arm0688

I have been playing Iron Valley since 2016 and have not reviewed it until now. I probably should have done this years ago but the golf course has not changed and is still magnificently kept. There are some stunning views from the 1st green and 2nd tee of the Lebanon Valley and you can always tell someone's first visit as they are taking video and pictures from this area. It is an easy course to walk as I played it during the beginning of the Covid Crisis and figured it would be best to walk. The front 9 and back 9 are totally different and well worth walking the steep hills on some of the back 9 holes. They did an excellent job maintaining the golf course during the time it was closed in PA and have made great changes to their pro shop and food services to make everyone feel comfortable in interactions. I only gave it a 4 star for the course conditions because some of the greens had a few dead spots on them that looked like they were caused by mowers, but everything else was in great condition.

I have played at Mayapple Golf for years and this was the worst conditions that I have ever seen there. I understand that there has been a lot of rain in the area over the summer but these conditions are levels worse than any other places I have played in the area recently. It took me 10 minutes to find anyone in the clubhouse to check me in before my round.

Tee Boxes had patches of dirt where the grass was missing, not normally a problem in this area but it looks terrible. Fairways had patchy grass and lies in the fairway were some of the worst on the golf course. Rough was also very patchy but there were spots of really thick grass and an bare spot right next to it. Around the green had almost no grass in spots and it looks like they had aerated which was really strange because it was not just the fairways around the green but the rough about 10-15 yards off each green. The greens all had ball marks all over the place and were so bumpy in spots that you could only hope to keep your ball on line.

Pace of play was not bad on the front 9 as we played the first 6 holes in about an hour as a twosome. After that we were stuck behind a foursome of people and the final 12 hours took about 4 hours. The group behind us had called the pro shop at the turn and they sent a ranger out but the ranger did nothing and the pace stayed slow. I am considering ever going back there because it has gone down hill over the past 2 years and I could play much better courses around the area.

They had amazing conditions for a course in PA in February. I have played this course a lot and there were only two differences between now and the summer, no tall grass on the mounds, and the greens were slower. Other than those two differences, it was the same course. If you have the chance to play this course in the beginning of the season, make it a priority because you will not be disappointed.

This course is way out of the way in a small town but worth the drive. If you have a long carry off the tee, you can play the back tees but if you do not, play a more forward tee. There was very little run out on the fairways so be prepared for a long second shot all the time. I played the back tees and all the par 4s are over 400 yards except one. It made for a long challenging course but well worth the trip. I would consider playing this course again.

I had seen this course as one of the top 15 best public courses in PA, but I do not see it. I have played some other courses that are much better than this in the state of PA. It was a very nice course but definitely not in the top 15 and possibly not even the top 30. The greens were difficult but I had no problem hitting driver on all the holes and being less than 100 yards from the green on most of them. It basically turned into a pitch and putt course but some of the greens did not allow some birdies even though I managed to make 5 including 3 of the par 5s that I reached in 2 shots with a 5 iron or less. The greens kept the course difficult but still not the best course that I have played in the past month.

I have been playing around the area for the past summer and have played about 9 different courses that I have never played before and this was actually among the top tier of courses I have ever played. I have played in 6 different states and have also played Williamsburg National (host of a Web.com event), and the Links at Gettysburg so being among the top tier is saying a lot for this course. There are some challenging driving holes as well as some very tough approach shots but scoring is available. I would definitely play this course again in the near future.