Golf Scrapbook Blog (More Recent Ones)

June 2025 – I have played Llanerch Country Club (outside of Philly) many times over the years with my buddy Donnie and other friends. As I hit a summer lull in new courses played in 2025 and the fact for the first time since I’ve been playing it I took some photos, figured I would do a course review and write-up. This time in June I played with Donnie and a couple of his buds in a one-day member guest. I was pretty sporadic with the camera and will try to fill in the gaps and update later when I go back.

I really like Llanerch. First off the membership could be one of the best in the Philly area. I love the clubhouse sitting smack on top of the 18th green. My photo below doesn’t do it justice but when I update, I will make sure to include a close-up shot. When you’re playing and coming in 18 on a weekend or in a member-guest and there is a huge crowd on the deck, it can be nerve racking trying to get out of one of the deep bunkers in front of the green. I’ve seen quite a few skulled shots head into the crowd.

Alex Findlay is given design credit for the course. The club was founded in 1901 and Findlay’s 18 holes were opened in 1924. Pre WWII the course boasted 27 holes but 9 were closed to accommodate the post-war housing boom and the current 18 were re-configured by a Donald Ross associate, J.B. McGovern. Like many courses over the past 10 years or so, Llanerch removed a ton of trees and re-did the green complexes and more in 2020 and 2021. Renaissance Golf (not sure if it was Brian Schneider or Stephen Kaye) did the re-do and beyond their work on the greens and the tree removal, they added new and additional tee boxes and some of the funkiest bunkers this side of Tobacco Road. I played a lot before and after the re-do and like both versions – I think they kept enough trees to not be ridiculous, love what they did with the greens but some of the bunkers are a little overdone IMO.

The course features a huge variety of holes: long threes, fours and fives; short threes, fours and fives, straight and doglegging holes; etc. The course is jammed into a neighborhood but never feels cramped and is about a mile as the crow flies to another awesome course jammed into tiny acreage in Merion’s East Course (even closer to the West). I rank Llanerch right around my top 200 with other area courses like Ace Club (now Union League Liberty Hill) and Manny’s (Manufacturer’s). If you want a lot more information on Llanerch check out the Golfadelphia Guy’s blog. He’s a member and does a good before-and-after discourse on it.

Here’s a little known Llanerch and Philadelphia golf fact: Llanerch is one of five Philly area golf courses (not including the AC area) to have hosted a major championship: you know Merion obviously and probably would’ve guessed Aronimink (hosting the PGA in 2026 and previously in 1962), but also Philly Cricket Club (the Open was then played on the nine-hole St. Martin’s Course) in 1907 and 1910, and Philly Country Club hosted a US Open in 1939. Llanerch hosted the first PGA Championship that played as a stroke play tournament (previous to this it was a match play tourney) in 1958 and won by Dow Finsterwald. I got to meet Dow thanks to my buddy Don’s dad (who is also a good friend and only recently passed). I was heading to Dallas/Fort Worth for a work trip way back in like 2006 and told Don and Eichey and they immediately set me up at Colonial – Mr. Finsterwald was the Pro Emeritus there and had stayed in touch with and was still very good friends with Eichey. When I went to check in and let them know who I was and was sponsored by Dow, he shouted from his office, “Hey it’s Eichey’s friend, how’re you doing?” So that was cool and I loved Colonial.

So Llanerch is well inside my top 18 golf courses in the Philly area and the fact that I just read a nice Golf Digest article on the best 18-holes in golf since 2000, got me thinking I would do the top 18 holes in the Philadelphia area. My criteria for the holes is the same I use for ranking a course – unique, memorable, strategic, beautiful, on a well conditioned course. I won’t be slavish that the first hole has to be a first hole, etc., but I will keep my first and 18th to those respective holes from the course. I also will only feature one per course so it’s not just the best golf holes from Merion and Pine Valley. It also must be a course I played (duh) so you won’t see anything from Gulph Mills, Cricket Militia Hill or one or two other privates that could have holes that make the list. If you’re here and bummed your home course (one of those) is not listed here, then invite me and I will update if worthy. Where I have photos I included and “borrowed” from the web for those I do not. Note I use the tees that I would play and what my good drive would yield, yardage-wise (225 yards – I am retired you know). I am also trying to add in par threes and fives trying to get the course to a par 72 or thereabouts so for some courses that have several favorite holes (Llanerch for one) I went with a par three or par five to round out the course (even if a four might be tied or slightly ahead). Finally no shore or Poconos/Lehigh Valley courses and anything north of 195 in Jersey I put in the NY market regardless of what Nielsen says. Finally, finally, saw this post on Golf Club Atlas that did the same thing about 15 years ago.

