Ballyowen Golf Club Reviews
Reviews
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![Norman]()
Norman Sent on 01/20/2026A Heartfelt Review of Our Wedding Weekend at Ballyowen Golf Club
I’ve spent over 30 years working in hotels—engineering, grounds, and security—so I’ve seen just about everything when it comes to events. But this wedding weekend at Ballyowen Golf Club and Crystal Springs Resort truly touched me in a way I didn’t expect.
We arrived early on Friday for the rehearsal and were checked in right away. The front desk staff greeted us with such genuine warmth that it set the tone for the entire weekend. Our room was beautiful, clean, and ready the moment we arrived.
The rehearsal that evening at Ballyowen, just 15 minutes away, went perfectly. The views, the setup, and the staff—everything felt calm and under control. We returned to the hotel for the rehearsal dinner, which was wonderful and gave us a chance to relax and enjoy being together as a family.
Saturday was the big day. The women headed to the golf club to get ready, while the men stayed at the hotel, where we were served food and snacks. The shuttle service picked us up for photos, and everything ran right on schedule.
What truly moved me happened when we arrived for pictures. My 10-year-old grandson was in tears because his tuxedo shoes were painfully tight. The rental company had made a mistake and sent the wrong size. Seeing him hurting like that broke my heart. I mentioned it to our banquet captain, Mark, who brought it to Lee’s attention, and she immediately went to Walmart to buy him a brand-new pair of dress sneakers. He lit up the moment he put them on, and he danced the entire night without a single complaint. That small act of kindness meant the world to us.
After three decades in the hospitality industry, I can say with confidence that it’s rare—very rare—to see such a complicated event run so smoothly. Every detail was handled with care. Every need felt anticipated. Ballyowen Golf Club and Crystal Springs Resort operate with heart, professionalism, and a true commitment to making people feel taken care of.
I cannot recommend this place highly enough. It was a beautiful, flawless weekend we will remember forever. -
![Courtney]()
Courtney Sent on 01/16/2024Get married at Ballyowen!
We were married at Ballyowen on Aug 26, 2023 and it was a dream! From the first time we drove through the gates through the hills of the course I knew this was the place.
Ballyowen has everything and it’s all right at one venue for your guests. We knew we wanted an outdoor wedding ceremony, a summer garden party feel and Ballyowen delivered. They always have flowers blooming in their ceremony space so in addition to our own flowers it looked beautiful! The backdrop of the mountains and rolling hills of the golf course was picturesque.
We were talking private pictures on the golf course during the cocktail hour but we could interact with our guests who were on the patio of the clubhouse. We heard raving reviews about the food at cocktail hour.
The reception area is so cute and intimate, seating 130 comfortably. There are glass windows around the entire room so your guests can enjoy sunset and many of them took pictures of their families out by the fire pits during golden hour.
What is so cool about Crystal Springs is that you can go up early at stay at Minerals for a few days before the wedding. We had family come in early from out of state and some guests who wanted to make a vacation out of it. We had so much fun at the many pools, bars, and restaurants enjoying some relaxing time with family and friends before the big day. We even hosted our rehearsal dinner at a local restaurant in Hamburg, 10 mins from Minerals.
If you’re looking for an accommodating, stress free all inclusive space then look no further than Ballyowen and Minerals at Crystal Springs!
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Ashley Sent on 12/11/2023
A must book!
