The Ninth is a bear of a hole, as a 516 yard par 5. It reminds me a lot of the Eighth at Jeffersonville. The green itself is interesting, as it’s multi tiered and wide yet shallow. The tee shot is quite elevated while the green is some what tucked under a group of trees. It’s tough to hold the green and you’re actually hitting downhill to the green, which is tough to realize when you’re there. Clubbing down on the approach is probably a good idea. The green runs off in pretty much every direction. The tee shot is over water to a fairway that rolls over a hill crest to a deep but narrow green. The fairway is wide and it’s pretty manageable for a nice chance at birdie. The tee shot is to a fairway that’s slightly uphill, which then dog legs right around a group of bunkers. The rough is punishing and the hole plays longer than the stated yardage, so you need two solid shots to get to the green. The entire hole is right in front of you, as the elevated tee shot is to the fairway below that climbs up to an elevated green. It’s one of the easiest holes on the course and is pretty straightforward with a larger green. The Fourth lets up as a short par 3 at 117 yards. Another tough hole to finish a pretty tough opening trio. The green looks subtle, from slopes severely from right to left. It’s all woods along the entire left side of the hole and anything from a mid to long iron is usually good enough to get close to the end of the fairway. The tee shot is elevated and you hit down to a fairway that descends to a creek that bisects the hole. One of the tougher second holes I can think of. It snakes a little to the right with a large bunker carved into the hillside to a larger green where anything long or left can run off the green. The hole itself is set on the the side of a hill, which runs from right to left. The tee shot must reach an elevated fairway that is partially blind and some what narrow. Looking back at the fairway from the green Anything mis hit will be tough to find, so try to go straight above all else. A very well hit tee shot will get pretty close to the green. The tee shot is blind, as the fairway shoots downhill to the green. It was pretty disappointing, as I had visions of besting my PB here by 7 or 8 strokes, but after swearing off the game, convincing myself my clubs were all defective and blaming devious pin positions, I was able to salvage a few good holes and certainly was able to have a good time, even if I didn’t know it at the time.Īt any rate, you start off at the 378 yard par 4 First. The problem was, for me, my swing decided not to show up with me at the tee and I was a mess for most of the round. I paid for a dozen balls that was pretty much the price of the green fee as well and after warming up at the range (it didn’t take much because it was extremely hot, even at 8:00 in the morning), we were able to tee off as a twosome. A gentleman met us at the car with a cart, greeted us, then walked off, leaving us the cart. With one of my buddies in tow that plays all the good golf for the both of us, we took the voyage down to Pilgrim’s and had a blast.Įven though the clubhouse is understated, service is fantastic. I finally decided it was time to dedicate a day to get down to Peach Bottom and play one of my favorite courses. The drive is the one thing keeps me from being a regular here. Mix all of that in to insanely low green fees and I have no qualms with proclaiming Pilgrim’s as one of the best values in Pennsylvania. Spectacular conditioning and the quiet rural setting make it that much more special. It all adds up to an interesting layout that’s challenging, scenic and magnifies your tee to green game. Hurdzan maximized the landscape he had to work with, sculpted fairways and greens to make things more sophisticated and utilized the hills and trees to create a lot of interesting shots. Simply put, Pilgrim’s is the standard when it comes to farmland courses. Like Donald Ross, I enjoyed playing many of Hurdzan’s courses before realizing that he was behind their design, which made me like him that much more. Hurdzan has an impressive portfolio, including Philadelphia Cricket Club (Militia Hill), Jericho National, Nehsanic Valley, Eagles Landing, Sand Barrens, the recent Erin Hills and renovation work at Scioto. That may not ring the same bells as Pete Dye, Tom Doak or Coore & Crenshaw, but it should. Pilgrim’s is set on lush rolling farmland terrain with a good amount of trees. Regardless, the drive is pleasant and the course is worth it. Course: Pilgrim’s Oak is one of the further courses that I include as “Philly area,” as it’s way down Route 1 South, then another 15 – 20 minutes through sprawling farm countryside until you reach Peach Bottom, PA, which is almost a stone’s throw from Maryland.
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