Central PA's Finest - GCA Gathering - June 3rd and 4th

[Jim Sherma]

We are hosting a GCA gathering in Central PA next Tuesday and Wednesday, June 3rd and 4th. the focus is on the finest classic architecture in Central PA and the itinierary is as follows:

Tuesday afternoon - Lancaster CC (William Flynn)
Wednesday morning - Hershey CC West (Maurice McCarthy)
Wednesday afternoon - CC_of_York (Donald Ross)

This is an exceptional collection of courses in my opinion. there are numerous hotel options in and around Hershey for the night of the 3rd. Please IM me if interested, we have a limited number of openings remaining. Those interested in playing all three will have precedence.

[Ronald Montesano]

[Caution...Smart-Ass Retort Inevitable]

Phew, that gives me plenty of time to plan to attend. Shame, would have liked to have known ahead of time. Have fun and enjoy those great courses.

[Jim Sherma]

Yeah, sorry about that. Sometimes getting everything confirmed and locked-in takes a while.

[Jon Cavalier]

Wish I could do this. That's a fantastic rota.

Lancaster CC is just outstanding - one of my favorites in the Philly area, and one of Flynn's best.

[Ronald Montesano]

Jim, your generosity and commitment are evident. No need to apologize. I hope that your turn-out is solid. Those courses deserve much attention.

[Mark McKeever]

I wish I could make it, as it sounds like an awesome trip.  Work gets in the way of golf sometimes...   

Mark

[Bill Crane]

What time are you meeting and going off at Lancaster CC ? 

I may be interested but have a 9 am appointment of about 45 mins near home in Princeton, NJ.

Can it be that you are actually going to miss that gem of the Susquehanna Valley at my Alma Mater - Bucknell ??   


Wm Flynnfan

[Parker Reeves]

Wow, Jim.  What a great group of courses to play.  Lancaster is a truly wonderful looking facility.  I was able to walk it while recruiting and was blown away by what I saw.  Have a great time!

[Jim Sherma]

What time are you meeting and going off at Lancaster CC ? 

I may be interested but have a 9 am appointment of about 45 mins near home in Princeton, NJ.

Can it be that you are actually going to miss that gem of the Susquehanna Valley at my Alma Mater - Bucknell ??   


Wm Flynnfan

I don't know much about the golf courses up in the Lewisburg area. I have not heard anything first-hand about Bucknell Golf Club or anything else up that way west of Scranton outside of the Penn State courses and Toftrees.

[Rory Connaughton]

Bill

  If you leave Princeton by 10 you should make it in plenty of time.  We have three times set aside. 1:30-1:40 and 1:50.  There are no tee times behind the 1:50 at all so we can go at will but you should be there no later than 12:15 if you maintain a reasonable pace on the Turnpike. Should we count you in?

Parker - were you at the Rolex?

[Bill Crane]

Count me in Tuesday only.  I was planning to find a way to Lancaster this year anyway.  Should probably try to go twice this year - really worth studying as noted in "Nature Faker" and CG, and Ran's comments here as well.

Bucknell  is a fun little course,  with some good holes and some quirky holes, but not in the same league as these three.  Just a little fun comment.  Great views of the Chilisquakie Ridge (sp?), the Susquehanna and a slight peek into Lewisburg Fed as well    

Many thanks.

Bill

[Bill Vogeney]

Major bummer. Grew up north of Harrisburg between there and Sunbury. Missed out on playing Lancaster last summer because of my father's illness. Worked in York the summer of 1985 and the only course I can remember playing in the area was Honey Run? Played the old Parkview in Hershey (closed by HERCO) and went to the old Keystone Open LPGA event at HCC many years but never played there. I would have made a special trip from Colorado for this lineup. Keep me in mind for future outings in Pa.

[Bill Vogeney]

Count me in Tuesday only.  I was planning to find a way to Lancaster this year anyway.  Should probably try to go twice this year - really worth studying as noted in "Nature Faker" and CG, and Ran's comments here as well.

Bucknell  is a fun little course,  with some good holes and some quirky holes, but not in the same league as these three.  Just a little fun comment.  Great views of the Chilisquakie Ridge (sp?), the Susquehanna and a slight peek into Lewisburg Fed as well    

Many thanks.

Bill

Played Bucknell 2 or 3 years ago. Didn't remember it from 1984 or see. I think they took out a lot of superfluous trees-all I can remember is these little pines trees every couple of feet lining each fairway 30 years ago. I agree, a cool little course but no comparison.

