Golfing in Pennsylvania: Valley Forge has plenty of options

If you’re like me when you’re asked about Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, the first thing that comes to mind is the site of the encampment for the Continental Army in the winter of 1777 and the spring of 1778 during the Revolutionary War with Great Britain.   

But would you be surprised to hear that Montgomery County, which is the home of Valley Forge and almost 900,000 citizens in the rolling hills northwest of Philadelphia, is a hotbed for really great golf, with 53 courses ready for a tee time at the asking?  

It was in Valley Forge that George Washington’s collection of colonial militias melded through the winter cold and emerged as a cohesive and disciplined fighting force. The experiences there and in the surrounding countryside helped Washington’s army prepare and become capable of defeating the British and winning American independence during the remaining five years of the war. 

Montgomery County is geographically diverse, ranging from farms and open land in the extreme north of the county to densely populated suburban neighborhoods in the southern and central portions of the county. The county marks a portion of the Delaware Valley’s northern border with the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania.  

The Valley Forge National Historical Park, about a half-hour’s drive from Philadelphia, is one of the county’s most visited tourist attractions – and rightfully so. But there are also many other family attractions, shopping, a scintillating arts scene, and scores of outdoor activities that are headlined, at least for our purposes, by golf. 

Bluestone CC (above, as well)

Jeffersonville Golf Club is the bell cow of public golf in the region 

If there’s a must-play public access course on your trip to Montgomery County it’s Jeffersonville Golf Club, located about two miles northeast of the national park and approximately 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia. 

The course was designed by the legendary Donald Ross, opened in 1931 and is owned and operated by the West Norriton Township, making it one of the few Ross-fashioned municipal courses in America. 

The municipality purchased Jeffersonville GC in 1972 and paid Ron Pritchard, a locally based architect who specializes in restoring Ross courses, more than $2 million to bring it back to life. 

Few golfers have regular access to a Ross course as members of a private club, and even fewer still are fortunate enough to live near a course designed by him that is open to the public and relatively inexpensive to play. This aspect – and a routing that has stood the test of time – make Jeffersonville GC a staple of golfers visiting Montgomery County. 

The course has a great variety of holes – long and short, doglegs in both directions and demanding putting surfaces – to keep the golfer’s interest for the entire routing. Fairways are relatively wide, hazards are few (but can take their pound of flesh when mistakes are made), and greens are approachable and reward good decision-making. 

Many people believe the best hole at Jeffersonville GC is the 13th, a 430-yard par-4 that doglegs slightly to the left while playing down to a creek, then asks for a mid-iron approach to an elevated, swayback green flanked by bunkers and swathed in towering trees (what a description, right?). 

That challenge sets the stage for the course’s best stretch of holes, beginning with the 15th, a 215-yard, uphill par-3 that ranks among the most difficult one-shotters in the region. Next up is a 390-yard par-4 with a slight dogleg-right and a putting surface that is unforgettable. 

The 452-yard 17th is a dogleg right with a cut-the-corner tee shot, followed by a finishing hole that is a 545-yard double-dogleg par-5, complicated by a lake and the toughest green on the course. 

Prior to becoming a golf course, the vast property for Jeffersonville GC was used for steeplechase horse racing in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Those races were conducted on a half-mile, oval track that was located where the 11th and 16th holes currently are routed – thus is the origin of the No. 27 in the course’s logo. 

After being restored and revamped in 2000, the course hosted a U.S. Amateur sectional qualifier as well as numerous Philadelphia Public Links Championships. Jeffersonville GC is currently ranked among the top 10 public golf courses in Pennsylvania.

Jefferson Golf Club

Raven’s Claw GC might be best of the rest 

Raven’s Claw Golf Club is set in Pottstown in one of the area’s top golf/residential neighborhoods. This Ed Shearon-design debuted in 2005 and is routed through woodlands and tumbling hills, playing as a par-71 and at 6,739 yards from the back tees.  

There are some links-style challenges, but it’s primarily a really good parkland design with severe doglegs, marshes, ravines, and creek beds, plenty of forced carries and putting surfaces that are mostly accessible.   

Raven’s Claw’s challenge is not subtle, and the course is full of character while making the most out of the site’s elevation changes.  There are lots of different looks and angles to attack the holes, all adding to the course’s fun factor. 

