Review: Penn National Golf Club - Iron Forge (Part 2)

It's time to check out the back nine at Penn National's Iron Forge course, go here to see the front.

The tenth hole is a 420-yard par 4 that plays slightly uphill to a fairway tilted from right to left. There's a long line of bunkers down the left side, and a single small one right at precisely the point where you'd like to hit a safe drive. Still, it's a good aiming point if you hit a nice little draw to catch the sideslope for some extra distance. The second shot is a wedge or short iron up to a bunkerless green nestled among some low mounding.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a sprawling 540-yard par 5 with a giant fairway bunker dominating the right side of the hole. If you want to go for this green in two, you have to challenge that bunker; if you play to the left of it, the fairway runs out quite quickly to the point where driver will just go straight through. From the left side, all you can really do on your second is lay up to the wide part of the fairway just short of the pond about a hundred yard outs. Meanwhile, an aggressive drive can leave as little as a mid iron into the green. Obviously, the pond is very much a factor for those going for the green in two, but a well-placed drive ensures you won't have to carry any of it. The green itself here is on the small side and pretty heavily sloped from back to front, so playing safe and going long isn't quite the winning strategy you might think.

The eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is just 330 yards, but since it plays significantly uphill reaching the green with your tee shot isn't realistic. The hole bends left about 225-250 yards out, with a cluster of bunkers lining the corner; you can either use a long iron or fairway wood to lay up in the wide part of the fairway, leaving a full wedge into the green, or you can use a driver and try to hit a draw, keeping the ball as close to those bunkers as you can. Obviously, the first option is much safer, but you will have a worse angle, courtesy of a small bunker protecting the front right portion of the green. While the green itself doesn't exactly have tiers, it is roughly divided into three sections, so finding the right portion of the green is important.

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is 180 yards but plays much shorter, as it descends the same hill the golfer just climbed on the twelfth. There's not a whole lot to this hole; obviously you want to avoid the sprawling bunker left of the green, but beyond that, you're pretty safe. Just don't drastically overclub. The green isn't flat, but it isn't anything extraordinary either. 

The thirteenth hole.

The fourteenth hole is another shortish par 4, playing 365 yards as it once again climbs the large ridge that the previous two holes negotiated. The fairway isn't narrow, exactly, but it isn't wide either, and it's pinched in slightly by bunkers on both sides. While it will make the hole play longer, 3 wood is the best play here; it's more important to find the fairway then to gain 20 or 30 yards. Even with the conservative play, the second shot should still be a wedge. The green is pretty long and narrow, with a large bunker right.

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is a mid-length par 4 with a dramatic downhill tee shot to a wide fairway that sweeps left around a pair of bunkers. Carry those bunkers, and you'll have just a little wedge into the green from a very favorable angle. If you play more conservatively out to the right with a fairway wood, you'll have a much longer second and you'll have to carry the greenside pond (this is the last one). Plus, the green will be angled more harshly, with very little space to work with. Of course, while you don't want to miss right, bailing out left of the green isn't much better. The prospect of an awkward chip shot from a severe downhill stance with water just a few feet away from the green is not an inviting one.

The fifteenth hole.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is 200 yards and plays over a valley (the water from the previous hole sits at the bottom but doesn't come into play). Three bunkers surround the green, one front left, one front right, and one behind. The green has a significant back-to-front slope, so if you want to miss, short is the place to do it.

The sixteenth hole.

Much like the Founders course, Iron Forge has a giant par 5, though this one comes at the end of the round. The seventeenth hole is just over 600 yards, and you very much feel every bit of it, as the hole plays noticeably uphill. While the fairway is generous, there are bunkers on both sides, and the constant upslope means drives won't roll out much. A good drive will put you in position to get over the top of the hill and clear the two bunkers, bringing the green into view. From there, it's a pretty simple wedge, though the green is small and quite narrow, with two bunkers closely guarding both sides.

The seventeenth hole.

