Review: Macoby Run Golf Course (Part 1)

Philadelphia is a great golf city. This is an irrefutable fact. However, accessing those golf courses can be a problem. Most of the good courses are private. And when it comes to public golf, most courses limit the ability of singles to make tee times. Either you need two people or you have to tag along with a previously established group. (I suppose you can also call the course, but this is 2026, nobody calls places anymore!) 

This brings us to Macoby Run, a relatively isolated golf course in the rural hinterlands between Philadelphia and Allentown to the north. It is the epitome of unpretentious golf: built on a family farm, designed by a random landscape architect from South Carolina, and possessed of a mere five bunkers. More importantly, on a pleasant Sunday afternoon it was fairly wide open and allowed singles to make tee times. Plus, from the pictures I saw it looked like it was built on some decently interesting land, so at the very least I figured it wouldn't be a complete snooze. 

The first hole is 410 yards and plays to a blind plateau fairway well above the tee. It's wide open for the most part, but while the fairway has a moderate left-to-right tilt, that tilt becomes quite severe left of the fairway. A good drive will leave a wedge or short iron slightly downhill to a medium-sized green with a single bunker front-right and a big dropoff behind.

The first hole.

The first green.

The second hole is a fairly short par 4 at 330 yards, made even shorter by the dramatically downhill tee shot. Technically water is in play, but so long as you can carry your tee shot a hundred yards, you'll be okay. The green here is like the first — medium sized and relatively undramatic, though not devoid of contours and bumps — and is bunkerless, so getting up and down isn't too big and ask.

The second hole.

The second green.

The third hole is a fairly short par 5 at 480 yards and definitely reachable with two good shots, but you have to be mindful on the tee shot of the very narrow gap in the trees that the fairway threads between right where a driver will end up. End up in the wrong place, and you'll likely be forced to lay up short of Macoby Creek, which cuts across the fairway about 150 yards from the green. If you've found the fairway, the second shot is steeply uphill to a medium-sized, two-tiered green. 

The third hole.

Approaching the third green.

The third green.

The fourth hole is 140 yards and plays dramatically downhill, making it one of two short downhill par 3s at Macoby Run. Always nice to come across. This is the more interesting of the two, made so by the green, which is tilted quite severely from back to front. There's also a pair of small knobs, one left and one right, to further complicate the green. Obviously, hitting the green isn't a huge challenge, but holding it? That's a bit trickier, and two putting is very far from guaranteed here. There's a lot of break to putts on this green. This is probably the best hole on the course.

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is 355 yards and plays uphill to a fairway that turns sharply to the left about 250 yards out. You could hit driver if you want, but unless you've got a big draw on command, a fairway wood or even long iron is really all you need. The second shot is slightly downhill to a green angled from left to right, which means you're better off favoring the left side. It's funny; there is a bunker next to this green, but it's barely a consideration, which really makes you wonder why it's there at all.

The fifth hole.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is another short par 5, playing just over 470 yards, but like the third, trees present an issue. This hole turns sharply to the right about 200 yards out, with some trees guarding the corner. If you want to hit driver, you need to challenge those trees in some way, otherwise you'll going 50 yards through the fairway. Do that with either a big cut or by going over, and the green is reachable in two. There are no bunkers on this hole, but the green is very long and has plenty of slope to it. It's very easy to find the wrong part of the green, and that can lead to three putts.

The sixth hole. 

Approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is 335 yards and is probably the easiest hole on the front nine. Other than a few overhanging branches coming in from the left near the tee box, there's almost no challenge to the drive. The fairway is wide and there are no hazards. A good drive will leave you with just a little wedge (if that) to a relatively simple green.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is 390 yards, but plays a bit longer since it heads uphill the entire way. OB lines the right side, which you obviously want to avoid. The second shot is uphill and mostly blind. The green here is a bit smaller than some others and has some decent undulation to it, but otherwise this is also a pretty simple hole. 

