Review: Galen Hall Golf Club (Part 1)

Some golf courses have more history than others, and while Galen Hall may not be the most historically notable course in the world, it's not exactly lacking for it. The course has certainly seen its share of changes in its more than a century of existence. The initial 9 holes at the course, located in the hills west of Reading, Pennsylvania, was laid out in 1910 by Alex Findlay, of which 8 holes still currently exist. A few years later A.W. Tillinghast expanded the course to 18 holes, with one of the new holes potentially being the oldest island green still in existence. Then in the 1950s, the course acquired a bit of new property and William and David Gordon added the current ninth, tenth, and eleventh holes.

Though the involvement of A.W. Tillinghast was enough to get my interest, I'd seen some interesting things online about the course over the years (not including this article on GOLF.com that came out more than a month after my brothers and I played the course). So I've wanted to play it for a while, and the involvement of Mr. Winged Foot, Bethpage, Baltusrol, and so on certainly makes this course something any golf course design aficionado would want to seek out. So was it worth the 2-plus hour drive? Let's find out.

The first hole is a short par 4 falling downhill over bumpy terrain. There's O.B. in the form of a road to the left, and there's a few fairway bunkers right that come into play if you choose to bail out away from the road with something less than a driver. Regardless of whether you use a driver to get close to the green or lay back, the second shot is to a green tilted severely from left to right. And this isn't a big green either; in fact, it's really pretty small. So it's not a tough opener, but the green ensures that it's no pushover.

The first hole.

Most of the greens at Galen Hall look like this: small and very tilted.

The first green.

The second hole is one of the most unique holes I've ever seen. It's a par 5, and a short one at 480 yards. It doesn't look like much from the tee, but that's because the hole is mostly blind from the tee. The first 150 yards go straight up a hill, but if you're wondering where to aim, I'd strongly recommend going down the right side; the trees will block out attempts to go for the green in two if you go left. Things get much more interesting once you get over the hill, as the hole tumbles down the hill, bending left the entire way. The drop from the top of the hill to the green is about 150 feet, so you can hit some big drives on this hole. Another feature to note: There's a road that crosses the fairway about 225 yards from the tee. I'm sure it's not heavily traveled, but the fact that it's in play from the tee and is also blind from the tee is very strange, and a good giveaway that this course is old. Assuming you've hit a solid drive down the right, you'll be left with a mid iron (or maybe less) with the ball way below your feet. No flat lies on this hole. The green is bunkerless but it follows the slope of the hole, so it can be tough getting it to stop on the green. The second is almost certainly a unique hole in the world of golf; I know I've never seen anything like it. It's probably good that it hasn't been repeated, but I'm glad that it exists here, and it's probably the best hole at Galen Hall.

Not much to see on the second tee.

That changes once you crest the hill.

The second green.

Looking back at the big hill the second hole tumbles down.

The third hole is a fairly short par 4, playing 365 yards slightly downhill. You may be tempted to go with the driver to get as close to the green as possible, but I wouldn't recommend it. For one thing, there's O.B. left in the form of a road, and the fairway narrows the closer you get to the green. Also, the same road that crosses the second fairway crosses this hole near the green, and since the hole is so short, a long drive could reach it. The green is sloped away at the front and sloped toward at the back and is guarded by three bunkers left and right.

The third hole.

Approaching the third green. You really can't see the road until you're almost on top of it.

The third green.

The fourth hole is a fairly long par 3 at just under 200 yards, but since it plays downhill to the lowest point on the golf course, it's effectively a bit shorter. But this is an extremely difficult hole. The green isn't very big, there's O.B. left, and a stream right and short. To be perfectly honest, the smartest play is to lay up on the fairway short of the stream, then chip on and try to make par that way. At worst, you'll make a bogey. But that's lame. Sure you might make a double or worse, but it's so much more fun to launch a mid or long iron at this green.

The fourth hole. Surprisingly, this is not the toughest par 3 at Galen Hall.

The fifth hole is a short par 4 that ordinarily might be almost drivable, since it's only 325 yards, but it does play uphill, with the last 60-70 yards going basically straight up. So unless you can carry it the whole way, driving the green is probably out. You can try to get as close as you can, but you'll leave yourself a little half wedge up to a small and very elevated green. And good luck getting a shot like that to stop anywhere close to the hole. While I don't think I'd advocate laying so far back as to end up on the flat portion of the fairway, which runs out no more than 200 yards from the tee, I do think it's best to be far enough back so that you have a full wedge into the green. Height and spin are important for getting close to the flag.

The fifth hole.

Approaching the fifth green.

The fifth green from the sixth tee.

The sixth hole is a 480 yard par 5 that drops down from the tee, then goes gently back uphill. There are four bunkers scattered along the hole, which is a bit weird because, for most of the hole's history, it was bunkerless. I found a Google Earth image of the course from 2012, and there was no sand. So the bunkers are very new. While I don't think they take away from the hole, I'm not entirely sure how much value they add. They're not exactly placed in areas where many golf balls would be ending up. The one on the right might catch a few good drives, but the other three are more threatening to higher-handicap players who can't hit the ball as far. Anyway, if you've hit a decent drive, the green is very reachable and there are no bunkers around it. The green is on the big side for Galen Hall, but it's got plenty of slope, so two putting is no guarantee.

The sixth hole.

Approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is the shortest hole at Galen Hall, playing all of 135 yards. It is a bit uphill and the tee shot is semiblind, but still, this isn't a long hole. But it doesn't need length when you see the green. Now, that may be a bit of a challenge, because the seventh green is nearly microscopic. It slopes sharply from right to left, and there are bunkers left and long. To be honest, the bunkers aren't a bad place to miss because at least the green is angled toward you. Miss right and you'll be left with a nearly impossible chip shot. This is a good short par 3 -- tough if you miss the green, but it's okay because all golfers have a fair chance at hitting the green.

The seventh hole is semiblind.

There are small greens, and then there's the seventh green.

The eighth hole is the third par 5 on the front nine (the par is 37), and while this is technically the longest of the three, the 500 yards is mitigated somewhat by the steeply downhill tee shot. You definitely won't want to miss right, because you'll be blocked out by trees. Those trees make the fairway bunker a bit redundant (it also seems to be a new addition), but I suppose it doesn't hurt anything being there. The green is completely reachable in two, but the green is closely guarded by three bunkers, so precision is necessary.

The eighth hole.

Approaching the eighth green.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is 410 yards, which means that, if you play the fourteenth hole (we'll get to it) as a par 5, this is the only par 4 at Galen Hall over 400 yards. Hey, the course is only 6,200 yards after all. You'll notice right away that the hole is straight, but tilted. There are no flat lies to be found on the ninth; when you hit your second shot the ball will always be above your feet (or below for the lefties). The green is protected by a couple bunkers left and right, and while this hole is newer and the green is a bit less extreme, it's still not easy to putt. It definitely fits in with the rest of the course.

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green.

The ninth green.

That's it for this week, we'll take a look at the back nine next week.