Pennhills Club (Bradford, PA) [revised]

I originally wrote bout Pennhills Club in November of 2015, but I didn't have any pictures for my blog so I decided to revisit it. This course deserves to be seen by everyone who calls themselves a golf affianado. Nine holes are designed by Walter Travis (2-10), seven holes by Dick Wilson using Travis' blueprints (11-17), and two holes by the club itself (1&18) to start and end the course by the clubhouse. 

(Pennhills boasts a very impressive clubhouse designed by Clifford C. Wendehack whose work graces Winged Foot, Bethpage, and Ridgewood.) 

 Last year when I was at Conewango Valley, I was having a lengthy discussion with the head professional and during our conversation, he mentioned if I wanted to see a crazy set of greens, then I needed to check out Pennhills Club in Bradford. I laughed because I have played this course several times, and indeed the greens need to be seen to be believed.

(The par four seventh is named the "bathtub green". This view is from behind. The front is a lower tier, then it rises to a back tier. The back tier has a "tub" in the middle, making a horseshoe around this indentation...

...this side view gives a better visual. Unless one is stone dead on the approach, the putt or chip is very difficult. They even put the flag in the tub. It's a perfect example how a green can completely make a great hole!)

(The par five thirteenth sports a bariattz green. The front and back tiers are separated by a swale. This is the best one I've personally seen.) 

I read Walter Travis focused on the four corners of his greens. He felt the best pins are placed in those quadrants, and the player who just plays to the middle is not guaranteed a two putt par. However, the player who is overly aggressive and misses is left with a very difficult recovery shot. Birdies and pars are earned, so knowing when to be aggressive and when to throttle back is important at Pennhills. 

(The 213 yard par three second has contours in the middle on both sides. The terrain leans a bit to the left, so bunker in foreground is close to where a low runner lands to skirt onto the green. A par is an excellent score...

...this is photo from back left of two green. Note the distance of the bunker from the green. The steep slopes feed the ball right to it, making for a very difficult bunker shot. This style of bunkering is prevalent throughout the Travis nine.)

(The 445 yard fifth is a very good hole. A creek fronts and guards the left side...

...this photo back right of five green shows all the nuances of Travis' holes. Any time one is close to the edge, the possibility of finding trouble is there.) 

One of the things I love about Pennhills is the intimacy of the tee boxes. It ranges from a simple walk from the previous green, to a beautifully secluded marker.

(Men's tee next to bridge; womens front)

Dick Wilson is credited with the additions to Pennhills, however, he used Travis' routing and his blueprints. This is important to know because the flow never stops, but rather it moves gracefully upon the terrain.  

(Wow! Just look at that green! A back right and back left tier separated by a slight swale that has a front and rear flat. Twelve is 467 yards, and besides the treacherous green, a creek crosses the fairway 250 yards off the tee. While it's listed as a par four, I would take five any time I played it.) 

(The 426 yard island fairway fourteenth is well known. The creek crosses the fairway twice, and the player must decide how close he wants to drive it near the water. The option to carry both is about 270 yards. Most are hitting 200 yard approach shots!) 

(The 224 yard par three seventeenth has a vicious green comprised of two bowls. Like the twelfth, this half par hole is one where a three feels like a birdie and a four like a par.) 

There are a few things I would criticize. The first is the conditioning. The greens are beautiful, but the fairways are a tad too long for my taste. The second is the ending. Eighteen is only 305 yards. One of the creeks crosses about 210 from the tee, so even a hybrid leaves a wedge approach. 

(The Wilson holes have a different bunkering style. They're pushed up next to the putting surfaces. This makes them more in play but easier to play a good recovery shot.) 

I originally gave Pennhills a five, but after seeing it again, I'm wondering if it should be a six. The greens were so cool, they transcend the few complaints I have towards it. Several greens I didn't even discuss, like number three with it's rumpled tiers, and the fourth where a pimple like feature dominates the left side. If one were to amble over to Bradford, one would not be disappointed. 6 (very good)(worth two hr drive)

(Little features like bridges enhance the experience of playing golf. Pennhills has several throughout.)

Briarwood Golf Club (Broadview Heights, OH)

My uncle was a member at Briarwood for several years when Mr Rini owned it. It had three nines, Lochs, Glenn, and Ben. The main combination was Lochs and Glenn, and from the tips it stretched over 7000 yards. Today that doesn't seem very long, but back then, the pros were barely playing courses that length. 