Approaching the seventeenth green.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is a mid-length par 4 that doglegs hard right around a pair of large bunkers; if you lack the distance to carry them, you have to go out right, leaving a short or mid iron into the green. But if you're a longer hitter, you can play more aggressively and potentially leave yourself as little as a three-quarter wedge for the second shot. The green is fairly narrow, with a bunker short right and another long and left. This used to be one of, if not my absolute favorite hole, simply because I was long enough to cut the dogleg and leave a really short second shot. It's definitely not a bad hole, but I don't think I hold it in such high esteem anymore.

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

My thoughts on the last hole really sum up my general thoughts about Iron Forge . I used to love this course, and I'll always have those fond memories to look back on. And to be clear, this is a good golf course. It's fairly interesting, the greens are generally fairly solid, and it's tough while remaining pretty user-friendly. I certainly like this course more than its older, more traditional parkland brother. Ultimately though. it's just a fairly good golf course. There's nothing great or revolutionary here, and the course doesn't really ever fully commit to the links-style bit, leaving its identity a bit muddled.

Obviously, when it comes to value and price, Iron Forge is the same as Founders, but I'd be much happier playing here again since I do like this course more. I would choose to play Iron Forge again. You would have to convince me to play Founders. It also seems to be less busy, which is a definite plus in Iron Forge's favor. And back in the day, I would have said Iron Forge is also nicer to look at, but nowadays the fairways are lined with obnoxious houses, so that kind of goes out the window. At least the course is walkable, as the houses did come after the course was built.

Overall then, I would call Iron Forge a solid choice for any golfer in the area, and honestly, in terms of public golf it's the best course around. You need to go to Frederick (or to Bedford Springs) to find anything I'd call definitively better than this, and that's an hour from Penn National. And sometimes that's all you can really ask for.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Kaiju

The brewery: Thick-N-Thin Brewing Company, Hagerstown, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "Light, refreshing, lager brewed with yuzu juice and rice."

Would I buy it again? It's a short, pithy description, which is honestly all it needs to be. This beer is pretty much what it says. Easy to drink, pleasant, it's a fine lager. And since this is now my local brewery, I definitely anticipate buying more of this in the future.

Review: Penn National Golf Club - Iron Forge (Part 1)

For 30 years, Penn National operated as a one-course business, but in the mid-90s that changed with the Iron Forge course. Designed by Bill Love (no relation to Davis Love), who also did Dauphin Highlands, Iron Forge is much wider and far more open than its older sibling. You know, the old "links-style" course that isn't actually a links in any way. One of those kinds of courses.

I make fun, but this round was actually pretty exciting for me. You see, back in the old days, before I started doing this whole golf course review thing, if you'd asked me what my favorite golf course was, I would have said this one. It suited my eye very well, and I had fun playing it. Naturally, having played over a hundred golf courses since 2017, Iron Forge has slipped precipitously in my overall rankings. Coming back to it after gaining so much experience in the ways of golf course criticism raises the obvious question: Does Iron Forge hold up in any way as a good golf course? Or was the young version of me just happy to play a course where I could hit driver all over the place and not have to hit a million punch shots underneath trees?   

The first hole kicks things off with a shortish 530-yard par 5. The tee shot is blind, but the fairway and playing corridor are quite wide and absent any real hazards. There are a pair of staggered fairway bunkers about 150 and 100 yards out from the green to give lay-up shots something to think about, but it's not until you get to the green that the hole presents any real challenge. This green is quite small, smaller than any over at Founders, and it's sloped very hard from back to front. It's also got three bunkers around it, with the bunker right being the one to especially avoid. Go in there, and you'll have very little space to work with, and the green you do get slopes away from you. Still, even with the well-defended green, this is still a reasonable birdie opportunity.

The first hole.

The first green.

The second hole is the longest par 4 on the course, playing 460 yards. That said, all it really has going for it is the length; there are no bunkers and the land it traverses isn't particularly interesting. The drive is a bit uphill and the second fall gently back down. The fairway is again quite wide, and with no hazards or bunkers, there's no strategy other than hitting the ball as far as you can. The green isn't even anything to write home about. The second is just kind of boring.

