It sounds strange, but this was the one course I was most looking forward to playing on this Philly trip. When people say a course is funky it always gets my interest. To be fair, LuLu wasn't as funky as I thought it was going to be. However, it is a solid course with a twist here and there. Its certainly not in the mold of many Ross courses I have seen, perhaps this is why it has the reputation as funky. In any case. I really enjoyed the course and could see why Steve Sayers and his mate John were so high on the place. Again, the greens rolled at a decent pace, somewhat quicker than Lederach. In fact, the course was fairly firm which was pleasant to see. The only bad thing I can say about the place is that somewhere along the line I picked up the shankx. Jeepers, what a horrible feeling it is to be stood over the ball with a wedge knowing its going dead right. I have never experienced anything like this before. Let me tell ya, it ain't cool.
The 1st is a short par 5 legger to the right with a bunker on the inside corner. This is the 2nd. I really liked this hole. It also gives a hint as to how tight the property lines are on the course. There isn't much room to spare at LuLu.
The 3rd is very attractive off the tee as well. The greens on this course are tricky, but manageable. This green has a sort of funnel leading to the day's hole location. There is some sort of visual trick going on because the hole feels downhill, but I think its actually uphill for the approach, but I could be wrong.
A look at the approach. Many of the greens have this sort of squaring off look to them. You will see little knobs on the points where the greens are meant to extend to.
I have no idea what to make of this Quarry Hole. Its very short and a bit uphill. Gauging the distance is tricky. Like many aspects to the course, experience is a plus.
#5 is a very good, somewhat longish par 4. The green is a killer. It seems as though the ball is repelled from the green.
#6 is an excellent uphill par 3. As one would expect, going above the hole is not advisable.
The 7th is the last hole across the street from the house. Its also one of the best on the course. You can see that trees are still a problem - though Steve and John said loads were taken out.
The approach. The pin is in a tuff spot!
The 8th is a punchbowl green, but it doesn't gather in the traditional manner. If it makes sense, its more of a green placed at the bottom of a bowl rather than what I think of as a true punchbowl green.
This pic gives a better idea of what I was trying to explain. Thinking back on it, this is where the shanks began! I nearly hit the maint shed with a short wedge in. Heavy sigh.
The 9th is a good little hole which swings right.
I really liked the 11th. Its a short par 4, but the fairway doesn't get the player into the best angle for green unless you can hit the right sliver between the bunkers. Anything left is virtually dead.
The halfway house serves Paydays. This is one of those little quirks I hope folks meant! Its been a very long time since I even thought about Paydays, sadly, they were not in stock so I couldn't satisfy my craving nuts held together by an unidentifiable goo. This is the 12th. There is a hint of how the green flows by the collar off the green to the right, but there is a bunker just beyond to catch Paydayless folks such as myself.
Here is the approach to #13 - a blind drive long par 4. The squarish tendency of the greens can easily be seen here.
14 is a very cool little par 4 which swings left. Hit the drive straight and a bunker awaits.
16 is a bit of a odd hole. There is a cross bunker stopping flat bellies from having a go at the green.
The 17th is a solid par 5. Here is the scene after a decent drive. By now, the shanks were in full bloom and I was only looking to get off the course and in front of a Yingling (the spelling is wrong, but this is how those PAers pronounce the name). 18 is a good finishing hole up the hill. All in all, LuLu is a cool course with its best section across the road - a bit like Worplesdon. I can honestly say there wasn't a hole that wasn't of some interest - a fairly rare happenstance in my experience. Steve and John were great guys, though I am suspect of a guy with a tan like Steve's who claims to work hard. In any case, make your way to LuLu, you won't be disappointed.
Ciao
Sean Shortshankx Arble