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.