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is 235 yards, and while that distance is somewhat mitigated by the steeply downhill tee shot, both times I've played Macoby Run the hole has played into the wind. This is very much a fairway wood for most golfers. The green, while large, is quite undulating and split into multiple sections, so even if you do find the green, par is far from guaranteed. The open nature of the green does mean that recovering is pretty easy, so while you have to work for par, bogey is pretty easy. Considering there's likely a fair number of people who need driver on this hole, four is hardly a bad score.

The ninth hole.

That's it for this week, next week we'll check out the back nine.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Horror Fest

The brewery: New Ridge Brewing Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Description (adapted from an Instagram post): Horror Fest was blended with some London Porter and this year's Festbier, conditioned on vanilla beans and pumpkin pie spice. It's reeaaal goob. (Their word, not mine.)

Would I buy it again? New Ridge remains closed to the public after the January fire at their brewery, but they are still making beer somewhere, and have been the exclusive brewery of choice at any and all community event in the northwestern Philadelphia area. So, while at the local Oktoberfest, I couldn't resist trying their pumpkin ale. And it was great. Lots of good pumpkin flavor, enhanced by the vanilla, and properly malty. Supposedly they're due to open the brewery back up in January next year, which I can't wait for. Every beer I've had from them has been quite good and worth having again.

Movie Review: "Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender"

Avatar: The Last Airbender is inarguably one of the best animated TV shows of all time. Its themes are universal, it tackles subjects that can appeal to both kids and adults, it looks fantastic, and it's honestly really funny. There's a reason it remains so beloved nearly 20 years after the last episode aired. Avatar is more than just another cartoon. It matters. 

Ever since Avatar ended in 2008, we've seen multiple attempts to recatch the show's lightning-in-a-bottle success. A live-action movie. A sequel animated show. A Netflix live-action reimagining of the original. The less said about the Shyamalan movie, the better, and while the Netflix show is certainly more successful, I also found it lacking. The Legend of Korra was good, occasionally even great, but very few people would claim it's better than the original.

Importantly, none of these projects answered the question fans of Avatar have been asking since the show ended: What happened next to all of these great character that we fell in love with? How did their story continue? Finally, we have an answer in the form of Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, an animated movie created by Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, the original creators of Avatar. 

Spoilers to follow, so if you want to watch the movie with open eyes and without prior influence, stop reading now.

Courtesy Paramount

I think this is actually a pretty unpopular opinion, given the 99% audience score the movie has on Rotten Tomatoes (IMDb has it at a more modest 7.7/10), but I found Avatar Aang to be an aggressively mediocre film. It's 90 minutes of exposition and action sequences, possessed of absolutely none of the charm, humor, or heart of the original. Does it look good? Sure, but even that comes with a caveat; all the weight and groundedness of bending that the original displayed (and even Korra hewed to) is cast aside in favor of rapid-fire beams and explosions. The final battle looked more like an episode of Dragonball Z than Avatar; arms are waved and cool-looking beams come out. Don't get me wrong, bending is and always was clearly magical, but in Avatar, it felt like part of the world. In Avatar Aang, that verisimilitude is lost.

I'm starting to rant here, so let's take a step back and tackle the issues one by one.

First and foremost was the characterization, or lack thereof. While Avatar has a compelling plot and does some interesting things — especially considering it was a kid's show — ultimately it is a pretty straightforward hero's journey. Aang starts off as a modest, reluctant kid, terrified of a power he didn't want, and saves the world from the evil Fire Lord. Not complicated at all. No, it's the characters that make the show. Video essays are still being published about Zuko's redemption arc, and people will likely be invoking Iroh's advice for years to come. Even someone as bold, brash, and simple on paper as Toph becomes a complicated, layered character.

The movie has none of this. It is understandable that a 90-minute movie fails to capture the character nuances from a 60-episode TV show, but so many of the Gaang are just nothing. Katara is fine, I guess, but Zuko gets like seven lines, Sokka is pure comic relief, and Toph spends half the movie thirsting after Tagah, the airbender Aang eventually finds frozen in ice. I don't want to go down the rabbit hole of all the voice actors being replaced, but it's pretty clear that they're lacking experience and confidence in their roles. Which is too bad, because they do a good job of sounding right.

