Partner Spotlight: Voorhees Golf Land

AAA South Jersey recently partnered with Voorhees Golf Land, an iconic South Jersey golf course that has recently been acquired by new owners, Diana and Bob Hennefer. The husband-and-wife team have prioritized the revitalization of the classic location—while still maintaining the nostalgia reflective of so many locals’ treasured memories.

Diana Hennefer spoke to AAA South Jersey about these exciting new updates, including the new AAA member discount.

AAA South Jersey: What inspired you to take over Voorhees Golf Land, and what has your experience been so far?
Diana Hennefer: My husband is a golf pro in the area, and he came here a lot when he was a kid. Last summer, it was shut down because the prior owner had passed away, and it was just sort of sitting here empty. And so, one day, he drove by and he called me and said, ‘Hey, what if we took over the golf farm?’ Because that's what it was called forever—the golf farm. And I said, ‘Well, okay, sure.’

We reached out to Lions Gate, who owns the property and are really wonderful landlords, and we took over in August of last year. We started to rehab the building and rehab the grounds. The greens were completely dead because they hadn't been watered all summer, so we had a whole big landscaping and greenkeeping project on our hands. He does the outside part, and I do the inside part. I handle the day-to-day business operations and the marketing, and the parties, and the employees, and all of that. We have a small little staff of really great kids and a couple of really engaged adults who work for us. One of us is usually here, my husband and I, checking on things and talking to people and just being around. It's been a really unique experience. If you had told me 10 years ago that this is where I would be, I would not believe you. My husband and I both have real jobs, so this is our side hustle, and we want to keep this place open. It's been such a fixture in South Jersey, and most of the people that walk in here have some story about how they came here as a kid, or their Uncle Paul worked here, or their third birthday party was here, they went on their first date here, or whatever it was. It’s been such an important part of the culture of South Jersey entertainment, and we wanted to keep it alive. We don't want it to be a parking lot. We want it to stay green as long as possible.

AAA: What's the best part of working at Golf Land?
D.H.: I love being able to take what was here and make it sort of more modern and fit into people's lives now. I love that it has a history and that we're now just continuing on this history. We're the owners, but we're really just the stewards of this property, and this business, and this piece of the industry. My husband has been a golf pro for almost 20 years now, and that is his passion—and golf has been very good to us. And in order to grow the game and in order to keep it relevant for people, you need places like this that don't price people out and that don't make it an elitist kind of sport. Anyone can play golf. We had a family with a kid in a wheelchair come out on Father's Day, and it's just special to be able to do something analog, right? There are no screens here. We are very low-tech. [Visiting Golf Land is] just to be outside with your family and the people that you like and your friends, or by yourself.

AAA: How does Golf Land provide the perfect activity for any age?
D.H.: We have a lot of people that come on their lunch break and get in 18 holes of pitch and putt, and I think it's just really important to have spaces like this for the community to go to. This is the perfect South Jersey activity because it's easy and anyone can do it. You don't have to be good at golf. You don't ever have had to touch a golf club before. Our holes are 20 to 50 yards. You need a wedge and you need a putter, and whether it takes you two strokes to get it in the hole or whether it takes you 10 strokes, you're going to have a good time.

We are slowly and very diligently rehabbing the grass back to really good condition where we want it to be. It was dirt when we took over, and now there's grass. So, every day gets a little bit better. If you're here and you see somebody mowing, it's probably my husband with his AirPods in; like, smoothing everything down and trying to make it as good as possible. This is a really great place to bring your family outside. Everyone can play mini golf. We have 90-year-olds that come play, we have 3-year-olds that come play. It's just a fun activity that you can do, and we try to keep the prices as reasonable as possible because life is really expensive, and you should be able to get outside affordably.

AAA: Why did you decide to partner with AAA South Jersey?
D.H.: We're so happy to partner with you guys. I am a AAA member; my parents have been AAA members. The first thing I do whenever I do anything is look to see if there's a AAA discount, honestly. Whatever it takes to get our facility in front of people and to make it reasonable for people to access it, I think that's great.

AAA: Do you have a personal experience using AAA roadside assistance?
D.H.: I have a really funny AAA roadside story. I have two boys, who are now 10 and 14, but several years ago during COVID, they played deck hockey in Marlton in the wintertime, and it is so cold in the wintertime. It was like 20 degrees. My husband coached, which was really nice because he could go to hockey and I could stay in the car, and it was actually my birthday. They had a hockey game, and I was sitting in the car with one of my friends, and we were just chatting and talking, and I had turned the car off to save gas, but when it would get cold, I would turn the car back on. Well, we were having such a good time, I forgot to turn the car back on, and the battery died in the freezing cold while the hockey game was going on at the at the hockey rink on Lippincott Drive in Marlton. So, I hurried up and called AAA, and they came out and jumped my car before the hockey game was over, and my husband never realized what was going on. Although, I did later tell him, but it made it a very funny story.

AAA: How can AAA members access their discount at Golf Land?
D.H.: All you have to do is come in, show your AAA card, and you're eligible for the discount. Our discount includes $1 off mini golf, $2 off pitch and putt, and 10% off any parties or events that you would book here. We do have an indoor event space and an outdoor event space, and some pretty competitive group rates. So, we would love to see all the AAA members come out and have fun with us.