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A Most Audacious and
Improbable Journey

A Historical Narrative
by Richard Hurley

Audacious

according to Webster’s Dictionary:
Very confident and daring, bold,
marked by originality and verve.

Bayonne has been recognized by golf enthusiasts
as one of the finest examples of a man-made

links style golf course as found anywhere in the world.

Photo 2008.

I

T B G Che ayonne olf lub would not exist today

without the vision, determination, and persistence of Eric Bergstol
who overcame what appeared to be insurmountable obstacles
during permitting and construction that led to opening the
golf course in May of 2006.

Photo September 2005.
From the beginning it became obvious that
few if any golf architects/golf developers
would be able to endure the regulatory
barriers to complete a world-class
golf facility on this Bayonne property.

The fairway for hole No. 16 with the green for this long
par 4 located at the end of the peninsula. The World Trade
Center in Lower Manhattan can be seen in the distance.
Named ‘Heaven’s Gate’ hole No. 16 has twice been selected
by the Metropolitan Golf Association as one of “The Modern
Dream 18” - a selection of the best modern golf holes in the
New York tri-state area. First selected in 2007 the year
after Bayonne’s opening and again in 2017. Photo 2017.

II

The Bayonne NGeowlfJCerlsueby

is situated in

only five miles from

lower Manhattan.

“In the big picture this was simply, ‘a moment in time,’
that in reality, for many reasons, could not be duplicated today.”

Eric Bergstol

III

e

The Bayonne Golf Club
projecttoibnay1iat0lsleymneateriarsjeuotruyerasn,meoy,unted

a very long time to plan

and build a golf course.

Photo 2008

It is important to appreciate the significant
personal investment in time for this one
project, considering 10 years is almost
one-third of a typical working career.
For anyone to invest so much of their
own life on a golf course construction
project there must be incredible vision
and a serious commitment.

e

IV

The Journey

Success is Best Judged After the Passing of Time
Introduction

Everyone Noticed on Opening Day, May 2006
Overview, Building a Links Style Golf Course in an Urban Setting.

Historical Notes
The Land, How Improbable!
Project Planning and Process Team
Hudson River Dredged Material and the OENJ Landfill Remediation
The Primordial Idea to Build a Golf Course
A Links Style Golf Course, the Vision

The Regulators
The Ten Year Journey, 1996 – 2006
How Landfill Rehabilitation Led to the Construction of the Bayonne Golf Club
Clubhouse Design and Construction
Old Glory, a Memoriam in Perpetuity
Nature Will Rebound if Offered a Chance

Before and After...a Work of Art
The Bayonne Golf Club, a Beautiful Sight...
Description and Names of the Golf Holes
The Bayonne Triangle, a Memorable Finish

Club Membership
Initiating a Club Culture
Points of Interest and Club Lore

Acknowledgements

V



e

“This narrative on the Bayonne Golf Club
is dedicated to all members and guests
who enjoy this magnificent facility.
As a founding member of the club,
I would like to express my feelings about

the design and construction of the golf course --
an experience which has been one of the most

gratifying events in my professional and golfing life.”

Richard Hurley

e



Success is Best Judged
After the Passing of Time

“Golf is such a wonderful game and I feel grateful to have
made some contribution to its life changing place in many lives.
The Bayonne Golf Club is an example of that enduring gift.”

Eric Bergstol

More than ten years has passed since the Most importantly is that no public money
completion of the Bayonne Golf Club and was used for site remediation, building the
by any standards what was accomplished wetland mitigation areas, constructing the
has far exceeded the original vision. public waterfront walkway and the Bay-
onne golf course and clubhouse. In its en-
The golf course has been recognized as an tirety all of the above was paid for and cur-
engineering marvel and one of the finest rently maintained with private funding.
examples of a man-made links golf course
found anywhere in the world. The club- For some observers, the most lasting mea-
house, a stately castle situated atop the sure of success is how building the Bay-
highest hill, is elegant in appearance, styl- onne Golf Club has allowed this once bar-
ish, warm and inviting. ren waterfront environment to rebound, as
the property is now a home for bird, fish,
The total transformation of this once sterile plant, and crustaceous life all thriving in a
landfill into a national model for a success- more stable and healthy tidal salt marsh,
ful remediation continues to be recognized river front, and grassland ecosystem.
for excellence. The Bayonne Golf Club is
the preeminent example of a brown field
reclamation project in the State of New
Jersey.

1



Introduction

Since completion of the clubhouse in 2008, Kenneth, continued to manage and oper-
Eric Bergstol and I have discussed writing ate the family business.
a historical record of the 10-year journey
that made the Bayonne Golf Club a real- Eric’s land development and construction
ity. Without letting another year pass, it experience, along with his background as
was felt the time had come to preserve just an avid golfer, provided him with the ex-
how the Bayonne Golf Club came to be. perience for his next adventure for invest-
ing in and building golf courses.
For those who do not know Eric or have
not had occasion to know him well, I can In 1990, Eric initiated his investment in
attest he is one of the most genuine, intel- golf to design and/or construct the follow-
ligent, and perceptive men that I have had ing golf courses:
the privilege to know during my 50 years
in the golf business. 1994, Minisceongo Golf Club
Pomona, New York
Professionally, as a golf course architect, he
is extremely creative and possesses a rare 1996, Hudson National Golf Club
ability to use his imagination for designing Croton-on-Hudson, New York
great golf holes.
1997, New Jersey National Golf Club
Personally, he is friendly, with a relaxed Basking Ridge, New Jersey
demeanor, likeable, and thought of as a
“man’s man.” 1998, Pine Barrens Golf Club
Jackson, New Jersey
Eric is married to his wife Kimberly and
has five children, Andrea, Paige, Branton, 2000, Twisted Dunes Golf Course
Paityn, and Paulina. Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey

Eric’s parents, Leif and Solveig Bergstol, 2000, Pine Hill Golf Club
were born in Norway and immigrated to (now Trump Philadelphia)
the New York City area in the early 1950s. Pine Hill, New Jersey
Leif Bergstol built an extremely success-
ful business focusing on acquiring land, 2002, Branton Woods Golf Club
building retail and commercial properties, (now Trump Hudson Valley)
property management, and construction Hopewell Junction, New York
of housing developments primarily in the
state of New York. After the passing of 2003, Links of Madison Green Golf Club
their father in 1994 Eric and his brother, Royal Palm Beach, Florida

3

2005, Bulls Bridge Golf Club as the general contractor, and remains the
South Kent, Connecticut owner of the Bayonne Golf Club. There are
few, if any, individuals in the golf industry
2005, Hollow Brook Golf Club whose resumes includes the undertaking of
Cortland Manor, New York all responsibilities for building a champion-
ship golf course with the distinction of the
2006, Bayonne Golf Club Bayonne Golf Club.
Bayonne, New Jersey
During the 10-year period 1996 – 2006,
Eric’s involvement in the golf design and Eric kept all of the “balls in the air,” so to
construction of the Bayonne Golf Club be- speak, not losing his focus on creativity and
gan after the opening of Pine Barrens Golf always thinking in three dimensions -- tal-
Club which opened in 1998. He opened ents required to successfully complete the
six other golf clubs while working to build design and construction of a demanding
and complete the Bayonne Golf Club. and complicated project. The end result is
a most unique and recognizable golf course
As it turned out, the Bayonne site would with a picturesque clubhouse, sitting proud-
be his greatest challenge, as the location ly above the Hudson River, high on a hill,
was a sterile brownfield filled with con- for all to see.
struction debris and municipal waste.
He knew there were enormous obstacles Richard Hurley, PhD
to successfully complete a golf course to Center for Turfgrass Science
include environmental, political, land use School of Environmental
permitting, and financial planning. and Biological Sciences
Rutgers University, Retired
What follows tells the story of how the January 2017
Bayonne property was molded and shaped
from a sterile site, with the majority of the
land having an elevation of no more than
10 feet above the Hudson River, into a pri-
vate golf facility; how piles of grey-colored
Hudson River dredged material were used
to create contoured rolling hills; and how,
after years of shaping, a “wasteland mess”
was transformed into a championship golf
course. The end result is an environmen-
tal model for landfill rehabilitation -- a re-
markable feat for sure.

A point to be made concerning construc-
tion of the this golf course is how Eric did
it all; he was the developer, financed the
project, was the golf course architect, acted

4

OEpvenerinyognDe aNy,oMticayed20o0n6

It is not necessary to have a sign posted at The address is 1 Lefante Way, Bayonne,
the guard house entrance to the Bayonne NJ. Guests and those who have not been
Golf Club as the absence of signage adds to the club often comment after driving
a bit of mystique as to what lies beyond down Lefante Way they were certain they
the white gates. The plan always was to had made a wrong turn somewhere. The
have clean visuals with no signs, no names industrial road, which is often in disrepair,
on lockers, no ball washers, postings or makes the arrival at the entrance surreal.
custom tee signs and markers. Photo 2017.

“Members have figured out a back way to the club
but I always like the first timers to experience the potholes

in Lefante Way and the industrial approach which
adds to the contrast at the Bayonne Golf Club.”

Eric Bergstol

5

The drive up to the clubhouse, past the gate, offers a remarkable transformation crossing into a unique
experience of links golf and incredible views from the clubhouse and golf course. Photo 2017.

6

Overview

Building a Links Style Golf Course
in an Urban Setting

As designed and developed, the Bayonne “Ron” D’Argenio whose advice and coun-
Golf Club sits on a 136 acre upland Hud- sel was invaluable throughout both the
son River site located just five miles from permitting and construction phases of the
Manhattan. The Bayonne Golf Club was project.
built partially on a waterfront landfill
where, prior to the mid-1990s, the site The Bayonne Golf Club is now a testament
was best known for abandoned cars and a to Eric’s imagination for creating golf holes
place for teenagers’ late-night parties. -- a rare talent to be sure. Eric was assist-
ed by Richard Hurley who, with a PhD in
New York Harbor, like many waterways, agronomy and a faculty member at Rut-
requires continuous dredging. Addition- gers University, served as his consultant
ally, for the Port Authority of New York for the grasses and plant life, and provided
and New Jersey to successfully compete assistance with golf course design. Prior
as a world class harbor and accommodate to and during the planning and construc-
the largest ships, river channels required tion of the golf course Eric and Rich made
deepening from 35 to 50 feet. It had been numerous golfing trips to Scotland to ob-
the practice of the Army Corps of Engi- serve and play some of the finest natural
neers to deposit dredged river material golfing links. As a result of these trips, a
three miles out to sea. This practice was wealth of creative ideas were developed,
deemed harmful to ocean fishing and, with many of which were used during the de-
ongoing channel dredging, the authorities sign and construction process.
needed to identify land sites to deposit the
river silt. From 1998 to 2005, the property became
filled with large quantities of dredged ma-
In the late 1990s the Bayonne site was se- terial, elevating the once flat site to rolling
lected as a convenient location to accept hills averaging 50 feet, with the highest
dredge. What is now the site of the Bay- point peaked at 93 feet above sea level.
onne Golf Club became the home for mil- During the early stages of the process there
lions of cubic yards of Hudson River silt were few traces of a golf course, as each
and dredged material. of the 18 holes were in an unrecognizable
form. For years, under Eric’s direction,
Eric Bergstol, a New York developer, enjoys dump trucks hauled dredged material,
a resume which includes 11 golf courses and soil fill around the property to give the
constructed, five of which he personal- site its contours.
ly designed. Eric could see the potential
of the Bayonne site in the late 1990s. It After the shifting of the contoured slopes
was then that he first met attorney Rinaldo of material, it was during the fall of 2004

7

and spring of 2005 when the final land
forms were shaped and the entire property
was capped with a soil growing medium.
To insure the fairways would play firm and
drain well, a clean sand was applied to all
fairways and primary rough areas.

