Philly Public Golf Courses:  My Comments

(last updated 07/30/2008)

    I have enjoyed golf for 30+ years now and have been playing in the Delaware Valley since 1991.  I play about 60 times a year and I'll tee it up even in the winter as long as it is at least 40 °F and not windy.  I consider myself to be a fairly accomplished golfer with a USGA handicap that varies each year between about 6 and 8.

    That being said I would like to summarize some of my thoughts on public courses in the area and hopefully you'll find them useful if you are looking for a place to play.  I certainly have not played all of courses around here, but I've played many of them, and nearly all of the so-called 'daily fee courses'.  I'm breaking down the categories as follows:  "Pure Golfing Faves", "Very Nice With Good Value", and "Solid Golf But No Frills".  I've also included the link to any course that the Philadelphia Inquirer golf writer Joe Logan has reviewed (I happen to think he is frequently dead-on with his reviews).

    Next you'll find my current "Dream Philly Public Course", chosen using exact hole numbers as they exist on each course, resulting in a standard par 72 layout with four par 5's and four par 3's.

    At the end you'll find my comments on some of my favorite private courses in the area.

    I have made an alphabetical list with links to my extensive photo collection of golf courses here.

    If you would like to send this page to others, use the following URL since it is much shorter:  http://tinyurl.com/phillygolf

UPDATE (July 29, 2008):  a buddy of mine made the trek up to the Poconos (Blakeslee, PA to be specific) to play the relatively new Jack Frost National.  It is still maturing but is pretty good even now.  Go here for extensive photos.

UPDATE (July 28, 2008):  I finally got down to Deerfield in Newark, DE, recently to find a wonderfully sporty little layout.  Go here from some photos and my commentary.

UPDATE (July 22, 2008):  I recently revisited Paxon Hollow to find huge improvements in the bunkers and a nice step up in overall conditioning as well.  Go here for some photos.

UPDATE (May 19, 2008):  I re-visited Morgan Hill in Easton, PA, the other day to find it has grown in nicely.  Many photos and commentary are here.

UPDATE (May 14, 2008):  I got out to Iron Valley recently on a glorious sunny day and captured the beauty of the course and the surrounding area.  Many photos are here.

UPDATE (March 25, 2008):  I finally played the sister course of Cobb's Creek, known as Karakung.  There are a few pretty good holes there.  Some photos are here.

UPDATE14 (November 21, 2007):  a warm day lead to a trip to Beechtree Golf Club in Aberdeen, Maryland.  A group of my buds played there back in 1998 and finally some of us got back there again.  It is as good as we remembered.  Extensive photos are here.

UPDATE13 (November 17, 2007):  Another trip up to near the Poconos (Hazleton area) lead me back to one of my favorite public courses, and perhaps the most scenic, Sugarloaf Golf Club near Conyngham, PA.  This is a wonderful Geoffrey Cornish designed course (1966) with fantastic greens and even better views.  I could quibble with some things (like poor drainage on the 2nd and 17th fairways), but this place gets better and better in my mind the more times I play it.  And it is quite reasonable (30 bucks w/ cart on a weekend in November).  Comprehensive photos are here.

UPDATE12 (November 1, 2007):  I got a real treat, no trick, with a Halloween visit to Pilgrim's Oak in Peach Bottom, PA.  It was a beautiful day that lead to some great photos of a course that I played back in 1997 right after it opened but had not revisited since.  Which is my loss.  I just loved this course on my 2nd trip around it.  See my comments below.

UPDATE11 (October 22, 2007):  Being on the e-mail distribution list for Lederach in Harleyville is worth it!  I played it again today for 25 bucks.  What a deal!  See my updated comments to The Rach below, as well as comprehensive photos.  If you follow this web page, you know that I had Lederach on in the 'jury is still out' section as after my first couple of visits, I wasn't sure what to think about it.  Well, Lederach is a real winner upon further analysis.

UPDATE10 (October 17, 2007):  Over fall break I made another trip up to play Bethpage Black.  I took the time to make a QuickTime VR movie from a bunch of pictures taken from #15 tee.  Click here for that movie.

UPDATE9 (September 20, 2007):  I was invited to play Merion West with three other fellow GolfClubAtlas members.  My comments below.

UPDATE8 (September 18, 2007):   I joined a fellow member at GolfClubAtlas.com to play recently turned public Reading Country Club.  Even after one visit I've got to add it to my "Pure Golfing Faves" category.  See my comments and photos below.

UPDATE7 (September 14, 2007):  After almost a 12 year absence, I re-visited Cobb's Creek.  See my comments and photos below.

UPDATE6 (September, 2007):  As part of the special GolfStyles ran this year, I finally got out to play Blue Bell.  See my comments below. 

UPDATE5 (August, 2007):  I've played Broad Run, the course formerly known as Tattersall, twice this season.  Now that their rates are not near the 100 buck mark like in the early Tattersall days, I'm willing to add it to my "Pure Golfing Faves" section.  See my comments and photos below.

UPDATE4 (August, 2007):  One of the last daily fee courses in the area that I had not played is no longer the case.  Recently I played Makefield Highlands in Bucks County.  I was pleasantly surprised at how nice a place it is.  I think it is worthy of being added to my Pure Golfing Faves section.  See my comments and photos below.

UPDATE3 (August, 2007):  I revisited Downingtown recently after having not played it in many years.  I was impressed.  See my comments and photos below.

UPDATE2 (August, 2007):  I played the former PECO course now called McCall.  My comments and photos are below.

UPDATE (July, 2007):  Near the end of this page I've added a 'jury is still out' section on some local courses I've played (perhaps just once) that I probably did not really care for but I'm going to go back for further analysis.

    I welcome any comments/suggestions/criticisms you have concerning this web page.  I can be reached at (j b a u s c h AT v i l l a n o v a DOT e d u).  I'd in particular like to hear from people at courses I've not yet played (grin!). 

