Review: Berkleigh Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time to take a look at the back nine at Berkleigh, go here if you haven't seen the front.

The back nine is 400 yards shorter than the front (though the par being 37 on the front helps) and the tenth hole certainly reflects that, being one of four sub-375 yard par 4s on the back. The most obvious feature when you step onto the tee is the big giant hump dominating the right portion of the fairway. I'd like to tell you more about how that mound affects the second shot, but I pull-hooked my drive over the trees onto the sixteenth fairway. But what I can tell you is that the second shot is a tough one, no matter where you're coming from. The green is small, tilted, and flanked by a pair of deep bunkers. Recovery from one of those is very difficult.

The tenth hole.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is 413 yards, and just like the second hole, features a blind tee shot up and over a ridge. The same stream/ditch that threatens the drives on several holes on the front nine shows up once again about 250 yards from the tee. Some will find that easy to clear, others won't. But if you lay up short, you'll have a mid iron up the hill to a green protected by a fairly large bunker to the front left.

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is actually a fair Redan replica, though definitely one of the less extreme examples. But the usual Redan strategy applies: Going for the hole directly is difficult because of the front-left bunker and the slope of the green, it's better to aim out right and draw the tee shot in. At 200 yards, the twelfth is the classic Redan length and is long enough that all but the longest golfers will be using at least a mid iron.

The twelfth hole.

The thirteenth hole is the longest par 4 at Berkleigh, playing just over 430 yards. Much like the tenth, the most obvious feature is the big hump in the fairway that, if you land your drive on the far side, can provide a big distance boost. Naturally, I decided to pull hook another drive onto a wrong fairway. I did not have a great driving day. Anyway, the ditch shows up one last time, crossing the hole about 30 yards short of the green, so it's not a big problem if you've hit the fairway. Of more concern are the four bunkers protecting the shallow green. The green is angled from left to right, so if you can approach from the left or hit a big fade, you'll have more green to work with.

The twelfth hole.

Why yes, I did take this picture from the wrong fairway.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is the lone par 5 on the back nine, and it's a pretty good one. It's not exactly short at 530 yards, but it's not hugely long, considering a fair amount can be cut off if you're aggressive with your drive. But be careful not to go too far left, there are trees and other trouble down there below the fairway. If you're laying up, be sure to actually lay up instead of fudging it and trying to get as close as you can. A swale cuts through the fairway around 50 yards from the green that will make those awkward half-swing wedges even more annoying.

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is the final and longest par 3 at Berkleigh, playing 210 yards down the hill over a pond.

The fifteenth hole.

The sixteenth hole is the first of three sub-360 yard par 4s that make up Berkleigh's closing stretch. The drive is fairly tight, threading between trees and bunkers. Not only is the fairway more open if you lay back a bit rather than blasting away with a driver, but the second shot becomes easier too. The green is protected on three sides by bunkers, including the front, and it's much easier to get a full wedge close than a half wedge without significant spin.

The sixteenth hole. I forgot to take a picture from the tee.

The seventeenth hole is just under 350 yards and runs along Route 222 to the right. Once again, this isn't a tremendously wide fairway, but if you do choose to lay up, the fairway bunker on the right will come into play. You'll want to be right as well, as the green opens up from that side. This hole also has one of the bigger and more interesting greens on the course, and it does slightly fall away. 

The seventeenth hole.

This is a good angle to approach the seventeenth green.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is the shortest par 4 at Berkleigh, playing an uphill 325 yards. There's a lot of sand in play, with eight bunkers crowding into the last 100 yards or so of the hole. Once again, you can use driver if you want, but there's really not much reward for doing so. The fairway is narrow, there's sand everywhere, and the bunker in front of the green means you have to fly your approach in anyway. This green is also pretty undulating, with a big swale running through part of it. It's an interesting finishing hole.

The eighteenth hole. Sunset pictures are usually great, except when you're heading straight into the sun.

Trust me, the green's there somewhere.

The eighteenth green.

Overall, Berkleigh Golf Club was pretty much exactly what I was expecting: A solid if unspectacular design by a lesser-known Golden Age architect. There weren't any holes that I was blown away by, but everything was reasonably compelling and there certainly weren't any bad holes. The three short 4s to finish was a bit weird, but Berkleigh's on a small property and I've certainly seen worse ways to handle a routing. I'm not entirely sure it belongs on a list of the top 10 public golf courses of Pennsylvania, but all things considered, the Golfweek raters could have definitely chosen worse.

As I mentioned before, it looks like the owners are putting money into the course, and if they wanted to perform a full restoration, they absolutely could. I don't think the course has changed much in the past 90 years, so a restoration should be fairly easy to perform and would definitely improve things. Above all else, the course could absolutely benefit from the removal of a few hundred trees. Would it suddenly become the best public course in Pennsylvania? No, but compared with Bedford Springs, which is $100 in season if you wait until after 4 PM, Berkleigh is at least good value. The most you'll pay is $59, and most prices are in between $30 and $50. Not a spectacular deal, but definitely not too bad. I'd definitely consider playing at Berkleigh again if I ever spend a significant amount of time in the area.