Okay, so this thread is a month late. Not being a slacker college student has cut into my GCA posting time. Nevertheless, I'll take a stab at the Philly-area Bobby Weed showdown here:
Routing: Weed got lucky with White Manor. He inherited an intimate piece of property with a Golden Age-ish routing. The property is a bit funky, with the huge descent from and ascent to the clubhouse reminding of places like Mountain Ridge or Schuylkill. This setup yields two brutes at 9 and 18, which, while both solid holes, have a similarity that detracts from the overall feel of the course. Moreover, every hole runs north-south, which creates some redundancies in wind direction throughout. Beyond these caveats, the routing and White Manor is excellent, switching back and forth constantly, swooping gracefully up and down the dramatic land features, and seeming to find the best holes possible. Glen Mills has a different set of constraints that seem obligatory for a modern layout: wetlands and cart golf. Where Weed couldn't weed-whack or chop down trees, there are some absolutely wretched golf holes. Where he was free to roam, he seems to find create features, such as the old quarry at 4, the slinging hillside at 12, or the shelf green at 14. Glen Mills is designed for cart golf, but it reasonably walkable for the avid walker (I guess I'd put myself in that category). For a modern like Glen Mills, I guess that's about as much as one can ask. I'd give the edge to WM here.
Par 3s: White Manor has two absolute bears at 3 and 14, a devil at 8, and a charmer in dire need of tree-trimming at 12. Glen Mills has a two drop shots (a subtle one at 5 and a wild one at 10), a neat Redan (14) another bear (7) and a clunker over water (16). The pond par three 8th at WM has is at least handsome, but the 16th at GM is both ugly and cliched. 14 at GM is the best of all of them, and the long threes at WM have some great ground movement. Overall the threes at GM are slightly more unique, and I'm a sucker for five par threes. Ad GM.
Par 4s: White Manor's par fours are absolutely brilliant, the repetition at 9 and 18 not withstanding. The opener is a little unsettling (and I still have no idea where that tee shot went), but its quirk gives it some charm. The short fours are stunners at 7 and 15. The centerline bunkering at 4 is brilliant, and the green site at 10 is pure gold. 2 and 5 are classic doglegs. 13 is the only questionable four out there, but the wild green makes it more endearing. GM, as with the 3s and 5s, is either feast or famine. I love holes like 2 (over-the-rise diagonal with a fun green site), 3 (wicked green there), 12 (have to hit the 80-yard putt on the second shot) or 13 (exactly how a long four should be). I hate holes like 11 (is there a fairway out there?). Some of those par fours, particularly 8 and 9, would be better served with multiple plays. Even so, WM dominates in this category.
Par 5s: GM has two great ones. 4 has a stunner of a second shot. I'd put that up there as one of my favorite shots of the year, and I still thinking with a slider fade that I could make a 3 there. 15 is pretty rad as well, with a biarritz green providing a brilliant defense on a reachable two-shotter. GM also has two horrible ones. 6 needs several trees removed to be viable. The play there is a pair of 4-irons and a wedge, but it's a very one-dimensional hole that fails to inspire greatness. 17 is the long version of 11, with no options and no room for error. WM doesn't have a great five like the two at GM. 6 is a solid five with brilliant hidden green. 11 is an awkward par five that finishes with a neat green, and 17 is a strange reachable two-shotter that actually plays pretty well on the ground. Overall, I'll call it even on the long holes, with the disclaimer that two of the fives are the two worst holes at Glen Mills.
Greens: What can I say here: these are two excellent sets of greens. Glen Mills alternates between the subtle and the dramatic, whereas White Manor has a more consistently rippling set throughout. Ultimately, the greens at White Manor are more to my personal taste. But you can't go wrong at either course. The green sites and surrounds are where Weed seems to add the most value.
At the end of the day, I'll take White Manor over Glen Mills by a pretty wide margin. I like Glen Mills a great deal. I love the concept of the public course at the reform school, and the course itself provides ample drama and loads of challenge. The great ones at Glen Mills are phenomenal golf holes, but the bad ones need to blown up immediately. White Manor is solid throughout, with flashes of brilliance on holes like 4, 7, 10 and 15. The routing is cozy and easily walked. The bunkering ties in seamlessly with the land, and the greens are just my kind of fun.
Thoughts? As always, I'm willing to defend all opinions to the best of my ability.