SUMMER 2007 TRAVEL UPDATE5:  Another weekend jaunt up north to near Hazleton lead to a late afternoon round at Sand Springs.  Limited photos up through some of the back nine are here, when not enough sunlight was present for decent pics.

SUMMER 2007 TRAVEL UPDATE4:  On a Thursday in mid-August I again made a pilgrimage to play Bethpage Black.  This time I went w/ a friend and instead of camping out the night before, we left the Philly area at 4:30 AM and were at the park by 6:45 AM.  A quick walk to the registration window showed the first available tee time for a 2-some was 9:33 AM.  Not bad at all.  We hit some range balls (only mats at Bethpage), putted for an hour, putzed around even more, and finally we teed off.  Thankfully it was a cool and overcast day so walking wasn't so bad.  It had rained much earlier in the week so the course way playing long.  We played from the white tees, which is still a beast.  After now playing BB twice, I'd offer the following commentary:  1)  the sign on the first tee is very prophetic; 99% of people aren't going to enjoy the round as BB is so hard, even from the white tees; 2) if you can muster the guts, after playing the first hole from the white tees, move up to the reds the rest of the round; 3) the par 5 4th hole is just magnificent and is one of my all-time favorites; 4) if you aren't able to hit high iron shots and instead always run your shots onto greens, then don't even think about spending your money at BB as you'll simply hate it.

SUMMER 2007 TRAVEL UPDATE3:  A quick trip to the Poconos, specifically the Hazleton area, lead to trip around the Valley Country Club, a very early Tillinghast design.  Those of you that were at our wedding and stayed at the Top of the 80's hotel might remember the course was visible down the hill.  It is so much fun to play a course that has not changed much over the years.  It is very tight in many places with fascinating greens and bunkering.  Extensive photos of VCC are here.

SUMMER 2007 TRAVEL UPDATE2:  In early July I made the trip to Long Island (Farmingdale to be specific) with two other fellows to attempt to play Bethpage Black, the site of the 2002 and upcoming 2009 U.S. Open.  The golfers I went with know the routine for getting on there and invited me along.  If you are not a resident of the state of New York and don't want to mess around with the course's quirky phone registration requirements for out-of-staters (you must give them your name and Social Security number; no thank you!), you must get up there the night before and hope to get one of the early parking lot slots.  Yes, that's right, you basically have to sleep in your car the night before.  Around 5 AM a couple of guys from the course come out and distribute numbered tickets in the order the cars are parked.  You then head up to the registration window and hope you to get an early slot because most of the prime morning tee times are already taken.

    We arrived around 9 PM on Friday evening to get car slot #11.  After a restless night's sleep we anxiously approached the reservation window just after 5 AM (there are five courses total at Bethpage State Park) to see the first available tee time for a 3-some was at 6:33 AM.  This also happened to be the first tee time!  How did this happen?  Well, a single was in car #2 and he grabbed the 6:33 slot and we decided to join him.  Turns out this fellow was desiring a little slower play than us so after 5 holes he dropped from our group and we basically had the course to ourselves.

    BB is considered one of A. W. Tillinghast's very best designs and it is ranked in the top ten public courses by Golf Digest.  We decided to play from the tips, topping out at almost 7400 yards with a slope of 144 and rating of 76.2.  My two golfing partners are better than I and both single digit players.  We did not have a birdie as a group the entire day.  The New York State amateur championship was scheduled to be played the following week so the rough was grown up.  And going out early in the morning meant the dew was heavy.  Frequently I could barely advance the ball 50 yards out of the rough.  I'll write more about the course after a second trip around it, but I'll just say for now that it was the toughest layout I've played since a trip years ago to the Ocean Course at Kiawah where the wind was blowing 25 MPH+.  Comprehensive photos of Bethpage Black are here.

SUMMER 2007 TRAVEL UPDATE1:  In June, Diane and I made a trip to Virginia.  I played Old Hickory, Royal New Kent, and Devil's Knob.

FALL 2006 TRAVEL UPDATE:  Diane and I traveled to Oregon last October.  While there we visited Bandon and I played at the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.  I played Pacific Dunes and Bandon Dunes the same day.  Wow, they are both spectacular.  Limited photos can be found off this link.

UPDATE:  this season I'll be adding comprehensive photos for some of the courses below.  First up is Inniscrone.  Next is Honeybrook.  See the links below. 

LATEST PHOTO UPDATES:  photos are now available for Rolling Green (May 6, 2007), Turtle Creek (May 15, 2007), The Architects Club (May 22, 2007),  Bella Vista (May 29, 2007), Locust Valley (June 6, 2007), Hickory Valley's Presidential (July 10, 2007), Wyncote (July 12, 2007), White Clay Creek (July 22, 2007), Radnor Valley (July 24, 2007), Jeffersonville (August 2, 2007),  The Club at Shannondell (August 3, 2007), McCall (August 5, 2007),  Downingtown (August 7, 2007), Makefield Highlands (August 12, 2007), and Broad Run (August 16, 2007).

Additional Photo Site:  most of my photos have been 'published' on the Golf Architecture Pictures website.  Check them out and hundreds of other courses from around the world.  If you are the pro and/or general manager of a club in the area and would like photos of your course to be on GolfArchitecturePictures.com, contact me by e-mail.  Also, the photos on this page are scaled down for web viewing ease.  If you would like the full 7 megapixel version of any of them, which are suitable for large prints, contact me by e-mail.


Pure Golfing Faves

Architects Club, Beechtree, Broad Run, Bulle Rock, Downingtown, Glen Mills, Inniscrone, Iron Valley, Lederach, Makefield Highlands, Pilgrim's Oak, Pine Hill, Reading, Scotland Run, Shore Gate, Wyncote.

