The shortest and most beginner-friendly of the three Campgaw layouts. The woods and dramatic elevation changes might overwhelm true newbies, but bold beginners and experienced intermediates will find this an enjoyable course


Campgaw is a well-kept set of courses in a county park. The layouts wrap around a public ski facility (up one side, across the top, down the other side). The Intermediate (Blue) and Advanced (Black) layouts incorporate the ski trails on a few holes


Signage is excellent (The signs for the Black are shaped like diamonds - get it? [ski hill]). Most of the Green tees are poured cement; baskets are DisCatchers. Some of the tees are shared by the other layouts, but the signs include good maps, and all baskets for the green layout are visible from the tees. This is a par 27, after all


There are benches or stools at most tees, brooms at all the concrete tees, and evidence that the local club is continuing to work on the course. Navigation is excellent: green wooden arrows hanging from each basket, and plenty of navigation signs guiding to the next tee


Holes vary with balance between uphill, downhill, level, left-to-right and right to left. Although the course is in thick woods, the fairways are wide, and while offline throws will get treekicks, you're never really in jail. Missing the fairway will eliminate birdie, but par saves are straightforward


The two most memorable holes are the ones with the most dramatic changes in elevation: #8 is only 200', but it's straight uphill; #17 is 411', and it's a throw off the side of a cliff at a basket at the other end of a narrow fairway through the woods (you;re throwing from treetop level down to the ground)

- The only Con is that several of the tees on the back 9 are just frames with uneven dirt. But there are a lot of wheelbarrows and buckets around, so I suspect improvements are always happening


- Avoid playing the course after heavy rains. There are a lot of wet areas as water makes it's way downhill. And avoid playing the Blue/Black courses in the summer: the holes that use the open ski slopes become meadows of hip-deep grass, and swallow up discs

~ The woods are full of hiking trails, but they don't seem to intersect with any holes

~ While the Green is very good, the overall complex is excellent because of the variety of challenges it offers, the memorable holes, deep woods, basket locations on top of, or behind rock formations, the care it receives….and throwing down a ski slope!

Well marked holes and plenty of parking. The course is almost entirely in the woods so it's a great respite from the sun beating down on you in the summer. As it's on a small mountain there is one hole that you're going vertically up the mountain and another hole where you throw down the mountain. Both holes present their own set of fun challenges.

Could use a bit more of an obvious path from hole 18 back to the parking lot. Also there didn't seem to be a place to put found discs. If one exists, it should be more clear.

-Very nice elevation changes
-Challenging yet rewarding hike up the front 9
-Great mix of hole layouts
-The view near the 13 tee box
-Hole 17 is a huge drive about 60 feet downhill and 450 feet straight ahead. A ton of fun to play
-Nice path after 18 brings you right back to the parking lot

-Holes 1-9 and 17, 18 can get very muddy
-Only 1-4 have concrete tee pads, the rest are dirt/gravel
-Next tee signs are few and far between but it usually isn't too difficult to find where you need to go
-Green 18 is also Blue 10 but only marked as the latter
-A few downed trees makes it slightly difficult to navigate through certain holes

This course was honestly a lot of fun to play. The course is built around a ski slope, with 1-9 going up the left side, 10-16 hang out at the top of the hill, and 17 and 18 bring you right back down. It's a really nice hike and if you play quickly as I did it will be evident how much climbing you're really doing on the front 9. Certain holes do get slightly repetitive, but overall theres a great mix of BH/FH and elevation changes, 8 and 17 in particular (8 goes straight up, 17 plays very long back down). Be sure to check out the view from the top of the slope at 13s tee box.

The course is maintained okay, and the signs at each hole are fairly accurate. While heavily wooded, there's very little risk of losing a disc as long as you watch them the whole way.

This was my first time playing alone and I had a really great time (and only shot +4 for a first time on the course). 3.5/5 due mostly to what I've mentioned in the Cons section, definitely a course worth trying out especially because there are so few in the area

Nice layout that gives you great exercise as it is up the side of a ski slope and down the other end. Heavily wooded which adds difficulty. I only played the Par 3s (green), so not to long distances. Watch your disc carefully on hole 17... Take a peek out of the woods by hole 13 its a gorgeous view from atop the ski slope, wow!

