Review: Merion Golf Club (Part 1)

Yes, that Merion. No, I didn't play it.

One of the benefits of my recent move to Philadelphia is that things actually happen here. Take, for example, golf tournaments. The PGA Championship was played at Aronimink this year, and while I did not go to that, heading over to the US Amateur at Merion last month was an absolute no-brainer. Merion is just 20 minutes away, tickets were just $35, and while Aronimink is obviously an excellent, maybe even great golf course, Merion is Merion.

And so, on a sunny Saturday afternoon, my girlfriend and I made the journey across the Schuylkill to Merion to take in the semifinals. Us and several thousand other people. Yeah, record crowds attended the Amateur this year (3,000 on Friday, and I can guarantee there were plenty more than that on Saturday). Like I said, Merion is Merion.

Naturally, while I wasn't entirely uninterested in the golf itself, I did take quite a few pictures (unfortunately, since dedicated cameras weren't allowed, I had to make do with my cell phone). Walking around a golf course isn't the same thing as playing it, but I think I got at least a general idea of the strategy for a good number of holes. So, since I've got the pictures, why don't we take a look?

The first hole isn't exactly what I'd call indifferent or bad, but it's not one of Merion's best. This 360-yard par 4 doglegs hard right about a hundred yards from the green, and with bunkers surrounding the fairway there's really no reason to hit driver. You'll still have a wedge into the green, which is also surrounded by bunkers.

The first hole.

The first green.

The second hole is one of Merion's two par 5s, with this one playing hard against Ardmore Avenue. The drive is not exactly spacious, and becomes less so as a series of bunkers pinch in from the left. Also, don't expect a lot of roll on the tee shot, as the drive will land straight into a big upslope. The second shot on this 590-yard hole will be blind, with a large bunker left of the lay-up area, as well as the road and a few more small bunkers right. The green is small and surrounded by four small bunkers. None of the amateurs went for the green in two, and while I'm sure someone out there could manage it, this hole feels like a very three-shot affair, one in which you have to plan and carefully execute each shot.

The second hole.

The third hole is a big par 3, playing 220 yards for the amateurs — though it can play well over 250 yards. The green is perched on the far side of a valley, with a very deep bunker front right. Front left isn't much better, as you'll end up with an awkward chip from a terrible stance. The strategy here is simple: Aim for the middle of the green and hope you can two-putt on an admittedly quite undulating green.

The third hole.

The fourth hole is the second of Merion's two par 5s, playing 620 yards with a tee shot over a valley to a fairway that quickly vanishes over the top of the far ridge. You basically want to aim right over the top of that little bunker between tee and fairway and let the fairway's natural slope feed the ball back down to the left. A poor drive that finds the rough or one of the blind fairway bunkers (usually a no-no, design-wise, but Merion didn't become great by following the rules) brings a massive Sahara-like bunker about 200 yards from the green into play on the second shot. A good drive will let you clear that bunker easily, and will let you lay up in prime position about a hundred yards short. The third shot is over a small stream to a large green ringed by many small bunkers.

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The sixteenth hole gets all the attention, but the fifth is arguably the best hole at Merion, and I made sure to focus on it; I watched both matches play the hole from a vantage point near the green. 

The hole plays just over 500 yards and turns subtly around a small stream that guards the entire left side. The fairway is banked heavily from right to left toward the stream, but the slope is decidedly less the closer you get to the water. The safe play is out to the right, but that leaves you with a worse stance and angle into the green. All four golfers during the semifinals chose to play relatively safely, giving the stream a wide berth. By doing this, they had to directly challenge the single, well-placed bunker about 15 yards short and just right of the green. It may be 2026, and we may be talking about the best amateur golfers in the world, but the ground game is still relevant.