Pilgrim's Oak –  My goodness, if Pilgrim's Oak was only a bit closer to my home in Wayne!  It is a good 1h 15 min drive to the edge of civilization to arrive at this beautiful layout in Amish country.  I had played Pilgrim's Oak back in 1997, right after the Michael Hurdzan designed course opened.  And I remembered it being nice.  But my Halloween, 2007 visit on a glorious sunny afternoon made me wonder why I had not gone back again over the years.  PO is carved out of some rolling farmland and it a wonderful test of golf.  You'll use ust about every club in your bag, too.  I think perhaps the most distinctive feature is the greens.  For a fairly long course, the greens are quite small.  However, I love the fact the sand traps are judiciously used (only about 20 greenside bunkers total), which is wise considering the smallish greens.  Comprehensive photos here.

Glen Mills – This is a wonderful Bobby Weed designed course just off Route 1 in Glen Mills, PA.  I've played GM about ten times now and I like it better with each subsequent visit.  It is a somewhat hilly course that both the bogey and scratch golfer will like (bogey golfers:  play the shorter tees!).  Greens are large and undulating and in wonderful condition.  The front nine starts out in the open, then enters tree-lined holes starting at #6.  The back nine is a wonderful mix of holes partially open and some wooded, with a stream and water coming into play on many of the holes.  The course is usually busy and they never really have great rates (winter fees are 60 bucks, for example), but it is worth the money.  Golf Digest now ranks Glen Mills in the top 100 public courses in the country (#85).  I love three of the par 5's at GM (all but #17, see below):  each is distinct and reachable in two if played well.  Memorable holes:  #4 (par 5), #6 (par 5), #12 (par 4), #15 (par 5), and #18 (par 4).  Interesting holes:  a) you'll likely walk away from #11 (par 4) muttering to yourself after your first time.  I know I was.  After playing it a few more times, I've grown to accept it, but I don't think I'll ever like it.  The fairway is just too narrow and there is no real bail area at the green (the hill to the right of the green should be shaved down instead of basically being high fescue); b) the par 5 17th is just too narrow off the tee and no real place to miss (like #11).  Map of course location here.  Logan's review of Glen Mills is here.

Inniscrone – My latest favorite public course in the area is located in mushroom country off Route 41 South in Avondale.  This course opened in 1998 as a private course, changed owners once, then was sold to Forewinds Hospitality, one of these companies that owns multiple courses.  Gil Hanse is the designer of Inniscrone, a rolling layout in Chester County with great views (although I sure could do without the houses lining a couple of holes on the front nine).  This course passed my 'memory test' of being a great layout as after the first time I played there:  I was able to remember the entire course in my head.  The front nine is mostly open, except for the really hard tree-lined par-4 #4, and the back nine is a wonderful mix of fairly open and some tree-lined holes.  I do believe, however, that the bogey golfer is going to find this course too hard but the scratch golfer will love it.  On the back nine there are many forced carries, most of them from the tee box, which the bogey golfer will get frustrated by (bogey golfers:  play the forward tees or one farther back and you'll enjoy your round much more!).  Memorable holes:  #3 (par 4), #4 (par 4), #11 (par 3), #13 (par 4), and #17 (par 4).  Interesting holes:  #10 (par 4; you must hit your tee shot on this very downhill hole just far enough to have a relatively flat lie to have your 2nd shot of ~150 yards over a large hazard), #16 (par 4; this will you'll likely hate after your first time.  Having played it many times now, I've grown to appreciate the hole, even like it.  I can confidently say you've never played a hole like it before in your life.  If you are gutsy, play the split fairway to the lower tier on the left, which if your drive is long enough, you'll be able to see the flag; the more conservative play is to play a drive to the top fairway on the right but you must bust it far enough to be able to see the very top of the flag and the green sits down below the end of the fairways).  Non-memorable hole:  the par 3 #5 is just a letdown after that wonderful start of the first four [Update (04/09/07):  all bunkers have been removed and replaced by grass on #5; photo here].  Photos of the course here.  Map of course location here.  Logan's original review was off-base, IMO, but his re-review of Inniscrone was more kind although still I don't think he really appreciates how fantastic a layout 'Scrone really is (review here).

Lederach – This relatively new course in Harleysville seems to split golfers into two camps:  either you love it or hate it.  I've played it three times now and it wasn't really until the 3rd time that I began to appreciate the strategy required.  Their are so many opportunities for creativity in getting at pins and pitching and chipping around the greens.  I can't think of another public course in the area that requires the variety of shots that Lederach does.  A housing development is also going in around the course and it really detracts from the beauty of the layout, but there is nothing that can be done about that.  I just hope Lederach can thrive, as your weekend 25 handicapper just isn't going to appreciate it and the result is they won't play there repeatedly.  The 'up and coming' architect of Lederach is a local (Reading) fellow Kelly Blake Moran.  Map of course location here.  Logan's review of Lederach is here.  Comprehensive photos of the course are here.

Downingtown – I revisited Downingtown after many years in August, 2007, and I have to admit that the course is much nicer than I had remembered it.  I had only played there in the off-season when likely it was not in peak condition.  Well, I was very impressed with this George Fazio layout!  It is not long but has a wonderful selection of holes.  Rumor has it that the place may be converted into a 9 hole course as the land is very valuable, but a friend of mine that plays Downingtown regularly tells me the course is here to stay!  I think the most impressive features of DGC are the greens, which putt true, and the bunkering, which is 'flashy' in places.  Map of course location here.  Logan's review of Downingtown is here.  Comprehensive photos of Downingtown are here.