In May of 2005, seeding was initiated, with
the first signs of a golf course emerging and
green turf maturing throughout the sum-
mer and into the fall months. Rich, work-
ing closely with course superintendent
Bob Wolverton, selected traditional links
grasses with fescues for seeding the rough,
hills, and mounds, and Colonial bentgrass
and Chewings fescue for establishment
on the fairways. Velvet and creeping bent-
grasses were seeded on the putting greens.

Additionally, with the assistance of Steven
Kristoph Nursery, plant groupings were
established around the golf course using
over 55 thousand plants from 20 individu-
al species, including junipers, beach rose,
and Scotch broom. All plant species se-
lected for use were identified to produce a
natural links look to the site.

With construction of the golf course com-
pleted in the fall of 2005, the golf course
opened for play in May of 2006. The pic-
turesque castle-style clubhouse, with at-
tached lighthouse, was completed in 18
months and opened to the members in the
spring of 2008.

8

Anyone who has visited the links courses
of Ireland and Scotland can attest that
Bayonne is of the same high caliber as the
finest natural links courses of the world.
Seeing the Bayonne Golf Club is truly a
one of a kind experience.

The most dramatic aspect of the property is the enormous scale of the site as observed from the
clubhouse which is positioned high on a hill, in the center of the golf course. The clubhouse’s
panoramic view provides the opportunity to admire three dimensional landscapes, appreciate
the natural look to the site, and the Hudson River’s water and city views. Photo 2017.

9



Historical Notes

There is a long and storied history in- Henry Hudson, captain of The Half Moon,
volving the New York Harbor, the City of was attempting to find a passage to Asia
Bayonne, and the eventual creation of the but instead discovered the narrows of
Bayonne Golf Club. It is quite remarkable what we now call the Hudson River.
that a site as valuable as the Bayonne Golf
Club, large enough to build an eighteen The Bird Point peninsula, currently known
hole championship golf course while being as the Constable Hook area of Bayonne,
on the New York Harbor just miles from was Lenape Indian territory until 1646,
New York City, would remain available to when the Dutch West India Company
be developed after centuries of extraordi- granted the land to Jacob Jacobsen Roy.
nary growth in the region. The history of
Bayonne’s creation is, in and of itself, its For reference, Constable Hook is a cape
own historical legacy. peninsula located on the north side of the
Kill van Kull where it empties into Upper
Close to the site of the current Bayonne New York Bay. The word “Kill” comes
Golf Club, on September 11, 1609, Hen- from the Middle Dutch word “Kille” mean-
ry Hudson, the Dutch explorer, for whom ing “Riverbed” or “Water Channel.” Kill
the Hudson River is named, anchored his van Kull means “Channel from the pass”
ship, “The Half Moon,” during his fourth and is a three mile long one thousand yard
voyage to America. Henry Hudson was fi- wide tidal strait situated between Staten
nanced by the Dutch West India Company Island and Bayonne, New Jersey.
and was charged with attempting to find a
northwest trade route from Europe to Asia.

Upon his arrival, Hudson named the Bay-
onne location “Bird Point” due to the abun-
dance of sea gulls at the site of his landing.
What he also found was a land filled with
trees and teeming with wildlife to include
beavers, deer, rabbits, bears, and panthers.

During Henry Hudson’s short stay in the
Bayonne area he was greeted by Native
Americans of the Lenape tribe who were
accommodating. Members of the local
tribe would visit his vessel daily, bring-
ing furs, oysters, corn, beans, pumpkins,
grapes, and apples to trade.

11

Located in the Hudson River, close to Kill The above early hand drawn map of Bay-
van Kull, is a large underwater reef on the onne identifies Newark Bay to the left, the
New Jersey side of the harbor. The reef is Constable Hook peninsula on the right
named Robbins Reef and historically was and tracts of land for the following fami-
one of the largest oyster beds in the world lies; Vreecamp 1757, Salter 1836, Cadmus
that provided a staple diet for all classes 1730, Van Horn 1654, and Van Burkirk
of people until the end of the nineteenth 1734. The land where the Bayonne Golf
century when the oyster beds succumbed Club sits today is north and adjacent to
to pollution. Constable Hook and at that time was un-
der water, a part of New York Bay.
What became known as “Jersey Flats” was
a low land tidal basin located on the east During the Revolutionary War, on July 5,
side and north of Constable Hook extend- 1776, the British Army landed two can-
ing out a significant distance from the nons near the current site of the Bayonne
original Hudson River shore line. Starting Golf Club, on what was then called Bus-
in the early 1800s the flats were filled in kirk’s Point. This was recorded to be the
and it is now the site of piers for container first landing of enemy soldiers in New Jer-
ships and the current Cape Liberty Cruise sey during the war.
Port previously known as Military Ocean
Terminal at Bayonne, or MOTBY. Nearly a century later, as the popula-
tion grew, the small villages of Constable
Dutch settlers were among the first to Hook, Bergen Point, Pamrapo, Salterville,
populate what is now known as Bayonne. and Centerville all combined to become
Around 1700 Pieter Van Buskirk, who had known as the Township of Bayonne in the
been living on the island of Manhattan, re- year 1861.
located to Bird Point to establish a home-
stead and build a house. For approximate-
ly 200 years, descendants of the original
Van Buskirk family lived on the property.

