and-day difference from even a year ago,” the county’s Director of Parks, Nick Roca, told the Record.

“When I first got here [12 years ago], people would walk around with a pencil sharpener, because they needed to sharpen their tee to get it in the tee box,” Roca said. “We’ve worked incredibly hard for 10 years to improve every part of the course, and now it’s become one of the better municipal courses in the area.”

“I’m excited for the future,” Sparta added. “It’s only going to get better from here on out.”