Also, Iroh isn't even in the movie. It's fine that they didn't force the issue, but come on, everyone loves Iroh.

But what about Aang? The main character of the show and the person the movie is named for? Did they at least do him justice? Well ... it depends. If you go straight from the show to the movie, then Aang's motivation does make sense. But if you've read the various comics set in the aftermath of the show, then you'll know that Aang had an arc specifically dealing with the loss of his people and culture. An arc where he came to accept it and found a way to move on. This movie throws that out the window. It's hardly the first time a comic's been thrown out the window in favor of a new TV show/movie, but I just expect a little more discipline from the Avatar franchise.

Courtesy Paramount

My biggest issue, though, is with Tagah, primary antagonist of the film. If this movie existed in a non-Korra world, the idea of an evil airbender might be really cool. But Zaheer exists, and he is so much better than Tagah in quite literally every way. Better acted, better motivation, and frankly way more threatening despite the overwhelming spirit power Tagah is able to harness with Sonam's staff. Tagah is just a bargain-brand Ozai, with a bit of Unalaq from season 2 of Korra thrown in. 

Speaking of Unalaq, I thought it was a baffling decision for the final battle between Aang and Tagah to draw clear influence from the widely hated spirit battle between Korra and Unalaq. The show's most unique aspect — the bending — is largely replaced by fancy beams, posturing, and shouting. 

In terms of bad guys, there's also The Denied (stupid name), a group of non-benders who feel they've been cheated out of bending power, and they're searching for Sonam's staff, a weapon created by an Avatar Sonam that can supposedly channel spirit energy and grant non-benders the power of airbending. They exist purely to move the plot forward (spoiler, the staff is real and in Tagah's possession), and have literally no personality or redeeming qualities. They get airbending for about 5 minutes, are way better with it than they have any right to be, then go back to normal when Aang destroys the staff.

One more thing before I move on: While I'm sure this movie is canon to the Avatar-verse, the set piece at the climax is so ridiculously over the top that the fact no one in Legend of Korra references it is absolutely insane and strains believability to the breaking point. It's such an easy fix too — maybe don't set the massive spirit world incursion in Republic City. Put it literally anywhere else. Or, you know, rein in your climactic scene so it doesn't break the lore.

So, is there anything that I liked? I mean, I appreciated learning a bit more about ancient Avatars, and the concept of Sonam's staff is interesting. Powerful, mystic relics from a bygone era are always cool. And the movie does look very good. It probably should be watched in a movie theater, and it's too bad Paramount fumbled the movie's release as badly as it did. But visuals aren't enough to save this movie. It's poorly written in every way, and while it may look like Avatar, it didn't feel like Avatar. I'll give it a 5 out of 10.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Doppelbock

The brewery: Warwick Farm Brewing, Jamison, Pennsylvania

Description (from Untappd): "Often referred as a beer that tastes like 'liquid bread.' This lager has notes of toasted bread, toffee, and maltiness. We extended our lager process to 8 weeks to ensure this beer is clear and clean."

Would I buy it again? As one might expect from a beer named quite literally after the style of beer, this doppelbock is a pretty basic one. Nothing fancy, nothing daring or bold. Which is both a good and a bad thing — it's good because it tastes great, but it's bad because I have no compelling reason to spend more money on this than on a cheaper, more readily available doppelbock. If I was at the brewery, I would of course buy this again, it's delicious. But if I see it sitting on the shelf of my nearest beer distributor? Probably not.

Review: Manor Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time to check out the back nine at Manor, go here to see the front.

The landscape at Manor takes a significant turn for the rugged on the back nine, as immediately evidenced by the tenth hole. The tee shot on this 155-yard par 3 must carry a 100-yard-wide ravine to reach the green, which is perched on a small finger of land that falls away on all sides. There's a single bunker right (which functions more to catch golf balls from bounding into the trees than as an actual hazard), and the green slopes from front to back. There's also a little knob in the center to make the task of putting that extra bit more difficult.

