ARMGolf

The Course is in good shape. It is a bit over watered. Twisted
Dunes is Designed to play hard and fast. We have not had much rain in the past month and I had a few mud balls. Tees, fairways, greens and rough are all in good shape. They have added sand to the bunkers and they are much improved, but there are still too many stones in the bunkers. We played on a Saturday morning at about 7:30 and we played in just over 4 hours. We got out a group early because the group in front of us was not ready. Good thing, because it saved us at least 1/2 hour. We never saw the group behind us after the first hole. Greens fee was $100 on a weekend morning which is a good deal for the shore. I like TD a lot. One of the more interesting and challenging layouts.

Played at 2:00pm on a really hot Sunday. The heat scared the masses away. The staff is friendly from pro shop to bag guy and cart girl. We never saw another group on the course except a twosome that stayed about a hole behind us. Played in 3:45 which isn’t bad for Morgan Hill. Lots of blind shots add to ball searches. Overall the tees, greens, fairway and rough were in decent shape. Course is very brown due to lack of rain. Course was hard and firm but greens were receptive. A good number of blind tee shots makes it difficult for those who haven’t played it before. The elevations make club selection a challenge. For example 210 yard 12th hole par 3 is 140’ down hill and plays to about 170 to the middle. 16th par 4 is about 50’ uphill making this 400 yard hole play about 440. Greens have a lot of undulation that should be reduced. Mowers scalped a few greens and with the heat wave, this creates bare spots. Bunkers are in need of a restoration. Some are thin and mostly dirt. This is a difficult course with lots of hills and uneven lies. Not for the beginner. I’m a 7 handicap, par is 71 and I rarely break 80 here. There are blowup holes around every corner. Not a course for a novice golfer. You’ll lose a lot of balls and won’t have fun. Some really spectacular views especially 16 green which overlooks Easton and 17 tee which plays about 100’ downhill with views of the Delaware in the distance. Morgan Hill is not the type of course you’d want to play everyday. It beats you up, even in a cart. It’s a good test of golf and I like to play it 4-5 time a year. If you want to see where you game is at, give it a try. We played it from the green teens which measures about 6450 but plays a lot longer due to the hills. The slope at 129 is too low. Should be at least 135 IMO.

This was my first time playing the course. I would give it 4.5 stars for the overall rating if that was an option. I reserve 5 star ratings for only the best of the best that I’ve played. The staff at Vineyards is phenomenal. From the time we pulled up to Sinatra blasting at the bag drop to Jack meeting us with a big smile and welcome to Jerry in the pro shop and Walt the starter. This is a professionally run operation. Walt made our day by addressing the group that teed off immediately in front of us at 7:00 am. 2 of the four had never played golf before. After 15 mins on the first hole and nowhere near the green, Walt called the ranger, who had the group step aside and allowed us to play through. This turned a long round into 3:45.

A great pace of play. The course is mostly in excellent shape from tee to green with the exception of the rough which I understand will be addressed in the fall. The bunkers were just redone and they were excellent. Fairways and tees were lush and greens were spotless and rolled true. The course is very golfer friendly with wide fairways and a nice variety of holes from short to long par threes and elevation changes that make for some thought behind club selection. As the name implies, this course plays through and around a vineyard. There is a large wedding facility across the street that looks pretty nice. The old winery facility has been turned into a nice bar with good food selections and beautiful outdoor dining. There is also ample entertainment options and special events. The winery is from 1864 so it was a speak easy during prohibition with a long hallway called prohibition alley. All in all a very cool golf and after golf experience. I highly recommend it.

I’m a big fane of MO West. It’s a good test of golf with most everything right in front of you. Overall conditions are VG. We played the blue tees which are in good shape. The white tees are a bit beat up. This course gets a lot of play. Typically wall to wall times books up all day everyday. Fairways are consistently good. The rough is mostly good but there are some bare spots. Probably as a result of lack of sprinkler coverage. The greens are very healthy with ample turf. They are a bit slow. Probably running in the 8-9 range on the stimp. The bunkers are mostly in good shape, however some could use additional sand. They’re a little thin. There are also some areas on the course that could use trimming. Bushes have grown up to where you can’t see the hole. The par 5 fourth and par 5 16th are two examples. All in all, a great layout that’s in good shape and worth a visit a few times a year.