Records show that there were two cem-
eteries in the area -- the Constable Hook
Cemetery and the Van Buskerck Family
Burial Ground, which no longer exists. Pi-
eter Van Buskirk (note the different spell-
ing of the family name) founded the Van
Buskirks’ cemetery around the year 1736.

12

In the 1800s Bayonne was noted for boat
building and yachting, in addition to many
hotel resorts. During this period the local
farmers, fishermen, and oystermen in Bay-
onne delivered freshly-harvested food to
the residents of nearby Manhattan.

John D. Rockefeller, circa 1870s.

In 1872 Standard Oil Company, under By 1900 the area around the Van Buskirk
the leadership of John D. Rockefeller, pur- family farm was surrounded by oil tanks,
chased 176 acres of land on the Constable and in 1906 it, in turn, was purchased by
Hook area of Bayonne for the purpose of Standard Oil.
establishing an oil refinery. By 1885 there
was a pipeline connecting the Bayonne site A survey in 1903 found 104 headstones
to the oil fields in Texas. in the Van Buskirk’s cemetery. When the
property was acquired by Standard Oil,
the remains of these early settlers were dis-
interred and moved to other cemeteries in
the area.

In the 1920s Standard Oil in Bayonne was
one of the largest oil refinery operations in
the world, employing some 6,000 work-
ers. Following World War II, oil refining
declined, being replaced by marine port
operations.

13

Robbins Reef is located approximately 1.4 miles off the present No. 17 fairway of the Bayonne Golf Club
and identified by a small white conical lighthouse with a granite base and brick construction. Photo 2015.

The Robbins Reef Lighthouse, as it is now The Bayonne Golf Club site was part of the
known, is situated on a rocky sand bar New York Bay until the early 1900s, when
originally designated as Robyn’s Rift by the Constable Hook area was filled with
Dutch settlers in the mid-1600s. In the various waste and fill materials during the
Dutch language, rob or robyn refers to years 1910 to 1983.
seals which were commonly found lying
on the reef at low tide. Directly across the small bay from the Bay-
onne Golf Club (today), looking north,
The original lighthouse was built in 1839, a large tan colored building can be seen.
with the current structure built in 1883. This building has long been known as the
The lighthouse, itself, became known as Military Ocean Terminal at Bayonne, or
Kate’s Light for Kate Walker, a woman who MOTBY. In 1932, a basic plan was initi-
lived in the lighthouse, provided its main- ated to construct a port terminal to pro-
tenance, and manned the lighthouse with vide additional industrial, maritime, and
her young children after the death of her distribution space. Following completion
husband Captain John Walker in 1886. of the plan in 1939, dredging and filling
Kate would row her children to school began.
each day on Staten Island.

14

In 1942, at the onset of World War II, the
United States Navy, in search of a site on
the east coast for a large dry-dock and sup-
ply center, opened a military base at MOT-
BY to be utilized as a logistics and repair
base. Additionally, this was the location of
the Navy diving school as featured in the
Hollywood film “Men of Honor.”

In 1967, the facility became a United States
Army base and shipping terminal. The fa-
cility was closed in 1999 under a US Base
Realignment and Closure directive.

The MOTBY pier has since been renamed
The Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor by the
Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority
and is being redeveloped into a mixed-use
waterfront community of residential, light
industrial, commercial, and recreational
space.

Today, a memorial park is found at the end
of the long MOTBY pier, now known as
the Cape Liberty Cruise Port. At this lo-
cation is the “Tear of Grief Memorial” de-
signed and built to commemorate the Sep-
tember 11, 2001 national tragedy.

This Tear of Grief and Teardrop Memorial
is a ten story sculpture that was an official
gift from the Russian Government donat-
ed to the City of Bayonne. The ground
breaking ceremony was conducted on
September 11, 2006 and attended by Rus-
sian President Vladimir Putin and former
United States President Bill Clinton.

15



The Land, How Improbable!

Located on the west shore of the Hudson Woodrow Wilson,
River, only five miles from Lower Manhat- Photo circa 1910.
tan sits the Bayonne Golf Club. This site
was originally owned by the United States
Federal Government and in 1869 was giv-
en to the State of New Jersey.

The Riparian Grant was sold by the State
of New Jersey on December 12, 1912 for
$3,428.57 to the R.G. Packard Company,
which already owned the upland proper-
ty adjacent to the riparian land, meaning
the land under the water. In 1912 much
of what is now upland on the current golf
course was then riparian land.

On the deed for the land is the signature of
Woodrow Wilson, President of Princeton
University - 1902 to 1910, Governor of
New Jersey - 1911 to 1913 and who then
went on to be elected the 28th President of
the United States - 1913 to 1921.

17

Ralph Gooding Packard was a graduate of The Bayonne Municipal landfill (current site of the
Rensselear Polytechnic Institute class of Bayonne Golf Club) can be found at the bottom
1864, joined the Navy as an engineer at of the photo. The Marine Ocean Bay Terminal
the New York Navy Yard later becoming (MOTBY) is located across from the landfill and in
Chief Engineer. In 1871 he formed the At- the distance is Lower Manhattan and the site of the
lantic Dredging Company. The best guess Twin Towers. Photo circa 1990s.
is he brought the dredge to the site of Bay-
onne Golf Club filling in a portion of the
riparian land which the golf course now
sits on.

In 1963 the City of Bayonne sold the land
to Public Service Electric & Gas Company
(PSE&G) for the purpose of constructing
a nuclear power plant on the site. Howev-
er, the concept of a nuclear power plant to
be constructed and operated on the Hud-
son River, in the shadows of Manhattan,
Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Newark was
deemed publically unacceptable and the
plan was abandoned.

Today, the Bayonne Golf Club property,
as deeded, records a total of 460 acres, of
which 150 are above the mean tidal high
water mark on the Hudson River and bay
-- 136 acres are upland ground, and 14 are
wetland mitigation (opposite of holes No.
2,8, 14 and 16).

