Review: Bucknell Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time to take a look at Bucknell's back nine, go here to see the front.

The tenth hole is 190 yards and plays gently uphill to a partially blind green protected by four bunkers. It doesn't look like much, but apparently it causes golfers to hit literally the worst shot possible off of the tee. That's what happened to my playing companions and I. Turned a nondescript hole into a tough bogey, which was fun. No wait, not fun. The opposite of that.

The tenth hole.

The eleventh hole, a 360-yard par 4, is a brief return to the original design, and while you can't really tell from the tee shot, which is pretty open, it's very noticeable at the green. Loeffler's greens aren't especially undulating, and this one is kind of punchbowl-y in that it will funnel shots toward the middle, but it is extremely small. That, in combination with the bunkers on each side, really put a premium on finding the fairway and getting as far as possible, where the fairway narrows between trees. It's much easier finding a 3,000 square foot green when you're 100 yards away, rather than 150.

The eleventh hole.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is another Ault hole, playing just over 400 yards. You have a choice on the tee shot: Lay back at the top of the hill, leaving a long second from a level stance, or drive down, gaining additional distance but flirting with a large pond. Why is there a big pond where you can't see? Excellent question. Not sure what Ault was thinking with that one. Anyway, the longer hitters may want to use 3 wood; I wouldn't go over 275 yards here, there is very little room between the pond and O.B. right. The green is quite large and fairly undulating, and is surrounded by three bunkers.

The twelfth hole.

The thirteenth hole is a mid-length par 3 with some excellent product placement in the background. You can even see the "BGC" on Google Maps. Anyway, this is quite a tricky hole. It's not hugely long, but the green is very shallow (and very wide), and there's both a bunker and water in front. It's not a difficult task avoiding the water, but actually hitting the green is another story. It's also a fairly undulating green, so if you end up on the wrong side of it, three-putting is a definite possibility.

The thirteenth hole.

The thirteenth green.

From the fourteenth hole onward, the course is Loeffler, and one can definitely tell from the size of the greens. First up is a mid-length par 4 playing to a blind and rather narrow fairway winding between trees. It doesn't take much of a miss to end up blocked out. The second shot, if you do find the fairway, is a wedge or short iron to a small, fairly steeply sloped green surrounded by four bunkers.

The fourteenth hole.

The fifteenth hole is a straightaway par 5 over fairly level ground. With O.B. right and bunkers on either side of the fairway (the fancy-looking one right is also new), this is not an easy driving hole. But it's important to find the fairway, as a pair of crossbunkers jut into the fairway about 75 yards out. If you want to get close to the green and carry those bunkers, you need to find the fairway. Otherwise, you'll have a full wedge into a very small green guarded by three more bunkers.

The fifteenth hole.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is a classic short par 3: 140 yards, downhill, tiny green protected on nearly every side by sand. The green's also got a fair amount of slope to it as well, so you really don't want to go long, which is quite easy considering it drops something like 40 feet from tee to green. This is a definite birdie opportunity if you hit the green, which is something most golfers are capable of, but if you miss it can be a struggle to make bogey.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is just under 340 yards, making it short but not drivable. The tee shot is an interesting proposition; the fairway rolls over multiple humps and valleys, all the while tilted from right to left down to a narrow ditch wandering most of the way along the fairway. Obviously, the land is flatter at the bottom, making the second shot easier, but you get a better view of the green from up top, so there's tradeoffs to both sides of the fairway. The green itself is extremely small, tilted pretty severely from back to front (with a noticeable tier running through the middle), and flanked by two deep bunkers. This is probably my favorite hole at Bucknell; it may be a short par 4, but you have to earn a good score here. 

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole closes things out with a mellow drive to a wide fairway that disappears over a ridge. However, things escalate quickly at the green. While open and level with the fairway at the front, the green is elevated above the surrounding rough (and bunker right) in that classic Golden Age abrupt sort of way. It's also incredibly small and quite narrow. Now, we're not talking a lot of elevation, just a few feet. But that's more than enough to make recovery shots from anywhere that isn't short of the green ridiculously difficult. Not impossible, but very tough. And if you struggle with your short game like I do, it's a recipe for a big number. Who says you need water to make a double bogey?

The eighteenth hole.

The eighteenth green.

To be honest, I was expecting a bit more of a difference between the older holes and the newer ones. Maybe that's the renovation doing its work, but other than the green sizes and the blind pond on 12, the two halves aren't that far apart. With that said, my favorite holes at Bucknell are definitely all Loeffler holes. The last three holes in particular are very strong. 

Overall, Bucknell is somewhere in the realm of better than average to good. A few less trees would definitely help tip it in the right direction; as of right now there are just too many. So many holes feel too claustrophobic, and the trees obscure some fairly interesting landforms. Bucknell is set over excellent terrain, but it isn't utilizing it fully. As for value, it's not bad but not great; it's $40 to walk on a weekend. I'd play it again, and not just because I'd like to see it when it's not raining, but because it is enjoyable and worth playing if you're in central Pennsylvania. It's very similar to the White Course at Penn State (I know I haven't reviewed that, but trust me here): Both are similar lengths and have similar terrain, both blend Golden Age and modern design, and both are university courses in central Pennsylvania. One could certainly do worse for a weekend of college-themed golf.