The tenth hole.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is just under 300 yards, but it is very distinctly not a drivable par 4. The hole crosses over a ravine to a fairway that bends hard right along the side of the opposing hill. Trees block the direct route to the green, so unless you've got a big high cut in your arsenal, you'll be using a long iron or fairway wood on the tee. Of course, you still need to think about where you're aiming; you don't want to go through the fairway into the trees, but you also don't want to come up short. The second shot will be a little wedge with the ball ridiculously below your feet to a small but benign green with a big dropoff right. You can absolutely bail out left and have the ball bounce down onto the green, though, which is nice. Is this the most strategic hole in the world? No, of course not. But it's memorable and fun, and that's just as important.

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is a 405-yard par 5. Yes, you read that correctly. It does play nearly 100 feet uphill, so while it is still incredibly short, it's not quite the pushover you'd think. The fairway is wide and heavily sloped, but trees do narrow the playing corridor right about where a good drive would end up. The second shot is massively uphill and basically blind, though the only hazards (a pair of bunkers) are at the green itself, so if you are laying up, you have a green light. The green is tilted from right to left, though, so you are better off approaching from the left side. If this was a par 4, it would be very difficult, but as a par 5, you've got a good chance of making birdie.

The twelfth hole.

The twelfth green.

Looking back down the twelfth fairway.

The thirteenth hole is 190 yards, and I'll be honest, it's not the most exciting hole in the world. Minimal elevation, a not particularly exciting green, and while the bunker right and former bunker (now a grassy hollow) left do provide some challenge, overall the thirteenth represents a bit of a breather. 

The thirteenth hole.

The fourteenth hole, while not Manor's longest hole, is by far its most challenging. This 540-yard par 5 is draped along and around a large hill, with the sprawling fairway tilted hard from right to left, with the slope increasing the further left you go. Your eye is naturally drawn to the right, but trees cut in, completely blocking your second shot and forcing you to lay up more than 150 yards from the green. The further left you go on your tee shot, the closer you can get to the green. But even from position A, you still have to be careful; there's a small pond jutting in from left of the fairway about 50-100 yards from the green. It is extremely easy to go too far and end up in that hazard, particularly considering how steeply downhill the second shot is. Ultimately, even if you can lay up closer than 100 yards, it's probably smart not to.

While the green complex is significantly propped up, with big dropoffs left and long, the green itself is mercifully simple. No big breaks, and sloped gently from back to front. Frankly, if you can get yourself a birdie putt on this hole, you've earned a respite. This is an absolutely brutal par 5, one where you have to carefully think and execute on every shot. It's pretty easily the best hole on the course.

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green.

The fourteenth green.

We go directly from a long and very tough par 5 to the shortest hole on the course. The fifteenth hole is just 90 yards, but it's one of those classic "hit the green or suffer" short par 3s. Miss short and you'll have a pitch from an incredibly crooked stance. Miss long and you'll have an equally awkward stance, only this time the green is running away from you. Same with missing in the greenside bunker right. You're either walking away with an easy par or birdie, or you're working to make double.

The fifteenth hole.

The sixteenth hole is a 280-yard par 4, making it distinctly drivable for longer hitters. There is a complication, however, in the form of a large tree directly in line between the tee and green. Obviously, the safe play is a long iron out to the right; the slope will help contain golf balls, bouncing them back into the semi-blind fairway. But if you're feeling bold, you can always curve a driver around the tree. A fade is probably easier (and requires a bit less curving), but does mean you're aiming directly at the next tee. A big hook is the more polite choice.

Anyway, if you've played safely, you'll have a little three-quarter wedge to a small green flanked by two bunkers. In a move Manor pulls multiple times, there's a little mound in the center of the green to make cross-green putts and chips a little tricky. Still, this is a great opportunity to make a birdie.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is 330 yards, and plays straight ahead to a semi-blind fairway tilted from left to right. It is wide open, but if you want to use driver, you should favor the left side. Because of the slope of the fairway and trees coming in, the right side can run out of space very quickly. A fairway wood or long iron will leave you with a full wedge to a green perched on the corner of a ravine, with steep dropoffs right and long. 