Anyway, the green. Like the rest of the hole, it's tilted from right to left, and it is firm too. A long iron simply will not hold if the ball lands on the green. And with the stream lurking just a few feet from the green, you do want to play out to the right and let the slope bring the ball in toward the flag. Of the four golfers, one managed to play the second shot just right, landing his approach just over the front bunker and letting it release something like 40 yards out to the hole. He missed the 15-foot birdie putt, but he didn't need it; his opponent had already missed his par attempt.

The fifth probably isn't quite the greatest long par 4 in the world (an honor that likely rests with the Road hole at St. Andrews), but to be the best hole at one of the best courses on Earth puts it in pretty rarified air. I missed out on some golf to take this hole in properly, but I think it was worth it.

The fifth hole.

Approaching the fifth green.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is 480 yards and plays to a mostly blind fairway tilted from right to left, continuing on in the same valley from the previous hole. There are two bunkers left (that you can see from the tee), so both the tilt and slope of the fairway favor a fade on the tee shot. A good drive will leave you with a mid-iron or something similar for the second shot, which is slightly uphill and plays to a green which is guarded by three bunkers and a false front.

The sixth hole.

The seventh is the start of a funky seven-hole stretch where no hole exceeds 400 yards. Not exactly what you'd expect from a US Open site, but when the property is as restrictive as Merion's, you make do with what you've got. This hole is 365 yards, with OB closely guarding the entire right side. But there's only one fairway bunker, and it's well back (acting more as a stopper for wayward golf balls coming at the nearby fourth tee), so there's really nothing stopping you from using driver. You can get pretty close to the green too; however, doing so will leave you with an incredibly awkward and difficult pitch up a 20-foot slope and over the corner of a deep bunker. The green too is quite difficult, with a swale running through the middle. The best play here is restraint, using a long iron or fairway wood to find a flattish plateau about a hundred yards out from the green. That gives you the best chance to get close on the second shot.

The seventh hole.

The eighth hole is essentially the same length as the previous hole, and while on the surface they might seem quite similar, in execution they are very different. The fairway here makes an S-shaped curved between two large fairway bunkers, putting emphasis on distance control on the tee shot. You have to be on the fairway to reasonably approach this green, as it's separated from the rest of the hole by a large bunker front left and a ditch in front and to the right. The green is small and sloped hard from back left to front right; if you miss the green, you're going to be working very hard to make par.

Approaching the eighth green.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is another big par 3, this one playing 230 yards — at least this hole is downhill. Bad news, the green, while quite large in theory, looks pretty tiny out in the distance, surrounded by water in front and bunkers everywhere else. The green is also very undulating, being one of the wildest greens on the course. Is it an incredibly difficult tee shot? Yes, but so long as you don't end up short, the worst you should make here is a bogey.

The ninth hole.

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: Dreambuild

The brewery: Love City Brewing Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Description (from Untappd): "This West Coast-Style Pilsner is brewed with German Pilsner malt and hopped with Riwaka, Chinook, and Citra hops. Dreambuild is a clean, crisp, lightly hoppy lager beer with assertive notes of sweet pink grapefruit, pineapple, and citrus."

Would I buy it again? This was a decent beer. Not great, a little hoppier than I would have preferred, but not excessively so. It was very good to drink after a long day outside, but it's not something I would go for in most circumstances. It's just the old adage again: If you're competing in the Yuengling market, you have to do something special, and this beer just didn't.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Caramel Cookie Bar

The brewery: Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakewood, New York

Description (from the website): "Satisfy your sweet tooth! Milk chocolate and gooey caramel wrap around sweet cookie for a smooth taste of your favorite candy bar. Take a break from ordinary and taste something so crave-worthy, one is never enough!"

Would I buy it again? Is it really a surprise that Southern Tier hit again with this imperial stout. They do such a good job making these beers feel distinct from each other. There's caramel here, but also some chocolate. But in terms of flavor, that's it; a lot of imperial stouts struggle with too many flavors, a problem which this beer avoids. I would definitely buy this beer again; just a warning though, at 10%, you probably don't want to have more than one in a night.