Review: Bucknell Golf Club (Part 1)

This may come as a surprise to some, but I do have a life outside golf. Slightly. Back in September 2022 I went to a bachelor party in central Pennsylvania for a weekend, but since I'm always on the lookout for interesting golf courses and a couple of my friends do play, I scouted around the area and found Bucknell Golf Club half an hour away. The course is part of Bucknell University in Lewistown, and it is at least in part a Golden Age course, with nine holes designed by Emil Loeffler in the 1920s (that's not a household name in the architecture business, but he is significant for a reason we'll come back to later). The remaining nine was designed by Ed Ault in 1960. It's also in the process of being renovated by Mark Fine (who's done the work restoring Copake). I was rather excited for the round. I didn't think Bucknell would be revolutionary or anything, but I was looking forward to a fun and interesting course.

And then it rained the entire round. Apparently I can't play with friends and photograph a course; the same thing happened when I played Pocono Manor. So fair warning, the photo quality for this particular review is rather poor. I have a very nice and fairly expensive camera, and since it was raining literally the entire time, I was concerned about its well-being. Bucknell is just not a good enough course to risk something happening to my camera. So I took pictures with my phone. Sometimes it worked out pretty well, other times, not so much. 

The first hole is a short par 4, just 325 yards, and the tee-to-green distance is likely much shorter than that, since the hole doglegs right nearly 90 degrees. However, it's uphill the whole way and big trees in the dogleg block out aggressive drivers. For most, using a wood or long iron to leave a 100-yard wedge is the best play. The green is very small and flanked by bunkers. While most of the Loeffler holes are on the back, this is also an original hole, and you can kind of tell. It's a blind drive, blind second, and a tiny green. Not a hole in the Ed Ault playbook. 

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is a long par 3 (the longest on the course) at 210 yards, though it does play slightly downhill. The tee shot crosses a big valley to a green up on a plateau of sorts. It's another very small green of moderate undulation, with bunkers on each side. It's not an easy hole; while there's no dramatic hazard, the length of the hole combined with the pint-sized green combine to make this a very tough green to hit in regulation. Par is a good score here.

The second hole.

The third hole is a bit of a backbreaker from the otherwise modest back tees at 600 yards. While the tee shot is pretty nondescript, once you reach the top of a small ridge in the fairway you're smacked in the face by a massive Church Pews bunker lurking just right of the ideal lay-up zone for the third. And that's interesting, because if you look at the course on Google Earth, you won't find that bunker. That means it was recently added as part of the renovation. It seems a bit random, adding a Church Pews to some otherwise-nondescript college course in central Pennsylvania, but there is a reason for it.

Let's loop back to Emil Loeffler. While he's responsible for designing 20-30 courses back in the 20s and 30s, mostly in Pennsylvania, his most significant architectural feat is one he doesn't get credit for. Loeffler was born in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, and anyone remotely familiar with championship golf will recognize that name. He started up as a caddy at Oakmont Country Club when he was 10, and worked his way up through the ranks until he became head greenkeeper and head pro. He assisted H.C. Fownes with the design of the course and is absolutely instrumental in how Oakmont, host of so many U.S Opens, looks and plays today. 

The goal of Bucknell's current renovation is to make it feel more like the original nine by Loeffler, since the members prefer those to the Ault holes (at least according to my research). I think the Church Pews bunker was added as part of that effort. And I like very much that it was added. Traditionally the toughest shot on a par 5 to get right, but with that bunker, you really need to think about the lay-up. It's not my favorite hole here, since the drive isn't particularly exciting and the green, while not bad, also doesn't have much to say. It is definitely memorable though.

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole is the first Ed Ault hole, a shortish par 3 just over 150 yards. The green is about twice the size of the previous three, and is guarded by three bunkers. It's not a bad hole by any stretch of the imagination, but the green size is a bit incongruous with the older holes.

Since someone forgot to take a picture of the fourth, here it is on Google Maps.

The fifth hole is the first of a run of three shortish par 4s, all playing between 355 and 370 yards. The tee shot on this hole plays over rolling terrain, with a single fairway bunker right pretty easily driven past if you're willing to hit into the narrowest part of the fairway, pinched in by trees. The green is quite large and protected by two bunkers, one left and one right, with the bunker right also being rather large.

The fifth hole.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole plays significantly downhill, with a small tree noticeably jutting into the fairway about 250 yards out. A solid drive can clear this, however. The green is big and fronted by three large bunkers, and where the hole is cut dictates where you want to aim your drive. If the hole is right, you'll want to favor the left side of the fairway to give yourself a better angle around the sand, minimizing the carry over it, and vice versa. Short side yourself on the drive, and you'll be better off playing to the center of the green, leaving a long birdie putt.

The sixth hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole plays uphill the entire way, and with O.B. left and particularly dense trees right, accuracy is really at a premium on the drive. However, if you lay back too far, the second shot will be blind. The green is bunkerless, but it's set in amongst a group of mounds, and it's fairly undulating as well.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is, at 430 yards, the longest par 4 at Bucknell by a wide margin. Like the previous hole, there's O.B. left, and the tee shot is mostly blind. The fairway drops 20-30 feet about 250 yards out, so if you can hit that far, your drive will get a nice boost forward, leaving you with just a wedge second. Stay up top and you'll have a mid to long iron. The green is medium sized and protected by two bunkers right and one left.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is a short par 5, just over 500 yards, playing to a wide fairway. A good drive will leave you with a choice: Either go for the green, challenging the pond short left, or lay well back, leaving a full wedge third. There's a lot of space to bail out right of the green, though that will leave a tricky chip from a hanging lie. Laying up short leaves a pretty simple wedge to a large green; while the water is still there, it's much less threatening from 100 yards than 225 yards.

The ninth hole.

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