Only the first few holes have Tee pads, the rest are natural. First time you go might be a little difficult to find the next tees, but its not too bad. During the spring time it can be muddy and extra buggy.

Put on Insect repellent,and get out there, Its fun.

Fun and challenging shots with lots of variety. Nearly aced hole #2 with a skip in and out of the chains which may have made me a little biased but then got brought back down to earth on the rest of the course with the narrow woods and tight corridors! The elevation change is great and the signage is adequate, never had to figure out what was next, there was always a sign or path. You park a little far away from the first hole, but you finish right at the lot which is always nice.

As noted the tee pads could use some updating, ie: add a pad and I would add another half star, make it concrete with elevation change on the signage, plus updates to the blue and blacks and this would be close to a 5-star course. Some of the tee pad and basket placements were a little close for comfort for overlap, but not overly so. Another thing that got me was every basket was labeled 1, which was confusing on the first two holes but would help further through the course as hole 15 and 16 are a little confusing. It looks as if you're shooting to 16's basket from 15's tee, which granted is much further than the allotted distance, but mind the visual deception. I'd like to see a little more clearing of fairways as there a couple of shots that really are just prayers and luck. All and all not too much bad going on.

I disagree with the previous statement, you could manage this course twice through in about 3 - 4 hours if you bring your A game and water, the hike wasn't too bad and the height of the hill is pretty small, remember there aren't mountains in Jersey! A course map provided at the start would be great, basket numbering, and updated blue and black signage would be a nice way to improve.

The signage is pretty good, being a first timer without anybody to guide me to the next tee I could find the next tee fairly easily.
The "fairways" have nice lines, not very curvy.
holes 1-4 have nice concrete tees.
Nice big parking lot.
Cool elevation changes

I played in early spring late winter so there were just the old leaves on the ground, but... I could see them being a huge problem when summer/fall comes around.
The natural tees are very rocky or short.
Rocky Terrain

Great piece of land with nice old growth trees, excellent elevation changes and different degrees of slope across the land.
Nice baskets, good tee signage, great views from the top of the hill (not gonna call it a mountain out of respect for real mountains).
The layout/design was pretty cool, good variety, and with the other layouts (Blue & Black matching ski difficulties) it's an overall bonus on the property. But since this is the Green course, I'll stick to that.
Loved some of the holes, made you shape shots, and seemed to play even for BH & FH players, would need more times around than 2 to really get a better feel.
Flow through the property allowed you to experience what all parts of the hill surrounding the ski slopes look like, and the hilly sides and less steep top and bottom holes provided good variety.
Great next tee signs, painted with arrows for Green, Blue or Black, withe the hole #s appropriate for each layout.
Loved a few holes, #4 and #17 just had great lines. Holes 12 & 14 also seemd to play well off each other for the FH/BH and make players throw all the shots. There are more, I'm just pointing out those that stood out to me.

Hole 3s tee pad was the only concrete pad I saw, it was nearly perfect, level, solid and big enough (or very close for those with bigger run ups). More of these please?
I understand this course plays around the ski hill to allow for year round play, outstanding use of space and property for a mulit-use facility.

The designer might have found a way to navigate more ups and downs on the 'left' side over by holes 1-10, there is some very steep slopes that could've made an awesome downhill drive (even if its a putter shot), and walked around the steep, to allow for more elevation changes. Maybe that's on the Black course more and I am asking something that is already done elsewhere...
As noted above, the next tee signs are great, but only on about half the holes. As I played in a time of year with lots of fresh leaves down, it was hard to find some of the paths to the next holes... Really got turned about from 9-10, there were two walking paths up top and I choose poorly...

Some of the baskets have suffer frost heave and the posts are no longer level, not an easy thing to dig deep enough on this type of ground, but the effort would really make the chains rest down instead of lean on the side of the posts...

OK, so my biggest issue is the tee pads. I know, hard rocky ground is tough to level out, and geting materials into some of these locations is not easy either, and its a LOT of work on each pad; but they were rutted and had hard pack soil with small stones that slid under my feet a lot. This caused many errant tee shots, and with some work this negative could become a positive.

I know most of my cons are "fixable" and I'm nitpicking to some, but these are factors that contribute to a very good course, and Campgaw is close...