(The ninth is one of four holes that remain from the old design. It's a beautiful 200 yard par three.) 

Unfortunately, the land became more valuable as a housing community than a golf course. The course that resides today is a hodgepodge of new holes, blended holes, and four original holes. That's a shame because several of them were excellent, including the "dell hole" and the tough ending 18th. 

(The par five fourth was known as the "canyon" hole.  A creek crosses the fairway 350 yards from tee before going down the right and bending in front of the green. Reachable with two well struck shots, golfers have a chance to do something special, or get a big number.) 

With the houses taking up the majority of the land, the golf course is saddled with a slew of short par fours. In some cases, there's not even enough land, like putting two holes where one should be. Five, six, and seven are pushed into a triangular parcel. Personally, I don't feel five has enough room. Seven is very much like Speidel down in Wheeling WV, where you're hitting to a huge banked fairway like NASCAR at Daytona. (The hole in between is actually pretty good.) 

(The sixth is one of the newer holes.  It plays uphill with an interesting green that slopes to the back left to front right.) 

The back nine occupies the land that was the Ben nine. It was always considered the relief nine, so putting the entire back nine here is disappointing. The land on this part of the property is very simply not as exciting. Eleven and thirteen are garbage holes. Twelve is fine. 

The lack of bunkers and any ground features takes away from the approach. 

I also thought the newer holes had awkward greens. They sloped away, or pitched too much to the left or right. 

(The par three third slopes so much to the left that the members I played with hit short and let it bounce on. The bunker is right where the ideal shot lands, but that option is gone. ) 

(The first hole is theoretically original, but this green was reworked from a large putting surface to a small one.) 

Briarwood is one of the four courses on the Mallard Creek pass. Some would say it's the best one. The greens are terrific! I have to give the course that credit! Having played here back when it was really good, I'm reluctant to give more than a 3 (average)(worth driving 15-30 min). The clubhouse and patio are still great places to kick back and relax after a round. 

(Eighteen is a nice looking finisher. It usually plays into the prevailing wind. A mound just short of the green is a tricky feature.) 

Sand Barrens Golf Club (Cape May, NJ)

The next course in my forgotten series is Sand Barrens. I played it during my trip to Atlantic City, which also included rounds at Twisted Dunes and Ballyowen. 

I'm not sure why my recollection is so foggy with Sand Barrens. The course is absolutely beautiful! Part of it is due to my poor play, and the other part is more complicated. Hurzdan and Frye designed it in 1999. At that point in my travels, most of my trips were to Columbus or Dayton. Hurzdan is based in Columbus, so I was playing a lot of his courses! To me, Sand Barrens was just another Hurzdan course. 

One thing I remember, and it crossed my mind even when I was looking at the pictures, is the sand motif gets very repetitive. (The course has over 35 acres of sand!!) Many of the holes look the same, and the reliance on bunkers surrounding nearly every landing area, either fairway or green, makes the holes blend into one. 

What I do recall is going to dinner at this restaurant on the coast. It had it's own fishing boat, and whatever they hauled in that morning was on the menu in the evening. It was a very interesting place. 

Sand Barrens gets golfers from all over southern New Jersey. I wonder if it's a 6 or just a very solid 5. I haven't been to Atlantic City in a very long time, and have no plans to see it though Atlantic Country Club is high on my radar. 

Cyprian Keyes Golf Club (Boyleston, MA)

Cyprian Keyes opened in 1998 and was hailed by Golf Digest as one of the best new public courses of that year. I happened to be vacationing in Boston with my family, (I can remember watching Jim Thome launch balls into the upper deck at the All Star game's home run derby in Colorado) and made my way over to Boyleston to play it. 

I have a very good memory, but unfortunately, there are a handful of courses that I've played where I only remember bits and pieces. So I decide to write a forgotten series, where I'll mention what I do remember. 

Mark Mungeam is the architect of Cyprian Keyes. He was a principal partner in Cornish, Silva, and Mungeam, which has since been disbanded. Mungeam website labels him as the "best value" architect. He has six original designs, and Cyprian Keyes is one of them. 