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

Dear Jim and Rory,

I would love to join you at Lancaster if I can free up my schedule next week. I need to be in OH and KY by mid-late week. Please PM me details. Bill Crane and I are both Springdale members in Princeton, NJ and as our course in Princeton was a Flynn renovation of a historic routing we have talked for years of getting over to Lancaster.

Flynn took great interest in the work at Springdale as his friend and mentor, Hugh Wilson, was a graduate of Princeton University and captained the golf team even as the golf club moved to it's present location in town from 1900 to the opening of the new Willie Dunn Jr. layout in 1902.

Malcolm

[Joe Bausch]

These are two of my favorite photo albums:

http://xchem.villanova.edu/~bausch/images/albums/Lancaster/

http://xchem.villanova.edu/~bausch/images/albums/CCofYork/

My photo album of Hershey West is from 2009 and is not good (newbie photographer on a super hot and hazy summer morning, grin), so I'll put together a new one after the round coming up.

 

[Parker Reeves]

Bill

  If you leave Princeton by 10 you should make it in plenty of time.  We have three times set aside. 1:30-1:40 and 1:50.  There are no tee times behind the 1:50 at all so we can go at will but you should be there no later than 12:15 if you maintain a reasonable pace on the Turnpike. Should we count you in?

Parker - were you at the Rolex?

Rory, sorry for the delay.  Yep, I was at the Rolex.

[Joe Bausch]

I thoroughly enjoyed this 2 day golf-a-thon in Central PA, made possible by Jim Sherma and Rory Connaughton.  Mother Nature treated us well, as on Tuesday afternoon it appeared we were going to get poured on at Lancaster CC, but magically the storm stayed away.  I've visited Lancaster more than a few times now and it looked and played the best I've ever seen it.  I took a few more pictures to add to what I think is an outstanding photo album:

http://xchem.villanova.edu/~bausch/images/albums/Lancaster/

The next 36 hole day began with a 7:45 AM round at the West course of Hershey Country Club.  If you enjoy classic golf courses, this place is for you.  And Hershey West was also in great condition.  I snapped many photos here and I'm quite proud of this newly minted photo album:

http://xchem.villanova.edu/~bausch/images/albums/HersheyWest/

The capper after an hour ride down to York was the Country Club of York, a fine Donald Ross design that has been touched up nicely over the past years by Forse and Nagle.  Since my visit there last year, more trees have been removed.  I've updated last year's photo album with some improved pictures in this updated photo album:

http://xchem.villanova.edu/~bausch/images/albums/CCofYork/

In the GCA world, I'm not sure there are any true hidden gems as this web site's denizens get around.  But CC of York probably comes pretty close!

[RussBaribault]

Wish I was able to make it!!!

[Mike Hendren]

Joe, great tour of  CC of York.  Ross might be the only architect living or dead who can somehow find a way to route 18 uphill approaches!

Bogey

[Rory Connaughton]

Joe

 Thanks for posting. It was great to meet some new friends, Steve Wilson, Bill Steele, Andy Hughes, Bill Crane, Mike Longo and Chris DeNigris, and to see some old ones as well.  I'm glad the second day was a success.  Hats off to Sherm for organizing.

[Joe Bausch]

Joe, great tour of  CC of York.  Ross might be the only architect living or dead who can somehow find a way to route 18 uphill approaches!

Bogey

You exaggerate a million times, Bogey!   

[Jim Sherma]

I just wanted to thank everyone who joined us and also everyone else who expressed interest but could not partake due to scheduling issues. I especially want to publicly thank Rory for helping set up lancaster for all of us. We were fortunate to have great weather and everything went off very smoothly. Joe's photos just get better and better, the Hershey West photos are as good as any I have seen.

These are three of my favorite courses and I am glad to help show them off to other kindred spirits. Hopefully next year we can expand the event to a third day and allow for more lead time so that more people can make the scheduling work.

In addition to the three courses that we played other available courses could include:

Hershey CC-East (Meaty 1970 George Fazio - makes for a great 36-hole day with the West)
Lebanon CC (Very old-school Alex Findlay - front 9 is good but the back 9 is really special in my opinion)
CC of Harrisburg (Very early Flynn routing - quirck everywhere with a lot of blind shots and very few flat lies)
West Shore CC - (Good course that is well respected locally - some very good green complexes and tree removal has really improved the ability to see and appreciate the land)

[Tim Martin]

Jim-Very sorry I missed this and certainly hope you have it again. That is a great lineup of courses and I have to say that CC of York might have been the biggest surprise of 2013 for me.