Atlantic City Weekly

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Address: Country Club Lane (off Rt. 40), Buena

Phone: 856-697-3733 (pro shop)

On the Web: allforeclub.com/bvcc

Buena Vista was built in 1957 by course architect William Gordon as a private club and, while it still offers an array of membership packages, has been open to the public since 1978. Its course superintendent, Benjamin Dunn, has been there for over 25 years. The club prides itself in quality facilities (which also include a bar-and-grill, banquet room and full-service pro shop) at modest prices.

“One of the great distinguishing factors of Buena Vista is that you’re playing a truly championship golf course for a very affordable rate,” says Buena Vista director of golf and PGA pro Kevin Cotter. “We’re very value driven in that way.”

On Tuesdays and Thursdays a round of golf is just $32 before 11am and $29 after 11am. Regular weekday rates are $39 before 1pm, $29 after 1pm and $22 after 3pm. Every Tuesday is a Nine-n-Dine buffet that starts 3pm and entitles guests to golf, a cart and a buffet for just $29.

The course at Buena Vista includes four par-5 holes, four par-3s and 10 par-4s. One of its most challenging holes is the par-5 10th that is 502 yards to the green from the longest of four tee boxes. It is partially bordered by a bunker that runs about 200 yards long.

“It’s sort of a Carolina-style course that pretty much accommodates all skill levels,” says Cotter. “There’s a lot of pines and a heavy pine-needle base on the woodline, which makes it pretty easy to find your ball and easy to play shots from those areas.

“[Due to the economy] we’ve lowered our rates a few bucks from last year and it’s paid off well for us,” he adds. “This summer we’ve been very busy.”

Golf Pro Tip: This week’s tip comes from Charles Fahy, director of golf operations for Atlantic City Country Club in Northfield. It deals with the importance of proper alignment during the golf swing. “One of the most basic fundamentals of the golf swing is proper alignment. Alignment can likely be the one thing you are doing wrong when your swing goes astray. Even low handicappers and professional golfers, for that matter, check their alignment when they are hitting the ball unfavorably. Alignment is something that most golfers do wrong and some don’t even understand, and therefore keep going in the wrong direction.

“Proper alignment has the club face pointing toward the target, and your feet, knees, hips and shoulders pointed parallel left of that target for right-handed golfers, and parallel right for left-handed golfers. If you can picture railroad tracks running toward the target, with the one rail on the ball line and the other along the line your feet, knees, hips, and shoulders are on, you are in good shape.

“Now where most amateurs get in trouble is when they start slicing the ball — right-handed golfers aim further left, which makes things worse. I am a firm believer that you should only make small changes on the golf course, and leave the larger changes for the range. So next time your ball starts going astray from your target, remember to look at your alignment and you’ll be one step closer to a good golf swing.”