Review: Walnut Lane Golf Club (Part 2)

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

The tenth hole is 340 yards and tumbles dramatically downhill. The hole bends slightly left and narrows as it descends, with dense forest encroaching on both sides. You can use driver here, but unless you have a reliable draw, there isn't much room for error. A long iron or fairway wood is plenty, and is probably preferable. The green here slopes from front to back and is cut off from the fairway by some rough and low mounding, making an aerial approach necessary. So while you can get within 50 yards of this green, the second shot will almost certainly not stop anywhere near the hole. The higher you can get that approach shot, the more likely you'll be able to stop it near the hole.

The tenth hole. It's a little tough to believe this is within Philadelphia city limits.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is 140 yards but plays dramatically uphill, with the green perched on the edge of a small cliff leading down into dense forest. Trees also overhang from the left; that left-hand hole location you see in the pictures was all but inaccessible for me with a pitching wedge in hand. Maybe some people can draw their wedges 15 yards, but I can't. The green at least is on the larger side and sloped from right to left. Just don't miss left, and you should be fine.

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is 335 yards and wraps around forest and the same deep ravine from the previous hole. The fairway is tilted hard from right to left and climbs up and over a hill, then dips down before rising back up to the green, which is on its own isolated shelf. There's a big dropoff behind, and a very deep bunker to left. This is a really good hole, as you can play safely with a long iron out to the right, leaving yourself a fairly long and potentially semi-blind second, use a fairway wood to try and reach the highest, flattest part of the fairway, or bend a driver around the trees, catching the downslope and getting yourself within 50 yards of the green (albeit you'll have a tough, steeply uphill pitch shot). The green is sloped from back right to front left and has a mild false front (the grass is too long for balls to run fully down the hill, but the idea is there).

The twelfth hole.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is 135 yards, making it Walnut Lane's shortest hole. It's also kind of weird. It plays straight up a hill to a tiny green tucked between a pair of bunkers in front, the road behind and to the right, and forest left. The green is highest along the center line and falls away on either side. My big issue here is that the margin for error on the tee shot is just so small, even with the hole's modest length. The fence marking the OB line is less than 10 feet from the back edge of the green and the bunkers short necessitate a fully aerial approach. It's just not a comfortable tee shot.

The thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is 160 yards and is a fine but pretty unremarkable par 3. It plays over relatively flat ground, the green is pretty flat, and the two bunkers on either side present a fair but pretty typical challenge. Nothing here to write home about.

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is a 340-yard par 4 that plays from a high tee down to a fairway that turns hard from left to right. OB in the form of a major road follows the same curve, which makes hitting driver a dangerous proposition. It is very easy to fly through the fairway into oncoming traffic. A long iron or fairway wood is much safer, and will still get you within wedge range. The approach is slightly uphill to a shallow, elevated green with two bunkers left.

The fifteenth hole.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is 150 yards and plays gently downhill to the most well-bunkered green on the course. There are three bunkers long and one short left. In addition, this green is sloped hard from back to front, and is incredibly slippery, even if you're putting/chipping up the hill. Like the fourteenth, this hole isn't particularly revolutionary, but it's decent enough.

The sixteenth hole.

The seventeenth hole is a very long par 3, playing 235 yards through a narrow chute of trees to a large green. It does play downhill, which slightly mitigates the distance. Still, for a course this short it does feel a bit more like a short par 4. There's OB left, but beyond that, no real trouble other than overhanging trees.

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is 360 yards and plays to a blind fairway up on a plateau. The fairway is reasonably wide, which makes this a rare opportunity to use driver; the driver I hit here was just the second of the day. A bunker cuts into the fairway about 50 yards short of the green, but unless you're a professional golfer or close to it, you really don't have to worry about it on the drive. Far more people hit into on their second or third shots, I suspect. If you hit a good drive, the second shot will be a little wedge to a small green tilted noticeably from right to left. No bunkers around this green, though the left side is quite slippery and golf balls will easily run off. Overall, I think it's a decent finishing hole.