Wow doing that took me a ton of time. I had to organize my photos so I could find photos of my favorite holes and I reserve the right to change this around in future posts as I give it more thought. Anyway, back to Llanerch…

Llanerch starts you out with what I would consider are the toughest three holes on the course, though the handicaps don’t agree (in order 9, 1, 5). For a bogey golfer like me, if you get through that gauntlet only one or two over, you can have a really good day here. Course routing map courtesy of Golf Blueprints.

The first is a 378-yard par four. Creek along the left and a “sometimes it’s a creek and sometimes it’s just a low area” to cross on your approach. Yardages all from the whites (6,300+ yards).

The second is a fucking monster. Used to have a ton of trees to the right. As noted it’s the number one handicap. Plays from the whites to only slightly over 400 yards but feels like a mile. Deep bunkers right on your drive and around the green.

Here’s three – runs back away from the fairway next to one and in the same direction. You will probably think you’re going back and forth all day but these are the only holes that really do that. Longer than the second at 411 yards and what you don’t see from here is the valley between your drive and the green. I am almost always down there and having to chip up about two stories above my head – not exaggerating.

I missed a ton of holes and as noted, I will play here again shortly and I’m sure will fill in the gaps. This is eight, a long par three that my most recent play required a driver for me. I hit it long. It says 200 from the whites but there are a variety of tees and played a back set of tees (the regular or more common tee box for the whites are to the left with much less pond to carry).

This was from my drive on the 471-yard par five 9th. While short, the OB right is like a magnet for slicers. Green is protected by some really nasty bunkers.

This is 10. I love the half way house here; it’s a nice little shack where they always have soft pretzels and you can get Transfusions, John Daly’s beyond just the usual beers and seltzers at the turn. The hole is 415 yards and has a tough approach over a creek to a wicked sloping back to front green. I actually parred it in this last round.

I missed 11 and 12 and this is 13. A nice little par four measuring just 330 yards from the whites. In the re-do they moved the tee boxes over to here from down and to the left which makes this a harder driving hole than before where you could generally have just blasted it straight. This angle brings the bunkers in play for shorter hitters.

Fourteen is another monster (toughest on the back IMO vs. 10). Almost as long as the par five 9th, 14 measures 446 yards and is a par four. You see the huge valley that gobbles up short approaches and the green is brutal – tight with bunkers on either side and the 7th tee box a slight pull to the left away.

Fifteen is a short par four. Pretty flat green but all bunkers up the left. 313 yards and I got a birdie here on my round for a net two. Yes I get a stroke a hole in tournament play. Sorry my finger got in the way – if I wasn’t so lazy I would crop it out.

I missed the 485-yard par five 16th and here is one of my Philly Favorite 18 holes, 17. Short par three and IMO the perfect example of a redan green. Tough green if you’re at all above the hole – like I was.

And 18. That fucking tree always blocks me out but you see the sand around the greens and how tight the deck is from the back of the green. Just 291 yards and some of the guys I’ve golfed with got this pin high or into the greenside bunkers. I do believe I was with someone who drove the green here.

In all and as noted I love Llanerch. Great course and membership. Always in A1 shape. For a fleeting moment about 15-20 years ago or so I thought about joining here as a second club as it offers a pool and tennis – both of which the family could enjoy. But “F” ’em, I just stuck it out at Commonwealth and play here a few times a year anyway with my buddies. I don’t eat around here often besides at the club (and they have an awesome men’s grill). Barnaby’s is right at the Blue Route exit which is a great bar with decent bar food and the Westgate Pub is right across West Chester Pike from the club and is a great little “neighborhood” bar with decent bar grub as well. If you got the connections and are in the area looking for privates, Llanerch is a great play that flies under the national radar.