Due Process Stable vs. Trump National Golf Club Colts Neck
Colts Neck, an inland, low-density, horse-country township in Monmouth County, is home to two distinct private golf clubs that are easy to confuse: Due Process Stable, a golf-and-equestrian club built by a controversial 1990s financier, and Trump National Golf Club Colts Neck, a Trump Organization property built on a former airport site. Both are private, both are invitation-based, and both sit within a few miles of each other -- but their histories, design credentials, and identities are entirely separate, and this page sources each independently to avoid the exact aggregator-blending error that both clubs are prone to online.
Side by Side
How They Compare
Founded / opened
Due Process Stable Country Club
Built early-to-mid 1990s by Robert Brennan; course opened 1995
Trump National Golf Club Colts Neck
Opened 2005 as Shadow Isle Golf Club; acquired and renovated by the Trump Organization in 2008
Course architect
Due Process Stable Country Club
Johnny Miller (1995)
Trump National Golf Club Colts Neck
Jerry Pate (2005, as Shadow Isle); Tom Fazio (2008-09 renovation)
Distinctive identity
Due Process Stable Country Club
Combined golf-and-equestrian club with horse stables
Trump National Golf Club Colts Neck
Golf-and-country-club amenities including an aquatic facility, tennis complex, and 5-hole short course
Reported initiation fee
Due Process Stable Country Club
~$350,000 (third-party aggregator, unconfirmed with the club)
Trump National Golf Club Colts Neck
Not published; not independently confirmed
Site history
Due Process Stable Country Club
Purpose-built golf/equestrian estate
Trump National Golf Club Colts Neck
Former general-aviation airfield (Colts Neck Airport, closed 2002)
Origins & Ownership
Due Process Stable was built by stockbroker Robert Brennan in the early-to-mid 1990s using funds later found tied to securities fraud; Brennan was convicted and imprisoned in the 2000s, and the club was subsequently bought out of bankruptcy for roughly $20 million by John Ferolito (co-founder of the Arizona Beverage Company) and Peter C. Gerhard. Trump National Golf Club Colts Neck has a very different origin: it opened in 2005 as Shadow Isle Golf Club on the site of a former general-aviation airfield (Colts Neck Airport, closed 2002), and the Trump Organization acquired it out of foreclosure in 2008, commissioning Tom Fazio to renovate the course before rebranding it under the Trump National name.
Golf & Design
Due Process Stable's 18-hole course was designed by former U.S. Open champion Johnny Miller and opened in 1995, uniquely paired with the club's equestrian stables -- a distinctive dual golf-and-horse identity uncommon in this region. Trump National Colts Neck's championship course was designed by 1976 U.S. Open champion Jerry Pate (as Shadow Isle) and substantially renovated by Tom Fazio after the 2008 Trump Organization acquisition; it plays to roughly 7,157 yards from the championship tees and includes an additional 5-hole short course, a practice-focused amenity Due Process Stable's public materials do not describe.
Access & Prestige
Due Process Stable is confirmed membership-by-invitation, with a third-party aggregator reporting an initiation fee around $350,000 -- well above even the already-high Colts Neck-area private-club average it cites (~$150,000) -- and recent feature coverage (a Yahoo Lifestyle/Australian Golf Digest piece titled 'Inside one of the most exclusive clubs in New Jersey -- no, not Pine Valley') corroborates its reputation as one of the state's most exclusive clubs. Trump National Colts Neck's specific admission process and current initiation fee were not confirmed in this research pass; it is a private club with a 50,000-square-foot clubhouse, aquatic facility, tennis complex, and year-round fitness center, but the platform's research could not independently verify a comparable membership-exclusivity figure to set against Due Process Stable's reported number.
Trying to Choose Between Due Process Stable Country Club and Trump National Golf Club Colts Neck?
A local real-estate specialist can walk you through the tradeoffs and current availability at each.
US Golf Living provides independent real-estate research and can connect consumers with real-estate professionals. Golf membership, availability, fees and approval are determined independently by the applicable club.