Review: Armitage Golf Club (Part 2)

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

The tenth hole is the longest par 4 on the course, playing 420 yards into the wind. The hole is essentially straight, but a large tree just right of the fairway in the landing area gives it a feeling of playing like a dogleg, and it makes a fade the best play on the tee shot. It's a fun drive, going down into the valley, but the second shot is where things get really interesting. It's uphill, but what makes things tricky is the green, which actually slopes from front to back. That makes the short to mid iron approach from 20 feet below the green tough to control, since you'll be coming in from a lower-than-normal angle. It's a bit reminiscent of the third at Oakmont (my brother made that connection, not me), and it reminded me of a typical down-than-up Donald Ross long par 4. Either way, simply tilting the green slightly away from the line of play made this hole quite possibly the best on the course.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is 340 yards, and it looks quite inviting on the tee. It's a downhill tee shot, and while the fairway definitely isn't wide, it really is very tempting to blast away with driver. That fairway bunker makes it even more tempting, since you can get past it with a solid drive. And there's nothing stopping you from making that choice. It is also a colossally stupid thing to do. If you happen to get the drive onto the right side of the hole, than it can work out, but if you end up 50 yards out with a bunker between you and the hole, than you might as well write a bogey on the scorecard, because you are not getting that golf ball anywhere close. The green is highest in the middle, which will give running shots from a half-wedge approach even more momentum as they head toward the back. 

A long iron on the tee will stop short of the fairway bunker and leave a full wedge back up to the green. It is the safe, boring play, and no one wants to do that. It's also indisputably the right way to play the hole. I know that, and yet, I would still try driver here again. I know the odds are against me, but it's just so tempting. And that's the sign of a good hole.

The eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole isn't quite on the same level as the previous two holes, but it is at least fairly memorable. You don't often see double-dogleg par 4s. But this fairway, threaded through large trees, bends hard right in the landing area before immediately turning back to the left. This has the effect of dramatically tightening the space one has if they want to hit driver. It also means that, if one plays safely without challenging the trees on the right side, there's a very good chance they'll be blocked on the second shot by trees on the left, effectively turning this 360-yard par 4 into a three-shot hole. If you do thread the needle, the second shot will be a wedge uphill to a medium-sized green protected by a large bunker front right.

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole would be a really good hole if it were 50 or 75 yards longer. The idea is there: On the tee, you're supposed to fade your tee shot between the bunker left and mounding right (there was pretty obviously a bunker here), then you draw your approach onto the green, which is angled right to left and has bunkers back right and front left. But long drivers can carry all the trouble on the tee shot, rendering the challenge and shotmaking that the hole wants you to employ obsolete. At the very least, the green here is still quite tricky, with a back tier presenting some particular difficulty. I didn't often miss length at Armitage, but this hole was an exception.

The thirteenth hole.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

After eight par 4s straight, the fourteenth finally presents something different. And it's a tiny little 125-yard par 3, which I very much appreciate. Short par 3s are underutilized. This is not a particularly tough hole; there are three bunkers around the green, but the green isn't particularly tricky and it's not that small either. Realistically, the only real challenge is judging the distance, since the hole plays significantly downhill. But still, it's a charming, likable hole, and I'm happy it's here.

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is the longest hole at Armitage, playing 530 yards. One might expect that a basically straightaway par 5 with no bunkers or real trouble for the first 500 yards of the hole would be not that interesting, but that is decidedly not the case here. This fairway rises and falls over multiple landforms, with much of the hole tilted sharply from right to left. The tumbling land is always something you have to account for, and it provides built-in interest on both the drive and second shot. The green itself is kind of tucked behind a pair of bunkers up at the top of a ridge, and while it isn't that exciting, it definitely isn't flat either. Overall, considering this was the only par 5 we got to play at Armitage, the fifteenth held up very well.

The fifteenth hole.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is 365 yards, and the first thing you'll notice is that the fairway is rather precariously sloped from left to right. Any sort of fade or slice is going to bound off the fairway toward the cluster of trees right. To complicate matters further, while the hole has no bunkers, the green is definitely best approached from the left side, thanks to the steep dropoff right of the green. The ability to hit a draw on command is very useful here. The green itself is quite small, which presents its own challenge, since no matter where you're playing your second shot from, you'll have to account for the massive sideslope. That makes this already-small target even more elusive.

The sixteenth hole.

Approaching the sixteenth green.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is by far the longest of Armitage's par 3s, playing nearly 240 yards. It is slightly downhill (and was downwind for our round), which helps, as you can run a golf ball along the fairway either up onto the green or at least quite close, leaving an easy chip. Right is very much something to be avoided; if you must miss, miss left. The green is sloped from back to front and has some little wrinkles and bumps to it that make chips and putts not entirely simple. Overall, a tough hole at the correct point in the round.