Reading –  I finally made the trip to play Reading Country Club, a course that was long private but went public fairly recently (January, 2006).  RCC was opened in 1923, designed by Alexander Findlay.  The history of RCC is quite fascinating, with the great Byron Nelson the pro there at one point.  The course is short by today's standards, but that shouldn't be an issue except for very good golfers.  Although I'm told that originally there were not many trees present at RCC, these days most holes are tree-lined and consequently if you spray the ball of the tee, RCC will be quite challenging.  The mix of holes are wonderful.  The greens are not overly contoured, but what makes RCC challenging is that many of them are small and difficult to access.  There are many wonderful holes, with the most memorable for me after just one trip under my belt are the #1 handicap par 5 5th, the par 3 8th, and the par 5 14th.  Comprehensive photos of RCC are here.  Map of course location here.  Joe Logan's review of Reading is here (link is broken right now).

Pine Hill – This course in Pine Hill, NJ, is just a few John Daly drives away from the legendary Pine Valley.  Please note that Pine Hill is in the process of going private and public play will soon likely end.  When this Tom Fazio course opened about 5 or 6 years ago, I played there two or three times a year for the first few years.  They were running specials back then that no longer really exist.  If you like Tom Fazio courses, you probably very much enjoy this fairly hilly layout that is on the highest elevation site in south Jersey (it used to be a ski resort then later a water slide park, I think).  Most holes are cut out from pine forests with trees on both sides, and waste bunkers are abundant but not to the extent of courses like Shore Gate and Sand Barrens.  And like most Fazio courses, the landing areas are generous and the greens big.  I happen to think the back nine at PH is one of the best in the area.  Number 10 is a downhill, very scenic par 4 where you'll be very happy with par.  The relatively short par 4 # 12 is simply wonderful slightly downhill dogleg to the right where the fairway narrows up and requires your second shot to go through a slot to reach the green.  Strangely, at least to me, is that they call their signature hole the par 3 #13 where the Philly skyline can be seen in the background.  It is an okay par 3, but the weakest hole on the back nine!  Memorable holes:  #3 (par 4), #7 (par 5), #10 (par 4), #12 (par 4), and #17 (par 4).  Map of course location here.  Logan's review of Pine Hill is here.

Scotland Run – I played this Stephen Kay designed layout located in Williamstown, NJ, many times during the 2006 season as I purchased one of their twilight players card.  The course is located on a former gravel quarry and right next to the local airport where on a nice day there are many skydivers descending then landing nearby.  The layout has a wonderful mix of open and tree-lined holes, some short and some very long, and although most of the land in that area is very flat, SR has some nice elevation changes, particularly on the back nine.  Like many courses near the Shore in Jersey, the soil is very sandy and hence having waste bunkers is easy and SR has many.  A rather unique feature of SR is the few quarries remaining that come into play on many holes.  My only complaints about SR is that, at least during 2006, the course was really in not as good as condition as I would expect for the price of admission.  Also, it seems because of the high price to play, many golfers seem to think it is acceptable to take 5 hours for the round that was typical on my rounds there.  However, the overall layout is wonderful and I think both the bogey and scratch golfer will love it.  Memorable holes:  #2 (par 4 when the farther of the two greens is in play), #8 (par 4), #12 (par 4), #16 (par 4), and #18 (par 5).  Interesting holes:  a) #10 (par 5; this long hole has an elevated green with a Pete Dye-like use of railroad ties 30 yards short of the green); b) #11 (par 4; medium length par 4 where fairway is pretty much surrounded by waste bunkers).  Map of course location here.  Logan's review of Scotland Run is here.

Makefield Highlands – This course in Lower Makefield Township (Bucks County) opened back in 2004.  I've been on there e-mail list since its opening but had not made my way out there as it is a bit of a haul from where I live near Villanova.  But a buddy of mine had played there in an outing last summer and liked it, plus he had one a free round there for a foursome which piqued my interest!  It is a Rick Jacobson designed course and I must admit that I'm not familiar with his work.  The front nine is rather open with a nice mix of holes.  The par 5 7th hole is probably the best on this nine.  The back nine is more interesting as part of it meanders along some wooded hills.  The par 4 15th is a really wonderful dogleg left with a pond protecting the green.  We played the white tees and it is very manageable for the bogey golfer.  If I play there again I will definitely move back a set of tees.  Oh, and the greens at MH are just wonderful.  Nice bent grass with lots of subtle contours.  Map of course location here.  Logan's review of MH here.  Extensive photos of MH here.

Broad Run – This course just west of West Chester for years was called Tattersall.  It is a Rees Jones design spread out over ~300 acres of hilly, rural terrain.  When Tattersall first opened they charged so much money and after playing it a couple of times, I did not go back because I felt better value could be found elsewhere.  Now that some private company owns it, they've become much more competitive with their rates and frequently offer e-mail deals.  The other Friday morning I played there with a foursome for 200 bucks, or 50 a person.  Not bad at all.  Many people refer to Rees Jones as the "US Open Doctor" as he's been called in frequently to do 'nips and tucks' on courses that will soon host a US Open.  I like the layout at Broad Run.  There are many very good holes, like the opening par 5 1st.  But sometimes I wonder if the 300 or so acres was used as wisely as possible.  And I'm not a big fan of many of the par 3's at BR.  The drive from #9 green to the 10th tee takes many minutes and you arrive to find a pretty boring and visually unappealing par 3.  And the 100 foot drop 17th hole is just silly, IMO.  But with these quibbles aside, and perhaps also including that course really isn't walkable, I love some of the holes.  The par 4 2nd has a very visually intimidating second shot over a ravine down to the green.  The par 4 6th is another tough hole with a very intimidating second shot.  The finishing hole is a wonderful par 5 running downhill with the green nestled next to a pond.  Overall the course this summer has been in pretty good shape, but not great.  During the heat of the summer they don't allow carts off many of the paths so prepare for a 5 hour round.  Map of course location here.  Logan's review of Broad Run here.  Photos of the course here.

