I tried to play T/F one time with Adam Messix but my shoulder didn't last the first swing on the first tee so I walked and studied it while Adam played. I know Aronimink pretty well (not nearly as well as TEP, Dave Miller or Dan Boerger but well enough). What Aronimink has clearly over T/F is its greens and a far better environment and clubhouse.
Forgetting the accoutrements, Aronimink's greens are among the finest I've ever seen from Ross. There aren't many offset greens or fairways, especially with the par 4s. Most are straight away with lateral bunkering down the fairways. There are few line of play decisions to be made off the tee and few distance considerations. Hit it as far as you want as long as you keep it down the middle of the fairway. There aren't many holes where the ideal angle is from one side of the fairway or another. The front 9 is generally clockwise as is the back 9. There are some world-class holes (10 and 16) and some very good holes (2, 3, 7, 11, 18, etc). The par 3s aren't a great collection although the long 8th is a tester and the 14th is solid.
With the successful maintenance practices implemented by John Gosselin, the conditions have been exceptional. Tee to green the course is above average but not top 100 like. The greens are another story altogether. The oral tradition around Philadelphia is that Ross was pissed he wasn't getting some of the better commissions in the area (Rolling Green, Phila Country and Huntingdon Valley in particular) so he wanted to build the most demanding course in the district. He attempted to do this without enjoyable difficulty and a unity of demand. Hit it straight and long off the tee. The course has been stretched from its original 6600 yards and is now 7150 yards par 70. Thankfully John has been limbing up trees and taking others down.
It is well worth seeing if you're in the area. A pretty solid Doak 7 in my mind. There are a number of great courses in Philadelphia and maybe it does get overlooked because of some of the Flynns. But Bob Crosby is a huge fan and he makes a compelling case. I'm just not buying it
However, I'll take HVCC, Phila Country and RGGC handily over Aronimink. They're Doak 8s in my mind, well maybe PCC is a shade beneath those two. Aronimink is still a welcome invite and in most cities and towns in the US, the golfing population would drool over it.
As for Mike Malone's contention that wealth plays a factor in spreading a high regard for a course. I don't understand the premise. Ross is simply more highly regarded than Flynn across the nation as his profile is much higher. I also think he'd have a struggle to convince a significant minority that T/F comes close to Aronimink. I think LuLu is a better course than T/F. I might even go so far as saying that Gulph Mills is the best Ross in the Philadelphia area. It is a fabulous golf course with greens as good as Aronimink (that is saying a lot) and much better tee to green. Are there some shortcomings? Yes, but overall it is my favorite Ross in the district.