Success at Raven’s Claw will be better attained with prowess off the tee, with that aspect of the game a bit more important here than most other courses in the region.  

The toughest hole on the course is likely the par-3 17th. At 242 yards from the elevated back tee, it’s one of the longest one-shotters in the state. You must avoid the out of bounds down the entire right side. The putting surface is long and undulating with a U-shaped bunker covering the front-right.  A par here will be akin to a birdie anywhere else on the course. It’s called “Calamity” for good reason. 

Raven’s Claw rewards the shot-maker, but that doesn’t mean the mid-to-high handicapper can’t enjoy this gem. All levels of golfers will need a strong disposition to attack Shearon’s design, which features a terrific, bold set of par-3s and the overall experience of a private club. 

Raven’s Claw

Spruce Peak at Stowe Vermont – different name, same great golf 

The catch phrase of the opulent Spruce Peak Resort in Stowe, Vermont is that every experience for guests is designed to make them “feel like they are part of the mountain.” Situated at the base of Mount Mansfield, Spruce Peak is Stowe’s only slope-side destination and is a welcoming mountain community that captivates visitors with consistently elevated experiences. 

Such is also the case at two courses available for members and resort guests at Spruce Peak, The Mountain Course and the Stowe Country Club. 

The Mountain Course, designed by the late, great Bob Cupp, has fairways that are laid out in the foothills of Mount Mansfield. The course is split into two sections, with the first 11 holes visiting the lower slopes of Spruce Peak and last seven holes routed around Peregrine Lake on the floor of the adjacent valley. 

Highlights here are the plunging 171-yard seventh hole and uphill 499-yard 10th. The lake comes into play on two drivable par 4s, the 338-yard 14th and the 317-yard closing hole. In between is the 195-yard 15th, a par 3 that’s all carry over the lake. 

The vistas from higher spots on the course can be distracting. Yes, the course plays at just 6,411 yards from the tips and at elevation, but the lack of length is more than made up with undulating putting surfaces and plenty of risk-reward options. 

Stowe Country Club is at the base of the mountain in town and is even shorter, at just 6,195 yards but can also be challenging and is a good B-side to its more ballyhooed sister up the mountain. Built on what was once a dairy farm, it sports rolling fairways and well-maintained greens. 

The course underwent a  complete redesign/reconstruction this past summer of its approach and green areas on the seventh and eighth holes, with the Beau Welling Design group providing the plans for the project. 

The Lodge at Spruce Peak, formerly called the Stowe Mountain Resort, is one of the top luxury properties in Vermont and offers rustic elegance throughout – from the impressive lobby with floor-to-ceiling windows to its bright, contemporary rooms. This property has a lot in the way of amenities, particularly for the area, including an inviting spa, a big outdoor pool with mountain views and an acclaimed restaurant. 

Spruce Peak at Stowe Vermont: Mountain Course

Bet on great golf at Jones’ Lake of Isles GC at Foxwoods 

Our second recommended Northeast casino/golf resort takes us to the Foxwoods Resort Casino in North Stonington, Connecticut, the home of the Rees Jones-designed Lake of Isles Golf Club. Jones’ routing winds through the area’s thick woodlands and around a 90-acre lake. 

The North Course here was opened in 2005 and allows public play, is carded at more than 7,200 yards and sports dramatic elevation changes and plenty of do-or-die shots over the water. Jones’ work here was arduous because of the rocky, boulder-strewn site, but the golfer is the beneficiary of his time and the effort involved. 

The scale here is big-shouldered and the routing offers clear views of the options to attack each hole, many which sit on sloping ridges above the lake. Five sets of tees help mitigate the difficulty (move up, my friend). 

The North Course’s higher holes rise and fall through the hardwoods and pines while the lower ground is played through lush wetlands. The par 3s at Lake of Isles are standouts, and the best of the four is likely the 11th, which plays from an elevated perch to a peninsula green framed by bunkers and native grasses and scrub along the lakeshore. 

The North Course is one of the best-conditioned and one of the most challenging resort courses in New England. It is considered the top public course in Connecticut, and for good reason. 

Opened in 1992 by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, Foxwoods Resort Casino is considered one of the premier resort destinations in the Northeast. It’s home to the largest resort casino in North America, and offers a vast array of gaming in seven casinos as well as AAA Four-Diamond hotels, restaurants from gourmet to quick service and world-renowned spas.

Lake of Isles GC