Wyoming Valley CC, Wilkes Barre, PA (Tillinghast) & others in "Coal Country"

[Mark McKeever]

3rd hole is a shortish par 4 that runs through a small hollow.  The green had some cool bunkering on both sides (notice its squared off) and a deep grass bunker behind.  I suspect that this green was much deeper in the past looking at the shapes and location of the bunkers.  Oh yeah, there were some tough flags today due to a WVCC Ryder Cup tourney that took place in the morning.  Bond and I had the course to ourselves the whole afternoon.

[Mark McKeever]

4th hole was another par 4 where you had to navigate a huge mound in the middle/left of the fairway.  There was a fairway bunker long of the mound that I assume gets a lot of action.  The green had some good movement away from the player, making my 70 yard second shot really dicey.

[Mark McKeever]

5 is a 190 yard par 3 over the irrigation pond to a green running away from the player to the right.  There is more area to run a ball up than it looks from the tee.  Really cool green complex.

[Mark McKeever]

Hole 6 is a par 4 with a tee shot to the top of the hill leaving a downhill pitch to a green with a lot of right to left slope.  A lot more than you think from the fairway thats for sure!

[Mark McKeever]

Hole 7 is a great drop shot.  Card says its about 175, but plays about 145 from the back tee.  Notice the fire in the distant hill.  There is a steep fall off long, but missing short isnt really a bargain either.  As you can tell, im sort of a putter junkie too!

[Mark McKeever]

Hole 8 is a tee shot over a valley to a fairway that wraps around the distant hillside.  A ditch cuts through the fairway about 100 yards short of the green.  There is a hidden bunker short left of the tear drop shaped green that can have a really cool left placement.  You cant see any of the putting surface from the fairway either.

[Mark McKeever]

The front nine wraps up with another dogleg left.  Strategy is to play a draw off the tee starting at the bunkers on the right and turning it over but avoid the small deep trap on the corner.  The green has a hidden bunker up by the green on the hillside and slopes from right to left.

Back nine to come later tonight or tomorrow!!  Enjoy!

Mark

[Mark McKeever]

The 10th is a cool par 4 that goes straight up the hill to a tiny green flanked by traps.  the green has a LOT of slope in it from back to front.  Bond's shot hit towards the back of the green and trickled to that point as seen in the pics.  You are much better off laying back to a comfortable yardage here.

[Mark McKeever]

Hole 11 is a par 5 that starts off level and the tee shot must navigate a bunker on the right and a drop off/grass bunker on the left. the hole then goes a bit downhill and drops to the left around the green which slopes a good bit from right to left.  Note a short putt on the green that i did convert for a nice eagle after a solid 3 iron from 225 yards!

 

[Mark McKeever]

12 is a par 5 on a relatively flat piece of the property.  There is an option of two different chutes of trees.  The second shot must carry a mini hells half acre to the layup area.  The green is narrow and has a lot of movement from back to front and is guarded by traps on both sides and long.  A very cool hole built on a pretty plain stretch of ground.

[Mark McKeever]

13 is a par 3 of about 175 yards a bit down the hill.  There are six bunkers around this green yet you cant see them at all from the tee!  Green slopes pretty good from right to left.
 

[Mark McKeever]

14 is a good medium length par 4 where the tee shot must carry a lake to the landing area seen in the picture.  A creek runs down the left and  turns into a pond left of the green.  There is a hidden trap on the hillside by the green which slopes severely from right to left towards the lake.  You can miss it on the right fringe and funnel it to a left hand hole location!

[Mark McKeever]

The 15th is a 190 yard par 3 down the hill with a pond in front.  The green funnels towards the middle from the multiple bunkers surrounding the green.  This was a very visually interesting hole and one of my favorites.

[Mark McKeever]

Hole 16 is a very tight par 4 where you really need to hit a fade from the tee.  I really liked the rock outcroppings that separated 16 from 17 (on right) but I wish a few of the trees could be taken down to open it up a bit.  The second shot is blind if you dont get it on the top level. The green is a good size and surrounded by bunkers.  It drops off the entire left side of the hole, so beware!  Photos are taken from the green complex and looking towards 17 tee and the second one is back down the fairway.

[Mark McKeever]

17 is a good length par 4 that rolls gently left.  The ideal tee shot would be a draw off the right hand fairway bunker.  I liked how the hole starts out tight, then opens up around the green.  The green slopes from back right to front left and is surrounded once again by bunkers you can't see from the second shot!

[Mark McKeever]

The home hole rolls a bit to the right off the tee and over a creek to a green surrounded by bunkers.  A good drive will funnel through the fairway and end in the creekbed unfortunately...   A well placed tee shot should avoid the rocky hillside on the right and leave a short iron into this green that slopes from back to front. 

I hope you enjoyed the photo tour!  Its a great track and well worth it if you have the opportunity!!  If you have any questions, let me know.

Mark

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Mark,

Thanks for posting your pictures of Wyoming Valley . Is is indeed a fun course to play and also gives one a historical perspective on one of Tillie's lesser known courses.