Identified on the deed are 310 acres of the
riparian land rights in the Hudson River.
When PSE&G owned the land, if the nu-
clear power plant project had moved for-
ward, the plan was to fill in the riparian
portion of the land for construction of this
facility.

It is hard to imagine that there very well
could have been a nuclear power plant op-
erating on the same property where bird-
ies, pars, and bogies are made today.

18

To better understand the location of this ownership of a particular surveyed por-
riparian land, the majority of it directs out tion of land under the water in the Hud-
from the current golf holes No. 12, 16, son River.
and 17, including the water range, going
eastward towards Brooklyn, out into the
river for approximately 1600 yards.

To be clear, the deed for the land now
known as the Bayonne Golf Club includes

19



Project Planning and Process Team

Knowing the Bayonne project was going aspects of the construction. With-
to be complicated and demanding it was out his leadership it would have been
necessary to assemble a most qualified extremely difficult to complete the
and experienced project team available -- building of the golf course and club-
a team capable of addressing all planning, house.
permitting, and environmental and con-
struction issues -- in order to be success- Mark Unger, as President and CFO
fully complete the Bayonne Golf Club. for all of Eric’s business activities in-
cluding Empire Golf, as well as a for-
Complimenting Eric Bergstol on his project mer banking executive and long time
team were the following individuals: advisor, provided the required finan-
cial monitoring and banking exper-
Rinaldo “Ron” D’Argenio provided tise.
legal counsel and was a project ad-
visor. Ron’s experience in the area of Richard Hurley, PhD, turfgrass,
property and business law and nego- plant, and soils specialist and facul-
tiating legal contracts was extreme- ty member with the Center for Turf-
ly valuable during all phases of the grass Science at Rutgers University
project. Ron was well versed in local was consultant for all of Eric’s golf
politics and his legal practice focused course construction projects. For the
on real estate and business projects in Bayonne Golf Club, Rich developed
and around both Hudson and Bergen the grassing and landscaping plans,
Counties, New Jersey. He played an to include the best practices, speci-
important role in negotiating a range fications, and planting requirements.
of property, business, and legal agree-
ments necessary during both the land Steve Boswell, of Boswell Engineer-
purchase and permitting process and ing, provided environmental engi-
during the construction period for neering and site surveys. His firm’s
what was to become the Bayonne professional expertise was critical
Golf Club. during the construction of the golf
course and clubhouse site, guiding
Allen Keith Hicks was construc- the development to what it is to-
tion manager for the Bayonne Golf day. This enormous and compli-
Club. Allen has been a long trusted cated engineering project could not
associate of Eric’s, having previously have occurred without the assistance
worked on many of his projects in- of Steve and his team. As an award
cluding the supervision of all eleven winning engineer, Steve, also an avid
courses constructed by Eric. Allen golfer, shared the vision for, and later
is a most qualified project manager joined, the Bayonne Golf Club.
who became the “go to guy” for all

21

Dora Capio has worked alongside Nursery, supplied 55,000 plants used
Eric for decades and assists him with to establish around the golf course
all his day to day activities. She also during construction.
worked on the design and selection
of the clubhouse interiors. In addition to the above individuals, the
following talented and highly- competent
James Coady was Bayonne Golf professionals were engaged to provide spe-
Club’s first club secretary. James’ role cific expertise for planning, design and
was member relations and member permitting:
development. James was responsible
for the establishment of the found- Maser Consulting, Matawan, New
ing members and the initial members Jersey was retained for site devel-
accepted to the club. With James’ opment and preparing the integrat-
guidance the membership’s founda- ed pest management plan. Both Ray
tion began with the selection of indi- Walker and Ray Liotta represented
viduals who had a grasp of links golf Maser with their professional exper-
and personalities that complemented tise and supervised development of
a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. the plan to delineate a base map in-
The slang words used for selecting cluding topography, golf course pri-
new members were people who “get mary features, golf maintenance and
it.” James filled that role and was clubhouse site, parking, and other
instrumental in creating the quality related features -- all based on Eric’s
membership that exists today. handwritten notes and routing plan
as provided to Maser.
Bob Wolverton, Golf Course Super-
intendent, was a graduate of Rutgers Sadat Associates, Trenton, New Jersey,
University’s turf management pro- an engineering and environmental
gram, and former turf student under science firm drafted the framework
Dr. Hurley. Bob’s knowledge, experi- for submitting the Waterfront Devel-
ence, and dedication played an im- opment Permit. Representing Sadat
portant role during the construction were Susan Goetz and Laura George.
and grow-in of the golf course.
ICON Engineering, Franklin Park,
Don Ellsworth was the golf course New Jersey, a civil and environmental
shaper. It was Don, the primary engineering firm founded by Behram
“bulldozer operator,” who sculpt- Turan was engaged to complete site
ed and molded the final shapes for descriptions and compliance provi-
greens, tees, and other features on sions, storm water management plan,
the golf course. design of the perimeter containment
swales, and outlined the resource pol-
Steven Kristoph, plant specialist, Rut- icy and summary discussions neces-
gers University adjunct faculty mem- sary for the final approval of a Hud-
ber, and owner of Steven Kristoph son River Waterfront Development

22

Permit. In 2002, CME Associates Roy Case, Jeffery Grossman drafted
(Consulting & Municipal Engineers) many of the golf course routing de-
acquired ICON Engineering. CME signs sketched by Eric. Their skills
was the engineer for the design, con- were important in developing a glob-
struction, oversight and operation of al concept plan.
the landfill closure and remedial sys-
tems on the Bayonne site. The New York firm of Hart Hower-
ton, with their team of planners and
Princeton Hydro, Ringos, New Jersey, architects, designed the stately and
developed the wetlands mitigation elegant castle-style clubhouse and ad-
and best management practices plans. joining lighthouse.
Representing Princeton Hydro were
Mark Gallagher and Stephen Souza There can be no question that without the
who planned for the 14-acre riparian collective efforts of the above dedicated
mitigation area (This wetland mitiga- and knowledgeable professionals the proj-
tion site can be found today opposite ect now known as the Bayonne Golf Club
golf holes No. 2, 8, 14 and 16). would not and could not have been com-
pleted.
Malcolm McLaren of McLaren En-
gineering Group, West Nyack, New
York, provided the structural engi-
neering design for the clubhouse that
allowed the structure to be built on a
ninety foot high pile of fill material.