Teed off at 2:15 (about 7 minutes late) on a Sunday afternoon. A lot of novice players on the course. Pace of play was about 4:40. There was a Ranger on the course but he seemed to be more concerned with Policing coolers than pace of play. Overall the course is in good condition. Tees, Fairways, Rough and Greens were all in good to very good condition. Turf is very healthy. There are very few sand traps on the course and most were not raked. There are still no rakes on the course due to Covid. The course in general is fairly easy and is good for the novice golfer. Most of the fairways are wide and generous. One exception is the par 5 3rd where you need to thread the needle off the tee. Too far left or right makes for a tough second shot that plays extremely up hill. The par 4 10th plays about 40-50 feet up hill on the approach. It’s only 390 from the back tee but plays 2-3 clubs longer because of the hill. The par 4 twelfth is another challenging driving hole due to a dogleg right that has trees pinching the fairway left and right. Other than those few holes, it’s wide open. Lower handicap players will not find it challenging except for the greens which have some good undulation to them. The course is usually in pretty good shape and as a result is fun to play.

Let me start by saying Golden Pheasant is how a golf course should be run. From the pro shop to the starter to the Bartender post round, all of our experiences were extremely pleasant. This was our first time playing the course and I will definitely be back. I got to the course after my son and he paid for me (Thanks Son). I walked up to him on the putting green and the first thing he said to me was he might’ve just met the nicest pro in his many years of playing golf. The pro is Brian who asked my son if he played the course before and when he said no, he gave him two yardage books and started to take him through the course setup and conditions. Also cracked a joke about the starter. The starter was on top of his game. It was a crowded Thursday with temps in the 70’s for the first time in months. He was a great traffic cop. We teed off at 12:36 right on time. We had a couple of beers after the round and we got a chance to meet and talk to Karen the bartender. She chatted with us about our day, told us about the course, told us about Brian the pro, who is her brother and checked on us often. The chef was there as well and he checked on us to see if we needed any food. We didn’t eat but others around us were very complimentary on their food. Golden Pheasant is an interesting course listed as a Stephen Kay / Doug Smith design. Looked a little bland with no leaves on the trees. I’ve played a good number of Kay’s courses and he did a restoration of my former course a number of years back which was well received by the membership. They’re pouring money into the course to make improvements. New cart paths and taking down a lot of unnecessary trees. First few holes pretty boring but let’s you get the round started. Back was much more interesting. Greens were very fast for March. I’d say 10-11 and many had some pretty good pitch to them. Turf conditions on Tees, fairways and greens were excellent. Rough was a little sparse because hey, it’s March. Greens had small tine punches that did no impact their roll and they were fast. Probably 10-11 on the Stimp. The course is pretty well tree lined but there are obviously no leaves on the trees. I think the course will have a much better look and framing when the leaves are on the trees. We played from the back blue tees which lists the yardage at 6,315 yards. The fist few holes are pretty bland. You start off with a 555 yard par 5 then a short 137 yard par 3 followed by a short 365 yard par 4. Not much trouble on those three holes and it allows you to get your round started. Holes 4 and 5 are the teeth of the front. The fourth is a 450 yard par 4 with a tough approach to a down hill green and the fifth is a 423 yard par 4 with an uphill tee shot. The remainder of the holes on the front are pretty short with the exception of the down hill par 3 eighth which is 183 down hill. Plays about a club less don’t miss left. The Back was much more interesting. There are two risk reward par fours, the 12th 298 yards and the 17th 288 yards. A bomber can hit em both. My son hit it into the lip of the bunker in front of the green on 12 and was pin high on 17. The fourteenth is a great par 5 that can be hit in two with a good drive. The second shot played a bit down hill with a well placed tree on the left side of the green. The fifteenth is the signature hole. A 191 yard par three with a severely sloped green from back right to front left. The highlight of my round was making a 25’ birdie putt from above the hole. I barely tapped it and I could’ve beaten the ball to the hole. If it didn’t go in, I might’ve been off the green. All in all a fun day, a fun course that is excellently run by a great staff. We’ll be back and look forward to playing the course with leaves on the trees and green growing grass.

