A Hollow Feeling at Paxon

Paxon Hollow Country Club
Media, Pa.
Yards: 2593/2824 - 5417
Par: 35/36 - 71
Rating: 66.2, Slope: 121
Score: 50/54 = 104
Date: June 3, 2009

Yesterday I played a mid-week round of golf at Paxon Hollow Country Club, a municipal golf course owned by Delaware County's Marple Township. An older, more traditional layout, Paxon Hollow isn't very long by today's standards, playing at 5,417 from the white tees, but it is very challenging. Originally built in 1926, it was a private country club for more than 40 years before the township acquired the property in 1967. A hilly course, there are numerous elevation changes, with holes playing either uphill or downhill. Many of the Par 4s and 5s feature doglegs, while some holes have sloping fairways where you can often face a lie from the fairway with the ball above or below your feet. The greens at Paxon Hollow are on the small side and are well protected by numerous bunkers and thick, deep rough. The greens are also undulating, fast, and feature subtle breaks that are sometimes difficult to read. But the course is well maintained and the conditions are excellent.

Paxon Hollow Scorecard

I played my worse round so far this season at Paxon Hollow, shooting a 104. I had four main problems: I hit the ball dead right off the tee too many times, my draw was virtually non-existent, I found way too many bunkers, and I three- or four-putted more than half of the holes. I did manage three pars: at the 119-yard Par 3 2nd Hole, the 441-yard Par 5 7th Hole and the 350-yard Par 4 12th Hole. I was also very pleased with my bunker play, escaping onto the green or fringe on my first attempt each time. I did add an old Golfsmith 5-Wood to my bag, as well as a 20-degree hybrid for this round. They both came in handy during the round, off the tee and from the fairway. I played well with both and will keep them in my bag a little longer.

Several holes highlight the challenges of Paxon Hollow:

*The 3rd Hole, a 495-yard Par that plays uphill and doglegs right around a hill. Except for the longest of hitters, the second shot is a blind layup over the corner of the dogleg. Your third shot will most likely be a wedge or shot iron uphill to the green.

The tee shot at the 3rd Hole

* The 6th Hole, a short, 261-yard Par 4 that plays slightly downhill to a narrow fairway and features and narrow, two-tiered green.

The narrow, sloping 6th Hole

* The 7th Hole, another Par 5 that is 441-yards and doglegs sharply left. Unless you draw it around the corner, your second shot will be a blind approach to a green protected by two front bunkers.

The blind second shot at the 7th Hole

* The 9th Hole, another downhill, 363-yard Par 4 that features another narrow fairway. Miss left and you will be playing uphill from a ravine towards the green. Approach shots from the fairway play downhill to an undulating green.

The downhill 9th Hole

* The 10th Hole, a 250-yard Par 4, plays from an elevated tee over a creek to a small fairway. The green is elevated and has bunkers left and right.

The short, downhill 10th Hole

* The 11th Hole, a 430-yard Par 5, doglegs right as it plays severely uphill. The fairway slopes from left to right. If you put the ball anywhere but on the right side, you will be playing uphill with the ball well below your feet.

View of 11th green from the fairway

* The 12th Hole, a 350-yard Par 4 that plays over a deep ravine fronting the green. Go too far down the fairway and you will be hitting your approach off a down slope to a green that juts out from the side of a hill.

The 12th Green from the right side of the fairway

* The 13th Hole, a 340-yard Par that plays slightly uphill to a fairway that doglegs left. Approach shots play slightly downhill to a green hidden behind two well placed bunkers.

The 13th green from the 14th tee box

* The 17th Hole, a short, 115-yard Par 3 that drops about 100 feet from an elevated tee to a small, sloping green.

The downhill 17th Hole

* The 18th Hole, a 519-yard Par 5. A creek protects the left side of the narrow fairway off the tee. Your second shot then plays severely uphill to a fairway that slopes left-to-right. The green is multi-tiered and slopes from back-to-front and is protected by three bunkers: left, right and behind.

The 18th Hole plays uphill

Overall, Paxon Hollow is a fun and very challenging course. It will make you think and play strategic golf. Miss the fairway or the green and you will work for a good score. I believe it to be a true hidden gem among area golf courses.

Photos by The Muni Golfer