23



Hudson River Dredged Material
OENJ LanadnfdillthReemediation

The Port Authority of New York and New all located within the New York City and
Jersey has the ultimate responsibility to Northern New Jersey metropolitan area.
manage, plan, finance, repair, maintain, The Port Authority is governed by a Board
improve, and construct all facilities within of Directors under the joint leadership of
its designated jurisdiction. This includes the sitting Governors of New York and
the New York Harbor for all river activi- New Jersey and was established as a re-
ties, maintaining the river channel depth sult of the combined efforts of the United
for commerce, and building and mainte- States Federal Government and the States
nance of docking facilities; bridge main- of New York and New Jersey negotiated in
tenance and renovation; all tunnels; the 1921 through an interstate compact au-
three airports of Newark Liberty Interna- thorized by the United States Congress.
tional, LaGuardia, and John F. Kennedy
International; the World Trade Center; and
the New York/New Jersey transit system;

City view from the Bayonne clubhouse towards Lower Manhattan. Photo 2017.

25

“A world-class harbor today must have a channel 50 feet deep.
That is the difference between a world class port
and one that is only of regional significance.”

John P. Woodley,

Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works

The New York
Hudson River channels
must be maintained
to a perpetual depth
of 50 feet to compete
globally as a viable
destination for
ocean commerce.
Image 2017.

The opening of the newly-expanded Pan- Dredge operation using a clamshell,
ama Canal, along with the use of super crane and barge. Photo circa 2005.
tankers and large container ships, set the
priority to maintain appropriate channel
depths in New York Harbor. This required
the Hudson River channels to be main-
tained to a perpetual depth of 50 feet if
New York were to continue to compete
globally and maintain its position as a via-
ble destination for ocean commerce.

The project to maintain minimum channel
depths, funded by the Port Authority and
the Army Corps of Engineers, remains an
ongoing investment for maintaining the
Hudson River channels.

26

This photo of the City of Bayonne Municipal Landfill and PSE&G property shows what was soon to become
the destination for millions of cubic yards of Hudson River dredged material. The photo was taken from a
helicopter by Peter Aagaard of OENJ during the winter of 1997. The Bayonne Golf Club now sits on this site.
Photo 1997.

River dredging involves literally “sucking The former municipal landfill portion of
or scooping up dirt and river muck” from the site is now the location of the Bayonne
the bottom of a Hudson River channel and Golf Club holes No. 2 green, 3, 4, 5, 6,
depositing the soupy dredged material and 7. Most of the salt marsh wetlands
on a flatbed barge for transport to an ap- are located along the northern and east-
proved dumping site. ern portions of the property along the bay,
now adjacent to golf holes No. 2, 8, 14,
In years past Hudson River dredged mate- and 16.
rial was shipped off to sea on barges and
dumped miles off the coasts of Long Is- In the 1950s the land on which the Bay-
land, New York, and New Jersey. onne Golf Club now sits was flat and fea-
tureless, with an elevation of no more than
Once the Bayonne site was identified as 10 feet above sea level. This was prior to
an approved destination for depositing becoming a municipal waste site for the
river dredge, the location immediately be- City of Bayonne and prior to depositing
came a most desirable destination due to millions of cubic yards of Hudson River
its close proximity to the primary Hudson dredged material.
River channels, allowing easy access for
dumping.

27

It was during the 1990s when OENJ Cor- Creating an impervious barrier
poration was selected as the primary play-
er for depositing dredged material on, at the bottom of the site
and the environmental remediation of,
the Bayonne landfill site. The corporation There were significant environmental is-
was a brown field reclamation and reme- sues to be addressed prior to remediating
diation specialist founded by two Danish the Bayonne site. First, OENJ needed to
businessmen and investors, Peter Phieffer construct a soil-bentonite slurry wall man-
and Peter Aagaard. Their parent compa- dated to hydrologically isolate the site and
ny in Denmark was known as Orion, and prevent contamination leaching into the
with their first landfill project in Elizabeth, Hudson River and Bay.
New Jersey they founded a company in the
United States -- hence the name OENJ for Must install a barrier
Orion Elizabeth New Jersey.
for containment
OENJ purchased the property from
PSE&G in 1998. It was OENJ that prop- A containment requirement was directed
erly closed the former Bayonne landfill by the New Jersey Department of Environ-
and capped the former PSE&G site using mental Protection (NJDEP) prior to envi-
approximately 4.5 million cubic yards of ronmental improvements and acceptance
amended dredged material from the Hud- of dredged material and fill necessary to
son River in the New York Harbor. sufficiently cap the site. Once installed,
the 300,000-square foot impervious ben-
Paid to deposit river dredge tonite clay vertical underground wall ex-
tended 14,000 linear feet down to a depth
This project was a profit-making business of 47 feet, then abutting the underlying
arrangement for OENJ, as the company geological impermeable layer (bedrock).
was paid by the Port Authority and the
Army Corps of Engineers to collect Hud- Once in place, this wall prevented the
son River dredged material and deposit movement of groundwater on and off the
it onto the Bayonne landfill site, then to site. By preventing migration of ground-
close the site once it had reached capacity. water, it allowed for leachate collection
and treatment. Imagine, if you will, an
upside down bathtub and how it contains
water.