Played 36 holes with my sons. Teed off early and played in a leisurely 3:45. Could’ve played quicker as there were only twosomes in front of us that were a couple of holes ahead of us. Second round we teed off about 12:30 and played in just over 4 hours. We waited on a few shots but nothing to complain about for an afternoon tee time. The staff here is very friendly from the pro shop to the starter to the bar tender. We had lunch in between rounds. Food was pretty good and they have an excellent assortment of beers on tap. We also stopped in for a post round beer. Bar area is nice with great views up the 18th hole. I’d highly recommend a post round libation. The course is in excellent shape with the exception of the bunkers. There is little to no sand in the bunkers. I realize we have had some torrential rains lately in NE PA but the bunkers have been a problem here for a while and they have only gotten worse. The grounds crew is doing a good job with what they have but a bunker restoration is in need. The rest of the course is in outstanding shape. The turf is healthy tee to green. Too healthy in some areas. As I mentioned we’ve had some heavy rains come through, the last one courtesy of Hurricane Ida. They are probably a little behind on cutting the course. The fairways were excellent and the rough was cut about two full mower widths. Outside of that the rough was 6” in some areas. You’d have to hit a pretty stray shot to be in that rough but if you did hit it there, it was hard to find the ball let alone hit it. The layout of this course is spectacular. The first hole is a challenging up hill dogleg left with all the trouble on the left tee to green. Large fairway bunkers and OB on the left and bunkers guarding the left side of the green. The fairway is generous to the right of the bunkers though. Add at least a club for your approach shot as it plays up hill. The second and third holes are pretty benign shortish par 4’s that let you get your round going. The 4th is a nice par 3 over water. The green, like most greens here, is pretty large. Take an extra club and make sure you clear the water and hit Terra firma. The 6th hole is probably the toughest hole on the front playing to about 430 from the gold tees with an up hill approach. The front culminates with a 180 yard par 3 over water. Great hole. The back side has a lot of elevation change and the way the course is laid out, you are hitting up hill for the majority of your approach shots. All the down hill comes on the last two holes. 17 is a 480 yard par 4 that drops at least a 100’ and 18 is a par 5 that drops the rest of the way back to the clubhouse. Golden Oaks is 1:20 drive from my house but I never regret the ride. I’ll keep coming back and play this course at least 5-6 times a year.

I play Morgan Hill a few times a year. A tough golf course due to the undulating fairways and elevation changes. This IS NOT a course for beginners. You’ll lose a lot for golf balls and hitting off of uneven lies all day will be frustrating. This course changed hands a few years back and the new owners are doing a pretty good job with some of the changes they’ve made. Most notably is taking the bunkers out of the fairway on the 13th hole and changing it back to a par five. Overall the turf conditions are good fairway to green but the course is being over watered. It is lush but that’s not necessarily are good thing. Courses should be a little brown this time of year forcing the turf to go deep for water. There were many areas where there was standing water and balls plugging. This was not due to storms because it hadn’t rained the week prior to playing. The bunkers are a little better but continue to be a weak link on the course. They need a complete renovation. Adding sand alone won’t do it. This is expensive but this is what’s needed to take the course to the next level. Overall a good challenging track that I enjoy playing a few times a year. I wouldn’t want to play it everyday but once in a while is a good change.

1st round of the New Year. Got a day in the 40’s in January. Course is 1 1/2 hours away but worth the trip. I read a lot of reviews both positive and negative but the draw of Tillinghast made it worth a try. And the Gordon’s have done some really good design/restoration work in the area so what the heck.

Pro Tip: Take a cart if you’re not in tip top shape. The last couple of holes will kick your butt. Straight up hill. I was the only walker i saw. Should’ve been an indicator.

Course was very wet. Top inch or so was frozen. There’s no place for the water to go so it was a quagmire. The entire course was casual water. A few of the greens were so frozen it was like hitting to Macadam. Happened on the first hole. I hit pin high and bounce well over the back off the green almost OB.

Other than that, we really enjoyed playing Galen Hall. A couple of holes are quirky. The most called out hole is #2. It’s a blind tee shot with a road crossing through it. Playing for the first time is what made it the most challenging. We had no real idea where or how far to hit it. The third hole also has a road running through it that you cants see.

The par threes are very challenging. There are five of them and they are among the most interesting and challenging collection of any course. The 7th was a real short par 3 of about 140 yards that played to more like 175 given the uphill, wind and temps. The green is very small and is crazy hard with severe slope. The most hole 15 is one of the hardest “island” greens I’ve ever played. 185 from the back with no margin for error. The 17th is about 175 uphill and plays more like 205. Good luck. I needed oxygen after walking up this hill.