The Architects Club – This is a course in Lopatcong, NJ, that was able to pull off the feat of designing a layout paying homage to the great golf course designers in the early days that doesn't feel contrived or gimmicky.  Stephen Kay and Ron Whitten are the designers of this wonderful layout.  It is not cheap to play, but the fit and finish of the layout are tremendous.  The terrain is mostly open and gently rolling throughout with some modest elevation changes.  Memorable holes:  I don't remember any weak holes on the course, and the Donald Ross inspired par 4 #9, the Alister Mackenzie inspired reachable-in-two par 5 13th, and the par 3 #17 are wonderful tests of golf and beautifully designed.  Note to Pennsylvania residents:  play on Tuesday for 55 bucks.  Map of course location here.  Logan's review of The Architects Club is here.  Photos of the course here. 

Bulle Rock – I've only played Bulle Rock once, the year it opened, but I walked much of it a few times this past summer when I volunteered for the McDonald's LPGA Championship.  I want to get back on play it again but the freight is enormous and they really don't ever run any specials to get the price below 100 bucks, plus the drive is long (Havre de Grace, MD).  But when you have rave reviews, including being the highest ranked public golf course in the area by Golf Digest, then you can understand why they get the traffic they do.  This Pete Dye designed course has five sets of tees and I would urge you to play one tee box up from what your gut feeling thinks is best.  The length of some of the holes will frustrate the bogey golfer.  Originally another 18 holes was planned for the site, but the original owner scrapped that, and the place has since been sold.  Houses are now going up in the general area, but none are really on the course and don't detract from the beautiful views of the Chesapeake Bay that Bulle Rock provides.  Memorable holes: #2 (par 5), #11 (par 5), #13 (par 4), and #18 (par 4) among many others.  Map of course location here.  Logan's review of Bulle Rock is here.

Shore Gate – I haven't played SG in a couple of years, but I still have fond good memories of the layout, which is similar to some courses at Myrtle Beach.  I've taken some of my golfing buds to SG and it has been met with mixed reviews.  Pretty much the better golfers have liked it, the bogey golfers not.  I'm confident the main reason some of those that did not like it was because they were playing from tees that are too long.  SG, being near the Jersey shore (Avalon), is on a relatively flat piece of property cut out of a sand-based forest.  Large waste bunkers are prominent with some water hazards as well.  The bogey golfer may grow tired of some forced carries as well as many greens being very well protected by traps and not being friendly to running up shots.  One of my friends called it a perfect example of 'target golf'.  There is some truth to that, IMO.  But it is a wonderful test of golf with a nice mix of holes.  If I remember correctly, some of the greens are very undulating and would be nerve fraying if mowed tight.  Memorable holes:  #2 (par 4), #7 (par 4), and #9 (par 5).  Map of course location here.  Logan's review of Shore Gate is here.

Iron Valley – This P.B. Dye layout (Pete Dye's son) in Lebanon, PA, just off the PA turnpike, is about 75 minutes from King of Prussia.  I get out there once or twice a year and they usually run specials to get the price down below 50 bucks.  IV is a very unique layout situated on land that was once the site of an iron ore mine.  The views are very striking.  IV I believe is about to really come into its own after opening in 2000 (the first year they lost a couple of greens, then in late 2006/early 2006 they again had green problems, but I think these issues have been ironed out).  There is a variety of holes at IV, and the front and back nines are very different.  The front is mostly tree-lined while the back takes you into a much less wooded area where the remnants of the ore mine are obvious.  Memorable holes:  #1 (par 4), #4 (par 5),  #10 (par 4 with a great view of the valley below), and #16 (par 5).  Map of course location here.  Logan's review of Iron Valley is here.

Wyncote – [UPDATE:  Wyncote has an early bird rate again this summer, 30 bucks to walk on Mon-Thu before 8:00 AM].  It is easy to forget that one of the first daily fee courses in the area was Wyncote.  Gosh, I guess it has been open now for over 10 years.  At first, when they were one of the few daily fee courses in the area, they were commanding a nice chunk of change to play there.  But with so much competition for the golfers' dollars, Wyncote is much more reasonable now and frequently has some great rates (like early morning weekday rates during the summer).  Wyncote calls itself a links course, but after 30+ years of playing golf, I still don't know what that really means exactly, but this sort of sheds some light on the issue!  Anyways, this is a fairly open course on a gently rolling piece of property that unfortunately is slowly being defaced by houses lining many fairways, but they are rather nice houses and not too obtrusive.  The layout has four very nice par 5's at unique positions in the round (#1, #9, #10, and #18; holes #1 and #10 share the same green).  It always seems to be windy at Wyncote thus it is helpful to be able to hit a variety of shots.  The course has bent grass tees and greens that are usually very nice.  The greens are not all tricked up and are a joy to putt.  Memorable holes:  #3 (par 4), #9 (par 5), #12 (par 4), and #13 (par 4).  Map of course location here.  Logan's review of Wyncote is here.  Comprehensive photos of Wyncote here.

Beechtree – I'll pen a more detailed review of Beechtree (located in Aberdeen, MD) after I play it for the 2nd time.  My first time there was many years ago (October, 1999) with a group of friends on a windy and cool fall day.  Conditions were so difficult that I'm confident I am not remembering the layout well.  What I do recall is that the front nine is fairly open with water in play on a few holes, then the back moves into a forest.  Memorable holes:  #2 (par 3), and #15 (par 4).  Tom Doak designed Beechtree and I've played three other of his designs and have loved them all (including last October where I played Pacific Dunes in Bandon, Oregon, the currently ranked #1 public course in the country according to Golf Magazine; another is Stonewall, a local private club).  Map of course location here.  Logan's review of Beechtree is here.


Very Nice and Good Value

Bella Vista, Hickory Valley (Presidential), Honeybrook, Locust Valley, Turtle Creek.