What I remember most about the course are the forced carries. The first hole is set against a wetland, and requires a solid drive over them. It's the very first shot!! Also the course has a lot of rock outcroppings, and doglegs around many corners. It's definitely a place that needs to be played a few times to form a strategy. The dogleg right third has a second shot that cuts across the corner of the wetlands, so one must know how far a carry it is. On the fifteenth, the player is laying back off the tee, then hitting a shot in. Seventeen is a dogleg right where the player is positioning the drive for a short iron approach. And eighteen cuts diagonally across bunkers before giving player an option to attack the green in two. I recall the eighteenth hole the most because the green is elevated with traps surrounding it. The fairway stops short and to the right, so the player must decide what angle he's trying to obtain if he can't reach the green. 

I suspect Cyprian Keyes falls into the 5 rating. I plan on getting back to Boston soon. Id like to check out Brian Silva's work and another Mark Mungeam course. Donald Ross' George Wright is a must see. Add in Cape Cod down the coast and Cape Arundel north, and I'm already chomping at the bit to plan this trip. 

Mohican Hills Golf Club (Jeromesville, OH)

Mohican Hills is not the easiest place to find. Coming from Cleveland, one gets off the interstate, and negotiates the twisting, turning road all the way to the course. Views include horse drawn buggies, cows, silos, and maybe the occasional hot air balloon. 

(The twelfth drops 100' feet from the tee.)

Jack Kidwell designed the front in 1972, and added the back in 1975. The clubhouse sits on the highest part of the property, the course flows out, and then down to the valley. While the holes play up n down the hill, the most interesting ones play across the slope. 

(The 493 yard par five second plays downhill and is comfortably reachable in two shots...

...but missing to the sides or long leaves a tricky up n down.) 

(The seventh is a good example of Kidwell's philosophy. This 404 yard par four plays uphill, with plenty of room to drive the ball, and hit a quality approach shot. All the trouble is at the green. A pronounced back to front slope with a tier in the rear will make four a very good score.)  

In my opinion, there are three holes at Mohican that stand out, 9, 12, and 16.  

The ninth is 387 yard par four. The player drives the ball into the saddle fairway, taking heed not to hit it far otherwise a downhill will compromise his approach. 

A mid to long iron shot across the valley must avoid the sand and find a difficult putting surface. 

The twelfth is 390 yards, but the 100' foot drop from the tee makes it a short par four. The drive is definitely the showstopper! It's gorgeous! The approach however is when things get interesting. 

The short iron, and for many a wedge, must contend with a slightly elevated green with a wicked false front. It's an excellent hole! 

Sixteen is a 376 yard dogleg left. The play is to find a good layup yardage for the approach. 

This view gives a good indication of the challenge. It's an uphill semiblind approach to a green that does not accept balls well. Anything short or even not hit deep into the green can be shed to the front right, and possibly back down the slope. A two, possibly three club difference to get to the back. 

This view back to the fairway reinforces the steepness of the approach. 

The common denominator in every hole description is the severity of the greens. The slope in them is unbelievable! What may be impossible to stop on a downhill putt can be aggravatingly slow to hit uphill. The false fronts, the saucer sides, and the pitch make these incredibly difficult. 

This view from the right of eleven green shows just how much it slopes left to right. In fact the bunker is above the putting surface! 

Look at the left side of the fifteenth green. You can see it literally sloping with the fall of the land! 

The last hole is a 374 yard par four. It plays up the same hill the twelfth hole came down! 

This is the view looking up the hole. There's not much to see! The long hitter may see the top of the flagstick. 

This is the view from behind eighteen green. Beautiful! 

The seventeenth is a downhill par three. Water should not be in play unless you're trying to bounce one in to a front pin position. 

I'd be amiss if I didn't comment on the horrible par five tenth. The hole is somewhat "C" shaped, and requires a 170 yard layup to a tree, and then a long second shot uphill over a valley. I feel an opportunity to build an awesome par three was missed. The green could've been by the tree, or in the valley with ravines on both sides, or even just above the valley with the ravines short!! As is, it's terrible. 

(The 561 yard par five thirteenth is a solid hole. The back nine is a bit unusual, as it boasts three par fives, three par threes, and three par fours.) 

Mohican Hills requires a few plays to understand all it's nuances. There's a lot of local knowledge and being aware of what pin positions can be attacked, and what must be given prudence is the only way to shoot a good score. It's been almost twenty years since I last played here. I'm not sure if that s because of it's location, or because of it's difficulty. Regardless Mohican Hills is a good course! I give it a 5 (good)(worth driving an hour). I'll be visiting more often.