Best Philly Hurdzan/Fry Course

[Mike Viscusi]

With Joe Bausch's current photo tour thread of Philly Cricket Club's Militia Hill course (http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,50230.0.html) it got me thinking about which Hurdzan/Fry course in the Philly area is best.  The three most immediate ones to Philadelphia are Philly Cricket (MH), Jericho National and Fieldstone (in Delaware).  There are a few more if you venture a little further out of the immediate Philly area but let's stick with those three.

I've never played Fieldstone but pictures I've seen are pretty visually spectacular.

I worked at Jericho in the early 2000's, so maybe I'm biased but I think there's a lot of variety in the design and the course is just a lot of fun to play.  No two holes are remotely alike and it's a fairly reasonable walk.

The only time I played Militia Hill at Philly Cricket was in 2003 and I honestly was a little disappointed.  I'm excited to see the rest of Joe's photo tour because the first 6 holes looked spectacular, but my recollection was the rest of the way is a little bit of a let down.  If memory serves me (and it might not), I thought the collection of par 3's were a little bland and the routing on the west side of the train tracks was a pretty boring back and forth of parallel holes.  I also thought 14 and 18 looked and felt very similar.  But again, it was a while ago, and I was not nearly as into golf architecture at the time that I am now, so maybe I am way off base.  I'd like to hear others opinions.

Has anybody played all three of these courses?  If so, how would you rank/compare them?

[Joe Bausch]

Mike, I've only played one of the three you mention.  I hope to see Fieldstone and Jericho at some point.

I have played the public H/F Pilgrims Oak.  Great value.  Here is a photo tour I did from a couple of years ago:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,47050.0.html

[mike_malone]

 Sand Barrens?

[Steve_ Shaffer]

How about Hershey Links, formerly the private WrenDale GC? It's a very good course IMO.

Miltiia Hill and Fieldstone are the top 2.Although I've never played Fielsdtone, I understand it's very good. I would  place Hershey Links above Jericho and Sand Barrens.

Paging GAP. How about a member play day at Fieldstone?

[Joe Bausch]

Don't know why I forgot about Hershey Links!  A photo tour of it starts at the beginning of this long thread of Hershey area courses:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,41106.0.html

[Dan Boerger]

I've played Fieldstone lots, most recently in a 2 day Member-Guest. Really fun course on a pretty amazing piece of property. Not overly penal or complex greens, but getting to them is full of challenge.

[Alex Lagowitz]

I think, although it's not a regulation length course, but the par 3 course at Hamilton Farm could be the duo's best design in the area.
The thought spawned from the Par 3 course thread, but having played the course, I can say that there is so much variety and great design in the par 3s, plus imagine the difficulties that must have been overcome to try and design 18 distinctly different par 3s!  But maybe this is too far from being considered Philly area.

[Tommy Williamsen]

I am not a big fan of them.  Fieldstone is good, Militia Hills is good, Glenmaura isn't and Calusa Pines (which is not in Philly) is awesome.  I could play it everyday.  It has it all.  Short par fours, great undulating land. Wonderful par threes and tough par fours, and a men's locker room that I could spend the evening in.

[Chris Roselle]

How about Hershey Links, formerly the private WrenDale GC? It's a very good course IMO.

Miltiia Hill and Fieldstone are the top 2.Although I've never played Fielsdtone, I understand it's very good. I would  place Hershey Links above Jericho and Sand Barrens.

Paging GAP. How about a member play day at Fieldstone?

I am working on trying to get Fieldstone on the rotation for next year Steve...

[Doug Braunsdorf]

I thought Fieldstone was a pretty good course, although I don't recall the greens-but, similar to what Dan said, getting there was the challenge.  I played there about 4 years ago and was all over the lot-not surprising to some of you (Right, Joe and Mike?)  I would like another lick at it.  
Dan, I don't know, I found it penal, but I was really out of practice at the time.  I'm not bashing it, I played like crap.  

A higher-single digit marker from Commonwealth (no, not acer3x) played in our group, who said he felt it was harder than Commonwealth-he said CN was hard off the tee and easier into the greens, whereas here (Fieldstone) was hard off the tee and hard into the greens.  (I know CN isn't  H/F, he was just making a comparison to another area course many think of as difficult).

Slightly outside of Philadelphia, but easy to get to up 202, is Neshanic Valley, in Branchburg, NJ, which is public, so it's a bit dumbed down, but a good course-Steve Shaffer, Kyle, Cory and I have all played it and enjoyed it.