The Muni Golfer: Tough to Score at Talamore

Talamore Country Club
Ambler, Pa.
Yards: 2760/2790 - 5550
Par: 35/36 - 71
Rating: 66.3, Slope: 125
Score: 54/47 = 101
Date: October 17, 2008

I was invited to be a guest for a round at Talamore Country Club, a private golf club and community located in Ambler, Pa. Ranked among the top 25 in the state of Pennsylvania in 1999, the course was rated the 11th "Best New Private Course" by Golf Digest when the club opened in 1995. Although Talamore is only 13 years old, the property has a rich golf history. Several golf courses have called the parcel of land home, included Talamore's predecessor, Oak Terrace, which once hosted an exhibition match featuring legendary golfer Sam Snead on June 11, 1961. Gene Sarazen was also scheduled to participate in that exhibition, but had to withdraw after injuring his back just a few days before the match.

Talamore Country Club Scorecard

Talamore offers players the full range of amenities -- from locker rooms, to a driving range with grass tees, to carts with a course GPS system. They even have a four-hole practice course. After meeting up with my playing partners, we headed to the driving range to warm up. What a delight to hit off of real grass. After hitting a small bag of balls, it was off to the first tee. Fall had definitely arrived on this day too. After an Indian Summer, temperatures were in the mid-50s to low 60s, with a cool breeze blowing around the course.

The 1st Hole at Talamore

Standing on the first tee, Talamore looks a lot like most modern, well-maintained golf courses. But it was here also that my host issued the warning: Talamore does not play easy. The course has a lot of bunkers and hazards, forced carries from the tees, ponds and wetlands, fairways that slope in such ways that shots often run off into the rough or hazards, and greens that are extremely undulating and lightning quick. I got an early indication that I might be in for an interesting round when, while waiting for my host and other partner to arrive, I used the putting green. I had never before seen a multi-tiered putting green that had so much slope, break and speed. Although the course only a little over 5500 yards from the white tees, its rating and slope of 66.3/125 tells you how difficult the course plays.

The Par 3 4th Hole is well guarded by sand

Starting 6-8-8 on the first three holes, with two lost balls at the Par 4 2nd Hole, didn't get my round off to a very good start. Compounding my problems was a swing that was causing me to pull all my shots extremely left, both off the tee and from the fairway/rough. I was hitting a lot of chip-outs or recovery shots back to the fairway, then finding the greens hard to hold on chips and pitches because of their speed and the fact that most of them run off on all sides. And when I did get it on the green, a three-putt wasn't hard to do. I did manage to make a par at the 8th Hole, a 148 yard Par 3 that plays over wetlands to a green protected by bunkers and a false front. A four-putt at the next hole, after hitting the green in two from a really bad lie, left me a 54 on the front nine.

The 8th Hole, another Par 3

Things didn't get off to a much better start on the back nine, where one of my partners hit my ball from the fairway, causing me to hit a wrong ball and take a two-stroke penalty. We both swear we saw my tee shot roll past his from the tee box! After that, I did settle down and scrambled my way to a 47 on the back nine, including pars at Holes 15 and 16, both Par 4s. My 18 hole total of 101 was the first time I've failed to break 100 this year, but after my horrendous start, the fact that I was able to play a more respectable back nine gave me some comfort. And my host told me to take heart, because after six years of playing the course, he still can't figure out the greens.

The 11th Hole, a downhill Par 4

Talamore is an outstanding golf course and an outstanding experience. But if you do get to play there, be prepared to bring your 'A' game, place a premium on accuracy, accept that bad breaks are going to happen, and don't get frustrated by three-putting.