Forecasting a warm weekend. Don’t fall for their tricks though.
Roommate told me yesterday that she’ll be out of town on a work trip for a few days starting on June 21. This should open up the weekend for a swing of golf I’ve been excited to tackle:
Saturday, June 22
AM: LuLu Country Club
PM: Jeffersonville Golf Club
Sunday, June 23
AM: Paxon Hollow Golf Club
PM: Inniscrone Golf Club (tentative)
I usually do these trips solo, but since I’m probably going to get paired up with someone anyway, I figured I’d see if any Refugees were up for joining any or all of these legs. Let me know if you are interested. I will handle making all the tee times and what not for the day. Shoutout to @thefriedegg for putting these courses on my radar.
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Never realized there’s a local thread on the NLU board. Been a fan for years. I live in Lancaster and I’ve played every course in the county. Not to pile on too much, of course LCC is the best and it’s not close. IMO pilgrims is the best public. Aside from its 15th green, the course is hard to knock. Pilgrims offers better green structures, variety, and gives you options off the tee. Outside of Lancaster, huge fan of Galen Hall, Iron Valley, and Honeybrook. Noticed a lot of love for RM, great greens, but I can’t get over the Faz inspired professor hacker’s waterfall. Next time you’re there follow the creek that feeds into it. Now, it wouldn’t be NLU if I didn’t throw in some Tron inspired scorching local hot takes… Hole 12 at crossgates is the worst hole in the county. Worst three hole stretch is 7,8,9 at Donegal Highlands. Four Seasons is harder than Overlook. Speaking of which, hole 17 at four seasons is the hardest public par four in the county. (10 at LCC and 16 at MH are tied for hardest private, followed by 9 at CCC). If the host continues to trend in the right direction(fingers crossed) under new ownership, it’ll be my 2nd favorite public behind PO. The host has great variety and routing. Anyway, I’m always looking for people play with. So @paul or @bakemoney2000 or anyone else if you’re ever in need of an open spot hit me up. I’m an 8 hdcp. I usually try and get out twice a week in season. I’ll play anywhere reasonably close to Lancaster. Have no problem playing with complete strangers, anyone who’s good with NLU is good with me.
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Hi @Sweetedgolf, welcome to The Refuge! Thanks for chiming I’m. And thanks for the great rundown, I agree with all of your accesments, especially about Crossgates. That course has recovered slightly from what it was a few years ago, but still a lot of holes that rub me the wrong way. The Lancaster Open is there this year unfortunately. Love Pilgrams, RM, and Iron Valley, going to try to make it down towards Philly this year as well. Have never played LCC, which is a crying shame. Just have not found a connection yet. I have an invite to play York CC this year, excited about that.
Overlook is closest, so that accounts for a large chunk of my evening 9s and practice.
Thanks again for introducing yourself, I would love to connect for a game soon. 
I have to rescind my previous statement about hole 17 at four seasons being the hardest public par 4 in the county… I played there today and they turned it into a par 5 this year! Not that par matters, but at least the rating/slope on the course is now believable. I’ve always considered running my hdcp out of four seasons. A sand baggers dream…
Never really thought of 17 being the hardest public par-4 in the county (because nothing about Four Seasons is memorable to me), but yeah it probably fits the bill. I remember playing there a few years ago having a real heater going on. Just came off of making a ridiculous birdie at 16 and was feeling it. Crushed a driver off 17 tee and it flew in the water, looked like an M-80 went off in that one-foot wide creek. Not sure I’ve ever been more disheartened on a golf course because that ball was smoked.
Would love to get like a once-a-month NLU weeknight outing somewhere here in Lancaster. May be a pipe dream for me this spring with taking the plunge into home ownership, but am for sure interested once July rolls around. I’m playing Conestoga next week and Meadia Heights in the county two-man scramble on 5/4 and then may not play until late June.
How can you hate on Bent Creek
York is fantastic. I recommend walking for the full effect, but wear comfortable shoes.
It looks like you’ve had the moderate pleasure of playing Chambersburg, Paul. You passed my home for the first 25 years of my life on the 6th hole. And roughly a driver in the wrong direction away from that 6th tee box is the house of Bill and Elaine Davis - parents of Mr. Mike Davis, USGA Executive Director.
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Thanks for the tip, can’t wait to get out there.
No way! So cool. Seems like a great track to grow up on. Are you still in the area?
I do remember someone telling me the Davis’s live in that area, couldn’t have told you where though.
I recently moved to Richmond, but I’ll be back periodically. My family still lives right there on #6
Red Lion/York native checking in. I’ve taken a huge liking to Royal Manchester. Very nice track.
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Also very open to a central PA NLU group round.
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Always looking for a new track when I come up and visit home. I’m at 110 on my road to 200 before I turn 30.
Bent creek is cool, has great bunkering. Feels like crossgates on steroids. #3 is my favorite hole.
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Wolfhammer obvi…
Recommend the Penn National loops if you haven’t played them. Chambersburg area.
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Oh many-a-day out at PN, my friend.
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I was talking with my brother earlier and we need some help from the Lancaster contingency…In your opinion, what’s the harder course, Overlook or Crossgates?The Rating and Slope give the edge to Overlook, but IMO Crossgates is a much much more penal course. I think the big o has harder par 4’s and 3’s, but I think the two 5’s and holes 11, 4 are a wash with the 4 par 5’s at xgates. I think it’s a lot easier to fake it at Ogusta than Crossgates. Maybe with the exception of BC, I don’t think there’s any other courses with as much hazard / OB on so many holes. What do you think?
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I would agree with this I think, overall you are going to have a better chance at a recovery at Overlook than you will at Crossgates.
That being said, at Overlook you don’t have much room between the edge of the fairway and tree trouble. You can miss the fairway by just 8 yards, and be forced to shape your approach or punch up the fairway.
The other variable is the greens and overall conditions. It feels like Overlook has been steadily improving their conditions, and Crossgates can be pretty suspect at times. Much rather putt at Overlook.
All that said, Crossgates beats me up, and I never really cared for it much. Pace of play is a consistent issue there as well. I live equal distances from both, and play Overlook 20 times per year, to 1 or 2 at Crossgates. I will be playing in the Lancaster Open this year at Crossgates, so we’ll see how that goes.