The second hole.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is 215 yards, which is made even longer as the hole plays consistently uphill. The best play here is a gentle fade around the big front-right bunker; the green slopes from left to right, so a fade that lands short of the green (or just on) will roll out toward the flag quite nicely. 

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole is 420 yards, with the tee shot playing downhill to a fairway pinched at the landing area by two bunkers. The left bunker is very large and definitely the more threatening of the two. Using 3 wood gives you more space, but will leave you with a mid iron back up the hill to a partially obscured green. That said, it is completely open in front; the three greenside bunkers are all off to the right. That said, a hooked second will hit a moderate sideslope left of the green and bounce pretty far away, leaving a tricky chip off a tight lie. Not every hole at Iron Forge is amenable to a running approach, but at least this one is.

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is a shortish 380-yard par 4 and the most interesting hole so far. The fairway is well guarded by four bunkers, two right and two left, beyond the fairway of this dogleg right. On the tee, there are two options: lay up out to the left, short of the left-hand bunkers, leaving a full wedge or short iron into the green, or challenge the right-side bunkers with a driver, taking the left-hand bunkers mostly out of play. Doing this will leave just a pitch into the green, but since this green is not large, slightly crowned, and has a large bunker front right, you won't have a great angle to attack the flag. It can be done, of course, but the margin for error is small. The green opens up much more if you come at it from the left, but you'll be 50 yards farther back, and that isn't nothing. The lay-up is probably the smarter choice, but I don't think either is definitively better or worse than the other.

The fifth hole.

Approaching the fifth green.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole has no business being on a links-style course. Nothing says Scottish links quite like a forced carry over a pond. It's kind of a shame too, because I like the green here; it's long and thin, and has plenty of little undulations to it. Hitting the green is far from a guarantee of making par if you find the wrong portion. I don't necessarily think it's a bad hole, just out of place.

The sixth hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is a 540-yard par 5 with a tee shot that's fairly similar to the first, in that the landing area is blind and wide open. The fairway bunker visible on the tee is easily carried by even a mildly competent shot. The rest of the hole, fortunately, is more interesting; a line of bunkers crossing the fairway diagonally from 150 to 100 yards out from the green is of immediate concern to golfers who have hit poor tee shots or are looking to lay up. For golfers who can get a bit closer in two, the big issue is the massive bunker dominating the left side of the green and stretching back nearly 50 yards down the fairway. It makes any shot from the right side awkward, and considering the fairway slopes significantly from left to right, a lot of shots end up on that right side. You really do need to stay left if you want to hit your third aggressively at the hole. The green here is medium sized but pretty heavily sloped from back to front, with a noticeable shelf at the back.

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is a mid-length par 4 with a drive over a pond (ugh). At least this pond is mildly strategic; the more you carry, the shorter your second shot. Carry the pond fully, and you'll have a wedge or short iron up the hill to a long, narrow green with three bunkers right. Play more safely, and that short iron quickly becomes a long iron, so it is worth the risk, at least in my opinion. 

The eighth hole.

Approaching the eighth green.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole starts off at the farthest point from the "clubhouse" – technically Iron Forge has no clubhouse, with the main Penn National clubhouse all the way back at Founders, though there is a small parking lot by the first tee for the few people who don't take their carts out here – so at least Iron Forge got the out-and-back routing right. The drive here on this mid-length par 4 is steeply downhill and quite a lot of fun, but while it's tempting to just blast away, you're better off favoring the far right side of the fairway. That lengthens the hole slightly, but it does give you a better view of the green, which is angled from right to left and is protected by a large bunker front left. Also, missing the fairway left can give you tree trouble, making this one of the few places where that's really the case.

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green.

The ninth green.