With some tee pad work, more driectional signs, and leveling some baskets this place could be an easy 4, but they were a detractor for me.

These are not easy fixes, and will take time and hard work - but that's what a very good/great course takes.

All that said, I would make the 2 hour drive to this course for sure, and I would come out to play in a tournament here as well. The pros out weight the cons for me and I really enjoyed the setting.
Both the casual player and tournament player can be rewarded with a fun time, and a risk/reward score. Nice course, close to being a very good course.

Campgaw Reservation Green layout is short on the majority of its 18 holes, and this is kind of a plus with the mountainous nature of the land. When you arrive in the parking lot, walk the path past the practice basket, the rental stand, the ski patrol, and past the screened patio to the 1st tee. The first and second holes are in trees at the foot of the hill, but on flatter ground. One is short and turns to the right, and two is longer and to the left. Three is back in the direction of hill, over 300 feet, and straightforward. Four is slightly uphill, and makes you choose a gap in the trees to make the green, but still very reachable around 225'. 5 and 6 pick their way through the trees, gradually up the hill, in short measures. 7 is a bit longer in the 300' range, and requiring a narrow line to the pin. I won't give the exact language when I first saw hole 8, but there was a four-letter word and an exclamation point. 209 on the scorecard, but closer to vertical than horizontal. Ok, thats an exaggeration, but it was steep. 9 and 10 are a bit longer, but returning to less extreme footing, both dogleg left. 11 is a fun attempt to run one close for a birdie, and 12 comes into the open, grassy space climbing noticeably. 13-16 finish the run at along the top of the hill, before making the turn and coming down the mountain. 13 and 16 are shorter, 14 and 15 in the 300' range. Mixed lefts and rights through more trees and around the occasional boulder. Everything prior to hole 17 is disc golfing, but just putting in the legwork to get here. 17 tee box is in a bright patch of sun, high above the basket in the forrest below. 400'+ but reachable if you can negotiate a lot of mature trees, once you reach the point of entry about 100' out of the box. I bogeyed, but on an extra throw I was able to put one 30' past the pin. 18 finishes out nicely through more heavy trees and rocks, not far from the parking lot.

Navigation from hole to hole is not hard to follow, and there are some rudimentary signs that effectively guide you along. All baskets are good.

Tee boxes were kind of an issue on a few of the limited times you want to reach back for a little extra power. Improving these would probably make the rating a 4 to me. The 4600' green layout may be a little weak for the big arm, pro level guys. I am curious about the black diamond layout. I saw it on a paper map, and where the signs were pointing as I walked the greens. It looked rough, and much more difficult, with heavy growth and hard to distinguish lines.

Campgaw Reservation Green was fun, and had two or three great holes. Cool course, but not at full potential. Natural tees subject to erosion and poor footing was a factor on a hole like 8. Installing better tees would be hard work, and may have maintenance issues, but would be nice. Glad to get the chance to play, and worth a look, but don't expect too much and you won't be disappointed. I scored a 56 (2 over par) on a birdie and 3 bogeys. I missed too many putts, as usual. Lots of room for improvement, under par by several shots isn't unrealistic.

Nice signage, relatively clean (garbage bags on every 2nd or 3rd hole), lots of shade (almost entire course), nice use of terrain (a few serious uphill/downhill holes), nice accuracy challenge for beginners (most holes are narrow and heavily wooded), huge parking lot, yellow band across top of basket easy to locate from a distance.

Rough terrain, down trees, rocky, watch your step, wet in spots, but not too bad, every hole is par 3 (a couple longer holes would be nice...I guess you can play Mighty Gaw layout for that)

Only the 3rd course I've played, so my rating could change as I haven't much to compare it to.

The course circles the ski hill in the surrounding woods. The Green layout stays completely in the trees, offering technical lines and some punishment for errant shots with light rough and lots of trees. There is elevation on most of the holes, and it's used pretty well to keep things interesting. There are a couple steeply uphill shots and some fun downhills. Elevation and rock piles around greens add some challenge to the short game with rollaway potential.

There is some length variety, most holes are fairly short but the elevation changes make some play longer or shorter. There is basic signage for both layouts, and a good set of course maps online. We didn't have a problem following the green layout at all.