I’ll be back to play this is warmer temps with more receptive greens. It’s a blast.

I’ve played this course a few times this year and it was always in pretty good shape. There are very few bunkers on the golf course and they are always in need of repair but that’s typical of most public courses in the area. They recently aerated their greens and there is no notice on either Golf Now or their website. No discount offered either. The greens rolled ok but the speeds were inconsistent due to the varied amount of sand on them. It made putting and chipping a guessing game. (It’s not wise to aerate so late in the year, 3rd week of November). Although they did a good job, The greens will not recover until May of next year. It’s ideal to aerate at the end of August in the northeast. Growing conditions are ideal and the greens will fully recover in two weeks making for a great green experience throughout the late summer, fall and winter. The rest of the course was in good shape with minor exceptions. The par 5 third is always a bit of a mess as there is a creek running across the hole that overflows its banks and there is poor drainage about 50-75 yards out from the creek, Resulting in a lot of casual water. The pace of play was pretty bad. About 4 3/4 hours. There was one group a few groups ahead of us holding up the entire course. Golf course etiquette is out the window. They were millennials who had no clue and/or didn’t care that there were three holes open in front of them. A round of golf should take four hours max. If you can’t complete a round in four hours or less, you need to pick up after double par or less. Obviously there was no ranger on site the entire round. It sucks when you have to wait on every shot. Other than that, it’s a fun and easy course that is good for the novice golfer. Just learn proper etiquette before heading out to play.

I’ve reviewed this course before. I love the layout and the challenges of this course. Always in good to excellent shape. All aspects (tee boxes, fairways, rough and greens) were in excellent shape for any time of the year but for mid-August, I was shocked at how great the conditions were . Many other courses in the area are experiencing fairway rot due to all the rain and extremely high temps with high humidity. We’ve had a ton of rain lately with Tropical storm Isaias passing through last week followed by a torrential down put a couple days later that actually closed the course. There were a few spots with standing water but that was it. Greens were fast and true as always. Now, on to the bunkers. The only reason I don’t give TC a five star rating is the condition of the bunkers. Many of them were unplayable with either standing water in them or completely washed out. The bunker complexes need to be renovated to modern standards. This is a huge cost and probably not going to happen any time soon on a public course with rates as low as they are.

The staff is very friendly and accommodating. The starter let us out a group early because the group in front of us did not have their act together. We paid $16 for a super twilight round, teed off just before 5:00 and finished at 8:20. We walked and got held up on the front by a threesome, who was playing at a good pace, 1:55 front. They let us through on 10 and we zipped through the back. Love this course. Will definitely return.

I typically play Hickory Valley 4/5 times a year but haven’t played it in a couple of years. I was pleasantly surprised with the course conditions. For a public access course the conditions were very good. The tee boxes, fairways and rough were all very full and the turf was in great shape. Divots were perfect not the exploding type of poor turf conditions. The greens were the best I’ve played them. They were also very lush and were running faster than I’ve ever played them. They usually don’t break as much as they look but when we played, the breaks were much more prevalent than usual. The bunkers all had an appropriate amount of sand and the fairway bunkers were a bit firmer than the green side bunkers as they should be.

We played the 6,290 white tees. Two golfers had 7 handicaps other two are struggling to break 100.

This is a tough course for beginners or the higher handicap golfers because there are numerous forces carries. A “penalty area” formerly a hazard, comes into play on 7 of the front nine holes. The tee shot landing areas on the front side are generous but longer hitters need to be careful on their lines and distances on 1,2,6,7 and 9. Holes 2,4,5,7,8 and 9 have approach / tee (par 3’s) shot carries over a penalty area to the green. The greens on the front side are very large so hitting them in the proper place is key to scoring.

The back side is much tighter than the front and starts with a fairly long dogleg right par 4 into a tight green that is well bunkered with a lateral on both sides. Pull or push your approach and you’ll pay the price. 12 is a really tight driving hole that do legs slightly left with a lateral down the right side and trees on the left. You need to get far enough down the fairway or stay to the right or your approach is blocked. The par 5 14th is a benign tee shot. Pretty open but the left side is OB. There is a large set of trees on the right side up by the green about 60 yards out. Makes you thing about going for the green in two and where to place your approach shot. The green is pretty small and well bunkered. They changed around the pars on the 16th and 17th holes and I don’t think this is a good change. 16 is now a very short and tight par 5 From what used to be a par 4. It was hard to par this hole because on top of it being tight, the green is elevated. A well struck drive results in a mid to long iron to the elevated well bunkered green. (The back black tee on this hole is nearly impossible. It is 490 yards). The now par 4 17 is about the same yardage as the 16th. The problem is it is a slight dogleg right with a water hazard running across the fairway at about 260 yards from the tee. The forces you to hit a three wood or a long iron / hybrid Off the tee to come up short of the hazard leaving you with a 220 plus approach into the green and if you are in the right rough or even the right side of the fairway, you are left without a shot. It doesn’t matter relative to the overall par but they should change this back.

