Golfadelphia

6,648 yards, 126 Slope from the Championship tees

Our exam of public courses continues, one more before a brief intermission of sorts. From historical worth visiting to those intending to attract a large net of golfers from all over, the last series of reviews has shown how wide ranging the public course scene is. Now we look at another type of course entirely. This type of course can be found all over the country. Not in the sense that the designs are the same but in the sense they are intended for the local community almost exclusively and as a result, are not concerned with finding the most famous or prolific architect. Someone local and capable suffices and those types of architects possess just as much talent, knowledge and passion as anyone else in the industry. They produce solid courses that are interesting to play, are not all that high maintenance, can withstand a ton of play and really, are comfortable with their identity. These are the silent majority of golf courses so to speak. Yet they are and have been influential in forming the perspectives of many a golfer. They helped convince many that going to the middle of no where in Oregon for golf could be a good idea. They helped usher some into actually researching the designer and where they could go to play more of their stuff. The burgeoning interest in golf course design began well before we thought it did. Yet it shows us course architecture doesn’t have to be nationally renown or historically famous but can exist on a much more intimate scale. It can simply be interesting and meaningful without a grand plan. That is the easiest way to the hearts and minds of the most golfers. It was certainly the way to mine.

Jim Blaukovitch designed Golden Oaks, who was born in Pennsylvania, went to Penn State University and worked for Philadelphia Turf Company thereafter. He eventually opened his own course design firm in 1986 and many of his courses are about the Philadelphia area. They include Deerwood, Olde Homestead, Honeybrook, Stone Hedge, Bella Vista and Wedgewood. It is unlikely anyone outside of our local area has heard of these courses but they are among where I played for years, forming ideas on distinction and preferences. All of these courses are well designed and exude respectable degrees of interest. They simply do not have the motivation or capacity to garner all that much attention. Yet their design attributes were enough to form the foundation of an interest and understanding in course design, which then began growing from there. The point is there are plenty of golf courses designed in the 1990’s that went against the “dark ages” notion. They weren’t designed by any renown or famous architects or tour professionals and didn’t try to emulate Dye or Fazio or Nicklaus or Norman. They’re part of a much deeper Philadelphia golf scene, allowing the public golfer a nice variety of play absent any name recognition wow factor some enjoy amassing. In short, golf courses such as Golden Oaks are just as important as the rest for elevating the design quality and versatility of public golf for those in search of it.

Golden Oaks is the one course from the above list I never managed to get to until recently. Just below Moselem Springs in Fleetwood, it is set on rolling topography and generally stays balanced between ground game considerations and direct forced carries. The greens are generally expansive and invite thoughts of angles and options. Width fluctuates throughout but is always sufficient. It’s a sporty course that makes you perform across a well earned spectrum. Lines of Evergreen encroach every now and then. There is no mistaking we are among the foothills before the reaches of the Poconos but that Evergreen gives the place a bit of a mountain feel. The holes strive for variety and the greens are full of teasing broad shouldered contours. Make no mistake, Golden Oaks is a good golf course and always intended to be an elevated public experience. It certainly accomplished that for its surrounding community without want of fanfare, national recognition or posterity. It is to provide meaningful golf for the community and that is enough. They are worthy of note for their substance just the same.

The first winter storm of the season was scheduled to terrorize our region a couple days ahead to close out the year. That meant the last realistic full round of the year needed to happen and I decided the time was ripe to finally get to Golden Oaks. Little did I know it would be months before I was able to get a full round in again but on that day, I happily swung about and wondered how it was I had never managed to get here before.

The First is a 393 yard par 4 (from the Championship tees). A slight dog leg left moving uphill with the green tucked off to the left side. The tees on the left make the right side even more inviting but the further left one goes with the opening shot, the shorter the approach. The uphill is substantial and the approach may be longer than the golfer anticipates and possibly long while the green has a little front to back movement. A nice opener.

The Second is a 380 yard par 4. We continue uphill but not in much earnest as the hole prior. The fairway is free of bunkers or any other hazards but the golfer does need to keep it relatively straight. The green is nicely sized as are the bunkers on the left of it. The right side of the green is wide open, a helpful note and one the golfer should keep in mind on approach.

The Third is a 347 yard par 4. We finally hit the downhill while the left side continues to be no good. The fairway ultimately ends into water so the approach must carry it to the reach the green perpendicular to the fairway. The green has two tiers, the high left moving to the lower right. The large size of the green makes this aerial approach much more interesting than it usually ends up being.

The Fourth is a 157 yard par 3. A forced carry over water par 3. A bunker at each corner of the green on the right. The walking path to the green on the left is one of those small things that’s effective in showing the course is set up for the walker. The carry seems longer than it looks so give it a half a club up.

The Fifth is a 484 yard par 5. Bunker restraint here is one of the ways the course remains sustainable as well as strategically variable. All too often, bunker placement becomes rote, obligatory, or both yet ends up making the playing cadence stale. Here, we move back up the hill and there are no bunkers until the near the green. The hill and trees on both sides are enough to engage the golfer as he makes his way to the uphill green. Once there, two large bunkers guard the front as a gate of sorts on either side while the large green moves from back to front.

