Although RiverWinds has been around for about 7 years now as a daily fee course just across the river from the Philadelphia International Airport, I only recently made it there. For the last couple of years the word on the street was the course had conditioning issues. Recently the group led by ex-Iggle Ron Jaworski bought the course and are busy this spring whipping it back into shape.
I played it about 2 weeks ago and found the conditions to be acceptable and clearly improving. Many of the bunkers have been polished up, and not many are left for rehabbing. Some of the greens are brown in spots (not the bad dead and sandy condition), in particular in the most contoured areas. However, it makes it easier to see the various tiers on many of the greens in the pics below.
A very quirky aspect of the course is that you park and check in where the indoor tennis courts are located. The course is very easily walked, but you must hike about 1100 yards to get to the first tee! Since their rates (currently 39 bucks) include a cart, I recommend using the cart to get out to the first tee, then walk the course and jump back in the cart to return to the parking lot after the round.
RiverWinds opens with a fairly simple dogleg right par 5.
From short of the green:
From over the green:
165 yard par 3 2nd:
No 3: 416 yard par 4.
No 4: dogleg right par 5, 477 yards
No 5 is a long (446 yard) par 4 with water in play left off the tee, and it creek runs up left to the green to more water:
The 6th is a dogleg left par 4 (381 yards) where you must be far enough right in the FW to have an unobstructed view of the green. Here is a view from just short of the green:
And this view from over the green shows the mound at the inside of the bend that makes drive placement important:
A longish (200+ yards) par 3 is next, playing slightly downhill to a two-tiered green:
The view from just short and right of the 8th hole, a 422 yard par 4:
The ninth requires a drive over water and deciding how much of the dogleg to bite off. It is only about a 225 yard carry over the water just to the right of the concrete drain left in the first photo, and the bunker through the FW taking a more conservative line is in play (I know, I went in it!).
The view for a 2nd shot to the elevated and very deep green:
From over the green:
The back nine begins with a neat dogleg left par 5 that big hitters may be enticed to reach in two, but the 2nd shot better be precise as the green is just across a diagonally angled creek.
The view from the drive landing area:
For most people, their view for their 3rd shot (yeah, plenty of earth was moved to shape the course, but I really like this green site):
From the back of the green:
The 11th is a par 4 with big hitters perhaps able to reach another creek not really in view from the tee:
A view from left and long of the green:
The 12th is a slightly uphill shortish par 4, with the best line for the drive close to those right FW bunkers:
From short of the green:
The 13th is a almost 600 yard par 5, slight dogleg right, where you can pretty much wail away on both the drive and 2nd shot if you wish. Here's the view from the dogleg:
On the 14th, a 381 yard par 4, the second shot has this view, not the only time on the course a crossing bunker is used near a green:
From over the green:
The view from the tee on the 162 yard par 3:
And from over the green:
A good drive on the 354 yard par 4 16th leaves this view:
A view back down the fairway from just right of the green:
The 'signature hole' (groan) for RiverWinds is this peninsula par 3 17th, playing about 140 yards and downhill:
The view from over the green:
And from near the 18th tee is this view to the green:
The 18th at RiverWinds is the #1 handicap hole, a par 4 of 391 yards. The back tee is very elevated and gives this view:
And here is the view from the back right part of the green (clearly the spot for a 'Sunday pin'):
Overall I was very happy with RiverWinds. At 39 bucks, it is good value and will improve if the efforts being made currently on conditioning are successful.