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Par
Descriptions
Hole
No. 1
Par 4
364/354/274 yards
Men's Handicap: 13
Ladies' Handicap: 13
A
good
opening hole that offers a fine chance to make birdie
or par. It doglegs left uphill to an elevated, rather
flat green, guarded by approach bunkers carved out of
the hillside on either side. You can ill afford to be
long and land in a back bunker.
Hole
No. 2
Par 4
386/379/373 yards
Men's Handicap: 7
Ladies' Handicap: 9
From
an elevated tee, better golfers hit a 3-wood or long
iron to lay up short of cross bunker 250 yards from
the tee. A fade into pines on the right can be penal.
From lay-up zone, it's a straightforward short iron
to another relatively flat green guarded by a long bunker
on the left and grass-covered mounds on the right.
Hole No. 3
Par 4
418/384/341 yards
Men's Handicap: 1
Ladies' Handicap: 5
Challenging
dogleg left, uphill to an elevated green. Despite the
hole's length, some low-handicappers use a 3-wood rather
than a driver to avoid driving the tee shot into pines
on the right. Golfers also must avoid fairway mounds
on left, which preclude reaching the green in two. With
the exception of a sand bunker to the left front, the
green is surrounded everywhere except in the front apron
by grass bunkers and mounds. Even though the green was
moved back 10 to 15 yards to eliminate the most severe
slope, the green still slopes considerably from back
to front. The approach shot should be below the pin.
Air-mailing the green leaves you with a nearly impossible
downhill chip.
Hole
No. 4
Par 4
364/353/323 yards
Men's Handicap: 17
Ladies' Handicap: 15
A
good birdie hole. From an elevated tee, better golfers
can clear a right fairway bunker 200 yards from the
tee. Though the green is protected by an approach bunker
on the right and greenside bunkers on both sides, the
putting surface is large and relatively flat, and easily
reachable with a short iron.
Hole No. 5
Par 4
356/342/332
Men's Handicap: 5
Ladies' Handicap: 3
Despite
its lack of length, a world of trouble can await. Better
golfers hit a 3-wood or long iron to allow themselves
a 130- to 110-yard full shot to a blind, elevated green
guarded by a maze of five approach bunkers dug out of
the hillside. A 40- to 50-yard bunker shot out of them
is one of the toughest shots in golf. Landing your approach
shot below the flagstick on the back-to-front sloping
green is important. If the hole is located on the front
third of the green, a putt from above the hole is very
treacherous.
Hole No. 6
Par 3
208/197/156 yards
Men's Handicap: 11
Ladies' Handicap: 17
A
deceptive hole: even though the men's tee is elevated,
the green itself is actually slightly higher than the
tee, leading some players hitting not enough club because
they believe it is a downhill shot. There's an approach
bunker to the left front, and tougher-than-average bunkers
on both sides of the green. The putting surface may
be one of the most difficult on the course in that there's
hardly any location that would qualify as routine. One
of the best holes on the course.
Hole No. 7
Par 5
525/510/458 yards
Men's handicap: 3
Women's handicap: 1
This
is a hole that requires good course management in order
to avoid problems. From the tee, out-of-bounds lurks
to the right, and a fairway bunker can catch shots that
are just to the left of the fairway. Also, trees block
recoveries from errant shots down the left side and
the last 175 yards on the right. A deep fairway bunker
that juts across a portion of the fairway about 90 yards
from the green can catch well-hit second shots, or third
shots of those trying to punch out of the trees. The
front entrance to the green is narrow, and the green
is set at an angle as golfers approach it. A sand bunker
guards the left side and a grass bunker and mound stand
sentry on the right side of the green.
Hole
No. 8
Par 4
331/319/311 yards
Men's Handicap: 15
Ladies' Handicap: 11
A
wide, generous fairway slopes to the right, toward the
pond at No. 11. Massive hardwoods await those who hit
the tee shot left, as do out of bounds stakes. The hole
narrows toward the forward-sloping green, the smallest
green on the course. A bunker guards the left fairway,
beyond the drive zone of all but a very few players.
There's a greenside bunker on the right. It is difficult
to make par if your second shot is over the green.
Hole
No. 9
Par 5
491/480/423 yards
Men's Handicap: 9
Ladies' Handicap: 7
A
potential birdie hole whose greatest danger is the out-of-bounds
along Golf Road. A steep-banked bunker that cuts completely
across the fairway 115 yards from the green can be troublesome;
a good drive is required for those who want to hit their
second beyond the cross bunker. The green is protected
by a sand bunker on the left and grass mounds on the
right. This is another hole where it pays to be below
the flagstick. With Park Avenue and out-of-bounds only
10 feet behind the green, hitting too long can be a
huge mistake.
Hole
No. 10
Par 4/Par 5 (Ladies)
428/409/391 yards
Men's Handicap: 6
Ladies' Handicap: 12
Bunkers
in the rough to the left and ride can catch any drive
that doesn't fly more than 200 yards-probably 215 to
clear the right bunker. It is difficult to put your
second shot close to the hole because the green slopes
from front to back and most players will be hitting
a wood or long iron. It also is difficult to get up
and down if your ball finds either of the two greenside
bunkers that frame the green.
