Course Review - Royal Oaks Golf Club

By Steve Gordon

It was like a Field of Dreams driving on a road trip once off the turnpike through country roads bordered by tall green cornfields to get to the Royal Oaks golf club in Lebanon, PA. It certainly could be described as in the middle of nowhere sitting across the street from the Lebanon Country Club.

As my long time golf partner and I are always on the look for new courses we came up with Royal Oaks and courtesy of a GolfNow hot deal we were off.

This public golf course, a Ron Forse design, opened in 1990 didn't disappoint. It is a nice comfortable layout that doesn't come at you hard. The front nine was mostly open and extremely playable. There were a bunkers not easily visible on a couple holes so you need to pay attention to what you are seeing and it never hurts to walk or drive up the hole a little to take a look as long as you don't let it interfere with your pace of play.

We played behind a foursome and it was a four hour round. Very enjoyable on a picture perfect Chamber of Commerce weather day.

There are five tee areas at Royal Oaks but it doesn't follow traditional colors for tee placements. The Silver tees we played might be the traditional Blue tees at many courses. The back Gold tees stretch to 6521 yards while the Bronze tees are 5876 yards which would be a traditional White tee set. The Forward White and Black tees are listed at 5326 and 4751 yards.

A brief note of commentary is that I like seeing forward tees set at less than 5000 yards as it makes the course playable for everyone. You might say the 98 yard (from the most forward tee) par 3 11th hole is a short par 3, but it really isn't for some senior and women players.

The course opens with an S shaped par 5 of 534 yards from the 6153 yard Silver tees (565 from the longest tees and 402 from the shortest). It's the longest hole on the course. It is followed by the shortest par 4 on the layout (301 yards Silver tees). Driver needs to stay in the bag on the second hole as the fairway ends around 200 yards out. This is one of those holes where there is a bunker you really can't see from the teeing area.

As the front nine holes winds it's way around a large wetlands area I found the par 4 sixth hole, a 380 dogleg left, to be the most interesting hole on the opening nine.

Now that you are warmed up the real course shows itself on the back nine. Every hole has a character and challenge of its own with a creek that winds it's way into play on nearly every hole. Both par 3's are very good holes. One (11) is short at 129 yards from the Silver tees while the other (15) is 175 yards and throws water in your face to deal with. These would be good holes on any golf course.

Fourteen has a double fairway that didn't inspire me and I didn't even realize it until we had hit our tee shots and were down the fairway. I don't have issue with double fairways generally but in my amateur course designer opinion, there needs to be definition and one of them should present a risk reward challenge. That wasn't the case here. The feature on this hole that stood out was three boulders in a green side bunker.

There was only one par 5 on the back but it is the par 4 holes that make this nine. If I had to pick one or two that stood out perhaps I would nominate the 371 yard 10th hole that plays over the creek with the green set right behind it. But I also liked the short 16th and longer 17th, both with the creek very prominently in play.

A couple notes of interest: 1. A number of bunkers are being grassed over for maintenance purposes but there are still plenty of remaining bunkers to challenge all players; and 2. The name with "Royal" in it isn't because the Queen was there to anoint it a Royal course. The name comes from the road outside the golf course, Royal Oaks.

If you are looking to take a road trip for a nice day of golf, and a nice drive, I recommend Royal Oaks. It isn't going to host any national championships but it is a pleasure to play and a challenge to all level of players. As with any golf course you play, please be sure to play from the proper set of tees that suits your skill level.

To make a tee time you can phone them at 717-274-2212 or you can go online to www.golfatroyaloaks.com. Also as mentioned, Royal Oaks is part of  the GolfNow network of courses.

Photo gallery from my phone that I took while playing.

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Course Review - The Architects Golf Club

By Steve Gordon

On the way to the US Women's Open at Trump National in Bedminster a friend and I made a pit stop at The Architects Golf Club near Phillipsburg, New Jersey.

