Birdsfoot Golf Club (Freeport, PA)

Many of the courses designed during the Tiger Boom were on parcels of land that weren’t the best for golf. These repurposed properties were at the mercy of the architects hired to find the best possible routing. Luckily for Birdsfoot, Brian Ault came up with a solution that takes advantage of the best features, however, there are still multiple deficiencies that limit the experience one can have here. 

(The 186/168 yard par three seventeenth has trouble pockmarked everywhere. The left side is a wide target but a right handed pin will have you checking your yardage twice.) 

Pulling into the parking lot, one is greeted with a Mall C type white tent that provides shade from the sun. A small farmhouse that can barely hold ten people is acting as the clubhouse. If first impressions are important then Birdsfoot starts off rather precariously. Both one and ten are uphill with ten playing straight up an incline. It’s literally the only view of the course you have from the farmhouse. The driving range is behind it and is uniquely positioned. Players are blasting away straight into a hill of grass. 

(After playing uphill on one, the view from two tee provides this beautiful view of the Pennsylvania countryside.)

(The long 458/434 yard par four third plays downhill with a hazard all along the left side. A hard draw will take the contours and scoot to mid iron range. Note the tilt of the fairway in picture. No bunkers needed on this demanding hole.) 

(This is the side view on the 172/155 yard par three third. The shot is over wetlands with bunkers behind. The central portion is raised with a slope in front and a bowl in the back left.) 

The key to Ault’s routing was getting to the top of the hill as quickly as possible. From there the views open up and the holes play on undulating land. The back side is not as fortunate and 10,12,13 play on significant elevation change. The eleventh lynchpins the four holes with a terrific par three. Returning to the front nine, almost all the holes are visible from two tee. It’s a very wide expansive parcel and the holes turn and dogleg amongst each other. There’s a good variety of holes and some great opportunities for birdies and eagles. 

(The 501/486 yard par five fifth doglegs left before climbing up the hill. For shorter hitters, getting to the flat between the two fairway traps will leave a simple pitch. Long hitters have a speed slot if they can reach the far end of the fairway as it turns…
…the green has three distinct sections for pin placements. The long hitter can reach it in two but will likely have a difficult two putt or chip for birdie. The shorter player will need to be very precise with his wedge.)

(The 416/400 yard par four eighth finishes at this well positioned green with a backdrop that makes depth perception tricky.) 

(The ninth is possibly the best hole on the course. At 215/190 yards, it’s all carry over a ravine to green teetering on the other side. The fairway and rough short of the green give the player some bailout. A three is a great score.) 

Returning to the back nine, Ault’s decision to attack the severe uphill and downhill terrain right away from 10-13 allows the course to regroup with some strong holes coming in. As mentioned before, the eleventh is a terrific par three. This is a panoramic view from behind the green. The bunker horseshoes around most of the
putting surface, leaving a narrow strip of fairway that runs into the green. Playing between 175-212 yards, the player needs to hit a high shot that lands quickly. This lynchpin not only is a great hole but let’s the next two be long holes that eat up negative terrain. Twelve is a fun drive but has a green that looks like a bicycle helmet. The rear half slopes off aggressively! Then the thirteenth climbs up the hill where the slope is so great that a drive down the middle might not stay in the fairway on a dry day. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh golfers, these are some of the pitfalls that make new courses hard to design. 

(The 375/345 yard fifteenth is a short par four with an angled green. Note the slope to the left of the pin in picture. This is the only thing visible from the fairway. The rest is hidden and requires one to trust their yardage.) 

When Birdsfoot first opened, it was the darling of Pittsburgh golf and featured prominently in regional magazines. Nowadays, it’s middling among its peers. It once was high on my list of places to play, and only when two of my lady friends had a practice round for an upcoming tournament did I make the trip to see it. (I’m surprised it’s holding the event since the lack of infrastructure is a bit concerning) While it’s a nice addition for local golfers, it has too many oddities to suggest a trip of significant length. The lack of housing is a plus and the views are beautiful. I give Birdsfoot a 4 (above average)(worth driving 30-45 minutes to play). 

(The eighteenth has a bizarre spine that is suppose to create a split fairway. The right side (the only side I’d ever go down) runs out of fairway while the left side doesn’t. Regardless, the rough is not very long and the penalty is lacking…
…either way the second shot is significantly downhill and golfers can land the ball well short of the green and watch it bounce on. A raised section in the rear makes for an exciting finish. Being long is trouble so don’t be too aggressive.)