A Bad Walk at the Lane

Walnut Lane Golf Club
Philadelphia, Pa
Yards: 2173/2098 – 4271
Par: 31/31 = 62
Rating: 59, Slope: 91
Score: 47/44 = 91
Date: August 18, 2012

After taking a week off from golf, it was time to tee it up again this weekend. One of my goals this year was to play each of the five Philadelphia public courses. Having already played three so far this year--Juniata, John F. Byrne and FDR--I headed to Roxborough for a round at Walnut Lane Golf Club. Designed by the legendary Alex Findlay, who also designed John F. Byrne, Walnut Lane winds up and down through the Wissahickon Valley part of Fairmount Park.

 Walnut Lane Scorecard

A short course at just under 4,300 yards and playing to a par of 62, Walnut Lane is anything from a pushover. Take the 218-yard Par 3 Fourth Hole for example. The hole plays downhill to a small green. Overhanging trees from the left and a drop off to the right of the green makes playing a fade impossible. The next hole, the Fifth, is a 184-yard Par 3 that plays from left to right across a deep valley. And the 134-yard Par 3 Eleventh Hole plays so uphill you cannot see the flagstick from the tee. With trees on the right and a huge slope on the left, a tee shot has a very opening to the green.

 The Fourth Hole

But what also makes Walnut Lane difficult is the conditions. While no one is expecting Augusta National, the boxes are chewed up and uneven. Fairways feature large bare areas devoid of grass, and when there is grass, it is thick and overgrown. The bunkers more like hardpan than sand. When I played on Saturday, the course had been aerated during the week, but they failed to mention it when I paid in the pro shop. Not that it would have stopped me from playing, but it would have been nice to know before I reached the first green. It made putting and chipping all the more difficult as the ball didn't want to roll far on the greens. You had to strike your putts firmer than usual to get them anywhere near the hole. The course was probably the worst I played this year, along with FDR.

As for my round, I played some good holes and some (very) bad holes. I had a quintuple bogey, three triple bogeys and two double bogeys on par 3s. I also had a quadruple bogey on a par 4. But I think a lot of it was more the conditions than my game. I only hit driver three times, but I crushed it in the fairway each time. I also managed to par the Eleventh Hole, which is one of my "Nightmare Nine" holes.

 The Eleventh Hole

As per doctor's orders, I wore a brace on my left arm to guard against the mild tendinitis I have been experiencing. I also made sure to ice my elbow last night and I am not experiencing the discomfort today that I have been after recent past rounds. I will continue with this regiment into the future, until I am pain free.

Photos by The Muni Golfer

Up and Down at Middletown

Middletown Country Club
Langhorne, Pa
Yards: 2909/2837 - 5746
Par: 35/34 - 69
Rating: 66.7, Slope: 116
Score: 48/49 = 97
Date: June 27, 2012

Yesterday I teed it up for the first time at Middletown Country Club in Langhorne, Pa. Located just minutes off Route 1, Middletown is a classic, tree-lined golf course. The course was designed in 1913 by Alex Findlay, who designed such local courses as Llanerch, Doylestown Country Club, Reading Country Club, Paxon Hollow, Walnut Lane, John F. Byrne, Woodbury and Tavistock Country Clubs. The course was once owned by George Fazio and was represented on tour by Gary Player early in his career. Such golfing legends as Player, Ben Hogan, Lloyd Mangrum and Johnny Miller have played Middletown, as well as actor Michael Douglas.

 Opening Tee Shot at Middletown CC

Conditions at Middletown were very good. The course features rolling, hilly terrain and tree-lined fairways. The greens are a generous size and very slippery. Except for a few "well-used" tee boxes, my only complaint about the course was the lack of sand in the bunkers. It made escaping the bunkers very treacherous as there was noting to slide your wedge under when hitting the ball out. It was easier to chip from the bunkers than hitting a conventional sand shot.

 The Sixth Hole, a Par 3

I played my round with two of my cousins who tried to convince me to ride in a cart rather than walk because of the hilly nature of the course. But I walked and survived just fine. Middletown was a lot of fun to play, even though the course doesn't set up well for my game. The course seems designed more for someone who hits a fade, with no less than eight holes having doglegs that went to the right. Only three holes when right-to-left and favored a draw, my natural shot. But I was happy that I manged to get around in the 90s, despite never having played the course and it favoring players who hit a fade as opposed to a draw.

 The Par 3 Tenth Hole

My round started off in ominous fashion with two lost balls on the First Hole. I pushed both my original tee shot and a provisional tee shot well right and into the woods. That led to an opening 10. But I managed to par the 384-yard Second Hole, the 335-yard Fifth Hole, the 159-yard Par 3 Eighth Hole and the 302-yard Ninth Hole. Even with the 10 and three double-bogeys, I managed a respectable front nine 48. I was driving the ball better as the round moved along.

 The Par 4 Eleventh Hole

The back nine has been my achilles heel this season and this round was no different. The back nine at Middletown begins with a 184-yard Par three that I missed way left and had to pitch between two trees and over a bunker. I dumped it short in the bunker then skulled it across the green. That led to a triple bogey 6. But I drove it over the green at the short, 256-yard Par Eleventh Hole, chipped to two feet and tapped in for a birdie. I made two triple-bogeys and three double bogeys on the back nine for a 49. This gave me a round of 97.

 The Approach to the Thirteenth Green

My biggest problem at Middletown seemed to be putting myself into bad situations, usually with my second shot. Three examples were the Fifteenth, a 430-yard Par that doglegs left; the Sixteenth, a 405-yard Par that requires a second shot over a valley and pond in front for the green; and the Seventeenth, a straightaway Par 4 of 282 yards. At the Fifteenth, my tee shot found the left rough, but my second shot was pulled short and left under a tree. It took 5 to get down from there. At the Sixteenth I hit my best drive of the day and was about 145 yards from the green. But I hit an 8-iron fat into the pond and made a 6. And I hit a 3-wood on Seventeenth to about 50 yards, but my pitch rolled off the back of the green for a bogey.

 The Sixteenth Green from the Fairway

Except for the First Hole, Middletown was one of my better rounds off the tee. Despite an opening 10 on that hole and some poor second shots, I was able to keep my game under control and grind out a round in the 90s. I think it shows my game is moving in the right direction. Now, if I can just play a bit better on the second nine, I can start posting some really good scores going forward.

Photos from The Bausch Collection