The seventeenth hole.

Approaching the seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is quite similar to the tenth in many ways: It's about the same length (160 yards) and plays over the same ravine. Unlike the tenth, though, this green is tough. It's small and there's a ridge cutting the back half into two. Find the wrong part of the green, and you'll likely have a putt that's impossible to make. It's very easy to three putt this green. It's a simple but stern way to end the round.

The eighteenth hole.

The eighteenth green.

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by what Manor offered. I knew going in it would be short and a bit quirky, but I wasn't expecting so many really interesting greens. The stretch from five to seven especially, as well as the eighteenth, are extremely good, plus there are several others that demand the golfer's focus. If they were expanded a bit more to fill the full green pads, Manor would really be onto something.

The only real big thing I have in terms of problems is some of the par 4s on the front nine (plus the ninth) really blend into each other and can play a bit same-y. That changes on the back nine, with the fourteenth being a particular highlight. Naturally, the more standard nine — the par 36 playing over 3,000 yards — is much less interesting than the short, quirky back nine that doesn't even reach 2,500 yards.

Value wise, Manor does quite well. Of course, I got a $10 discount, but even without that, it's less than $40 to walk on a weekend afternoon. The most you could pay (weekend morning, taking a cart) is $55. And for 2026 and a course this fun, that's really not too bad. If it were a little closer, I'd gladly play here again, but even with the hour-plus drive, Manor was well worth my time.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Love Fest

The brewery: Love City Brewing Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Description (from Untappd): "Love Fest is our take on a traditional German-style Oktoberfest. In keeping with tradition, this beer is brewed with 100% German malt from Weyermann Malting in Bamberg. Notes of toasted bread, dark fruit & caramel, with a lightly sweet, clean finish."

Would I buy it again? So there's some good news and some bad news with this particular beer. The good news: the beer tastes great. The hops have been tamed here, and the malt shines through. Definitely one of the better Oktoberfest beers I've had. The bad news: As you can see from the image, the pour job was atrocious. The beer's about a third foam, which is way too much, in my personal opinion. Considering the size of the mug it was poured in, you're kind of getting scammed out of a good amount of beer. It might be safer to buy this beer in a can; at least then you know how much you're getting.

Review: Manor Golf Club (Part 1)

Years and years ago, a big motivator for driving more than 2 hours out to Galen Hall was this article detailing some of Philadelphia's best public golf courses. And despite living nowhere near Philadelphia, I've ended up playing most of the courses on that list. Jeffersonville and Paxon Hollow? Great courses. Glens Mills and Inniscrone? Not so much.  

Now that I'm actually living in Philadelphia, it's time to revisit the list and hopefully finish it off. Lulu is fully private and Cobbs Creek is currently undergoing a massive restoration, so those will have to wait. Manor Golf Club, located in the foothills outside Reading (and just a few miles from Galen Hall), on the other hand, was very readily available — even if I did have to babysit a group of teenagers to do it. (I'm not joking. I did at least get a discount for my trouble.)

Designed by Alexander Findlay in 1928, Manor Golf Club is hardly the sort of place to challenge the professionals. It's longer than Walnut Lane, but not by much: Manor is less than 5,500 yards from the back tees. But it traverses some very severe and hilly land, and the photos I've seen promise a fun, quirky experience. So, let's see if Manor can deliver.

The first hole is a par 4 of thoroughly modest length, playing just 250 yards from the tips. It is uphill the whole way, so not a huge number of people will have the length to reach it. The fairway is pretty wide and there aren't any hazards, so there's no real incentive to not use driver and get as close as you can to the green, which is tucked into a little punchbowl. Frankly, this isn't a very interesting hole beyond the elevation change, though it does give you a great chance to open with a birdie.

