How many NLE courses have you played?

[Chris_Blakely]

Stewart

This is exactly what sums up my effort in going through the ones I have played.  I have talked with my brother and friends and still can not come up with several of the ones in NY we played.

It was a fun trip down memory lane.
 Thanks
Chris

A few NY NLE's that I have played that I don't think have been mentioned  are Loch Ledge, Canyon Club and Kutshers.


Loch Ledge, located in Yorktown Hts, NY,  was a horrible course, but in the mid 1990's when I first started playing it was the only place in the NYC metro area that one could almost always get a weekend tee time. It was referred to as Rock Ledge by many. It was very tight with lots of rock outcroppings. My brother had his only hole-in one there on a skulled 4 iron. I love that I  have  great memories of a not so great course.

Stewart


I think you just solved the course my brother and I could not come up with.  Was this course renamed Sanctuary for awhile?


Thanks
Chris

[MCirba]

Just learned last night that a very cool Robert White nine-hole course known as Green Hills GC in Birdsboro, PA is kaput.   I used to live very close to there and played it fairly regularly.   It also used to be the scene of some intense local competitions among the best public course players in Berks County including Emlyn Aubrey of PGA Tour note.   

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emlyn_Aubrey

Green Hills was started by bootlegger Max Hassel, the "Beer Baron of Berks County" in the 1930s and I'm sure it was a lively scene back then. 

Here's a thread on Green Hills started some time back by Steve Shaffer.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,50218.msg1139898.html#msg1139898

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Mike,


I regret not having played Green Hills, a course with such historical significance. I note my last post in the prior thread was in November 2011. Shortly thereafter, I traveled to AZ for my last snowbird season before moving there full time in the summer of 2012. Although I have returned to the area many times since then, I didn't return to play there. Apparently, the course closed without notice sometime in 2015:
https://www.golfcourseranking.com/courses/pennsylvania/birdsboro/usa/green-hills-golf-course-closed-2015/12581/


http://d2tbfnbweol72x.cloudfront.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/5930/files/2016/07/46-The-Gangster-of-Green-Hills.pdf


https://www.sepagolf.com/reviews/green-hills-a-challenging-9-hole-course-with-an-interesting-past

[Chris_Blakely]

Just learned last night that a very cool Robert White nine-hole course known as Green Hills GC in Birdsboro, PA is kaput.   I used to live very close to there and played it fairly regularly.   It also used to be the scene of some intense local competitions among the best public course players in Berks County including Emlyn Aubrey of PGA Tour note.   

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emlyn_Aubrey

Green Hills was started by bootlegger Max Hassel, the "Beer Baron of Berks County" in the 1930s and I'm sure it was a lively scene back then. 

Here's a thread on Green Hills started some time back by Steve Shaffer.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,50218.msg1139898.html#msg1139898

Mike,


I had that one on my list, but did not remember the city.  I found out last year that it closed.  It was a very fun 9 hole course.


Thanks for all of the info on the course, did not know it had all of that history.


Chris

[Matt Frey, PGA]

I just drove past my old apartment complex in Huntingdon Valley...it appears its golf course, Meadowbrook, has closed as the holes closest to the road (Valley Road) are all grown over.


Also, Joe Bausch and I tried to play the Philadelphia Quartette Club last weekend and were sad to see that the course there has closed.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

@ Matt Frey


I may be the only person on this Forum who has played those 2 courses. Sad to hear about their closing.


Quartett was fun to play. It's now a catering venue in the former club house.

http://mililloeventgroup.com/

[MCirba]

@ Matt Frey


I may be the only person on this Forum who has played those 2 courses. Sad to hear about their closing.


Quartett was fun to play. It's now a catering venue in the former club house.

http://mililloeventgroup.com/

Steve,


I've played both, sadly, which I've added to my list on page 1. 

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Mike,


How about Rydal? I just remembered that 9 holer in Abington Twp. 




Steve

[MCirba]

Mike,


How about Rydal? I just remembered that 9 holer in Abington Twp. 




Steve

Steve,


I believe Rydal was a private club when I used to work in North Philly.  Passed by it many times but never played it.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Mike,


Yep, Rydal was a private "HJC" and was sold for development as was Warrington in Bucks County. Never played Warrington.


Steve

[MCirba]

Adding Olde Masters in PA and Stonehouse in VA, but retracting Royal New Kent in VA which thankfully looks as though it's being saved.

[Kyle Harris]

I've played Meadowbrook and Quartette. Never played Rydal, sadly, though I did find an old tee box and green site in the park for the little housing development that is there.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Pete Trenham's Golf History site has a list of NLE courses in the Philadelphia area and a link to Jeff Silverman's article " Here Today, Gone Tomorrow: The Philadelphia Area's Lost Golf Courses"  Note the excellent pictures  in Jeff's article:


http://trenhamgolfhistory.org/PTHGLostCourses.html

[Tom Bacsanyi]

Two:  Both Par 3/Executive courses.  Oasis Golf Center in Livonia, MI, and Independence Green Apartments in Farmington Hills.  Both just as legendary as The Lido, obviously.  I particularly remember being excited to play the only par 4 on Independence Green which was like 270 and had no fairway, just a sea of rough.  Both places are still operating but without the courses, Oasis being a massive driving range.  If anyone on this board ever teed it up at either I'd be shocked.

[Matt Frey, PGA]

I have heard through the grapevine that Spring Mill Country Club in Ivyland, Pennsylvania, north of Philadelphia, may be closing its short course soon to allow for townhomes to be built. While the course was certainly nothing fancy, it's a shame that it is closing as it was a nice little public offering for beginners, youth golfers, and quick golf fixes, available to the local community. The facility's 18-hole course is private (a pretty solid layout by the way).