The blind tee shot on 18.

The eighteenth green.

Walnut Lane may only possess two-thirds the length of your standard 18-hole golf course, but don't let that deceive you into thinking there's nothing of interest here. The lack of length certainly does hold it back, but that doesn't stop holes like the fifth, ninth, tenth, and twelfth from being genuinely good holes. Plenty of golf courses don't come close to Walnut Lane in terms of strategic interest. And most golf courses don't have a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant (the equivalent of a Michelin star for restaurants people can actually afford to go to) literally a block away. Dalessandro's is a cheesesteak staple, and a round at Walnut Lane feels incomplete without indulging in a Philadelphia classic.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the drawbacks to Walnut Lane. The weekend walking rate is over $50, and that's kind of a lot for a par 62 golf course that's in typical municipal playing condition. Plus, while its great that such a beginner-friendly golf course exists in Philadelphia for all to enjoy, it does mean that Walnut Lane attracts a wide and ample crowd. I played on a day after a big rain, with no carts allowed on the course. I figured that would make for a recently quick round. No, it took nearly 4.5 hours to finish. And for this course? That's simply not acceptable or any fun at all. 

So then, what's the final verdict? Walnut Lane is a fun course, and if I were guaranteed a 3-hour round, I'd happily play it again. But I just don't see a world where that can practically happen. Which is unfortunate, seeing as it's less than a mile away. I'd play with friends if they wanted, but I wouldn't come here on my own again.

Beer of the Week

The beer: House Stout

Brewed by: Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, New York

Description (from the website): "House Stout is a seasonal expression crafted in harmony with the rhythms of upstate New York. This classic dry stout is light and smooth, with layers of roasted malt and a hint of smokiness, reminiscent of the classic sugar houses that populate the hills of the Adirondacks. Gently rounded by a touch of sweetness, a result of secondary conditioning using maple syrup sourced locally from the Upstate New York Maple Syrup Collective. House Stout pays tribute to the annual sugaring season, when sap is transformed into one of our region's most sought-after and cherished gifts. Maple conditioning adds nuance and depth, finishing with a lingering maple note that complements the stout’s roasty character. Ommegang House Stout is our ode to the forest, sugar shacks, and timeless craft that makes this season so special."

Would I buy it again? The maple finish adds a lot to this beer, giving a nice subtle bit of welcome sweetness to what would otherwise be a pretty dry and smoky stout. Not that I don't like that sort of beer, but the maple gives it a real drinkability that you don't always see. I would definitely but this beer again. 

Review: Walnut Lane Golf Club (Part 1)

One of the major benefits of moving to Philadelphia back in April was access to an entirely new realm of golf courses. Central Maryland and Pennsylvania were tapped out, and while I've certainly played some courses in the greater Philadelphia region, I've hardly scratched the surface on what Golf Digest referred to as the most underrated golf city in the country. I don't know if the city that can claim both Merion and Pine Valley as its own counts as "underrated," but by any standard, Philadelphia is a great place to play golf.

We start off our Philly golf journey with a humble executive course tucked into the northwest corner of the city, perched above Wissahickon Creek Park. Walnut Lane was built in 1940 by Alexander Findlay, making it one of, if not the last golf course he was involved with over his 45-year golf course design career. It's a par 62 and barely tips over 4,500 yards, so if you're expecting a stern design, look elsewhere. The longest hole here is 370 yards, making Walnut Lane a true beginner-friendly course, open and welcoming to all. But is there anything here to interest the serious golfer? Let's find out.

The first hole is 325 yards and not the most interesting hole in the world. It's dead straight, and beyond the lines of trees closely guarding the fairway, no hazards either. Okay, technically there's OB left of the trees, but the trees are there to keep golf balls from getting that far, so it barely counts. Anyway, while you certainly could hit driver here, the narrowness of the playing corridor strongly precludes that choice. A long iron or fairway wood is the smarter play, and will still get you within wedge distance for your second shot. The green here, like many greens at Walnut Lane, is medium sized and, while not flat, doesn't have anything particularly exciting going on. 

