By
Phil Sokol, Sports Network Golf Writer
11.09.2006
08:00 pm (ET)
JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Let me get this straight. You have a contaminated piece of land across the water from New York City and you want to build, a what, a golf course on top of it and you want to host a major championship! Are you kidding me?
Well, that's exactly what Reebok CEO Paul Fireman has in mind for the newly created Liberty National Golf Club.
Overlooking one of this nation's most treasured sites, the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline, Liberty National has been in the works since 1996. Fireman and his son Dan purchased the 160 acres of undesirable property and enlisted the services of World Golf Hall of Fame member Tom Kite and Bob Cupp to weave some magic. And that's exactly what they did.
Upon his first visit to the property, Kite commented that he "hated the site, but loved the location." With only two feet of elevation and plenty of permits and limitations due to the environment, Liberty National was going to be tough task.
Start with a "plastic bag" of sorts covering the entire piece of property. Then, add three to four feet of sand on top, that's three million cubic yards of earth, with no contours and now you can start sculpting, not digging. According to Kite, "There is nothing natural about Liberty National. This is what you can do with a little bit of vision and a whole lot of money."
Devoid of any form of vegetation, every tree and bush on the course was hand-planted. Every cart path of brick was painstakingly laid by laborers. This was no small chore. Since the late 1990s, Kite and Cupp had drafted more than 90 different routing plans, prior to the beginning of construction in 2003 and prior to joining forces with Fireman.
Fireman spent roughly $150 million on Liberty National, making it the most expensive golf course ever built, to create an experience for the rich and famous. The exclusive club features luxurious amenities, such as a private, high-speed boat ride from Wall Street to the course across the Upper New York Bay in just 15 minutes.
With all that in mind, this is quite a big ticket. How large? How about a $500,000 initiation fee for anyone who's got the dough. This will not be a restricted club, just one that's restricted to the wealthy.
Liberty National opens with a solid, dogleg-right par 4 under 400 yards in length. Playing slightly downhill, just a fairway metal or long iron is needed to thread the fairway that features a creek running down the right side and in front of the green. A short iron approach to a wide, but shallow green will remain on this great opening hole with Manhattan to your back.
Playing back toward the city, the second hole is awe-inspiring as you stand on the tee and view the Statue of Liberty in the foreground, but you'll need to focus on this 200-yard plus par 3 from the tips. A long bunker guards the entire left side of the green, while one pot bunker right and another trap deep provide quite a difficult target. Let's not forget that the putting surface is 34 yards long.
The third is a dynamite par 4, requiring a 230-yard carry to reach the fairway, while the par-3 fourth, with more views of the city skyline in the background, plays slightly uphill over a lake to a long, diagonal green. One of the prettiest holes on the course, the par-4 fifth requires pinpoint accuracy off the elevated tee because a lake guards the left side of the fairway, while mounding and trees protect the right.
The par-5 eighth rambles more than 600 yards in length to a peanut-shaped putting surface that is protected by traps left, back and one deep bunker right. And just because it's a par 5, don't expect a birdie on the No. 1 handicap hole.
The closing hole on the front nine is target golf at its best, while the back nine opens with a 513 yards par 4. Even with a 265-yard tee shot from the back buttons, you're still left with a poke of 250 yards, over a creek, avoiding the lake and out-of-bounds and negotiating the 48-yard long green with numerous humps and bumps along the way.
Another unique aspect of Liberty National is its wide variety of par 3s. The 11th is the longest of the quartet, stretching to a robust 250 yards. Water hugs the left side and around the back with a 50-yard bunker in between the water and the green. The right side is most definitely the bail-out area, but not an easy up and down, as the green is long and undulating. With a back-left flag and the wind in your face, you might find yourself hitting driver from the back tees.
One of the prettiest holes on the course, the 14th is a dandy of a par 3 jutting out on the peninsula with views of the Statue of Liberty, while the 15th is a bear of a par 4. One of the most entertaining and enjoyable holes, the 16th is a reachable par 4 that bends ever so slightly to the right and boasts a lake, a waterfall and a babbling brook down the right side of its wide fairway.
As you head for home, the 17th offers another sensational view of the statue, while the 18th runs along the bay. A beautiful rock wall runs the entire hole down the right side through the green with final views of the Manhattan skyline and the Statue.
Having the opportunity to play Liberty National was and is a real treat. Views of Lady Liberty and Manhattan, not to mention the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, the largest suspension bridge in the United States, from just a short distance are spectacular.
The golf course has it all, from rock-lined streams, lakes, waterfalls, gorgeous landscaping, complete with over 5,000 planted mature trees, flowing fescue, splash-like bunkering, conditioning that would make Augusta National and Muirfield Village jealous and a track as tough as nails. The irrigation system alone features 5,200 sprinkler heads, twice the usual number.
When the clubhouse and nearby condominiums are complete, Liberty National Golf Club will be one of the most exciting venues and destinations in the world. Will it be good enough to host a major event, like a U.S. Open or a PGA Championship? Possibly. If this course could be built on waste area, then anything is possible. Don't underestimate the power of money and ingenuity.
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