Ty Wenger's Philadelphia Area Course Ratings ...

[Matt_Ward]

In the current issue of Philadelphia Magazine Ty Wenger rated the top ten courses in the area and frankly I am rather shocked at how he views things. No doubt ratings will always be subjective but some clear omissions will be quickly apparent.

#10 ACCC
# 9 Wyncote GC
# 8 Aronimink
# 7 Rolling Green GC
# 6 Philadelphia Cricket / Wissahickon Course
# 5 The Old Course at Stonewall
# 4 Pine Hill
# 3 The GC at Glen Mills
# 2 Merion / East
# 1 PV

Where is Galloway National and Huntington Valley, to name just two ?

How does Pine Hill exceed the merits of Twisted Dune ?

And can someone explain to me how Glen Mills can even make the top ten let alone the 3rd position ?

No doubt the comments from others will prove most interesting and entertaining.

[Tom_Doak]

Matt:

Pardon me for not knowing, but who the heck is Ty Wenger?

If you want to know the truth, I think this list is more honest than most of the ones published, because it's different enough from the mainstream that it must be HIS own list, instead of his opinions watered down to look more like the mainstream.  A lot of people hedge their bets if they know what they say is going to be in print!

My list would be a lot different, and I'm sure yours would be different than either of them.  About all that proves is that there are a lot of very good courses around Philadelphia to choose from.

[Mike Sweeney]

What the heck, maybe it will get us past Merion. My personal list that I like to play in Philly in priority:

1. Pine Valley - The Mother Ship of inland golf for me. (Sand Hills is on another planet)

2. Hidden Creek - I know, I know, I just enjoy it okay Matt! 

3. Merion GC

4. Huntington Valley

5. Atlantic City CC - but I need to see it post Doak, as it has been years.

6. Whitemarsh - again, mainly fond memories so I could be off.

7. Philly Country Club - I think it is probably better since I lasted played it due to tree removal.

8. Rolling Green - pull out some trees Mayday!

9. Merion West - fun !

10. Aronimink, Stonewall Old, Wildwood, and Overbrook's 19th hole.

Never played but would seem to have potential: Philly Cricket - Tilly, Galloway, Lehigh, Lancaster (which seems like the best Flynn), Stonewall New, Gulph Mills.

[Ray Cross]

Went to Philly Mags website to read the reviews of each course along with his list.....Tom Doak, you would get a kick out of his comments about your contributions to his list.
The pub also has a list of the 25 "best" instructors in the Philadelphia area, again by one writer of whom I'm not familiar.

[Matt_Ward]

Tom D:

I believe Ty was formely a senior editor at Travel Leisure & Golf.

[Dan Herrmann]

Bogus...  Wyncote ahead of, say, Applebrook?    Wyncote?

(OK - It's a fun course, but certainly not a top 10).

Pluheeze.

[mike_malone]

 I'm wondering if they wanted a mix of public and private courses. After the top two , one can probably argue until they are blue in the face. It seems to be better than Mike Sweeney's list with Whitemarsh and his childhood memories.

[archie_struthers]

Not much on lists ...way too subjective   but I'm gonna put Pine Valley and Merion as 1 and 1a  ...they are too good to separate


next grouping

 Philadelphia CC
 Rolling Green
 Philly Cricket
 Huntingdon Valley

lots of real good ones in next group  too many to list

 

[Matt_Ward]

Candidly, I would not rate any public course within the top 15 because the depth of the privates is clearly there.

Glen Mills puts on a good show -- but it's far from being the superstar so many seem to believe.

If anyone sees Pine Hill beyond Twisted Dune then it's clearly because of the view of the Philadelphia skyline on clear days.

[mike_malone]

 Why would Philly Magazine list only courses that are private? I don't see how that plays to their readership.

[Dan Herrmann]

I agree, Matt.  

I'm not sure if Wyncote even makes the top 10 in Chester County.  

(And I have a soft spot for the place, being the site of my only hole-in-one, on what is now #2, way back in 1993, when it was rated behind Sandpines for the Best New Public in Golf Digest).

In Chesco alone, we have (in no particular order) Stonewall South, Stonewall North, Applebrook, French Creek, Waynesboro, Kennett Square, White Manor, Inniscrone (the former private club), and Hartefeld, all of which are better designs than Wyncote.  (many would also include Whitford and Chester Valley too)

[Dan Herrmann]

Mayday, that's true - Therefore, they should've had a top 10 public as an additional list.

[Kalen Braley]

Why would Philly Magazine list only courses that are private? I don't see how that plays to their readership.

Michael,

Why have articles about the rich and famous?  If for no other reason as people salivate over thier outrageous life-styles and in general things that they can't have.

[mike_malone]

 Kalen,

   That's probably why the private courses were listed.. They are great and you can't even play them!!

[Tom_Doak]

Mike:

The private courses were listed because if you list great Philadelphia courses without Merion and Pine Valley, everyone will think you're nuts ... and since they've private, you have to list some other privates, too.

I really don't know if I could write a list that I was happy with ... the difference between 4th and 8th place is probably not very much.  I do know if you can build a course in the top ten of the Philadelphia region you are doing pretty well.

[Jim Nugent]

Is Philly CC the Spring/Mill course, where they held the 1939 U.S. Open? 

[archie_struthers]

 


yes  Jim  Philadelphia Country Clubs  Spring Mill Course is the original 18...with some tweaking over the years .

 They have 27 holes due to a nine hole addition ,,,the Centennial Nine  ( Tom Fazio/Jan Belgian) in 1990

It's  in suburban Philly (Gladwyn) and  the Spring Mill Course is the work of one of the Philadelphia Schools best...William Flynn ....it opened in 1926

The golf course has a tantalizing mix of long and short holes , is typically in fabulous condition (excellent superintendent )  and has history

Byron Nelson won the Open in 1939 ....Sam Snead suffered an awful bad beat here ...and  never did win the US Open...

[Matt OBrien]

This is sorta O/T but i found this on a website. What do you guys think of this rating?

http://www.allaroundphillygolf.com/site/yp.cfm?newsid=18636754&BRD=2864&PAG=461&dept_id=609851&rfi=6

[Dan Herrmann]

Matt - it's a pretty good list.  Good find.

[Matt_Ward]

Be interesting to have a contest pitting the best of the GAP area (top ten) between public and private from the west side of the Delaware and those from the east side (hint / hint -- the Jersey side !).

I can see the private side being won by the west side but the public side is no less a win for the public side.

Be curious to the thoughts of those who have played a fair share of both categories from both sides of the river.

[Matt OBrien]

The Public golf in NJ is much better then PA. They have an advantage of having the shore courses.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Certainly the public courses in NJ have the edge:

ACCC
Twisted Dune
BHP
Ballyowen(based on rep as I haven't played there)
and perhaps Sand Barrens

These are just a few of the top NJ publics.

Glen Mills, Wyncote, Lederach in the Philly area are probably a notch below the above.

The Hershey courses(including the former Wren Dale) are probably the only other publics in the eastern half of the state that come close to competing.

 

[Mike_Cirba]

Steve,

Don't forget Berkleigh, which has gone public since the club dissolved.

It's a 1926 Robert White course that for years hosted the Betsy King Classic, and it's really enjoyable.   I was out there two weekends ago, and thus far things look promising with the new owner.

It has been a number of years since I first played there, and truth be told, I'd forgotten how good it is.   It's a great piece of property, well utilized on a core routing that maximizes the land forms.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Mike,

Berkleigh and Reading are on my list to play this year even though gas prices keep rising.