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole is a rather underwhelming finish to the round. At 325 yards, it's not driveable, and the fairway is both flat and pretty wide, so there's nothing to think about on the tee beyond getting close to the green. I guess if the flag is cut close to one of the two front bunkers you don't want to hit driver onto that particular side, which would leave you with a half-wedge with little green to work with, but that's not exactly riveting strategy. This green isn't even particularly interesting. At least it gives you a good opportunity to close things out with a birdie.

The eighteenth hole.

The eighteenth green.

I'm actually really a little disappointed that it took me this long to play Armitage, it's actually a pretty fun golf course, a lot better than I was expecting. It's not on the level of Paxon Hollow and certainly not Cape Arundel, two other sub-6,000 yard golf courses, but it's certainly in the conversation for best public course in Harrisburg. The only other competition is Dauphin Highlands, which may be going away if Dauphin County has anything to say about things.

Armitage's biggest strength is how it embraces the landscape: Remember, this golf course is tiny and on an equally tiny piece of land. Pretty much every hole runs parallel with each other. But when you're out there, you really don't feel it. Each hole presents you with different looks and feels different. Even on that stretch in the middle of the round where you get eight straight par 4s, most of which are pretty similar in length, I didn't really feel like I was missing anything in terms of variety. Actually, the stretch from 7 to 11 is perhaps the strongest group of holes on the course. Plus, Armitage manages to include a tiny little par 3 and rambunctious long(ish) par 5 in direct succession, both of which are appreciated.

The cost to play is also quite modest: just $28 to walk during the week, and it's never more than $40 to walk on the weekend. The conditions are also pretty solid, though mid-spring is pretty much ideal for any golf course to present solid grass conditions. I do, however, have a bit of a bone to pick regarding cost. Right now, Armitage has 8-minute gaps between tee times, which is absolutely not enough time. It took my brother and I just over 4 hours to play, which is absolutely absurd for such a short golf course with pretty much nowhere to lose a golf ball. Frankly, I think Armitage should charge more and space out the tee times more. They'd make the same money and the golfers would have a better experience. I'd pay more to play Armitage, I think it's worth it.

Review: Armitage Golf Club (Part 1)

I've lamented the thoroughly underwhelming stable of public golf courses in the Harrisburg area before, but there's a golf course in Mechanicsburg that I've actually overlooked completely. Armitage Golf Club is honestly pretty easy to miss; it's a tiny place, playing less than 6,000 yards from the tips and squeezed into a small property in a quiet residential neighborhood. And even if you do see it on Google Maps, you'll be greeted with a series of parallel holes that look to be the exact opposite of interesting.

But this little course, designed in 1975 by the omnipresent Pennsylvania design company of Ault and Clark, is hiding a little secret that one can't see from above: some fascinating land movement. I happened to look through a drone tour on Armitage's website and was very intrigued by what I saw. So, let's find out if Armitage was worth the trip.

The first hole is 415 yards, making it the second longest par 4 on the course. This is not a particularly interesting hole, being dead straight and laid out over flat terrain. There aren't any fairway bunkers in play, though there is O.B. far to the left. The second shot is slightly more interesting, being a short iron into a slightly angled green with bunkers front left and back right. In general, this is a pretty nondescript and relaxed opening hole.

The first hole.

The first green.

The second hole, unfortunately, was actually closed the day my brother and I played here; they were doing some sort of construction, as you can see in the pictures I took. Hey, no reason to let not playing the hole stop me. 

The hole is a 510-yard par 5 – one of only two par 5s at Armitage, which is why this specific hole being closed was quite annoying – and while I can't offer any specifics on what the drive looks like, there is a large fairway bunker right of the fairway that likely provides some challenge. Mostly though, I'm disappointed I didn't get a try at this green, as it looks quite fun. Tiny and sharply tilted, with four bunkers around it to challenge people going for the green in two, I don't imagine this green gives up many eagles or even birdies, despite the hole's modest length.

The second hole.

The second green.

The second hole from behind the green.

The third hole is 180 yards and plays slightly uphill to a small and very shallow green, with a bunker front right and another far right that likely only comes into play when the flag is cut on that side of the green. The flag we saw, out on the left, was pretty generous, but those right-hand flags have got to be pretty tough. There is very little green to stop a mid iron, especially since you need to carry it the whole way there. This is a hole where you probably want to aim for the safe left side every time and just content yourself with a long putt or relatively straightforward chip.

