Ingleside GC
Thorndale, PA
1958, Unknown designer
Back Tees 5106, 64.2, 111, 68
Directions: Rt. 30 Bypass to Thorndale Exit Rt 340
L @ 340, right @ 1st light, and make a right onto GO Carlson Blvd, couple stop signs then R onto N Bailey Rd, entrance is 1st L
'06 Fees: $48 Wknd Ride, $36 Walk (anytime), 11:00-15:00 $44 ride, 15:00-1800 $32 ride
$41 Wkdy Ride, 15:00-18:00 $25, Walk after 18:00 $15
Fat Guy Review: Short course, par 68, in decent condition and despite it's lack of yardage, there are some tough aspects to this course making it a fairly tough little track. I live nearby so this is my "cheap-quickie-round" haunt. A couple of the par-3s play very difficult with shallow, hard-to-hold greens surrounded by bunkers and banks of fescue. #10 is a fun severe downhill 110-yard half-wedge punch-and-hope hole. Most of the par 4's are rinky dink (285-385 yards), a few are almost drivable. Lots of well-placed "strategy" fairway sand traps keep some of the short par 4's interesting. The bunkers are Tillinghast-like with rough edges and frog hair, giving Ingleside somewhat of a miniature Bethpage Black feel. Fast, hard-sloping greens drain well but can leave you facing a few ridiculous, putt-off-the-green-twice, 4-jack pin placements. Pace of play varies from 3.75-6 hours, but usually isn't bad if you get out early. Not impossible to walk, but there are 3 pretty good hills on it. At $48 Weekend Ride in high season, I'd call it just slightly overpriced. Overall, it's not a bad track to save a little money in the golfing budget, but if you're liquid this week I'd recommend nearby Downingtown instead for another $31 at the walking rate. Rating: 6.5
Best Bar Nearby: Ruffini's (1 min. away @ 43 N. Bailey) is a good spot for wings and beer. Sit at the bar, order your wings "Chernobyl", and get a salad with the outstanding house dressing. Lounge has a pool table, Blues acts Fri & Sat nights, and Comedy "Loft" Sat nights. I'd stay away from the dining room and their "just OK" mid-scale Italian menu, due to the bad service and semi-cheesy atmosphere. OR head out Bus 30E to the edge of Downingtown for The Hotel Sports Bar, a spacious new neighborhood kinda joint with smallish plasmas and a pool table. OR hit Georgio's Limelight Lounge, a little further on Bus 30E in Downingtown proper. Full menu restaurant w/ seperate bar area for free popcorn with multiple/big screen TV's, great for sports-watching. Georgio's wings are very tasty in a tangy, tamer sauce, or try the fried ravioli or the house-specialty gyros. $12 Prime Rib special Fri and Sat, $9 BBQ ribs Wed.
Where To Grub: Self-serve snack bar on premisis sells Berks 'dogs (Fat Guy's Best 'Dog On The Planet). Looking to grab dinner for the family on your way home? Hit nearby Fatt Cat BBQ & Crab Cakes (57 N Bailey, 610-380-4470, take-out only).
OR take 30E then left on N. Bailey to The Thorndale Inn. On weekends the bar is full of locals and smoky, but the dining room is fine, with a nice upper-mid-scale menu laden with beef, seafood, and Italian dishes. Try the house specialty, crab imperial. There's also an Applebees right out on Rt. 30.
After those local choices, it's pretty much all pizza, fast food, and chains from there. For a more reasonable check, head out Bus. 30E for my favorite local pizza at Bravo; or if you're hankerin' for beer AND pizza, you might try Coppa 82 Pizza Bar a little further out Bus 30E. Their bar is also full of locals and smoky, and the dining room decor is Early-Paneled-Family-Restaurant, but the pizza and the red-sauce pastas are very solid. Order the house specialty drink called The Northern Territories. Stay away from the wings, they're hot but they're grilled, not deep fried, underdone and fatty.
Golfcourse.com Review: This course's terrain is predominantly flat, but there is one hill nicknamed "Cardiac Hill" which will leave you with some real interesting lies. This extremely unique and challenging course has water hazards or sand bunkers coming into play on every hole. The greens are sloped and well manicured. Several holes on this course were re-constructed in '97.
Golfcourse.com Player Rating avg: 2.8/5.0. Most complained about slow play (6 hour rounds) and being overpriced.