7 handicappers shot 80 and 82 with two lost balls each. The higher handicappers lost about two sleeves each

Overall the superintendent and his crew are doing a great job with what I’m sure is a limited budget. Due to Covid-19, we had little interaction with the staff but they are usually very friendly.

I played a late morning round with my son. The other twosome was a no show so we played alone. Pace of play was great. We played in 3:45. We caught the group in front of us on the 5th hole. We saw the Ranger 4 or 5 times throughout the round so good to know they are monitoring pace. 15 minute spacing really helps pace of play.

This course is fun and challenging. It offers a lot of variety with three very different par 5’s and five unique par 3’s including an island green and a challenging down hill 18th hole that played to 195 yards that is tight on the right with water on the left. All the par fours are unique as well with elevation changes that requires two - three clubs more or less. There is also a drivable par 4. It’s a 6500 yard course from the back that plays a lot longer due to the elevation changes. It’s a par 70.

Course conditions were very good. Most of the greens were in excellent shape. A couple of them had a little disease beginning to pop up. They putted fairly fast and true. Again some of the fairways have a little disease as well but nothing that impacts play. A well struck shot in the fairway was rewarded with another 15-20 yards of roll. The tee boxes were all in good shape. The rough was lush and full. Miss a fairway or green and you’ll pay the price. A crisply struck shot from the rough will get you to the green but it might roll out and through. If you’re off a bit, the rough will grab your club.

One suggestion for the maintenance crew.... you guys are doing a great job with the course but suggest you start on the 18th hole and make your way back to the first hole. This way golfers will only encounter the maintenance crew on one hole. We ran into the mowers on five or six holes because they started at one and worked their way back. All course should do this unless I’m missing something as to why they start at 1.

Played with My Son around noon on a Monday. Tee times spaced out every 16 minutes so pace of play was excellent. We didn’t try to set any speed records as we were enjoying the weather and the day together but we played in 3 and 1/2 hours walking. The group in front of us was also a twosome who teed off on two before we teed off one. We stayed a hole behind them all day and didn’t see a group behind us until the 17th hole when a twosome in single carts appeared behind us.

The course is in good shape for May given how cold it’s been in Eastern PA. As I pulled in I immediately noticed how green the course was. The rough was lush but cut to about 2 1/2” so not overly penal. Tee boxes and fairways in very nice shape. A little on the thin side but I think they’ll fill in nicely over the next couple of weeks given the forecast. The greens were in excellent shape. They rolled faster than anything I’ve played this year north of South Carolina. They were hard and true. Balls coming from the rough would really roll out but a crisply hit iron from the fairway would check up for you. The sand traps looked in good condition but a local rule had them played as GUR due to no rakes (COVID-19).

The course is very pleasant with a nice mix of easy to hard holes. The course opens with an uphill par 4 that plays to around 400 yards from the blue tees with a generous landing area and a lone bunker on the right side of the green. It gives you a chance to ease into the round with an open par five as the second hole. The third is a short par 3 with water on the left and well bunkered. . The green is two tiered and can be a difficult two putt off on the wrong level.

The most difficult hole on the front is definitely the par 4 sixth. It is listed at 424 but plays uphill usually into the wind. On the day we played, there was a 20 mph wind into us. The hole played more like 470. The back is a lot of fun starting off with a short par 4 that runs a long a driving range with a huge net running down most of the hole. All in all a lot of variety. No two holes are similar and the conditions are usually good to very good.

I did not use any off course amenities this time. They usually have a great selection of microbrews. We say the cart girls twice on each nine. . The starter was very friendly. Joked around with us while we waited. I can’t wait to play TC again soon.