Turtle Creek – TC is a beautifully conditioned Ed Beidel designed course just off 422 in Royersford.  They tend to let the rough grow fairly high at TC, so if it rains, look out!  Memorable holes:  #8 (par 5), #12 (par 4), and #18 (par 5).  Logan's review of Turtle Creek is here.  Comprehensive photos of TC here.

Hickory Valley - Presidential – Holes #2 thru #10 at 'The Prezzie' are relatively new and were combined with the old 'red nine' to make this layout.  Afternoon twilight rates are dirt cheap, sometimes less than 20 bucks.  The older 'red nine' holes are okay, but holdovers from years ago and the greens are somewhat flat and boring.  Memorable holes:  #4 thru #6 are really fun to play with great risk/reward on the par 5 #6.  The par 3 #5 from the tips (you tee off from inside the remains of an old stone barn) is one of the best par 3s in the area, IMO.  Logan's review of the Prezzie is here.  Comprehensive photos of the course are here.

Bella Vista – Here's another nice course you'll find out near Gilbertsville, another design by Jim Blaukovitch, a local guy developing a nice reputation for 'middle of the road' daily fee courses.  BV opened maybe 5 or 6 years ago and has since undergone some changes.  A couple of really poor holes of the initial layout have been removed and replaced with two much better ones (#14 and #15).  A housing community is being developed around BV, which I initially thought would pretty much ruin the views of the layout, but I was wrong.  The houses are far enough away from the holes to not be too distracting.  Memorable holes:  par 4 #8, par 4 #11, and par 3 #14 (an island green similar to #17 at TPC-Sawgrass in Florida).  Interesting hole:  if you are like me, you'll likely not find the par 4 #5 a good hole, as it requires a long carry over a hazard from the tee and the layup area provided for short hitters is miniscule in size.  Logan's review of Bella Vista is here.  Extensive photos of BV here.

Locust Valley – Rumor has it that this course up near Allentown will eventually become a housing development and at best only 9 holes will remain.  But for now this former private course layout is available and is a great value.  Memorable hole:  par 5 #16.  Logan's review of Locust Valley is here.  Extensive photos of LV here.

Honeybrook – A course that I played many times during the summer of 2006 is located on the western portion of Chester County just off 322.  I played Honeybrook the first year it opened up and this Jim Blaukovitch design was nice but it seemed not quite ready for prime time.  Now 5 years or so later it is totally grown in and beautiful.  During the round you'll see horse and buggies and other things to remind you that you are in Amish country.  The course is owned by siblings that used to run a dairy farm on the property but chose to get out of that business and open a golf course.  Wow, that was a rather gutsy move as none of them were golfers.  But they did the right thing and hired a solid designer, charge a very fair rate (especially weekday twilight), and the service is fantastic.  Memorable holes:  #5 (par 4), #8 (par 3), and #12 (par 5).  Interesting holes:  par 4 #14 (not a very large landing area if you choose to layup off the tee) and par 4 #16 (just seems like they ran out of land and this hole resulted).  Course photos here.  Logan's review of Honeybrook is here.


Solid Golf But No Frills

Cobb's Creek, Gilbertsville, Hickory Valley (Ambassador), Jeffersonville, The Club at Shannondell.

The Club at Shannondell (formerly known as General Washington)– Some people call this course "dogleg city" as it has many!  Nothing really memorable about the track but Drew and his crew (greenskeeper Dave) really work hard to keep the course in good shape and take care of their diverse audience.  With the new clubhouse and restaurant, it is a great place to have an outing.  Extensive photos of Shannondell are here.

Hickory Valley - Ambassador – The Ambassabor is not nearly as good of test of golf at the Prezzie, but it is solid golf with a couple of real good holes (like #9, for instance) and the price is super cheap.

Cobb's Creek – When I was first working at 'Nova in the mid-90's I would visit Cobb's every so often as it was on the way to work.  I quit going as the condition of the course was so poor that for me it overwhelmed the quality of the layout.  Now 12 years or so later I decided to give it another shot.  This is one of the very few Hugh Wilson designs, he of Merion fame.  Well, I don't know what to say.... it is just so sad the general condition the course as with a closer inspection I realized just how good some of the holes really are.  Why can't the city of Philadelphia do at least ONE thing right and find a way to re-make this course into a great layout and probably even make money in the long run?!  There are so many interesting holes, some short, some long, you name it.  My faves are #3 (par 4), #5 (par 4), #12 (par 4), #15 (par 4), and #17 (par 3).  Extensive photos of CC are here.  Logan's review of Cobb's Creek is here.  Another review of Cobb's is here.

Jeffersonville – 'Jeff' was renovated in 2002 after someone discovered that Donald Ross just may have been the original designer.  It is way better than it used to be and is good value.  However, it tends to be very crowded and at times the conditions of course suffers because of it at times.  Memorable holes:  #1 (par 4), #13 (par 4), and #18 (par 5).  Logan's review of Jeffersonville is here.  Comprehensive photos of Jeffersonville are here.

Gilbertsville – The course added another 9 holes a few years back.  These new holes are a bit better than the other two nines, but that is sort of damning it with feint praise.  Gilbertsville is what it is, a decent public golf course in good shape at a very fair price.


Dream Philly Public Course

Front nine:

1.   Jeffersonville (par 4, 448 yards).  Photos.
2.   Bulle Rock (par 5, 555 yards)
3.   Pine Hill (par 4, 442 yards)
4.   Inniscrone (par 4, 435 yards from the tips).  Photos.
5.   Hickory Valley - Presidential (par 3, 165 yards from the tips).  Photos.
6.   Glen Mills (par 5, 547 yards)
7.   Shore Gate (par 4, 401 yards)
8.   Honeybrook (par 3, 212 yards).  Photos.
9.   Architects Club (par 4, 447 yards).  Photos.