The first hole.

The first green.

The second hole is a 200-yard par 3 that plays right back down the hill the first hole climbs up. The green here is absolutely miniscule and slopes a surprising amount from back left to front right. There's also a fairly large bunker just left, so if you can hit a draw into this green, that will benefit you greatly. This is a much better hole than the first, though I think a slightly bigger green would help it out; it's pretty unforgiving as is.

The second hole.

The second green.

The third hole is 340 yards, which honestly puts it on the longer side for Manor — there are only two par 4s here over 350 yards. Similar to the first hole, the third plays uphill, with the second shot being dramatically uphill to a mostly blind green. Get used to this format, Manor uses it multiple times throughout the front nine. Also like the first, the third green is carved into a semi-punchbowl, which makes missing right much better than left.

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole is 325 yards and plays steeply downhill; the fairway here is quite narrow, squeezed between trees on both sides. The hole bends hard left about 225 yards out, which means all you need to set up a wedge second shot is a long iron. Of course, you can try to draw a driver around the left trees, but they are quite tall and there is no playing out of the middle of them. The green here is pretty modest, though there is a bunker left (and a grassy pit where a bunker used to be to the right). I don't know if I'd quite classify this hole as good, but it is memorable and a bit quirky.

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is the longest par 4 at Manor, playing all of 390 yards. Initially, there doesn't seem to be too much here; the only significant features are some big trees right and some earthworks cutting across the fairway at roughly the point where a good drive would end up. The approach, assuming you've hit a good drive, is a wedge or short iron to a blind green. So far, so average. But when you walk over the little ridge to the green, you're in for a surprise. While the fifth green isn't quite as small as the second, it's still quite tiny, and it falls away left, right, and long; there's also a central mound with ridges radiating off toward the back and to the right. No putt of significant length will be able to avoid dealing with that mound, and it's the same with all chip shots. It's a really fun green, and would surely be even better if the green were expanded to fully fill the built-up pad it occupies. 

The fifth hole.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is a 360-yard par 4 with a tee cut back in the woods; the tee shot goes down and back up a valley and then around a massive tree just to the right of the fairway. Ideally, you want to play a little fade up the left side, getting as far up the hill as you can. Driver can take that big tree out of play, and will leave just a little wedge for the second shot. But then you have the green to worry about, and it's a challenge for one very good reason — it's tilted severely from front to back. Seriously, this is not a large green, but it still manages to fall away nearly two feet. And that's a lot. You have to be very deliberate and careful about where you land your approach. 

The sixth hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is 275 yards and plays steeply downhill, which makes it very reachable in normal conditions (I faced a stiff headwind during my round, so I couldn't get close). There's a small pond left of the fairway about 200 yards out, so while you can lay up to the bottom of the hill, you're bringing the water into play by doing so. Going for the green does bring the twin bunkers about 15 yards short very much into play, but ultimately this hole's greatest defense is its green. It's two tiered and sloped sharply from back left to front right, with something like 3-4 feet of elevation change between the front and back section. That's a lot for any green, but it's especially noticeable here because the green is again very modest in size. Putting here is an extremely delicate operation, and even hitting the green with your tee shot is no guarantee of birdie.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is 315 yards, and it's a bit similar to the third hole, if more open. There are a pair of former bunkers about 50 yards short of the green that do provide a little strategic interest, but they'd be much more effective if they still had sand in them. Right now, there's no reason not to use driver. A good drive should bring the green into view; the eighth green is also not one of Manor's best. Not a bad hole, but we've seen this trick already.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is 550 yards, making it Manor's longest hole. The fairway here is extremely wide, but it's a little deceiving; obviously you can go wide right, but the hole bends left so you do want to favor the left side. Even so, this is a very easy tee shot. Same for the lay-up, as there are no hazards until you reach the green. There are bunkers left and long, and while it's not to the same scale as the fifth, there are definitely some strong internal contours within the green. It's not enough to rescue the ninth from being a slog, but it's better than nothing.

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.