My son and I play Morgan Hill 4-5 times a year. This was the first time playing in 2020. Tee times were spaced 15 minutes apart to adhere to social distancing requirements. This helped with pace of play. We played in 4:20. Should’ve been well under 4 hours but we played with two elderly gentlemen who couldn’t have played any quicker. This course very hilly and is difficult getting to and from green complex areas. Even in a cart, it is a workout.

The greens have been aerated within the past few weeks. I did not notice a reference to this on GN but I could’ve missed it. It’s hard to get tee times in this area so I was just excited to be able to play somewhere. The greens rolled ok but they were VERY slow. I’d guess a 7 at best on the Stimp. The greens need to be rolled and cut some of the bunkers need attention. There are two bunkers on the 7 th hole that are unplayable unless you want to ruin a club. Full of rocks and dirt.

The tee boxes, Fairways and Rough are in pretty good shape for this time of year. We’re finally getting some warm weather and the grass is starting to really pop. I suspect they will be in very good condition within the next couple of weeks.

As I mentioned earlier, this course is very hilly and is difficult. It is not recommended for for anyone above bogey golfer. It will not be an enjoyable experience. Many of the holes play much longer than the yardage. 16 for example is 387 from the green (back) tee markers bitnyounarendrivingninto a slight uphill that will leave about 160 yards( for someone who drives it 240-250 ) to an uphill green that adds two clubs to the shot. I’m a high single digit handicapper and I rarely break 80 on this now par 71 course.

One major bummer is club has been forced to shorten what was the par 5 13th into a par 4. There is a house on the left hand side that filed a suit against the club forcing the change. I actually did not know there is a house on the left off the tee. You really need to look for it. If this house got hit twice during a season, that would be a lot. It would take an extremely hard duck hook to come near the house and then it would have to get through a forest of trees to hit it. Absolutely absurd! This was one of the best holes on the course, especially after they removed some ridiculous bunkers from the middle of the fairway. I think was a fun and challenging par 5. It’s still a good hole as a difficult par 4.

The reason for my low rating on conditions is due to the greens and bunkering. If the green speeds were a couple feet quicker, I’d have rated this course a 4. To get any higher than that, they would need to renovate all the bunkers. Net is this is a fun but challenging track for the more established golfers. High handicappers will be challenged and probably feel beat up after a round here.

I did not use any off course amenities. We did see the Cart girl a few times during the round. There is a halfway house that was open between the 9th and 10th holes which Is a hole away from the clubhouse. I only interacted with the starter who was very friendly and helpful getting us out on time.

I live within a 40 minute drive for 25 years and I just played this course for the first time. I was missing out on a great old style layout. It’s a William Gordon design who worked under Flynn in his early years and it has a lot of Flynn like design qualities The course was finished in 1960. It is short at just under 6200 yards from the back tees and plays to a par of 70.
The first couple of holes have blind tee shots as do a few others on the course so local knowledge on club selection and targeting is very important. It is also very tight and places with many mature trees lining the fairways. The trees are well maintained and are cut up and back so they will penalize a stray tee shot but it’s easy to get back in play. Take your medicine and move on. The tees, fairways and greens are in excellent shape. Bunkers are in good shape, a bit inconsistent but no big deal. Kudos to the Superintendent and his staff. I imagine as a municipal golf course, they do not have a large budget.
There a spots on the course that have that muny feel like the 6th hole that runs a long a driving range with plastic dividers separating the stalls but it also has trimmed hedges separating the stalls. There are also spots on the course where you feel like you are at a philly mainline country club. It is that diverse. The signature hole is the par 3 14th which plays 220 yards from the back tee. You are hitting to a slightly elevated green from the tee but it’s over a Ravine to a well bunkered undulating green. Make a par here and you’ve done well.
All in all, a great golf experience. I highly recommend this old gem.

Tess Fairways Greens in pretty good shape. Bunkers and roads go in some spots need some work. I play Locust Valley a few times a year. Never disappointed.

I’ve played this course a few times a year since it opened in the early 90’s. It is typically a favorite for my son and me. We played on 9/9/18 and the course was in the worst shape I’ve ever seen it.