We had our wedding on 5.27.23 at the Ballyowen Golf Club venue. Silje and Julia were amazing and made the process so easy! I had a lot of questions and they always put me at ease! The venue was the easiest part of wedding planning! Our guests raved about the view from cocktail hour and even the food from the reception! Mark was my assistant for the day - and he was amazing! He was one of our favorite parts of the day! He was so attentive! We can not recommend Ballyowen enough - from the terrific staff to the beautiful venue itself! Everything went perfectly! If we could do it again, we would choose this venue over and over each time! -
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![J W]()
J W Sent on 12/09/2023For us, Ballyowen truly made our dreams come true
We were so lucky to find our perfect place on the first day of searching, having toured all five properties of the Crystal Spring collection Ballyowen was the one. It can’t be said enough about how perfect our day was on June 18, 2023. From the moment we arrived for the tour to our last goodbyes that night, joy is the only word that can describe how we felt. Julie and Silje took every chance to communicate with us along the way for how to plan our event, provided a timeline of each step and helped with our final choices. The food tasting was superb as was the overall presentation, taste and abundance of food provided to our guests. They also made sure to accommodate our guests with dietary restrictions. They truly made us feel like family and still five months later, we receive compliments from our guest of how much they enjoyed themselves which was our goal. The outdoor ceremony area has such a wonderful view of the majestic scenery in Hamburg which provided a stunning backdrop to our day and I knew this was our place the moment my now wife saw it for the first time. The atmosphere of the main building is one I would call intimate with the ability of opening the main windows giving a feel of openness and warmth. There were fire pits our guests enjoyed as well as the cocktail hour having indoor / outdoor seating throughout. We had a headcount of 90 and there was plenty of space for additional tables if needed. If you desire a reasonably priced, soup to nuts fantastic venue for your big day, Ballyowen will not disappoint. -
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![Sydney]()
Sydney Sent on 10/09/2023Ballyowen gave us our dream wedding!!
To say that Ballyowen Golf Club was the best decision my husband and I could have made is an understatement. We first met with Julie who took us on a tour. We already loved it from the moment we drove up the driveway, but working with Julie made us love it even more. She was so kind and quick to answer any questions we had. Julie also replied promptly to any email I sent. The communication was excellent!
6 months before our wedding date, Lee, our wedding coordinator reached out to us to schedule our food tasting and to answer any questions we had. The food was FANTASTIC and everyone was so nice.
Lee has been with us throughout the entire process and she was absolutely phenomenal to work with! She was so friendly and organized and we couldn't have asked for a better wedding coordinator!
On the day of, Lee made sure all of the decor was in place, the shuttles were good to go, and even fluffed my dress before I walked down the aisle. We seriously didn't have to worry about a thing because she took care of it all!
After the first look, Marc, our Maitre D', took us and our photographer around on a golf cart to take pictures. Marc was also such a pleasure to work with! He was there making sure we had everything we needed throughout the entire night. While my dress was getting bustled, he even brought me some food and a drink so I wouldn't miss anything.
Ballyowen took care of the food, the cake, the linens, and the decor, which we handed off to them. Not to mention the beautiful space that made our wedding look like it came straight out of a magazine.
Overall, our wedding was like a dream and that is all thanks to the team at Ballyowen. We seriously can't stop raving about the food, the atmosphere, and all of the people we had the pleasure of meeting. Thank you, Ballyowen, for our dream wedding! -
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Alexis Sent on 11/29/2022
The Wedding of my Dreams at Ballyowen
We got married on 6/17/22 at Ballyowen. Everything was truly a dream come true. My husband and I dealt directly with Julie and Lee Wilde our wedding coordinator, who helped finesse all the final details and gave tips when I needed help in planning the most. Our wedding day went so smoothly with their help, the venue is absolutely gorgeous if you love rustic glam, and the views were breath taking! Our ceremony was outdoors and the day could not have been more picture perfect. When we toured this venue it had been our first, and I did not need to see any others, I am so happy we went with my gut feeling, it was everything I could have ever wanted. Food was a huge factor for us as well! When we had our food tasting, literally everything we tried was delicious that it was so hard to come up with our final menu decisions being that there were truly so many great options. We ended up doing a buffet style menu and added a chocolate fountain for dessert option as well. My husband and I made sure to eat our food that night and we were so glad we did not only did we enjoy it, but to this day months later, all of our guests tell us how amazing all of their food was and it was the best they have ever ate at any of the weddings they've ever been to. I can go on and on about our wonderful wedding at Ballyowen, we truly had the best possible experience, and I look back at our wedding with joy every single time. My husband and I always say we can go back and relive that day over and over because it was truly perfect! Thank you so much Julie, Lee and all the great staff at Ballyowen Golf Club, you went above and beyond for our wedding! :) -
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![Brittany]()
Brittany Sent on 12/16/2019Loved this choice!
