Billy Casper, former PGA Tour and Champions Tour golfer; he is also the name behind Billy Casper Golf and is, in fact, involved in the management of the company in name only. The company, based in Vienna, Va., was founded in 1989 by Casper’s former agent, Bob Morris, with a partner, Peter Hill. Jonathan Vassil, director of marketing for Casper Golf, says that they license his name and notes that Casper, at 78 and based in San Diego when he’s not on the road, is not involved in the day-to-day operations at the company. “But he does do appearances for us quite often at our courses. He’ll show up and hit balls with foursomes, and he shows up at grand openings and special occasions,” Vassil adds.

In 1989, when Hill and Morris started their golf course management company, they got Casper’s permission to use his name for the fledgling business, because “Billy Casper Golf makes a lot more sense than Bob Morris or Peter Hill Golf management,” says Vassil.

During the golf season, Casper Golf employs 3,500 people across the country. Executives at the company oversee 110 golf courses in 25 states in the lower 48, and three in Hawaii.

Casper Golf’s cache in New Jersey includes five courses: Royce Brook Golf Club in Hillsborough, Indian Spring Country Club in Marlton, McCullough’s Emerald Golf Links in Egg Harbor Township, High Bridge Hills Golf Club in the borough of High Bridge, and Cranbury Golf Club in West Windsor.

The first Casper-managed facility in the New Jersey was Cranbury Golf Club, which opened in 1964 and was designed by Gary Rhenn. At one time set amongst a backdrop of farms and open fields, Cranbury is now an open expanse of green in the midst of several nearby housing and retail developments, as the area known as greater Princeton has grown through the 1980s and 90s. Cranbury is known for its par-3 “bog” hole, which demands a precise short iron shot over a precipitous valley—at the bottom of which the “bog” is located—to a green that is narrow from front to back.

Royce Brook, a sprawling 36-hole facility and perhaps the jewel in the crown of the Casper managed holdings in the Garden State, was built by the Chubb [insurance] Group in the late 1990s. It has several spacious practice areas, including a full driving range with turf tees, a short game practice area, and practice putting greens. Florida-based architect Steve Smyers designed both the East and West courses at Royce Brook.

“We’re trying to maintain price integrity at our properties and on memberships,” Vassil explains with regard to how Casper Golf is positioned for what could become slower demand for golf. “We’re offering some really flexible membership terms because at the end of the day our job is to deliver a really exceptional golf customer experience, from the time they make a reservation to the time they get in the car to go home. We feel any of our courses in New Jersey offer this.”

McCullough’s Emerald Golf Links, a Stephen Kay design that opened in 2002, was created on top of a former landfill by elected officials in Egg Harbor Township.

High Bridge Hills Golf Course in the borough of High Bridge in Hunterdon County was designed by Mark Mungeam and opened in the late 1990s.

At High Bridge Hills and McCullough’s, initial high natural fescue grasses have been scaled back a bit over time to allow for faster and more satisfying play by a broader spectrum of golfers. High Bridge Hills has proven to be a popular facility for outings and the naturally rolling hills in the area present a variety of challenges for golfers who like a course with hills.

Indian Spring Country Club in Marlton, not far from Philadelphia, offers a large driving range and instructional facility. That course came into the Casper Golf fold in 2005.