The tees are terrible. They're natural pads that are rutted out and have roots and rocks sticking up waiting to break your ankles. At times the signage can be a little confusing, with the black sign on one side and the green on the other, make sure you look at both sides. There are some long walks that would have been a bit confusing without the course map.

The course has a lot of holes with left turning shots, it seemed like there was room to design a more balanced course with a little better hole shape variety. A few areas of the course hold water and can get a bit swampy. Some of the steeper hills have erosion issues and can be difficult to walk in wet conditions.

There is pretty good fun factor here, the technical lines and elevation combined with the rocks make for some interesting shots. Beginners will find the distances reasonable, and though you can get kicked pretty far off the fairway on an errant shot there are lines for recovery shots. More experienced players won't find it terribly challenging, most of the course is mid and putter practice for better players. I would definitely stop here again if I'm in the area, especially during the season when the black layout is available too.

- awesome terrain changes
- beautiful trees
- well designed challenging, yet gettable shots
- never crowded despite being close to NYC
- plentiful parking
- nice baskets
- sense of seclusion pervades the entire course
- good mix of straight, left, and right turning shots
- excellent use of elevation changes. Several uphill shots on the front nine, accentuated by the difficult 8th hole, which is a fairly extreme uphill shot. Nice drop offs and basket positioning on several holes. Hole 17 is indeed a gem of a tunnel shot, quickly dropping at least 40 feet from the tee and then sloping gently most of the fairway to the basket.
- other amenities available, like bathrooms, and a soda machine with gatorade
- benches at most tees

- tee pads are mostly natural and a bit rutted. Perhaps understandable in the context of the ski hill course, but concrete would be a major upgrade here.
- signage is inconsistent and unless you know the course, can be difficult to follow. This needs to be rectified for this permanent course. The kiosk says that all the tees will be marked with the green circle (to maintain consistency with the ski hill system) but as of 10/26/2011, the signage doesn't readily indicate this.
- course drainage is a problem on the holes at the bottom of the hill. This affects holes 1-4, and holes 17-18. Boots are recommended
- a few too many RHBH hyzer holes. Overall the course has good but not great balance. A few new basket positions would cure that.
- no need for drivers. The entire course can be played with midranges and putters. Maybe a little more length would be good? Though I suppose if you want length, the mighty gaw gives it to you.
- the infinite amount of boulders and rocks make groundplay unpredictable and will chew up your plastic.

All in all, campgaw is a very nice course. If it had concrete tees and was a bit more balanced out I would give it 4.5 stars. I highly recommend playing the course in the autumn (though do not use orange, yellow, or red discs!) as the scenery of the leaves in full foliage is unforgettable. I like to take a jog and play this course with 2 or 3 discs, though the footing is tricky for anyone, so be careful out there. I do love how easy it is to get to from the NYC area, and how seemingly unpopular the course is (especially compared to other courses in metro areas). Has the disc golf bug not hit northern jersey yet? I know there are some amazing courses, but perhaps the bada bing! is a bigger draw...

18 hole course which is a shorter version of Campgaw's "Mighty Gaw" layout, although it incorporates some of the same holes. Very technically challenging with terrain, elevation, trees and other obstacles which test your skills. Distances ranging from 200-350 feet make it manageable for most players. Tee boxes and signs are present at each hole, and there are benches/logs at many of the holes to rest. Baskets are all in good shape. Is appealing to both the advanced as well as the intermediate or recreational player.

Despite the presence of some "next tee" signs, navigation can be tricky in spots and pathways aren't always clearly defined. Crushed stone/dirt tee boxes are often uneven. Some of the signage consisting of temporary foam placards is in poor shape. Rough terrain prevents run up shots on most holes. Ammenities like trash cans and poles to hang your bag at each hole would be welcomed. Can be a muddy, icy, slushy mess depending on the season.

Don't be fooled by the shorter distances of the holes; the Campgaw layout is a grueling exercise in disc golf. The terrain is tough on a GOOD day; it can be absolutely brutal in bad weather. Twice I've played here in driving rain/ice and footing can be treacherous. The rocky surface and elevation make it essential you are prepared to play before entering the premises.

Trying to install cement tee pads or provide other amenities at each hole on a course like this is no doubt a major headache, as access up the mountain is awfully tough. Despite this, there has been talk of the Skylands Disc Golf Club trying to pursue these ambitious goals.