Let me start by saying my only requirement was to NOT get married at a golf course. Well.... I got married at this golf course and it was freaking gorgeous. Just the drive into the venue is overwhelmingly gorgeous. It looks like Scottish/Irish Landscape and it's even pretty on a cloudy day.
The service was great, but be sure to double check with who will actually be running your event the day of. I thought it would be one woman and then she told me last minute before I walked down the aisle that she was passing off to someone else. That was incredibly stressful for me. She also didn't hand off the wedding bible that I made for the day-of coordinator, so that kind of threw me off. I actually had a migraine my entire wedding day due to this situation and the stress it brought me.
THAT BEING SAID, the person who jumped in was AMAZING. A person fainted during my cocktail hour and he handled that situation so gracefully. My guests were so impressed with the way that Ballyowen staff presented the food and drink. They were not cheap AT ALL and my guests were telling me it was the best wedding they had ever been too.
My newer coordinator also let us have an extra hour due to special cases and was so so so sweet about making sure I was taken care of, bringing me food and drinks personally throughout the day to make sure I ate.
LOVE THIS VENUE.... I wish I could get married all over again just to party here. -
![Sara]()
Sara Sent on 11/08/2019100% with you the entire way, including day of!!
I am so incredibly happy with my experience working with Ballyowen for our venue! What we loved from the beginning was how everything was included in our wedding package-from open bar, to transportation, to coordinator. I didn't have to think about all the details like table linens or food add-ons. It was incredible. Silje was my coordinator and she was so helpful. She always answered my emails no matter how ridiculous or rapid fire they were. She was there literally every step of the way, including the day of my wedding. She met me in the morning and stayed with me the entire day (in a non-intrusive way) until my wedding began. She walked me to the aisle and handed me off to Luis, the maitre 'd, who was also absolutely phenomenal. Luis made sure that my husband and I were never left wanting *anything*! He served us our appetizers during cocktail hour, made sure our drinks stayed full the entire night, and made sure that we had the BEST time. In all the advice everyone had given me prior to my wedding, the main advice I got was to make sure my husband and I took time to ourselves to enjoy everything and to have some food. Luis and Silje made it so that we didn't even have to think about that!! They did it for us, and with flair. I don't have a single complaint from my wedding day!! -
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![sasha]()
Sasha Sent on 09/03/2019Best day ever
When we first walked into Ballyowen Golf Club for our tour we thought the place was gorgeous.. and knew it would be the perfect location for our wedding. What we didn’t know at the time was that the service of the staff would entirely surpass our expectations. Silje was AMAZING at dealing with all of my questions and her response time for my emails was at lightning speed. Luis was the best right hand man on our big day. He treated our day as if it was just as important to him as it was to us. Anything issue that popped up along the way was quickly handled and I never had to hear about it! He made sure we ate, even if it mean locking us in the bridal suite and guarding it so we weren’t bothered for 30 minutes. He held a plate of food for me so I could feed myself while I was getting bustled and made sure my champagne glass was always full. The staff of Ballyowen treated us like royalty on our wedding day, and I am soooo happy we decided to have our wedding at this location, just wish we could do it all again!! -
![Katelyn]()
Katelyn Sent on 08/07/2019Beautiful Venue, Amazing Staff!