28

toTBhueilPdriamoGrodlifalCIoduearse

One of the most frequently asked ques- The City wanted a tax ratable
tions is, “Was the Bayonne site destined to
be a world class golf course facility first or Question: What could the City of Bay-
a landfill that became a golf course?” The onne do with a remediated landfill and
answer is clear; it was always going to be how could the site be developed without
a Bayonne municipal and OENJ dredged using public funding? If the City wanted
landfill destination. to build a park, it would require a source
of public funding for construction and fu-
The introduction to ture maintenance. City officials knew that
if they built a park on the landfill, they
an opportunity would lose a property tax opportunity as
well as permanent jobs within the com-
It was Eric Bergstol who was first intro- munity.
duced to senior employees of OENJ in
1999. Eric, knowing that at some point It was 1999, at the onset of the dredge
the Bayonne landfill would reach capacity, material being brought to the site, when
took the opportunity to introduce the golf discussions for building a golf course pro-
course concept to the owners of OENJ, Pe- gressed between Eric and OENJ. At this
ter Phieffer and Peter Aagaard, noting in point an agreement was negotiated and
a simple and straight forward manner, “I signed whereby Eric would be the archi-
can design and build a golf course on the tect to design and build a golf course on
Bayonne landfill.” the Bayonne landfill site and would oper-
ate the club with a 200 year lease.
Interest in designing and
The desire for the City
building the golf course
was to reclaim a healthy
As a follow up to his initial meeting, Eric riverfront environment
took the OENJ executives to his Minis-
ceongo Golf Club to show them one of his During the years 1998 through 2007
golf projects and to further discuss his in- Joseph Doria was Mayor of the City of
terest in building a golf course on the Bay- Bayonne. Joe had a long and distinguished
onne landfill. He advised OENJ that if they political career as an elected member of the
could contour the site using the dredged New Jersey General Assembly in Trenton,
material, this would be to his benefit for as Speaker in the 1990 – 1991 legislative
creating his vision of a championship golf sessions, and as minority leader in 1992 -
course and maximize the amount of fill 2002. He had also been a New Jersey State
material brought to the site. Senator.

29

From the initial concept of building a golf site or our local politics.” He added, “Eric,
course in Bayonne, Mayor Doria’s admin- Ron knows the issues and would be the
istration embraced the idea of developing best fit for you.” At that point, Eric leaned
a public golf course that would provide across the table, shook Ron’s hand, and
the foundation for transforming a desolate said “Welcome to my team.”
and ecologically sterile brown field site.
Following Mayor Doria’s support for this While Eric and Ron did not know each
project Rich Campisano, who was the Bay- other at the beginning, they soon devel-
onne city legal counsel to the zoning and oped a professional bond with a rela-
planning board, was helpful with moving tionship that matured from this city hall
forward towards approval for a golf course introduction into one that proved to be in-
to be constructed on this landfill site. valuable during the process of building a
first class golf facility on the Bayonne site.
Bayonne city officials recognized that their
constituents would benefit greatly from a From the concept stage of building the golf
golf course project, including restoration course, city officials of Bayonne pushed
of a portion of the Bayonne waterfront to for the construction of a public golf course
include construction of a public walkway that would be supported by golfers’ green
with access to the bay for walking, biking, fees. The green fees would be in the $20
fishing, nature and bird watching. range for residents of Bayonne and higher
for golfers coming to play the course from
At some point after signing the golf course surrounding communities. The town
design and build lease agreement with planners thought a public golf course
OENJ there was a meeting in Mayor Doria’s would be well received in Bayonne and
office at which time Ron D’Argenio, who promoted this concept.
did not know Eric at the time, was intro-
duced to him in a most unusual way. Twenty dollar green fees;

Welcome to my team not a viable plan

In attendance at the meeting between Following up on the City’s interest in
Mayor Doria and Eric was the attorney building a public golf course, Eric and Ron
for OENJ’s dredged operation ... Ron. At met with the public officials to discuss and
the start of the meeting, the Mayor in- educate them on the economics and the
quired whether Eric had an attorney to scope of the project and ultimately con-
represent him on the proposed golf proj- vincing city officials that $20 green fees for
ect in Bayonne. Eric responded that he public golf would absolutely not be a via-
did have counsel ready to step in to as- ble plan. The City knew no other devel-
sist with the planning and permitting for oper would undertake building a public
the golf course. At this time Mayor Doria golf course.
said, “Why do you want to bring someone
from out of the area to Bayonne to repre- At this point Eric and Ron invested months
sent you, when your guy doesn’t know the attending dozens of public and private
hearings, including various meetings with

30

the Bayonne Planning Board and City Once the concept was approved by the
Council, pleading the case for approval of town the plan would include not only
a private golf club on the landfill site. Af- the construction of an 18 hole links style
ter many long meetings, sometimes con- championship golf course along the wa-
tentious affairs that continued late into the terfront, but also would include construc-
night, it became obvious to the town plan- tion, at Eric’s expense, of a section of the
ners that the financial burden necessary to Hudson River public waterfront walkway,
build a public golf course would bleed red wildlife viewing sites, and a wetland con-
ink as a result of the limited revenues ex- servation mitigation area, all situated with
pected from public green fees. public view from the waterfront walkway.

The only acceptable concept Prior to beginning construction of the golf
course, remediation of the site needed to
would be building a private be finalized and completed by OENJ ac-
golf club cording to NJDEP regulations. For all
parties involved the ultimate goal for re-
Eric was convincing in putting forth his mediation was to eliminate a major envi-
position to Mayor Doria and his associates ronmental concern for the City of Bayonne
that the only financial model that made any and to transform the site into an environ-
sense was a private golf club and building mental asset for the City.
a championship first class golf facility.