The names bears the intent of the course developers, to honor some of the legendary golf course designers. However it is not a course of replica holes as some assume. Each hole was built in the style of a particular famous golf course architect. That said, the 13th hole green complex is set up to somewhat mimic the 13th hole of Augusta National, home of The Masters. A stream similar to Rae's Creek diagonally fronts the green which is angled behind it and it even has two stone bridges for effect.

13th green from cart path left side approaching the green.

As the course was fashioned and laid out course architect Stephen Kay manufactured a wonderful mix of holes that flows from the first tee to the 18th green. An unsuspecting player, of which I don't imagine there are many that go there, might not even realize the concept.

The course starts of with none other than an Old Tom Morris hole. It is a par five that follows the lay of the land around pot bunkers leading to a traditional sod faced bunker fronting the green.

Pot bunker fronting the 1st green.

I came away with a handful of favorite holes. It was tough for me to single out just one hole. The above mentioned 13th hole is on that list along with the Walter Travis 5th hole, the Donald Ross 9th hole and the Stanley Thompson 17th.

The course stretches out to 6863 yards from the back Black tees. I played the 6172 yard Blue tees and it was all the golf course this 70-year-old could handle as the course plays long going up and down the rolling terrain. The color of the tees placements are not the norm. Between the Black and Blue tees are the 6532 Gold tees while the forward Red tees drop down to a still very challenging 5233 yards.

There is a stretch and three long par 4 holes on the back nine that will test the best of players. After the 13th, from the Blue tees come the Perry Maxwell 400 par four, the Donald Ross 405 yard 15th and the Dick Wilson 423 yard 16th. Don't let the yardage fool you because on all of these the tee shot is uphill and semi blind.

For the most part the greens are generous in size with the 18th green on the short Robert Trent Jones 355 yard par 4 being the largest and with the most undulations of any green. It is possible to have a putt of 100 feet in addition to the contours.

The par three holes were all very manageable but not similar in length except for the 145 yard (116 from the Blue tee). What separates them from each other is the terrain and the design of the green and bunkers. The par five holes were all likewise manageable with none being killer long that you would have a long shot into the green.

If I had to make a criticism of the course it would be that it is not well marked for yardages so an electronic devise would be a good thing to have when you go there. There are sprinkler heads with yardages but no traditional 200, 150 or 100 yard stakes, trees or bushes. Perhaps that was by design to get you to play by feel as would have been the case in the old days? It is also a course where local knowledge is extremely helpful first time around. The scorecard does not have a diagram of the course layout or the individual holes.

A big upside is that the course offers up stunning vistas and it isn't crowded around by houses. You actually feel like you are on a golf course that has been there for a while and not something built to accommodate a housing development. Take a camera or use your phone to take some photos to remember your visit.

The course is kind of in the middle of nowhere just across the Delaware from Easton, PA. However it is not hard to find and it is well worth the road trip and the greens fee. They are on GolfNow but you can also contact them through their web site at www.thearcchitectsclub.com or by phone at

(908) 213-3080.

Hole number 10.

The par 3 17th hole.

9th green.

Course - ReviewCenterton Golf Club

By Steve Gordon

Let's put one thing right up front about the Centerton Golf Club. It isn't a northern version of Augusta National as someone quipped in the club house when a friend and I paid our first visit there recently. However, this Ed Cameron design has been a staple of local public golf since 1962 in the South Jersey area.

A glance at the scorecard shows you that by the numbers it isn't a long track measuring a shade under 6300 yards from the back tees, but numbers don't tell the whole story. The course is a well thought out mix of long and short holes much like that of the early designers.

It winds it's way through the trees on the property that line the fairways on most every hole with straight holes, right to left holes and left to right holes. There isn't much in the way of water hazards but what there is can't be ignored.

The 7th hole is kind of an innocent looking 150 yard par 3 from the white tees but it's got some challenge to it. The first thing you notice is a small lake left of the green but what you don't readily notice at first glance with some bushes that line part of the water is that it borders the green.