This venue was FANTASTIC! Absolutely beautiful, professional staff, fantastic food, and the space was perfect for our size wedding. Silje was so wonderful and responsive to anything I needed while planning (including about 100 week-of requests and questions), and was MVP when she stepped in to save the day when our florist completely dropped the ball. She made sure every detail was perfect -- from all of the pictures and decor items I brought, our camp-fire s'mores set-up, and our requests for the outside set-up post ceremony. And then there is Luis!!! OMG was he fantastic -- and all of our guests noticed!! He literally did it all. So many little details -- he took care of our groomsmen while we took portraits, he made sure we got to try everything from cocktail hour (he even made sure I ate!!), our drinks were always fresh, he even took care of a sick guest. And the big things -- our buffet style dinner was EXACTLY how we envisioned it, everything was delicious and timely, there was NEVER a wait at the buffet, and my husband and I got to truly enjoy every single second of our reception. The entire day was smooth and our guests had an absolute blast because of how wonderful the staff was at Ballyowen. Cannot thank them enough for the most perfect day! -
Kelsey Sent on 05/17/2019
Fairytale experience
I got married here this May and it was such a beautiful venue. Two weeks later and I am still getting people complementing me on how the venue looked like it came from a fairytale. Ballyowen is gorgeous whether it's rainy or sunny, and that means a lot in NJ where the weather can be kinda dicey. It rained on my wedding day and felt like I was at a destination wedding in Ireland. The whole staff is very responsive and accommodating to your wants/needs. Louis did an amazing job on the day of my wedding making sure that we did not have to worry about anything. He's seriously a gift from God with how smoothly he had everything running and how well he took care of my husband and I. I truly wish that someone else I know would get married here just so that I can enjoy it as a guest and get to sit back and relax and take it all in because it was truly an amazing experience. -
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![Julie]()
Julie Sent on 01/22/2019Beautiful Venue, Amazing Staff!
We got married at Ballyowen in October, and we had the most amazing day! The venue is absolutely beautiful, and the seasonal decorations complemented our decor perfectly! The staff, however, are what truly made our day unforgettable. From the beginning, Julie was great in answering all of our questions before booking. Once we booked, Silje took on the role of Wedding Coordinator flawlessly, and she was always available to answer any questions we had while planning. She was always one step ahead of us with logistics for day-of, and it is obvious she knows the venue and how to successfully execute the perfect wedding. The real MVP of our wedding day was Luis, the Maitre D'. He was simply AMAZING and really made sure we were taken care of every step of the way. When our band was stuck in traffic and going to be late for our ceremony, Luis dealt with everything and didn't even tell us until our ceremony was over! He snuck us away during cocktail hour and made sure we got a plate of all of the food we had selected while enjoying some time alone. During the reception, Luis was always available to check-in with all of the guests and make sure we had everything we needed. He made sure we always had a drink in our hand and that we enjoyed every moment of our night. He truly made our wedding a flawless event. The next morning when we went to pick up all of our decorations, he had already gotten everything together and it was all waiting for us! We mentioned how we were having so much fun the night before we hadn't even had a chance to try out our pie bar for dessert... Luis went back in the club house and came back with 3 leftover pies for us to take back home with us!!! He is a true professional at what he does and a huge asset to Ballyowen... with Luis on your side, rest assured your wedding will take off without a hitch! Thank you Julie, Silje, and Luis!!! We had an amazing wedding at Ballyowen thanks to you! -
![Gonzalo]()
Gonzalo Sent on 10/14/2019Luis is the best
We got married Oct 6, 2019 and we honestly did not know what to expect. We heard good things from friends and positive comments online, but you never know. The process leading up to the big day was ok. I think Ballyowen and their staff do a pretty good job, especially Silje. But Crystal Springs Resort as a whole are not necessarily a breeze to deal with. Their customer service is not up to par.
Anywho, the day of the wedding was just fabulous. And that is mostly thanks to LUIS and his staff, who did a superb job at making sure we were taken cared of at all times. The timing of things was excellent, the service was on point, and the food and drinks were everything we hoped for. The venue itself with its rolling hills and gorgeous views are majestic. Every guest commented on how pretty it is.