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

Beer of the Week

The beer: Bourbon County Original Stout (2024)

The brewery: Goose Island Beer Company, Chicago, Illinois

Description (from the website): "After crafting the very first bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout, we've learned that to have the best beer, you start with the best possible ingredients. Barrels are such an important ingredient and we continue to use only the best our friends on the bourbon trail have to offer. 2024 Bourbon County Brand Original Stout is aged in a mix of freshly emptied bourbon barrels from Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, Four Roses and Wild Turkey distilleries. Barrel-aged for an average of 12 months, Bourbon County Original Stout boasts deeply developed flavors of fudge, vanilla and caramelized sugar with a rich, decadent mouthfeel."

Would I buy it again? This is an interesting question, because come on, of course this beer is going to be amazing. Goose Island was the first brewery to do bourbon barrel–aged beer; they've got over 20 years of experience doing it. It's a sweet, chocolatey, thick stout that is a pleasure to drink from start to finish. However, it's $25 for a bottle, and this isn't a big bottle. $25 for a pint of beer, even one as excellent and as strong as this one, is an awful lot to ask. 

And you know what? I do think it's good enough to justify the price tag. Not regularly, of course not. But one a year, or once every couple years? Sure, I don't think that's unreasonable. This is a very, very good beer.

Beer of the Week

The beer: S'morter

The brewery: Funk Brewing Company and Illumination Brewing, Slatington, Pennsylvania

Description (from the Illumination Brewing website): "Dark beer season is here! Nothing beats the smell of the brewhouse on S’morter brew day as layers of toasted, caramel, honey and chocolate malts are accentuated with an infusion of cocoa and a dash of vanilla and spice. Very dark in color but not quite jet black; when held up to the light a deep mahogany red hue is revealed. Since this is a porter and not a stout, the body and finish are lighter than you might expect. The aroma and first sip are dominated by bright notes of roasted cocoa and honey that transition into toasted cracker and spice. As S’morter lingers on the palate creamy marshmallow becomes apparent and finishes with the perfect touch of smoky char. The sweetness is subdued and there is a solid bittering hop addition to keep things balanced and highly inviting and drinkable. The S’more the Merrier!"

Would I buy it again? I'm not entirely convinced by this one. The chocolate is there, but it's lacking any real breadiness or marshmallow flavor. Also, it feels a bit thin and lacking in heft. It's black and dark, but not thick, and that's just not what I want from a beer like this. I'd probably pass on this in the future.

Review: Penn National Golf Club - Founders (Part 2)

It's time to take a look at the back nine at Penn National's Founders course, go here to see the front.

The tenth hole is the shortest of the par 5s at Founders, playing an entire three yards shorter than the second. The fairway here is narrow, threaded between two bunkers left and one right (and of course, the omnipresent trees on both sides). While the hole does bend slightly right, you're better off favoring the far side of the fairway; while this obviously lengthens the hole slightly, it does give you a slight angle at the green, which has two bunkers covering much of the front. The green's also slightly elevated, which makes hitting it in two even more unlikely. The best play on the second is to aim a bit left and try to leave a short pitch up the spine of the green, taking the greenside bunkers out of play.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a mid-length par 4 that plays slightly downhill as it doglegs left between fairway bunkers. Trees crowd in quite a bit, with the left-hand trees being particularly dense (there's also housing over there, so the dense trees make sense). Naturally, you'll be drawn out to the right, but the fairway turns earlier than you think, making it very easy to hit through this fairway entirely. A solid 3 wood is all you need, and will leave a wedge or short iron down the hill to a large, undulating green with two bunkers left, one bunker short right, and a steep falloff behind.

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is another mid-length par 4, although this one plays significantly uphill (a lot more than you think). The landing area here is the most well bunkered on the course, with six threatening the drive (three on each side). A 3 wood or long iron will keep you short of them, but it'll also leave you with a fairly long club on the second shot. The green here is also very well bunkered, with three left and two right. This hole doesn't look too difficult on the tee shot, but for me anyway, this has always been one I've struggled to get around.

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is not tremendously long at 180 yards and it plays slightly downhill. The key here is simple: don't miss long. Going over this green is a one-way ticket to making a big number. Short is fine, the two flanking bunkers are fine, just don't go long. The green is long and narrow, and contains the usual broad undulations that the other greens at Founders has.