Here is Joe Bausch's photo album of the short course: http://www.myphillygolf.com/uploads/bausch/SpringMillCCPar3/index.html


For reference, his album of the club's 18-hole course, which will remain open, can be found here: http://www.myphillygolf.com/uploads/bausch/SpringMill/index.html

[jeffwarne]

I'm sure there's more I'm not aware of
North Augusta Par 3 (cool single man carts)
Melrose
Tallgrass
El Diablo
Sugarloaf Mountain (Crenshaw and Coore)
Jones creek-Augusta-just closed
Island Hills
Longshadow

[Mark Molyneux]

On June 26 this year, I played my 1000th different golf course. In reviewing my list (dating from 1961), I noted that 70 of those courses no longer exist. Biggest losses: Beechtree in Maryland, Rees Jones' ACE Club in PA, Delaware National/Hercules, Hershey Links in PA, and Old York at Chesterfield in NJ. I also miss Pocono Manor West in PA, where I attended an LPGA event back when Jane Blaylock and Althea Gibson were in the field!


I am looking for a picture of any hole at Pocono Manor West but especially the long dogleg par 4 that ran along Route 940 with the scoreboard and half-way house behind the green.

[David_Tepper]

To the eternal shame of the Marin County Board of Supervisors, San Geronimo GC (designed by Vern Macan) in Marin County, CA was closed 4-5 years ago. It was a solid daily-fee course in a pretty spot, maybe a 30-minute drive from the Golden Gate Bridge.   

[Tommy Williamsen]

On June 26 this year, I played my 1000th different golf course. In reviewing my list (dating from 1961), I noted that 70 of those courses no longer exist. Biggest losses: Beechtree in Maryland, Rees Jones' ACE Club in PA, Delaware National/Hercules, Hershey Links in PA, and Old York at Chesterfield in NJ. I also miss Pocono Manor West in PA, where I attended an LPGA event back when Jane Blaylock and Althea Gibson were in the field!


I am looking for a picture of any hole at Pocono Manor West but especially the long dogleg par 4 that ran along Route 940 with the scoreboard and half-way house behind the green.

Well, this is sad. My wife and I played Old York the year it opened. She had the very first hole-in-one on the course. It was on the fourth of July, and I thought, "Yikes, it could be an expensive shot." But the owner was so tickled he bought drinks for everyone.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Glen Lakes GC, a 9 hole course in Glendale, AZ, closed in 2019. The land was just sold for development for 28M.

[David Kelly]

The two Fazio courses at Primm Valley are closing/have closed.


https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2024/07/23/tom-fazio-designed-course-las-vegas-closed/

[Tommy Williamsen]

The two Fazio courses at Primm Valley are closing/have closed.


https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2024/07/23/tom-fazio-designed-course-las-vegas-closed/

They were a nice, inexpensive alternative to the higher-priced Las Vegas courses. Too bad they were an hour away. I enjoyed them, but the last time I was there, the conditioning was poor. You could tell they were having some financial challenges.

[Mike Worth]

Beechtree, MD (Doak)
Tallgrass, NY (Hanse)
Garrison, NY (Dick Wilson)
Fort Sill Hospital Course, OK (unknown)
Blue Heron Pines East, NJ (Smyers)
Woodbury, NJ 9 holes (Findlay)
Willowbrook, Delran NJ (Wm Gordon)


Those are the only ones that come to mind. I’m sure there are others that I can’t remember.


although the architect of the Fort Sill course is unknown, I do remember that Orville Moody‘s brother was the head pro back when I played it in the late 1980s

[John Nixon]

My list, without putting a lot of time into it:
Wolf Run - well-known Indianapolis course. Why did this particular private course not survive? Given the strong market golf is enjoying right now I wonder if they'd hung on another year or two the course would still be open. Or maybe a developer was just dangling too much money in front of someone.
Riverside - Indianapolis muni. At the time it closed there were 3 18-hole munis (Riverside, South Grove, Coffin) and a driving range/par 3 course (Riverside Academy) all in close proximity. Maybe the city's budget demanded something had to go. Like Wolf Run, I wonder if post-Covid the same decision to close would be made.
Indiana University - the one there before the Pfau course. I think once Purdue built their Dye course the IU alumni weren't going to take it lying down. At least this time a course was not simply closed but replaced with something clearly better, if also much more expensive to play.
2 9-hole courses in Carmel, IN - Mohawk Hills and Sunrise. If you're at all familiar with the north side of Indianapolis you won't be surprised that they are both now housing. I liked them as they provided an inexpensive option for a quick 9. Sunrise in particular had some well-done holes, and had a nice driving range to boot.
Coffin, The Fort and Brickyard Crossing all replaced previous courses, but I never saw those.

[Bob Harris]

On June 26 this year, I played my 1000th different golf course. In reviewing my list (dating from 1961), I noted that 70 of those courses no longer exist. Biggest losses: Beechtree in Maryland, Rees Jones' ACE Club in PA, Delaware National/Hercules, Hershey Links in PA, and Old York at Chesterfield in NJ. I also miss Pocono Manor West in PA, where I attended an LPGA event back when Jane Blaylock and Althea Gibson were in the field!


I am looking for a picture of any hole at Pocono Manor West but especially the long dogleg par 4 that ran along Route 940 with the scoreboard and half-way house behind the green.

The ACE CLUB is not NLE. The course was purchased by the Union League of Philadelphia and the name changed to Union League Liberty Hill.