Yardley CC (private)
Yardley, PA (near New Hope PA & across the river from Trenton NJ)
1929, Fred Findlay (brother of Alex Findlay)
Back Tees 6360 70.5 124 72
Middle Tees 6114 69.3 123 72
From PA Tpke:
PA Tpke to exit 351 (Phila)
Rt 1 N for about 5 mi. to 95N
Take I-95 N to exit 51
Bear R off ramp
Follow Main St. 1.5 mi to Reading Ave.
Make R onto Reading (Septa station is on left)
Follow Reading Ave 1/2 mi. to entrance on R
Per my buddy Gordon, a former member here: YCC is a less challenging, narrower version of Riverton CC (a private NJ Donald Ross design) with some of the Ross elevated green touches (Yardley is not a Ross design, however). It's only 6,200 yards so big hitters can have a field day if you are straight.
Per my buddy Mike S., a current member here: Yardley is an old school style course, nothing too fancy, and not long (6200-6400 from the tips) but you need to keep it in play. The greens can be very quick, and depending on pin locations you can stare at some scary, insane putts. There's a practice tee, chipping green, and putting green.
Fat Guy Review, 2007: A quick read of The Centennial Tribute To Golf In Philadelphia revealed that Yardley CC was started back in the late 1920's by a local business man golfer who used to walk his dog on this former farm, and couldn't help but to imagine golf holes on the rolling terrain. Within only a couple of years, the club had become prominent enough with Trenton area society that an exhibition match was staged in 1930, where the Yardley pro and his assistant took on Gene Sarazen and Jimmy Farrell, the 1928 U.S. Open champion. Local knowledge didn't help the Yardley pros much, as Sarazen and Farrell won the better ball match handily with a combined score of 68.
I really liked this little course. Yardley is a fun, very playable track with just enough challenges to keep it interesting, but not tough enough to get you pissed off. The semi-generous fairways feature a few tree-lined tee chutes that will challenge those who can't hit a straight ball (like me). The small, well-bunkered greens are the main defense, as I was largely hitting Driver-9 iron on the par-4s, which average about 365-385 from the Whites. Good conditions, save for a few inconsistent bunkers which were in the process of being rehabed. The 'new' bunkers require a full hack to get out of the soft, heavy sand they added. The undulating greens rolled very true. The driveable par-4 16th is a great hole, with a wide creek fronting the green, begging you to go for it.
While I wouldn't call Yardley gimmicky, there were a few holes I didn't love, particularly the severe uphill par-3 17th at 200 yards to a semi-blind pin. I also didn't love the short dogleg 1st taking the driver out of your hands on your first swing, and the 14th was a carbon copy of the admittedly strong 12th. Don't get me wrong, they're all good holes that could just be a bit better, and the remaining 15 holes are a nice test of golf. Walkable, good use of the creek that meanders through the back 9, enough O.B. to make you nervous on a couple holes, hard rolling fairways, reasonable rough, and the fast, sloped greens will leave you enough 5-8 foot sidehillers and come-backers that you'd better be putting well. Seriously cute beer cart girl, although she was probably too young for me to be gawking at. Oops. Nice locker room, nice but shortish driving range. Rating: 8.25
Where To Booze and Grub Nearby: The grill room served a cold beer, and Berks hotdogs, my personal favorite. Meatball subs and Palmers seemed to be the specialty of the house. However, they were out of Lager draft, which is always a no-no in these parts. Full dining room upstairs. The nearby town of Yardley is a quaint little gingerbread Main Street with a few restaurants that looked worth exploring. Also a few chain restaurants back at the intersection of Route 1 and the PA Turnpike. In nearby Newtown, hit the Green Parrot (www.greenparrotrestaurantandpub.com) for a classy room perfect for everything from watching the game to a great business dinner. The pub features exposed brick walls, plenty of plasmas, and great cocktails, while the restaurant menu scales up nicely from burgers and wood-oven pizza to jambalaya and mako shark with a backdrop of a cozy brick fireplace.
Golfcourse.com Review: This course was built on mostly flat terrain, but some mounding can cause uneven lies. The fairways are fairly tight on most holes, and the greens are medium-sized and slightly undulating. In addition, water hazards come into play on 3 holes.
Avg Golfcourse.com Player Review: 4.4/5.0 "Best private club I've played, and I play alot . . . conditions not on par with other private clubs in the area, some publics are in better shape . . . traditional layout, strong test of golf . . . fun to play, tests your short game, small greens and tight bunkering, good walking course . . . very hilly, nice conditions, lots of water on the back . . . gimmicky layout, members course, tough on guests due to blind shots/layups."