The first hole.

The first green.

The second hole is 195 yards and plays slightly downhill to a green sloped fairly significantly from back to front. There is more OB long and left, but it's pretty tough to get to. Beyond that, there's really not much to this hole.

The second hole.

The second green.

The third hole is 320 yards and thankfully has a little bit more going on. The tee shot is blind, heading up to a plateau fairway that bends left about 250 yards out. If you want to hit driver, you need to either hit a big draw or stick very close to the left tree line. A long iron or fairway wood out to the dogleg itself will leave you with a wedge from a flat stance; going much further will result in a stance with the golf ball noticeably above your feet. The green is, again, not particularly exciting, but the back right to front left slop is definitely not something to be taken lightly either. Long putts will have several feet of break.

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole is a 230-yard par 3 playing downhill, and while that length makes the hole challenging on its own, a few things conspire to make this feel even more difficult. Because the entire hole slopes from left to right, any sort of fade or slice is doomed to bounce well away from the green. If you don't have a draw (or at the very least, confidence in your mid to long irons), you might honestly be better off playing this hole as a short par 4. Lay up 30 to 50 yards short and chip on. The green is sloped significantly from back left to front right. Four is honestly a completely reasonable score here.

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is 200 yards and is what I'd call Walnut Lane's first really good hole. This mid-length par 3 crosses a valley, with the small green perched on the far side. Two large bunkers guard the left side, and a large tree protects the right. The green itself is pretty heavily sloped and actually falls away slightly toward the back, making precision very important. With tree branches encroaching from both sides, a little draw is the best shot to hit here. End up short, and you may fall back down the hill significantly. This hole feels a lot like something you'd see at a Donald Ross course, which is a good thing.

The fifth hole.

The sixth hole is 175 yards and is ever so slightly similar to a reverse Redan. The semi-blind green slopes gently from left to right, and there's a deep grass bunker guarding the front-right section. A gentle fade played around that pit is the best shot to play here. This hole would be a little better if the green had a little more bite to it; right now, it's very flat.

The sixth hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is, at 370 yards, the longest hole at Walnut Lane. Hey, for a 4,500-yard course, what do you expect? Happily, this hole is also pretty good. The fairway is tilted significantly from right to left for the first 250 yards, than drops down off the hill into a valley, with the green perched partway up the far side. A good driver, hit down the left side, will catch the slope and bounce well down, leaving you with just a little half-wedge into a very open and inviting green. But you will need to draw your drive around a couple of large trees lurking about a hundred yards from the tee. The safer play is out to the right, leaving a full wedge down the hill from a hanging lie. The hole would be better if the green were more interesting or had any sort of defense, but still, the topography provide a decent amount of strategic interest.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is 150 yards and is ultimately one of the weaker holes here. The single bunker is well short, leaving the green itself pretty undefended, and the green contouring isn't enough to make the hole interesting. Still, I do like how the hole feels very carved out of the woods, something Walnut Lane does quite well. You wouldn't think we were inside Philadelphia city limits, looking at the verdant forest immediately behind this green.

The eighth hole.

The ninth hole is 335 yards and demands accuracy and solid decision-making. The fairway is initially decently wide, but narrows significantly as you progress. It falls off precipitously into trees and a ravine left, which naturally leads your eye right. However, playing too safely will result in a second shot blocked out by a large tree about 75 yards from the green. Technically, you could use driver to get past that tree, but the fairway is not wide that far out. The green itself is closely guarded by two large bunkers, and is sloped significantly from right to left — another great reason to avoid the right side. You are far better off playing a long iron up the left side, then coming in with a full wedge. Even so, this may be the toughest hole on the course.

The ninth hole.

The ninth green.

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