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole is 350 yards, and for the first time we have some real decisions to make on the tee shot. For the first 225 yards the playing corridor is quite generous, but after the fairway turns left around the large fairway bunker, it gets much narrower, squeezing between lines of trees and another smaller bunker further up the hole. If you want to hit driver, you have to carry that first bunker and challenge the narrow part of the fairway. It's very easy to run out of space right and run into the trees beyond. However, if you do cut the corner correctly, you'll be left with a little pitch shot second, and you'll have a good angle into the green, which is guarded short, right, and long by sand. 

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is 170 yards and plays slightly uphill to an angled, shallow green. This seems like a similar setup to the third, but there are some differences. For one, the green and bunkers around it are flipped, with everything angled right to left. Also, there's a dropoff behind to make the golfer worry about going long. Also, this green is much more interesting than the third's. In particular, the back left hole location is cut onto a little plateau that takes up about a quarter of the greens surface. Miss the green slightly long, like my brother did, and you will have a very dicey chip back. Hit it even a little thin or a little too hard, and you're going to end up with a 50-foot comeback putt.

The fifth hole.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is the start of an eight-hole stretch consisting entirely of par 4s. Mohawk has some company in that department now. To kick things off, we have a narrow 325-yard hole, playing to a winding fairway threaded between trees. While one could use driver here, a fairway wood or long iron is more than enough to get you within wedge distance of the green. The second shot isn't exactly straightforward, since there are flanking bunkers and the green is small and a bit lumpy, but it isn't too tough a shot either.

The sixth hole.

Approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green. There's actually a slight bump integrated into the green right in front of the flag here, which helped my second quite a bit; it was short and the bump kicked it on. It's a fun little micro-contour and I'm glad Armitage has it and a few other features like it.

The seventh hole is 310 yards, and it's here that we really start to get a taste of Armitage's interesting topography. The fairway is tilted sharply from left to right, which presents an issue as the green is best approached from the left side. A pitch from a hanging lie over a large bunker is not a shot you want to have. You need to hug the left side, flirting with the pine trees in the corner of the dogleg, to leave the best angle for the second shot. The green is a bit bigger than many at Armitage, but it's not exactly a generous target.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is 315 yards, and generally plays slightly uphill to another tilted fairway. But the story isn't that simple. About a hundred yards from the green, the land dips down severely into a valley, and while you can hit a golf ball into it, you almost certainly won't enjoy the second shot. A severely sidehill stance awaits you, with the green 20 or 30 feet above your head. Oh, and there are multiple bunkers in front of that elevated green as well, just to make extra sure you can't run a shot onto it. The green itself is fairly generous, being fairly large and sloped from back to front to accept low-running shots, but the odds of getting a pitch shot from the bottom of the big hole onto the green just aren't in your favor. A lay-up to the relatively flat portion of the fairway will leave a wedge and give you a much more realistic look at attacking this green. Honestly, I really like this hole; it technically doesn't take driver out of your hands, but using it is an incredibly bad idea.

The eighth hole.

Approaching the eighth green.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is the shortest par 4 at Armitage, playing a thoroughly modest 295 yards. A long hitter could definitely hit a high draw and get to the green, but for most, the play here is a long iron out into the wide part of the fairway before the clusters of tall pines that line both sides. Do that, and you'll have just a wedge into the green, which is pretty nondescript aside from the two bunkers in front. Not the most exciting hole the course has to offer.

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.

Review: Dauphin Highlands Golf Club (Part 2)

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

The tenth hole is a short drive and pitch par 4 playing up a slowly rising hill. There's a bunker about 250 yards out; if you can clear that, you'll be left with a little pitch to a wide-open green. If you can't clear that bunker, however, you may be better off not using driver at all, as hitting out to the left leaves you with a slightly awkward three-quarter wedge over the corner of a front-left greenside bunker. Laying back and using a full wedge on the second shot lets you approach the flag more aggressively than from 75 or so yards. The green slopes from back right to front left, and there's also a pair of small bunkers behind the green that are best avoided.

The tenth hole.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is 410 yards and plays slightly uphill along a line of trees right. The fairway is pinched pretty severely in the landing area by three bunkers; trying to thread the needle with a driver is basically going to come down to luck. The smart play is to lay up short and settle for a longer second shot. That will leave a mid or short iron into the green, which is open to run-up shots, though there are bunkers short left and back right.

The eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is a 520-yard par 5, and so long as you avoid the right-side fairway bunker, the tee shot's pretty simple. The bunker's not too far out, so even a half-decent drive can carry it. For those who can't get to the green in two, there's a small fairway bunker left of the fairway about 100 yards; to get the best angle for the third, you'll want to challenge that bunker. The green is pressed pretty close against the tree line, and there's a steep falloff right and long, along with a greenside bunker right.  