Back nine:

10.   Pine Hill (par 4, 449 yards)
11.   Bulle Rock (par 5, 624 yards)
12.   Wyncote (par 4, 342 yards).  Photos.
13.   Inniscrone (par 4, 380 yards).  Photos.
14.   Bella Vista (par 3, 152 yards).  Photos.
15.   Makefield Highlands (par 4, 423 yards).  Photos.
16.   Scotland Run (par 4, 402 yards)
17.   Architects Club (par 3, 180 yards).  Photos.
18.   Scotland Run (par 5, 530 yards)

Par 72 (>7100 yards, with a slope of who knows what, perhaps >140!)


The Jury is Still Out on These Courses:  White Clay Creek, Raven's Claw.

White Clay Creek – This is another fairly new daily fee course located at Delaware Park, just south of Wilmington, Delaware.  Arthur Hill is the designer of this layout built on the flood plains near the thoroughbred track.  The creek and many other streams and lakes wander throughout the layout and makes for a stereotypical round of target golf.  I'm okay with some target golf, but this place takes it to the extreme.  The day I played the course it was in great shape and the greens putted beautifully (I would quibble with the young greens in the ability to hold shots; I hit high irons and it was hard to make a significant ball mark at WCC).  The staff and amenities at WCC were great.  Pay one fee and you get use of the practice range, beautiful short game greens, and even complimentary tees and divot tool (although the latter you won't use much!).  There are some very nice holes at WCC, one of my faves being the long par 4 #6.  But can somebody please explain to me the 18th?!  What a less than stellar closing hole.  Comprehensive photos of WCC here.

Raven's Claw –  This course, located in Limerick just off 422, opened in 2005 to a certain amount of fanfare.  It is an Ed Shearon design that perhaps opened a little early as my memory from the round in the fall of 2005 was that it was still growing.  This last spring I played there again and the grow-in was better, so I'm optimistic in a couple of years it should look like it has been there for years.  I hope to get out there again this fall and carefully analyze it; I just remember a couple of par 4's on the back nine that I just "didn't get" as one seemed extremely tight, and the other comes back in the other direction such that wayward drives would be extremely dangerous to the golfers on the previous short hole.


Area Private Courses I've Played and Like

Aronimink, Blue Bell, Chester Valley, Gulph Mills, Hartefeld National, McCall, Overbrook, Philadelphia Country Club, Philadelphia Cricket Club, Radnor Valley, Rolling Green, Saint Davids, Stonewall.

Torresdale-Frankford Country Club – This is a wonderful Donald Ross designed course in northeast Philly.  The front nine has seven par 4's, with none of them weak.  The stretch of holes from six through eight are very challenging, particularly #8, a long par 4 with a creek in front of the green.  The greens at T-F, I'm guessing, are pretty much the originals and they are on the smallish side.  My only complaint would be that frequently the greens run too fast for their design (for instance, get above the pin on the first hole and it is pretty easy to putt right off the surface).

Philadelphia Country Club –  I only played Philly once, many years ago, but I would love to get back to it.  The place just oozes with history and has a wonderful mixture of holes.  I still remember the par 4 17th, a beautiful but very difficult hole.

Philadelphia Cricket Club –  At their Flourtown site, Cricket Club has two 18-hole layouts, the older course called Wissahickon and the newer course Militia Hill.  They are very different, but both are simply fantastic.  As you would expect, the conditions at both courses are tremendous.  The par 4 18th at the Wissahickon course might be my favorite 18th hole in the area, public or private.  Militia Hills is a modern course with wider fairways in most places and bigger, undulating greens.  MH can play >7000 yards from the tips.  Too bad they didn't get a PGA tour stop a couple of years ago that a couple of my sources indicated was basically a done deal if the tourney in Las Vegas didn't get a sponsor (which they did, unfortunately).  I would have loved to see what the world's best players could have done at MH.

Merion - I have walked the East course during the recent 2005 US Amateur.  Wow, what a layout!  And in September 2007 I was invited to play the West course.  Well, what a fun, interesting, quirky in places, layout!  And the condition of the West was superb.  The terrain is beautifully utilized.  In a couple of places I wondered how a stretch of holes could be worked into the area as I know I could not have thought it up (like holes 6-8).  There are so many good holes at the West, it is hard to pick my favorite, but I might lean toward the short par 4 7th.

Pine Valley - Never been, but I hope to see it at next year's Crump Cup.

Hartefeld National : I hesitated a bit to put Hartefeld on my list as since the course now has so many houses lining the fairways that it really has lost some of its appeal for me.  At one point this was a fully public course but has slowly been transformed into a private course (although they seem to save a handful of tee times for public play).  If you like Tom Fazio courses like I do, you'll find HN to be fun.  I really like the par 4 5th and the following par 5 6th hole.

Aronimink –  I've only played Aronimink once, late in 2002, as the renovations to restore this Donald Ross classic back to something close to the original design were not quite finished.  I hope to get back their again some day.  I walked the course three times during the 2003 Senior PGA Championship as I was a scorer and it was just in fantastic condition, and very difficult.  It looked like the restoration had brought back into play some of the typical Ross green characteristics, including many collection areas.  The finishing hole is beautiful with the classic clubhouse directly behind the green.
 
Chester Valley –  This George Fazio design (Tom's uncle, I think, who finished 14th in the 1952 Masters) used to hold the Bell-Atlantic Senior PGA tournament.  I've been fortunate to play there many times and it has many good holes, in particular the par 5 2nd, par 4 4th, and par 4 6th.  My only quibble would be that the greens, which I don't think have been modified much through the years, are rather small and slopey and some you just can't get above the hole (the last time I played there I putted off the green on consecutive holes, #5 and #6, something I had never done before!).

