Saucon Valley Country Club (Old Course)
Architect: Herbert Strong Year: 1920 2050 Saucon Valley Rd, Bethlehem, PA 18015 Phone: 610-758-7150 Course Access: Private https://www.sauconvalleycc.org/ |
Saucon Valley Country Club (Old)
The Old Course is a charming, elegantly simple layout designed by British architect Herbert Strong. Strong hailed from Royal St. George’s, a course noted for its natural beauty; thus, it is no surprise that his designs involved little or no disruption to the land. Among Strong’s best-known works are Canterbury Golf Club near Cleveland, Ohio, Engineers Club in Roslyn, New York, and the Ponte Vedre Club in Florida, home to one of golf’s first “island” greens. The course has undergone minor renovations by William Gordon and then by Perry Maxwell and most recently by Tom Marzolf of the Fazio Group.
Not overly difficult from the member’s tees (6,800), the course shows its strength from the championship markers (7,126). It traverses the gently rolling terrain that was once a working farm. The USGA has chosen the Old Course for six of its national championships: the 1951 U.S. Amateur, the 1983 U.S. Junior Amateur, the 1987 U.S. Senior Amateur, two U.S. Senior Opens (1992 and 2000) and the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open. Always in superb condition, the Old Course is the favorite of the membership.
One of the many beautiful holes is the par four 13th. Fronting the old Georgian clubhouse, it is a relatively short hole that demands accuracy due to a series of six bunkers positioned down the left side of the fairway and four perfectly placed on the right. A drive to a narrow landing area leaves a short iron approach to a well-guarded, undulating green.
Not overly difficult from the member’s tees (6,800), the course shows its strength from the championship markers (7,126). It traverses the gently rolling terrain that was once a working farm. The USGA has chosen the Old Course for six of its national championships: the 1951 U.S. Amateur, the 1983 U.S. Junior Amateur, the 1987 U.S. Senior Amateur, two U.S. Senior Opens (1992 and 2000) and the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open. Always in superb condition, the Old Course is the favorite of the membership.
One of the many beautiful holes is the par four 13th. Fronting the old Georgian clubhouse, it is a relatively short hole that demands accuracy due to a series of six bunkers positioned down the left side of the fairway and four perfectly placed on the right. A drive to a narrow landing area leaves a short iron approach to a well-guarded, undulating green.
Course Photos
COURSE REVIEW BY: CHRIS MAVROS, GOLFADELPHIA
In Bethlehem, PA is the esteemed Saucon Valley Country Club, boasting three well regarded golf courses; the Old, the Grace and the Weyhill. We focus on the Old here, which was designed by Herbert Strong in 1921, then was worked on by Perry Maxwell and Tom Fazio. The Old is set on ideal parkland terrain for dramatic climbs and broad turns alongside creeks and water that cut in appropriately. The greens really grabbed my attention for their variance of movement and just how different some of the holes play depending on pin placement. It’s also very much a driving course, meaning getting off the tee correctly is critical and while there is some forgiveness in poorly struck tee shots inasmuch as remaining in play without a penalty stroke, you’ll be relying on the heroic recovery most of the time. The course was classic in presentation for the most part, yet played within a modern rubric. It has hosted a number of tournaments, including the 1951 U.S. Amateur, 1983 U.S. Junior Amateur, 1987 U.S. Senior Amateur, the U.S. Senior Open in 1992 and 2000, as well as the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open. It’s 11 on Golf Digest’s list of best courses in Pennsylvania and makes Golfweek’s list of top 200 classic courses. The course is certainly acclaimed and well regarded... Click Here To Read Hole By Hole