The twelfth hole.

Approaching the twelfth green.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is a pretty simple hole, courtesy of an incredibly wide-open fairway. We're talking about 75 yards of completely open space without bunkers, water, or trees. A good drive will leave a shortish iron slightly up the hill to a slightly boomerang-shaped green with a small bunker left.

The thirteenth hole.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is 375 and plays down and back up out of a valley. Using driver gets you to the bottom of the hill and a fairly level stance, but the fairway is also at its narrowest point there. You have more space if you lay further back, but the fairway is pretty sloped from right to left, which is never something you really want to have. The green is on the smaller side and pretty undulating, with three small bunkers in front.

The fourteenth hole.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is a mid-length par 3 playing over a valley. There's a pond at the bottom, but unless you hit an enormous chunk or top, it's not an issue. What is an issue is the green, which is sloped severely from back to front, with the front third separated by a significant tier. Missing long is not something you want. There's also a couple of bunkers protecting the green, and while the front right bunker is more intimidating, the back left bunker is the one you really want to avoid.

The fifteenth hole.

The sixteenth hole is the longest hole at Dauphin Highlands, and it's an ... interesting proposition, mostly because you can't use driver on the tee. Beyond the 250-yard point, the fairway ends in dense trees and a steep falloff; not only that, you also need to favor the left side of the fairway. If you're too far right, your second shot will be blocked out by tall trees covering the corner of the dogleg. If you find position A, you're left with a very, very long and not particularly interesting second shot to a fairway sloped hard from right to left. If you're not in position A, then you either have to curve a shot around trees or deal with a couple of bunkers about 150-200 yards out from the green. It's a tough green as well, with multiple tiers and a couple of deep bunkers, alongside the steep falloff left and long.

The big issue with this hole is that, while it has a ton going on, it doesn't really use those features in an interesting way. You play this hole long iron, long iron, wedge. There's no opportunity to take on a risk and find a reward from it. It's all punishment if you don't hit the prescribed shot. The green is okay, but the sixteenth is just a slog before that point. 

The sixteenth hole.

Approaching the sixteenth green.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is pretty similar to the fifteenth (and the eighth) in a lot of ways. Both holes play over a valley (admittedly, this one is a lot more dramatic), both holes are about 190 yards, both have back-left greenside bunkers you don't want to be in, and both feature a green with a significant back-to-front slope. The green is more interesting on 15, but this hole has a lot more visual flair to it. Of course, I'd rather three of the four par 3s not be copies of each other, but it's a classic golf course design trick to have par 3s cross valleys that would be inconvenient for other holes to negotiate. A bit of distance variation would be nice, though.

The seventeenth hole.

The eighteenth hole is a surprisingly tame way to finish the round, especially considering how much the last two holes had going on. Sure, there's a pond in play on the drive, but the hole is only 390 yards, so there's no need to use a driver and take that water on. A 3 wood or long iron will stop short; alternatively, there's a lot of room left of the pond if you're not hitting driver. A solid 3 wood will still leave you with just a wedge or short iron into the green. While there are two bunkers short and the green's not large, it's also a pretty flat green, so birdie is definitely a possibility. This is decidedly not the stereotypical, hopelessly difficult long par 4 with water finishing hole.

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

During the middle of the round, I said to my brother that Dauphin Highlands reminded me pretty strongly of Worthington Manor, just with less interesting greens. It has the same generally open, mostly treeless layout, it feels modern in design, it has some interesting strategic choices, but it's not mind blowing or revolutionary in any way. And while the last few holes get away from that general design philosophy a bit, I'm going to stick with my original assessment. It's a solid course with some interesting greens, but there are also quite a few greens that don't have much going for it. Also, the sixteenth is just a really awkward, boring hole.

In terms of value, Dauphin Highlands is pretty solid. $48 to play on a Saturday isn't too bad at all, though it would be nice if the price was reduced if you walked. However, I do have to mention the pace of play. It took 4 and a half hours to play, and while that may not sound terrible for some, I'm pretty sure it's the slowest round I've gone through since the pandemic started in 2020. And that's purely down to the 8-minute tee time intervals, which is just not enough. If you don't want pace of play issues, 10 minutes between tee times is the minimum, 12 minutes is better, and 15 minutes is best. With 8-minute tee times, you've got nearly twice as many golfers on the course as you would with 15 minutes, and it can be felt. 

That's an argument for a different time, so I'll just end by saying that I would play Dauphin Highlands again, just not during a busy and incredibly nice afternoon on a weekend. It's an above-average golf course, and definitely worth playing if you're in the area.