Golf in Lakewood

Lakewood Township in Ocean County has undergone one of the most dramatic demographic transformations in New Jersey over the past three decades, growing from a modest shore-adjacent bedroom community into one of the state's most populous and culturally distinct municipalities. The large Orthodox Jewish community, significant Latinx population, and diverse working-class residential base create a local golf culture that differs markedly from the traditional country club milieu. Lakewood Country Club carries the memory of the Victorian resort era when Gilded Age society wintered here, while Westlake Golf Course and the First Tee Course serve the contemporary community. The surrounding pinelands terrain preserves the sandy, well-draining soil conditions that defined Ocean County golf long before the demographic transformation.