Golf Scorecard

First Hole: Creek | Par 4

Some believe that the starting hole should offer a gentle handshake to get things underway, but DELCO is no place for the timid so you had better arrive ready to play. While the wide-open first shot at Llanerch looks reasonably benign, the leftward slope of the ground exaggerates the influence of the little brook along the left. Uncertainty awaits tee shots lost too far right, but balls played up that side of the fairway will settle into a fine angle from which to approach this elevated green, albeit with the ball above your feet. The low ditch some fifty yards short of the green should not be a factor after a good drive but you will curse the designer if you miss this green to the right.

Second Hole: Ramparts | Par 4

The strong start at Llanerch continues with the Second, where reaching the green in regulation means flirting with a mess of trouble down the right side off the tee. Any drive that lacks either courage or proper execution will leave you a long way from the green and the assortment of mounds and bunkers that threaten a second shot from this distance might suggest discretion over valor. Putting here is appropriately straightforward considering the treacherous path that has gotten you to the green.

Third Hole: Furlong | Par 4

Capping a difficult trio of par-4s to start the round, the Third is the longest of the bunch and perhaps the most demanding. As with the First Hole, there is a gully to be carried with your shot into a green that slopes as sharply from back-to-front as any on the course. The temptation to shorten one’s approach shot with a big drive will bring extra bunkers into play for longer hitters. (The Third Hole runs the length of two-block Furlong Avenue, which is the western boundary of club property.)

Fourth Hole: Bon Air | Par 3

The course at Llanerch includes a fine and varied set of one-shot holes, the first of which features characteristics of the famed “Redan”, the Fifteenth Hole at North Berwick: a mid to long-iron shot that can favor both the high, soft cut and the low, running draw. As is the case with its Scottish cousin, the area short and right of the green is partially obscured by a bunkered ridge and its right-to-left slope will help feed your ball toward the hole. A pair of mean little bunkers front and right of the green ensures that this shot cannot be played loosely. (Prior to the organization of Llanerch Country Club in 1919, the club property had been occupied since 1914 by Bon Air Country Club)

Fifth Hole: Perdition | Par 5

Llanerch’s first par-three is followed by its first- and longest- par-five, a true three-shotter for most players. A mountainous pile of hummocks and pits some four hundred yards from the tee will block your view of the flag from the left side of the fairway so those hoping for a glimpse of the target risk tangling with the massive bunker on the right. Successfully clearing the second-shot hazard will leave a straightforward third, with the most challenging hole locations defended by a deep fronting hollow.

Sixth Hole: Fitzgerald | Par 4

The Sixth is a beast from the back tee… four hundred fifty yards and mostly uphill. While less intimidating from more forward tees, you will still need a solid tee shot for a good look at the flag. Hugging the inside of this gentle dogleg could knock a few yards off your second shot but also brings some sharp mounds- and bogey- into play; that said, you do not want to play too safely as most hole locations favor shots that some in from the right. Any hole cut on the front right corner will require a delicate touch to get close. (Thomas and May Fitzgerald saved the club and established it as Llanerch in 1919.)

Seventh Hole: Naylor’s Run | Par 4

Another dogleg-right, but considerably shorter than the preceding hole and downhill. The tee shot is played across a deep swale to a ridge that falls away on the far side. Good drives that catch the downslope will leave a short shot into a large green guarded in front by Naylor’s Run.

Eighth Hole: Pulborough | Par 3

Patterned after the great sixth hole at West Sussex Golf Club in Pulborough, England, this long, downhill par-three is a brute. The pond in front of the tee is easily carried but a large hillock nudges into the green from the left while a small stream lurks uncomfortably close on the right, leaving the aggressive player no option but to thread the needle with a long iron or wood. There is plenty of room to miss short for those content to hope for a chip and a putt, but the rolling two-tiered green will make you earn it.

Ninth Hole: Red Arrow | Par 5

The shortest par-five on the course starts with its tightest tee shot. A boundary runs the length of the hole on the right so those aiming to get home in two cannot be careless with their drive. If you are thinking birdie or perhaps eagle on your second shot, the string of small bunkers guarding the last fifty yards of the hole will gladly make a mess of those hopes if your approach leaks a little to the right. For those playing more conservatively, mounds and sand pinch the fairway just where you would like to lay up so think twice about how just how much progress you would like to make. The subtle contouring of this putting surface may leave you scratching your head as you walk to the next tee. (Beginning in 1898 the Red Arrow Line trolley line ran along Rt 3 from Philadelphia to West Chester until it was retired in the 1970s. Llanerch is like many other great clubs that were founded along rail and trolley lines.)