Any info on Hurdzan/Fry's Wren Dale near Hershey, PA

[Dan Herrmann]

I've been looking for info on this course, but it seems to be few and far between.  Has anybody seen Wren Dale, near Hershey, PA, and if you have, any comments on its architecture?

I saw a story on it during Keystone Golf last year and was curious - it looked good on TV, but that is the purpose of the show, after all.

Thanks!

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Dan

I think there was a thread on this course last year. It has been getting good reviews.

Steve

[Brent Hutto]

By coincidence a few friends of mine played it yesterday but I haven't heard any detailed report of how it played. They did say it was not walker-friendly which in my crowd is pretty much the kiss of death. I doubt they'll play there again.

If they have any architecture-related observations to share I'll pass them along.

[Cory Lewis]

Played Wren Dale a few months ago,  the four foot flagsticks are kinda gimmicky, but overall a good layout.  The course works well with the land and was in pretty good shape.  The layout can be somewhat disorienting at times but I would definetly recommend it.  

[Dan Herrmann]

Thanks - played it today and I liked it very much.  True, it has a few very steep inclines that would make walking difficult, but other than that, it's pretty flat.

I'll write more when I have some time, but I hope they make it in a crowded Central PA market.  

It's definitely worth your time - we prefered it to Wyncote, Hartefeld, and Penn National's courses.  

Location wise, it's perfect - you can see the Hersheypark Kissing Tower in the distance - you're only about 2 miles north of the park, and could be a nice destination vacation if combined with Hersheypark (at a much lower cost than the Hershey golf courses).

Warning, though -no clubhouse yet - just the single-wide trailer.

[Brent Hutto]

I've seen some further feedback from the guys who played there yesterday and the walking problems mostly centered around some ravines where you have to sort of take roundabout switchbacks down and back up to get across the ravine. They also found that there were only water coolers in two places on the course which is tough on a upper-80's humid day.

Playing wise they liked it but found that the blue tees required some significant carries that would make the white tees a better choice for double-digit handicappers who aren't big hitters. Overall they seemed to think it was a good course, especially if you take a cart and play the correct tees.

[Martin Del Vecchio]

I just played Turner Hill in Ipswich, MA, a Hurdzan-Fry that opened in 2003 or 2004.  It is also not walker friendly, with an often bizarre routing.  To get to the practice tee, you walk (or more likely drive) about 1/2 mile, during which you walk/drive right around the first tee box.

Curiously enough, it is also not particularly driver-friendly.  I have a bum ankle, and take a cart when I can.  During my round, in which carts were restricted to paths due to recent monsoons, I often arrived at my ball after my walking partners.  I know that this is a common complaint about cart golf, but let me assure you that I am always ready to go when I cart.

[Rob_Waldron]

I played Wren Dale Memorial Day Weekend. The conditioning of the course from tee to green was outstanding!. The only explanation I received about the 5 foot flagsticks was they did not blow over in the wind. They created a visual illusion for approach shots. Since you could see the upper 5 feet of the flagstick (because that was all there was) it looked as if each flagstick was positioned in a valley over a ridge.

We all preferred the back none to the front nine. The front nine is situated in an open valley with several forced carries over ravines of environment areas and ponds. Nearly every hole on the front nine is visible from every other hole on the nine. The back nine has several tree lined holes and is located away from the road traffic experienced on the front nine.

There appeared to be an unusually large amount of approach shots with mid to long irons from down hill lies across hazards. Many of the greens were perched just across hazards. I thought the course was very challenging and enjoyable.

As far as amenities go, we were also disappointed with the limited amount of available drinking water on a very hot day. The club was planning to open a new temporary trailer/clubhouse to replace the single wide trailer. The grass driving range was enormous and the turf was excellent.

A buffer to block the view and sound of the road traffic along Linglestown Road would greatly enhance the ambiance of the golf course.