Overbrook –  This is another course just a few minutes from my house in Saint Davids that I've been fortunate to play.  A couple of years ago they made a wise move, IMO, and removed many trees from the gently rolling layout just off Sproul Road in Villanova.  The greens are probably what keeps Overbrook a tough layout as they tend to be small and many sloped from back to front (an old saying is "don't go over at Overbrook' and there is much truth to it!).  I find the back nine to be much more interesting than the front, which isn't to say the front nine isn't good, because it is, but the second nine is more scenic, hilly, and has more interesting holes.  A stretch of holes on the back (#13 - #15) are particularly challenging and require very precise shot-making.  The downhill par 4 13th doglegs to the right:  a 200 yard tee shot to the flat part of the dogleg but short of a lake then leads to a short uphill second shot to a multi-tiered green protected by sand traps and a creek running in front of it.  The par 4 15th also requires a very precise but not long tee shot leading to a short iron to a green located at the bottom of a hill tucked behind a pond and creek.

Radnor Valley –  I've played Radnor Valley at a couple of outings for the nearby Hill Top Preparatory School.  RV is nearly across the street from Overbrook, and both opened around the same time (early 50's).  RV was designed in part by Dick Wilson, but others have since made significant modifications to the original layout.  There are a wonderful mix of holes at RV with a primary difference from the course across the street is that the greens are typically larger and I think easier to putt.  A couple of holes that I remember well are the par 4 5th and the par 5 10th.  About my only quibble might be is that part of RV sits fairly low and it appears they struggle with sogginess after heavy rains.  Extensive photos of RV are here.

Rolling Green –  If I had the finances to belong to a private course in the area, I would give serious consideration to trying to join Rolling Green.  This is a true golf club that doesn't have all the extra frills like other clubs do (there is no pool or tennis courts and the clubhouse is rather understated).  A retired faculty member from my school is a member there and I'm fortunate to play RG at least once or twice a year (did you know that 'Big Mama' Joanne Carner won the 1976 U.S. Women's Open at RG?).  William Flynn and Howard Toomey designed this wonderful layout in Springfield, which has been around since 1926.  Multiple holes are tree-lined with many of the hardwood variety that are spectacular in the fall.  The par 3's are stout at RG, a wonderful mix of short, medium and long (like the beautiful uphill #14 with an awesome old bridge across a ravine if you walk or take a caddy).  RG struggled with fungus and the greens dying for a couple of years in a row, but they appear to have everything under control now and currently the course condition is excellent.  There are many very good holes at RG, my favorites being the par 4 2nd, par 5 7th, par 4 8th, par 4 12th, par 3 #14, and the par 5 #18.  Comprehensive photos of RG here.

Stonewall (Old Course) –  This Tom Doak course out in Elverson, PA, can be confused with the highly rated course with the same name in western Pennsylvania!  There are two courses at the club, the Old Course and the North Course.  I've played the Old Course just once a few years ago and I'm hoping to get back there again.  I remember it being a fantastic layout (walking only with caddies).  Logan's review of Stonewall here.  Photos of Stonewall at GolfArchitecturePictures are here.

Saint Davids  –  Another often overlooked private club on the Main Line is Saint Davids, a Donald Ross course that rarely gets mentioned as one of his best designs.  I've played SD a few times now and it is a very solid layout, but I have played other Ross courses that are better.  But it is still very good, and is not real punishing and quite frankly, that is nice.  The part of the course on the other side of the street from the clubhouse are the best grouping of holes.  I've not played there since it appears they've redesigned at least a few holes near the clubhouse.

Gulph Mills  –  This is another very old local course that I was fortunate to play for the first time last summer in an outing.  Many course architects of note have had there hand on Gulph Mills, including Donald Ross, William Flynn, and Robert Trent Jones.  I hope to get invited to play there again to better evaluate this layout tucked in a very populated area in Gulph Mills, but strangely it feels very isolated on most holes.  Since I started the outing somewhere on the front nine, I can't remember many of the hole numbers specifically, although I do remember the 17th, which I think was a beautiful, long, downhill par 3, and the 18th is very uphill but short par 5.  I remember some of the greens being very small and quite severe.
 
Blue Bell  –  This was my 2nd trip around the course, but the first was in pretty lousy weather last fall in an outing so this round was awesome since it was sunny and 85°.  I played like a hack, but I enjoyed taking a closer look at this Arnold Palmer designed layout.  I know some people can never like courses that can't be walked and exist within a housing development.  But even with those quibbles (minor?), Blue Bell has a nice variety of holes and is in pretty darn good condition.  Over 100+ photos of Blue Bell are here.

Plymouth  – Similar in how I described Saint Davids above, Plymouth Country Club gets little publicity since it is located in an area fertile with great private courses.  But Plymouth is a very nice William Flynn layout that is very fun to play.  I have this feeling Plymouth has not been changed much through the years.  It is not long overall, but because of a number of short par 4s, there are a few long holes.

McCall  –  Recently I played the charming old Donald Ross/William Flynn design in Upper Darby named McCall Golf and Country Club.  Many people better know it as the PECO employees course.  It now has associate memberships available to the public.  A friend of mine has been a member at McCall for a couple of years now and I finally got around to playing it.  I remember seeing the course for years as I took the R100 at times to work.  McCall was originally designed by Donald Ross in 1919 with just nine holes, then William Flynn added another nine later (go here for the details).  It plays only ~4500 yards from the back tees and consists of 12 par 4's and 6 par 3's.  The layout is very hilly and tight but contains many good holes.  My only quibble after just one round is that I think the views could be improved further if some trees were removed.  There are lots of old and ugly white pines that I think should be thinned.  Extensive photos of McCall are here.  UPDATE:  I played McCall again and experimented with the panorama feature of my cam.  I have put together a panoramic shot of a few holes as a photo here and QuickTime VR file here.


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