With its debut on July 7, 2001, Wild Turkey became the Crystal Spring Resort’s second Roger Rulewich design — an outstanding encore to Rulewich’s award-winning Ballyowen. Located adjacent to Crystal Springs Golf Club, Wild Turkey’s topography is best described as “basin & ridge”. The layout’s two distinct terrain types combine the sheer expansiveness of Ballyowen with the rugged, multi-elevated nature of Crystal Springs. While it may be easy to classify Wild Turkey as a combination of its two sister courses, Wild Turkey stands on its own merit as a uniquely designed golf course, named one of NJ’s Top New Public Courses by NJGCOA.
The basin area of Wild Turkey — consisting of holes #3 and #12 through #17 — is reminiscent of the treeless expanse of Ballyowen. The par-3, 14th tee affords golfers a view of the entire hollow, while challenging them with a long iron to a deep green. Many of the par-4’s feature limited aprons require both strategy and precision on the approach shot. The green surrounding for the picturesque #15th hole is indicative of this prevailing design concept.
The par-3, 7th signature hole at Wild Turkey shares much in common with Crystal Springs’ signature hole. It, too, is a forced carry over a quarry lake to a well-protected and intimidating target. Comparable again to Crystal Springs and Ballyowen, playing Wild Turkey is considered a challenging event. Yet the multiple tee locations, generously wide fairways, and moderately contoured greens make Wild Turkey an enjoyable experience for all skill levels.