The thirteenth hole.

For thirteen holes, the Founders course has presented a stern but generally fair challenge. The epitome of tough but not annoying golf. But for whatever reason, that gets thrown out the window for a single hole here at the fourteenth, which is just plain stupid. 

It's a classic case of poor routing, as the fourteenth hole, a 550-yard par 5, is pressed hard against the northern corner of the property, with the fairway only proceeding about 225 yards before turning hard right. And it's not like you can cut the dogleg, thanks to some very large trees in the corner. Maybe I'm the odd one out here, but I don't enjoy having to use a long iron off the tee on any par 5, especially one this long.

After the lay-up on the tee shot, the second plays downhill to a fairly wide playing corridor with a couple of bunkers vaguely in play. Really though, all you have to do is advance the ball. That will leave a wedge up to an incredibly shallow green with two small bunker directly in front (and most likely right between you and the hole). Not much room for running an approach up on this green.

The weird thing is, this routing error is entirely unforced; the thirteenth is directly in line with the drive on this hole, it could easily have been extended into a long par 4 with a green up close to the property line. That would make the fourteenth a long but dramatic downhill par 3. Yeah, it wouldn't be a par 72 after that, but ... ah, I see the problem now. Couldn't possibly do anything other than a par 72, that would be far too radical.

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is a much more traditional hole, playing 365 yards to a narrow fairway. No bunkers as the landing area is basically blind, but the trees really crowd in on this one, with very little buffer space between the fairway and the foliage. Since the hole is pretty short, a fairway wood or long iron is a smart choice. You'll still have just a wedge or short iron into this green, which is one of the more interesting on the course. Nothing really stand-out, just sharper, more defined slopes and bumps.

The fifteenth hole.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is a long par 4, playing 460 yards. The fairway is quite wide, at least initially, but as you get further, water creeps in from the left. It wouldn't be so bad, but an overhanging pine close to the tee basically forces you to aim at the pond; if you can hit a fade, that is a big advantage. A good drive will leave a mid to long iron to a very well-bunkered green. Oh, and there's water left and long as well, can't forget about that. The green is pretty big, but overall, this is pretty clearly one of, if not the toughest hole on the course, competing with the eighth for that honor. 

The sixteenth hole.

Approaching the sixteenth green.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is 180 yards, with about 80% of that playing over water. Funny enough, the water really doesn't come into play unless you hit a really, really bad shot; it's really just there for show. The two bunkers short left are more of an issue, but since this green is very large, the seventeenth, despite all appearances, is quite possibly the easiest on the course.

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is a mid-length par 4 that closes the round off in typically stern if unspectacular fashion. The fairway slopes pretty significantly from right to left, falling off toward a pair of fairway bunkers. Despite those bunkers, left is easily the better miss, as there are no overhanging trees on that side. The second shot is slightly uphill to a mid-sized green with bunkers left and right (and also a tiny bunker long for no particular reason). 

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

The weird fourteenth aside, the Founders course is the epitome of the design philosophy "tough but fair." Water only comes into play on a couple holes, there's no tall grass or native areas to lose golf balls in, and the O.B. is generally well away from the direct line of play. Miss a fairway and you should find your golf ball. The greens don't lack interest, but neither are they too extreme. There are no (or very few) easy holes. The course is completely forthright about what it wants you to do, and punishes you accordingly for failing to execute.

Of course, while Founders rarely does anything stupid or annoying, it also doesn't do anything particularly interesting. You won't find anything quirky or fun on this course; it has no sense of humor. What you see is absolutely what you get. And while it certainly is a challenging-enough golf course, I don't think it's one anyone would fall in love with. It's too distant, too stern, too boring. It's in decent shape and the price is also reasonable (so long as you don't play on a weekend morning), so if that's all that matters to you, then by all means, don't let me stop you. But for me, personally, I want a bit more joy from the golf courses I play. Founders is not the course for me, and while I wouldn't say no to a round here, if I never play it again, I'd be okay with that.