The weekly Pulse of Golfing In The Garden State – new stories every Monday.
This week: Michael Hyland — two-time New Jersey Golf Champion, the most decorated player to come out of Little Mill, joins the show to break down every hole of the championship routing ahead of Tuesday's Four-Ball. Plus Mike played the course himself and filed a conditions report worth getting excited for.
Big week. Bigger season.
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The Insider's Guide to Little Mill
Michael Hyland doesn't need an introduction at Little Mill. Two-time New Jersey Golf Champion. Three-time GAP Champion. Nine-time USGA competitor. His grandmother was one of the club's first members when Little Mill opened in 1968. His father won the club championship six times. And Hyland has spent four decades learning every break, every false read, and every trap on this golf course.
He joined The DROP this Thursday to share his insiders knowledge.
"We are literally a hidden gem sitting here in the same woods as Pine Valley, 15 minutes away. In my opinion, that's the best course in the world. But we're number two in South Jersey. And I'll put us against Galloway."
That's the framing. And the evidence backs it up: when Little Mill hosted the New Jersey Amateur in 2008, the winning score was 8-over par. Same championship at Tavistock in 2015? 14-15 under won. Let that sink in before Tuesday.
The championship routing for the 94th Four-Ball is the red-white combination — a par-71 that stretches close to 7,000 yards from the tips. Here's what Hyland told us: every putt at Little Mill plays straighter than it looks. Cut your read in half. Trust the roll. The teams that ignore that advice will be shocked at how many putts miss the short side.
On the Red nine, the key is surviving the opening stretch clean. "If you're over par through the first three holes, good luck — you're behind the eight ball." Par-par-par through those three is a win. The hidden birdie holes are 1 Red, 5 Red, and 7 Red. The greens play flat until they don't — and 8 Red is the one that fools everyone. "It looks like it breaks a lot. It doesn't break. And that's the one everyone reads wrong."
On the White nine, the story this year is the completely redesigned first hole. They opened up a new waste area, changed the routing, and created the most visually dramatic tee shot on the property. Hyland's assessment:
"You're going to see six balls drive that green and stay on. And you're going to see over six double bogeys on that hole. That's what it is, it's an incredible short hole now."
The third hole on the White nine is the hardest hole on the routing by Hyland's reckoning — a par-5 with a 240-yard carry over waste bunkers to a fairway flanked on both sides. Getting there is half the battle. And the hardest par on the course might be 8 White, a par-3 that plays uphill from the back tees at well over 250 yards. "Don't go over that green. That is death."
His stroke-play target: 4-under makes match play, comfortably. His prediction for the championship: Troy Vanucci and Brian Hollins, representing Little Mill, will win it.
This conversation is essential listening for anyone competing Tuesday — or anyone who just wants to understand why this course is New Jersey's best-kept secret.
Golf's Growing Problem (but this course has none of it)
On Tuesday, Mike filed his Little Mill conditions report: the best-conditioned golf course he has played in 2026, and it isn't close. From the fairways to the greens to the new holes on the White nine, superintendent Don has transformed this place. Mike says they told him the greens were only going to get faster. He still doesn't know how that's possible.
But the episode wasn't just about Little Mill. It was about the state of public golf in New Jersey. Mike's DMs were flooded with the same complaint from listeners: unreplaced divots, unraked bunkers, unrepaired ball marks, slow play. He and Pro addressed it directly.
"If you've already achieved net double bogey, pick the golf ball up. There is no reason to be grinding out a 9 or 10 on a hole. You are holding up every group behind you."
The bottom line from both hosts: leave the course better than you found it. Replace your divot. Fix your ball mark (and one nearby while you're at it). Rake the bunker. Play ready golf. These aren't complicated asks — they're the baseline. If you're paying $80-plus to play a round, so is the group behind you.
Pro Shop
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The 19th Hole
The PGA of America just named Jim Furyk as the US Ryder Cup captain for 2027 at Adare Manor in Ireland. His record last time out: a 17.5-10.5 loss at Le Golf National. Mike's take this week was not gentle. Chris's was diplomatic by comparison.
Here's the question for the 19th hole: Do you like this pick or who would you have wanted as captain instead?
Hit “reply”, we want to hear it.
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