The 6,600-Yard Trap at Morris County

This Week: We explain why Morris County Golf Club’s roughly 6,600 yards can be more dangerous than inviting. Mike sets a course record at Great Gorge’s One Club, an 18-hole experience built around one club, one ball and pure fun. Omar Jermaine takes us behind the scenes at Dunning Golf and shares the lost-jacket story that launched his 30-year apparel career. Plus: Ryan Fox’s remarkable Open victory, the Jersey Boys on Tour and a round at Baltusrol that meant far more than the score.

Three very different sides of golf. One common thread: the details matter.

— The DROP Podcast

#GolfingInTheGardenState

Dunning Golf x DROP Partnership: Code DROP20 for 20% off your first order.

Morris County Golf Club does not need 7,400 yards to expose the best players in New Jersey. At roughly 6,600 yards and par 70, it presents something more dangerous: the temptation to believe every hole should be attacked.

That was the central point of our 106th New Jersey Open preview. The opening five holes create legitimate scoring opportunities, but anyone who reaches the sixth tee already pressing may be in trouble. Nos. 7 through 10 form the most demanding stretch on the course. Nos. 11 and 12 briefly reopen the door. From there, the finish asks for complete control of the golf ball and the emotions attached to it.

“The New Jersey Open will not be won by the player who attacks Morris County Golf Club the hardest. It will be won by the player who knows when not to.” — Mike Puorro

Chris Dymek entered the week as one of 123 players in the field, and his game plan was clear. Distance would help, but fairways, smart club selection and patience would matter more. He had already shot 71 in the Pro-Am, yet even that round reinforced how quickly Morris County can punish a player who gets out of position.

The championship also carried a major historical question. After winning a second consecutive New Jersey Amateur at Baltusrol, Barnes Blake arrived with a chance to become the first player in 56 years to win the New Jersey Amateur and New Jersey Open in the same season. Chris did not hedge: if Blake brought his game, he had to be considered the favorite.

The episode moved from championship strategy to something more personal. Mike reflected on playing Baltusrol’s Lower Course with Mike Setola, Tim Hipszer and his father, Jerry. There were no cameras and no pressure to create content just a special day at a special place. Chris, speaking as someone who has lost his father, offered the reminder every golfer should hear: never pass up the opportunity to play with your dad, your son or someone who matters to you.

Great Gorge may have created one of the most accessible golf experiences in New Jersey.

One Club is an 18-hole, par-66 park-golf course played with one club and one ball. The holes range from roughly 25 to 75 yards, but this is not miniature golf. There are slopes, rough, out-of-bounds, strategy and enough challenge to keep competitive golfers fully engaged. The difference is that it costs $20, takes about two hours and was designed to feel less like a grind and more like a walk in the park.

The experience sits inside Great Gorge’s larger 600-acre property, alongside 27 holes of traditional golf, Hef’s Hut, a container bar, Treescape Adventure Park and ziplines. Music plays throughout the One Club layout. Players can grab a cocktail or mocktail. Families, couples, beginners and serious golfers can all share the same space without needing the same golf experience.

That accessibility does not mean the competition disappears. Mike arrived asking for the course record, learned the number was 50 and then closed eagle-birdie to shoot 49, -17 under par. The Great Gorge One Club Championship in August raises the stakes even further: male and female winners receive airfare and hotel accommodations to compete in Japan, where park golf began in the 1980s.

The bigger idea is worth paying attention to. Golf constantly talks about cost, time, access and how to welcome new people into the game. Great Gorge has built an answer that still feels like golf while removing many of the barriers that keep people away.

At 13 years old, Omar Jermaine walked into a mall with $100 and found an $80 white jacket that immediately felt like it had his name on it. His mother encouraged him to look around before buying it. When they returned, the jacket was gone.

Omar was devastated. Then his mother reminded him of something she had always said: if there is something you want, draw it and it becomes yours. He went home, recreated the jacket from memory and began changing the details to make it better. Without realizing it, he had designed his first piece of apparel.

Decades later, after his mother passed away, Omar found that she had saved the original sketch.

That story opened one of the most revealing interviews we have done about what golfers wear. Omar, now the creative director at Dunning Golf, explained how premium apparel is engineered long before a logo or pattern enters the conversation. Fabric, stretch, recovery, breathability, collar height, thread, buttons, pocket placement and fit all influence whether a garment performs or becomes a distraction during the round.

The simplest products can be the hardest to perfect. A T-shirt leaves nowhere to hide a poor fit. A polo adds an almost endless number of construction decisions. Dunning is already working on Spring 2028 product, roughly two years before golfers will see it in pro shops.

Omar also explained how he approaches golf’s relationship with tradition. His goal is not to chase every fashion cycle - “trend is a trap” - but to move the game forward in measured steps. Tour-player feedback matters, including input from Russell Henley, but Omar said the trust of club professionals remains the more important foundation for a golf-apparel brand.

Looking to show your Jersey golf pride this season. Check out our selection of shirts, hoodies, and hats in The DROP pro shop. Find quality gear like the DROP rope hat. Lightweight, comfortable, and perfect on or off the course.

The Open Championship - Royal Birkdale

Ryan Fox completed one of the year’s most remarkable major-championship runs. After reaching the weekend at even par, he played the final 36 holes in 130, including a Saturday 62. Fox made four birdies over his final six holes on Sunday and birdied No. 18 to finish at 10 under, one shot ahead of Cameron Young, who had posted 9 under after a final-round 64.

Chris Gotterup finished tied for 18th, adding another strong major result. Max Greyserman missed the cut. James Nicholas opened with a 5-over round before withdrawing with a foot injury.

Weekly Picks: Mike’s Tyrrell Hatton defeated Chris’s Joaquín Niemann, moving the season record to Mike 13-8-1 and Chris 8-13-1. For the 3M Open, Mike selected Tom Kim and Chris selected Jake Knapp.

Next Up: Greyserman was the lone New Jersey player identified in the 3M Open field, while Nicholas, John Pak and Ryan McCormick were slated for Korn Ferry Tour action.

Four players discussed on this week’s show competed in the New Jersey Open at Morris County in both 1984 and 2026. How many years separated those championships?

A) 38 years

B) 40 years

C) 42 years

D) 44 years

Which experience from this week would you choose: testing your game in championship conditions at Morris County, playing One Club at Great Gorge with a trip to Japan on the line, or walking Baltusrol with someone in your family?

Reply and tell us why. The score may be what gets recorded, but this week was another reminder that the reason we play is usually much bigger.

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TRIVIA ANSWER: C) 42 years. The New Jersey Open returned to Morris County in 2026 for the first time since 1984.