The Sixth is a 420 yard par 4. The fairway has some right to left movement and the golfer should use that to his advantage to end up some what on the left for the approach, which makes for a more advantageous approach. The green likewise moves right to left and it sits above the green with a bunker guarding at the lower front left position. No approach should flirt with the rear of the green, as a large run off into the trees awaits.

The Seventh is a 389 yard par 4. A dog leg right with left to right movement and a larger fairway bunker on the right to collect tee shots not paying attention to the undulations. The hole suggests using its higher left side from the tee, which will clear the trees on the right for the approach. The entry into the green at the front is clear but four bunkers guard the rest of it with aplomb. The left to right movement governs at the green as well.

The Eighth is a 567 yard par 5. A longer downhill dog leg left hole that starts with a precarious tee shot. The left bunker demands attention because those who feel like hedging to the right of it run the risk of their tee shot moving into the trees on the right. Hitting on a line near that left bunker ensures the tee shot will hit the contours in the right way and move farther down the fairway. The green may be out of view on the second shot as we continues downwards but it is to the left. The movement never stops downhill, even at the green, and like the Sixth, the golfer would do well to avoid getting too close to the back side. The fairway and green configuration to the trees and hills brings in much of its challenge, especially for those wanting a go of it at the second shot.

The Ninth is a 173 yard par 3. An elevated forced carry over water to a wider green with bunker sufficiently off to the sides. Hitting the green is some what challenging but negotiating the large green with its broad subtle contours to get in the hole is where the real challenge lies.

The front nine loops around nicely with good variety from relying on the terrain. I would rank them 8, 6, 7, 1, 5, 3, 2, 9, 4.

The back nine starts with the 380 yard par 4 Tenth. The hole moves uphill the entire way with a left to right cant. Bunkers reside in spots on this lower side of the fairway moving up to the green so favoring some measure of the left side is a good idea. In fact, the left side is rather open save for the tree line. The green is well sized and inviting, just be sure you impart enough heft on the approach to make it up the hill.

The Eleventh is a 496 yard par 5. Continuing uphill and just a tad narrower, the golfer is spared from sand until he reaches the green. The uphill and tree lines are what the golfer contends with from tee to green. The hill actually gets steeper as you get closer to the green. The green itself is deep and the approach will likely be blind with all the steepness. Three bunkers line themselves up against the left side of the green.

The Twelfth is a 409 yard par 4. We head back down hill at least on the tee shot which then moves slightly back upwards and a tick to the left on approach. There is more width here yet while even wild misses to the right have a chance of salvaging, anything left of the tree line on that side is essentially likely gone. The green has nice movement while a couple bunkers on either side defend it below grade.

The Thirteenth is a 150 yard par 3. A pretty straightforward par 3. Thus far, the par 3’s have largely proven on the reprieve side and that is the case here as well. The green is rather large as are the bunkers on either side.

The Fourteenth is a 394 yard par 4. Moving back uphill and dog legging right, the tee shot here is rather pivotal. This entails deciding on the right line that negotiates both contour and angle. The green is well uphill with right to left movement. This movement gets stronger the further left one is so that rolling off the left edge and well down the hill is a very real possibility. A great green site location.

The Fifteenth is a 179 yard par 3. The green is a bit below the tee yet moves from back to front. As we have learned, the long miss comes with all kinds of harsher consequences than the rest of it. There is a lot of room before the green for those that don’t want to contend trying to hit the green again ending up in one of the bunkers. Some what understandable, as the bunker shots are actually a little tricky to place in the right way.

The Sixteenth is a 341 yard par 4. The course uses horizontal movement fairly well and in both subtle and strong tones. This is one of the stronger, the right to left cant is fairly obvious. It is likewise evident the left side is no where anyone wants to be, unless you want to maintain the bunkers or something. The golfer can decide on an array of shots off the tee and will likely be left with a short approach in. The green is obviously above and yes, just like the fairway, stay the hell away from the left.

The Seventeenth is a 456 yard par 4. A dog leg left as we make our way back down the hill and once again, the left side needs to be actively campaigned against. The closer one does tempt that left side, however, the shorter the approach ends up. After the turn, the green complex opens up a great deal, maybe as wide as the course gets. Left to right movement prevails.

The Eighteenth is a 533 yard par 5. A dog leg right with water along the left side, the course wants to go out with a little flair. The fairway keeps narrowing until it reaches the green, where there’s a little room to lay with off the right. Most approaches will need to carry the water. The green gets a little wily so best to set up the approach with the second shot above all else.

The back nine is on more undulating terrain than the front, which gives it a little more of an adventurous spirit. The series of par 4’s stood out to me. I would rank them 14, 17, 16, 12, 18, 10, 11, 15, 13.

Generally, Golden Oaks is a well founded design that leans towards function and structure. It is more about how the course plays than striving for visuals that might look good but have no substance or any of the rest along those lines. It’s good, showing subtlety, variety and flexible width in a some what mountainous setting with those Evergreen flashing from the sidelines. It uses the terrain in interesting ways. It dabs in deception. Yes, it is true the par 3’s are left wanting a bit but some times that is the ebb and flow the round. It is favorable to repeat play. Its sportiness brings out a hearty game in the golfer. In short, it is the kind of public course there should be much more of.

Clubhouse/Pro Shop: Nicely situated on the property with a large pro shop and the grill is some where anyone can enjoy.

Practice area: The driving range and putting green are next to the First tee.