Hole No. 11
Par 3
162/150/124 yards
Men;s Handicap: 18
Ladies' Handicap: 18
A
solid iron from the tee is required since there is little
room for error. Water surrounds the green on the front
and right side. The green slopes left to right, towards
the water. A bunker runs along the left side of the
green, and from there it is not uncommon to see shots
find their way into the pond. Hit the green and par
should be the worst score you make. Miss it and a much
bigger number is quite possible.
Hole No. 12
Par 4
432/418/368 yards
Men's Handicap: 4
Ladies' Handicap: 6
With
a carry of 140-150 yards from the back tee and 125 yards
from the front men's tee, the pond that fronts the tee
does not come into play for most players most of the
times. But with trees flanking both sides of the fairway
and a green that slopes severely from front to back,
this hole -- the original finishing hole when Donald
Ross built the current course in 1917-- is a great challenge.
The tee shot often leaves a player with 180 to 200 yards
off a downhill lie. Bunkers guard both sides of a green
that is very difficult. Three-putts probably are more
common here than on any other green on the course. May
be the best hole on the course, and one of the best
holes in the Philadelphia area.
Hole
No. 13
Par 4
398/389/379 yards
Men's Handicap: 8
Ladies' Handicap: 4
Another
outstanding hole, one of four strong par fours (along
with 10, 12 and 15) on the back nine. The tee shot must
be placed in the right half of the fairway to have a
clear shot at the green. Push it 10 yards too far right
and your ball will find a bunker. Miss the fairway to
the left and there's another bunker. From it, or from
the left half of the fairway, the second shot has to
clear a very tall oake, one that most players simply
cannot navigate. ers can carry. Approach shots hit more
than a little left will find a steep hillside or an
area that leaves a blind and difficult third shot. The
green is protected by a bunker on the right front. The
green is fairly flat, but a strong grain running from
front to back has an impact on putting.
Hole
No. 14
Par 3
207/188/136 yards
Men's Handicap: 12
Ladies' Handicap: 16
From
the white tees, the tee shot requires a carry of about
160 yards over two ponds that sit between the tee and
green. Hit the tee shot to the right and it can travel
200 yards and be in water. Shallow bunkers surround
the green, except in the front, which is open. The putting
surface is reasonably flat, although it slopes from
left to right..
Hole No. 15
Par 4/ Par 5 (Ladies)
417/406/394 yards
Men's Handicap: 2
Ladies' Handicap: 10
A
sharp dogleg right that is one of the course's most
challenging holes. A few lower handicappers try to drive
over two sycamores that guard the inside turn of the
dogleg. Hit the first of the sycamores and the ball
can be repelled back into a pond that runs alongside
the tee. A tee shot hit to the left is likely to wind
up among trees. The second shot is most often 190 to
210 yards up a hill to a green that cannot be seen from
the drive zone. There are bunkers to the left of the
green and guarding the right corner. There's an upper
tier on the right side of the green, which otherwise
has a very noticeable slope that runs from back to front.
Plenty of three putts here.
Hole
No. 16
Par 3
162/156/124 yards
Men's Handicap: 16
Ladies' Handicap: 14
Proper
club selection is a must for this two-tiered green surrounded
on all sides by bunkers. If the hole is on the lower
plateau, it' is better to be in the front bunker than
on the top level. And if it is on the top level, it
is better to be on the front of the green than in the
back bunker. A terrific short par 3.
Hole
No. 17
Par 5
475/466/448 yards
Men's Handicap: 10
Ladies' Handicap: 2
A
dogleg left that may be the best birdie hole on the
course. But birdies and pars will be hard to come by
if the tee shot is hit left into trees and the practice
area. The right side of the landing area and the far
turn of the dogleg are lined with three bunkers. Stay
short or left of them and in the fairway and par becomes
a reasonably easy score. The second shot is a blind
uphill carry. The green can be reached with two very
good shots, but the second one has to carry two bunkers
that stretch across the front of the green. There also
is a bunker on the left side of the green and a grass
mound to the right. If the flagstick is on the back
of the longish green, it makes more sense to lay up
in front of the bunkers with the second shot. The green
slopes back to front, but not as severely as it might
appear.
Hole
No. 18
Par 4
355/346/337
Men's Handicap: 14
Ladies' Handicap: 8
A
birdie opportunity that can quickly turn into a double-bogey
if the drive is hooked or pulled out of bounds to the
left. With the fairway sloping to the right, a fade
or pushed drive may find grass mounds and heavy rough.
And there's a deep bunker in the drive zone just left
of the fairway. But hit a good drive here and there's
a short iron left. However, the green is one of two
on the course that runs away from the approaching player
(the 10th is the other such green). Deep bunkers guard
both sides and most of the front of the green. It is
difficult to bounce a ball onto this green, which slopes
left to right and front to back.
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