One guy's take: (G & T is NOT Gin and Tonic!)
William Gordon (1955) is the architect of this neat little course originally part of MBNA and DuPont culture located adjacent to the Newark, DE headquarters of B of A's credit card division. It is now annexed into DE's White Clay Creek Park and on lease to Forewinds Hospitality who also manage Hartfeld and Inniscrone nearby (six golf courses total).
William and David Gordon to my eyes seemed not to have learned a whole lot about golf course architecture from William Flynn, the undisputed master of across the board quality
(nod to my friend Wayne).
The Gordons sometimes built interesting green complexes (Locust Valley) sometimes big uninteresting courses (Saucon - Grace) and sometimes very inconsistent courses (Weyhill). As an aside, one thing Mr. Grace seemed to pretty much demand from the Gordons was unreachable
Z-shaped par 5's (18 Weyhill is as bad as any in the lot - an "unforgettable finish" - sort of like the last taste of fish being not so fresh). Thankfully these holes are completely absent from Deerfield G & TC. Par 70 - also a lot like Flynn.
In fact, I've never seen a more Flynn-like Gordon course at all. I might have even guessed Flynn If I'd gone in blind. Very well-routed for interest's sake over a marvelously voluptuous piece of ground, utilizing several triangles in the routing. Uphill, downhill and sidehill are all frequently in play. Perched greens, runs-up, tight openings, wide open ones, semi-blind par 3's. There is not a single flat hole to be found. Potato-chip greens with more flips up than down, generally small greens made smaller by slopes and internal bunker contouring - they're all here. At 6350 a little short for the long-bombing testosterone-fueled young-uns, for most it is an absolute delight and challenge. I think that it plays up to 200-300 yards longer due to the uses of elevation.
The two delightful par 5's on this par 70 are 1 and 10, normally two if my least favorite spots in a routing for 5 pars. These however can both be described as downhill doglegs to the left, but not at all similar. #1 has a long slightly uphill first part whereas #10 immediately drops about 75 feet with a pond along the left side that you should hug to get the angle to the mesa green. A too-conservative drive to the right fairway on 10 left me with a near impossible approach of only 230 yards because of the green complex, the right-to-left cant of the fairway and a tree or two narrowing the direct approach from the right side. Very cleverly done. I tried my damnedest from a hanging lie with my 1i equivalent rescue, slicing it about 35 yards but came up 30 paces from the front and 7 feet below the green surface. Most fun I had all this young season so far trying to hit
that shot.
The first doesn't start it's 60-80 foot sharp decline until the sharp turn left at the 150 mark - sort of like the 16th at Philadelphia CC's last bit of run-up, in fact a lot like it.
Par 3's were 6i (m), 1i equivalent (m), 7i (m) and 6i (f) to the pins I played (alternate f, m, b routine is used daily - unfortunately depending on sequencing, one usually gets an uninteresting mix of par 3 pins this way).#2 slightly downhill with some mean slopes just over the bunkers when going after a right pin, #8 uphill with a crest-like green appearance, #11 just slightly uphill all in view and #16 uphill, well-bunkered very little green in view.
Par 4's - uphill (6 times!) often played quite a bit longer than yardage, downhill, sidehill - great variety, but of course shortish by today's standards, but very very interesting.
If you carry the ball say 235 with a 250 result, you will not care a whit about the shortness of the card. Very recently aerated the conditioning will be fantastic. Ideally it's probably a little too-treed for my tastes (especially when all the hardwoods are fleshed out), but I don't think that it will not be particularly claustrophobic.
$48 W/D, $68 W/E I just had to share. It's a little less than :30 from the PA/DE state line on I-95, over in the corner where DE, MD and PA come together. Anyone from Philly or nearby have another take? JES II, you're too long, sorry.