All in all, I highly recommend this venue. You will have to be a little patient at first, especially if you have people staying overnight at one of their hotels. But other than that, everything was just perfect. -
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![loveispossoble]()
Kristen Sent on 10/09/2017Our wedding at Ballyowen was truly magical. The staff was great and went above and beyond for us and my guests. Luis (maitre'd) and Silje(wedding coordinator) were so helpful the day of the wedding and took care of all of our requests sometimes before we even asked for it! Luis especially was like a mind reader and had our preferred drinks ready for us throughout the day. Silje was very prompt to answer all my questions leading up to the wedding. My only major negative for the day was an issue with the wait staff during the reception. I found out after the fact that staff dropped some glasses or dishes and somehow my aunt cut her foot. Luckily her foot wasn't cut badly, but apparently, they merely handed her a band-aid and didn't seem too apologetic. I let Silje know about this after the wedding and she said they would address this for future events. There also was a little issue with extended family photos after the ceremony and they were accidentally ushering in family members that needed to stay behind for photos. It all worked out though. Somehow there was also a mix up with centerpieces for the parents' tables and I think the wrong centerpiece was placed on the groom's parents table. It wasn't a big deal for the overall day, but sorta sucked since I paid more for those and they should have been placed on the correct tables. I mentioned this also to Silje afterward, so hopefully, they notice going forward. Some of my guests stayed at Minerals and that worked out really well for the shuttle and everything. -
![meredith]()
Meredith Sent on 09/29/2016This is the personal letter I wrote to them which explains it all!
Dear Julie and Silje and Luis,
Dan and I would like to personally thank you for all your help throughout this 18 month engagement. You have been great through our endless questions.
Silje- thank you so much for being so accommodating with everything !
Luis- In just 3 words- everything was seamless!
Our guests said that this was one of the best weddings they have ever been too. They were treated like kings and queens. The décor, the food, the placement of table’s centerpieces, PERFECTION!
One of our guests said they never once had to get up to get a drink, the wait staff was incredible. Another guest said as soon as she got up and went back to her chair a new napkin was beautifully place by her plate.
We can’t thank you enough. We will recommend you guys to everyone we know. We already have been getting questions on whom to contact to have their events at BallyOwen!
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![Elizabeth]()
Elizabeth Sent on 11/10/2020Stunning venue
As soon as we drove onto the property, we knew Ballyowen Golf Club was going to be our venue. We were so excited to have our wedding here. We got engaged in Ireland so the Irish feel of the beautiful hills and all the rustic, cobblestone was so appealing to us. We were looking forward to having our cocktail hour and reception in two separate, beautiful buildings. However, COVID had other plans. We were devastated to find out the layout needed to change with covid, but we decided to move ahead with our plans. Communication with the venue was not always the best and several times we had to reach out requesting updates on all the changes with covid which was frustrating but we were very understanding of the lack of communication at times, because we know that the world is in a chaotic place. I dont believe we would have had that experience if covid was not present. Our contact, Julie, was very kind and flexible with us, but did appear confused and disorganized at times. However, even as we got closer to our date I text her multiple times with many different questions and she always responded in a reasonable time frame. On the day of, she was very helpful and assisted with setting up our welcome sign which is not her job. Luis, our maitre d was PHENOMENAL. Seriously, I would have been so lost without him there with us. So attentive and very caring and helpful. He always made sure I had a drink in my hand and food on the table (even though I unfortunately did not get to eat that much but he made sure we had a box to take home with us). Even when my bridesmaids were working on my bustle in a dark area outside he found a small lantern and set it up for them so they could see better. I could go on and on about his service. He really made our night memorable and I'm thankful we had him with us. Overall, we had an amazing experience and we were lucky enough to be blessed with 70 degree weather in November which made for an absolute BEAUTIFUL atmosphere for our ceremony on the tee.
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