“The Bayonne Golf Club project was a major success story
for our community. The jobs created, public walkway,

and health benefits provided as a result of cleaning up a landfill
offered one of the most important projects for the City of Bayonne
during my term as Mayor. I am proud to say that this project was

planned and completed during my administration.”

Joseph Doria,

Mayor of Bayonne

31



A Links StthyeleVGisioolnf Course,

“I consider myself an artist that paints
with a bulldozer to shape and create golf holes.

This is my passion, this is my baby,
and I want to spend as much time as
possible making this course the best I can.”

Eric Bergstol

Links golf is what Eric was looking to Just like many courses in Ireland and Scot-
achieve with the golf course. The goal was land named for the towns they reside in,
to match the desired look through sculpt- Bayonne Golf Club was chosen partly for
ing land forms and to identify traditional that same reason. Bayonne also wanted
grasses and plant materials to successful- to be embraced by the local community
ly create a man-made links golf course. knowing that the city of Bayonne would
Links golf is all about hills and mounds, be recognized throughout the golfing
firm greens, and fescue grasses. world as hosting a preeminent new links
golf club.
What to Name the Golf Club?
Playing links golf
After a relatively brief period of time for
reflection, the final decision was made that to understand the concept
this new private golf club would be forever
named The Bayonne Golf Club. Starting around the year 2000, Eric and
Doc Hurley scheduled annual golfing trips
There were those who wanted a trendy or to Scotland, England, and Wales having
catchy name for the club -- a name they played over a hundred rounds of golf.
felt might offer an attraction with the golf- These experiences offered the opportuni-
ing world. But remember, this is Bay- ty to play most of the acclaimed natural
onne, a historically industrial communi- golfing links. The trips offered a wealth of
ty five miles from Manhattan. Driving to creative ideas, observing the landscapes,
the golf course you cannot miss seeing the land forms, and style of play necessary
industrial buildings, the warehouses, and for creating links golf. Many of the de-
the gas tanks. sign features that were observed would be
incorporated into the Bayonne Golf Club.

33

The thought was not to copy what was ob- Not bunkers but use of
served but to develop a collage of concepts
to refer to during the construction process. slope and grade to protect
a green site
Designing greens
As a design strategy in lieu of extensive
to play fast and firm green side bunkering was the concept to
first design a large contoured green and
The plan was to make the greens large so second to protect the green with one or
they would allow the opportunity to create more low mow “fall off” slopes shaped
contoured greens. For sure, greens must around the putting surface. At the Bay-
play fast and firm and the site must have onne Golf Club golfers find this type of
rolling hills and valleys similar to some of construction on half of the green sites.
the great Irish golf courses that include
Lahinch and Ballybunion or the impres-
sive Scottish links such as Cruden Bay and
Royal Aberdeen. Also important to meet-
ing the requirements for a championship
golf course would be the ability to stretch
the course to 7,100 total yards.

No. 9 green with short cut collection areas on the front and right side of this green. Photo 2017.

34

“I wanted to use close cut slopes around green sites
to add difficulty. For example, you can find this at the

5th, 7th, 9th, 13th, 14th and 15th green sites as a
shot hit on the green may roll off making for a

challenging chip or flop shot.”

Eric Bergstol

Hole No. 5 is a short par 3 offering an undulating putting surface with ‘fall off’ slopes contoured around
this green. Photo 2017.

35

After months of studying the parameters
of the property, including the overall size,
shape and available acres, Eric settled on a
routing concept that would allow for con-
structing challenging links style golf holes
and the placement of the clubhouse high
on a hill in the center of the course.

The golf hole routing concept for the Image recreation of a circa 2002 hand drawing.
Bayonne Golf Club started with a pencil,
paper and eraser to create a simple hand have the most positive impact on the final
drawn plan that identified the outline of design.
the property and the general location for
each hole and the clubhouse. After many attempts for routing holes Eric
decided on the placement of holes No. 8,
The clubhouse to be set 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 which set the
‘foundation holes’ for the routing plan, as
high on the hill in the his desire was to utilize the waterfront to
center of the course identify the best possible holes and create
a strong finish to the golf course.
Some of the draft concepts drawn initially
had the clubhouse located close to what is At this stage the challenge was to find
now the golf course maintenance building how the course could flow so the first tee
and the 10th green. Out of 40 attempts at could be located near the clubhouse and
routing the golf course the final plan was the ninth green returned close to the club-
to place the clubhouse in the center of the house. The tenth tee was to be at least
golf course, facing the New York skyline somewhat near the clubhouse and the
and the Hudson River scene, high above eighteenth green needed to return to the
the Hudson River. This feature alone clubhouse. Knowing this, and having al-
would make for dramatic river and city ready identified the ‘foundation holes’, at-
views for all to appreciate. tention was turned to finding a desirable
routing, looking to situate the remaining
fWinhdenthreo‘umtoinstg oabgvioolufsc’ ourse, holes such that they best fit the shape of
the property.
holes first

Knowing the location of the clubhouse,
the focus moved to studying the overall
size and shape of the property, looking to
identify areas to place holes where they
would most easily fit and holes that would

36

“Everything was different with Bayonne due to the permits
we had to get and because of that we just could not go out and
rout the golf course and look at a bunch of different 18- hole plans.

I could not design holes until the permits for that part
of the golf course were granted. And even then, you got one

kind of permit for one part, and others for the rest.”

Eric Bergstol

Using Eric’s hand drawn hole routing plan the next step was to draft target elevations that would create
separation between golf holes. Identified above are holes No. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Note the elevation numbers
that represent hills and valleys on the site. Image circa 2002.

37

Large hills were created to separate hole No. 4 on No. 7 green under construction in 2005 with
the left and hole No. 7 on the right. Note junipers juniper bushes planted on the hills. Photo 2005.
planted on the top of the hills. Photo 2005.

38