One can't objectively rate this course higher than the Mighty Gaw layout, as the distance, travel up the mountain (once instead of twice), and overall layout and level of challenge isn't quite as demanding. But Campgaw is a rugged, challenging course which is totally worth your while and can humble good players.

Pros and Cons of this course could be very subjective as this is not a typical DG course. Depending on what you like you may love or hate this course. So I will review this course, assuming you are an experienced player that wants a true test. This shorter layout is still difficult, but plays much shorter than the Mighty Gaw layout:

* a PREMIUM on accuracy
* short/long tees on several holes
* will require a large variety of shots and the ability to get out of trouble
* baskets are in great shape
* some spectacular views and amazing use of topography
* plenty of parking and the row closest to the woods is designated specifically for the disc golfers.
* Most of the holes avoid the main ski slope areas, which are known for very high, thick rough.

Some cons:
* tees are worn in some areas
* signage is not permanent, and has been known to be missing or damaged
* navigation is definately challenging, despite Next Tee signs

The Campgaw layout is a shorter version of the Mighty Gaw layout. Technically, they are not to separate courses, but one course with two layouts, depending on season. The Campgaw layout uses much of the Mighty Gaw layout, sometime breaking up a long hole into two shorter ones. This layout takes one up the hill, accross the top and down the other side toward the parking lot, rtather than looping back up. There is minimal reward for good drives, but serious punishment for bad drives. Most of the fairways are very rugged so prepare for alot of standing shots. And being off the fairway may mean settling for bogey to get back on to avoid triple bogey.

While I still wouldn't recommend this course for beginners, this shorter layout is a good way to introduce yourself to such a rugged type of course as it is not nearly as long. Plan on extra time, though.

Prepare for rugged terrain and dress appropriately. Wear hiking boots and be careful!

Because this is a course that is superimposed on a rugged landscape, clear definition of fairways and next tee isn't always obvious, so print out the map. There are "Next Tee" signs, but it's easy to get disoriented. There are several hiking trails that are utilized, but some of these trails are not part of the course and can lead you the wrong way.

There is plenty of parking. Walk from the lot, past the ski lodges at the bottom of the hill to the first tee. There will be a large sign on your way that will have the current layout posted, as the layout changes from the long Mighty Gaw (spring and fall) to the shorter Camp Gaw (up-over-down layout)

Both Campgaw (short) and Mighty Gaw (long) layouts are in place. Since many tees are shared but the hole numbers are different, check both sides of the sign, depending on which layout you are playing.

A wonderful little mountain course that plays short, but with lots of trees, rocks and elevation on a majority of holes. You will need to shape your shots here, so I would not depend on your longest fastest discs. There are many birdie opps. on the shorter holes to reward an accurate drive, and enough trees off the fairways to make pars challenging for errant drives. The course is a workout as it works to the top of the slope on 1-9 and finally back down on 17-18. You are mostly in a quiet forest, but make sure you take a short walk toward the chairlifts near the 13th tee for a wonderful view (and a sneak preview of the drives you will have when the course is in "Mighty Gaw" configuration.

Teepads are gravel (all but one) and crappy. Fortunately, the holes are short enough, so I don't need a run-up to get distance. Still, this course is old enough that there's no excuse for not upgrading the tees.

Bring bug repellant in the summer for ticks and Mosquitos. Bring durable plastic (terrain is very rocky).

Technical course, requires a full selection of discs and shots. Two holes involve downhill hucks that you may want to empty your bag on. A serious workout just walking the "mighty gaw" layout. Some of the most memorable holes I've ever played.

Not much for nearby amenities, meaning bring lots of fluids and pack a lunch. Some footpaths are fairly treacherous with loose rocks etc.... Teepads are a bit short, however there are not many holes that require a launchpad - those that do have more space.

The winter gaw layout seems easier on the joints, as it goes up one side of the ski hill, then behind and down the other side rather than up and down a few times over. The winter gaw layout removes the open ski hill hucks. This is mostly a woods course, which almost always involve some degree of luck negotiating narrow fairways. Campgaw is the closest course to NYC, and is definitely worth the trip if you cannot make it to Warwick from the city.