The day got off to a bad start when I booked a tee time with golf now for 2 at 1:20. My son checked us in so I didn’t pay much attention to the receipt but when we went to check in with the starter, he informed us our tee time was 1:50. I was hitting a few balls at the range when my son came up to tell me of our tee time. I pulled out my phone and showed the starter my 1:20 reservation. He asked me to check in with the pro shop who showed me I was on their tee time sheet for 1:50. I showed him my reservation confirming a 1:20 time. He pulled up a printout that said in handwriting “move to 1:50”. No explanation. No one knows who did it. I checked with Golf Now, they did not change it. I suspect a regular wanted to play with a buddy so they decided to move us. 30 minutes may not sound like a big deal but when you get there an hour early, it’s a long time to wait around to play. The starter was very apologetic and tried to work things out but the course was booked solid. He did manage to get us out 10 minutes early.

On to the course. They punched the entire course a few weeks earlier and while the greens recovered, the fairways and tee boxes did not. Charging $60 for this mud pie is criminal. These were the worst conditions I’ve played in 10 years, anywhere. Mud on the ball on every shot, bare fairways where there was no grass within yards of the ball and the rough was marginally better. I understand the need for core aeration but this was a poorly executed job. We had to play preferred lies everywhere to try to enjoy the experience. The greens were very slow, I’d say 7 on the stimp and it looked the the cups hadn’t been changed for days. Rough around the edges and it appeared they’d been run over numerous times by mowers.

I will say pace of play for a late Saturday afternoon was excellent. We played in 4:15 and waited just a bit on most holes but not too much. There were rangers on both the front and back keeping golfers moving. We saw the cart girls at least twice on both sides.

I recommend staying way from this place for at least a few more weeks. Hopefully they over seeded when they aerated but I saw no signs of it. It is a shame because this is truly a great track and is usually in pretty good shape.

I played a Friday twilight round with my son. We teed off at 4:00 and zipped around the course in 3 hours and 15 minutes. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. There was a family teeing off as we got there. Husband, Wife and two young children. The ranger and starter took us to the second tee to save a lot of aggravation for all.

Tee boxes fairways and greens were in the best shape I've experienced in years. I typically only play The Bucks club a couple times a year because I prefer to walk and the back side has some really long distances between holes 11 -12, 14 -15 and 16 -17. It's like walking another hole each time. The course was re-routed a while back to accommodate a Toll Bros.development. It was a change for the worse. Every hole on the back side had changes or is an entirely new hole. The new holes 12-16 don't fit in with the rest of the course. Blind shots and tricked up greens. The 13th is a 220 yard par 3 over a ravine with an elephant burial ground for a green. Hitting this green is challenge enough at that distance but if you do hit it, par is far from guaranteed.

As I mentioned above the course was in great shape. Fairways were very lush and full. The greens rolled smooth and the tee boxes were all in nice shape. This course has always had problems with its bunkers and this day was no exception. We had a good amount of rain a few days before we played and some of the bunkers still had water in them. There are also a good amount of stones in some of the bunkers and some needed more sand. Inconsistent best describes them.

All in all though, a good experience and conditions were good to excellent.

Morgan Hill is a nice change of pace course but not you’d want to play regularly. Although the more you play it the better your chances for scoring. This is not a golf course where everything is laid out in front of you. There are a good number of blind shots off the tee and into the greencoupled with severe elevation changes. As my title suggests, this is not a golf course for the inexperienced golfer. I’d say Bogey or better to enjoy it.

The day we played the greens were extremely slow. This made putting difficult as there are also considerable undulation changes on the greens. If you don’t make a slope or putt it too hard through the slope, say hello to three putt or more. It actually plays easier when the greens are running around 10 because it is much more predictable and easier to read.

The turf conditions all around arenprettt good for early April. Considering we have not had much warm weather here in Eastern PA. The new management has put some effort in over the past couple of years and it inspiring off. 13 Yee box is closed. Not sure why but it makes an interesting par 5 into an easy par 4. The San allmaround the course is a problem. Lots of dirt in the bunkers. They need a lot more f help. The greens need a rolling to speed them up and it wouldn’t hurt to cut them a bit lower. Again Inrealize the grass has just started growing.

Pace of play was horrible. It took nearly five hours to play. There was one group of younger players in front of us (millenials). I hat to use labels but no consideration for others. We waited every shot and there was no one in front of them. Not even a though of letting us through. I appeal to those who know better to teach some golf etiquette when playing with others who are unaware. We didn’t see a ranger once and this course has GPS that monitors pace of play and where you are on the course. MH needs to do a better job here.

All in all Inpay this course a few times a year. I’m always challenged, send me time frustrated but glad I played.