If you take a harder look you will notice the green is long and narrow and it slopes right to left towards the water. What that means any shot towards the left side of the green is in danger of not staying on the green. If the pin is there my suggestion is not to go flag hunting. This turned out to be one of my favorite holes on the course even though it is the 18 handicap hole. It plays 184 yards from the back tee.

To transition to the top rated hole on the course I refer you to my opening statement that this is a course made up of long and short holes. Number 16 weighs in at 413 and 388 yards from the Blue and White tees respectfully. It is a dogleg left but you don't want to flirt with cutting it unless you are confident of how far and straight you can hit it. A miss left or short of finding the fairway isn't likely to leave you a shot to the green and if you get lucky the green is guarded by two bunkers from that angle.

The scorecard reveals that the 17th hole is a medium length par 3 of 156 yards (169 Blue tee). It is however all over water so a mishit or misclub results in your ball taking a bath. Be sure to read the wind direction correctly at the tree top level as well.

A short distance through the trees will bring you to the 427 yard (444 Blue tee) finishing hole. It is dead straight between the trees lining the generous fairway with one lone fairway bunker on the left that is in play.

Two of the par five holes are less than 500 yards but on the day we played with soft turf from overnight rain they both played as legitimate 3 shot holes while the other par 5 (number 11) was a beast from the 555 yard white tee (578 Blue tee).

The par 4 holes vary in length from 288 to 388 yards from the white tees (302 to 444 Blue tees). Much of the course is tree lined but it's fair and not confining for the most part. OK, the tee shot on the  sharp left dogleg 9th hole can be a tight fit with the wrong ball flight. There are a couple open links like holes on the course for a different look but those holes are within the design concept of the rest of the course, they just don't have a lot of trees on them.

Centerton is an affordable quality golf course in South Jersey. It is about an hour from Philadelphia and Atlantic City areas. For more information call 856-358-2220 or go to www.CentertonGolf.com.

Forward Tees

By Steve Gordon

I was in attendance at the Media Day for the ShopRite LPGA Classic. It is a scramble golf outing for the media people then a luncheon and press conference with the previous years tournament champion. This is all in advance of the tournament played on the Bay Course at the Stockton Seaview Resort in Absecon, NJ on June 2, 3 and 4th.

After all the media participants were rounded up they read the rules for the outing which were the normal for scramble play and they included the provision that anyone over 55 could play the forward gold tees. That's me folks.

The Bay Course is not a long course situated on the bay across from Atlantic City. Its defense is the always present wind, tall fescue grass and small fast undulating greens. It's a fun course to play and it is a test of shot making and that is why it attracts many of the big names to come play in it.

If the wind is up as it was in 2014 when Karie Webb won with a score of -1 the course is all you can handle. One commentator on the Golf Channel remarked on air that year that the players came to the ShopRite and a US Open broke out. The course was playing that tough. Last year the wind was moderate and the winning score by defending champion Anna Nordquist was -17.

Back to the scramble. Here were one playing partner and myself and the other two components of our scramble team didn't make it in for the early start time. You might think it would make for a long day and a disadvantage with only two guys playing in a four man team format. The rules allow for four balls so it meant we could each hit two shots. Advantage or disadvantage?

As both of us were upwards of 55 by more than a decade we did have the forward tees to look forward to. The course plays a shade over 6000 yards from the white tees that we normally play when we go there. The forward gold tees on this day would give us about 1000 less yards to play with on a mostly normal wind condition day.

We started on the 8th hole in the shotgun start. It was playing 288 yards from the forward tees and a good drive put us less than 100 yards from the green and we started with a birdie as my partner has a very good shot game. Moving on to the 411 yard par 5 ninth hole playing into the wind another birdie was the result.

This was fun.

The bottom line is that as we were putting our tee shots out there in good positions and didn't have to hit medium and long irons or hybrids to the greens there were birdies to be had. In the end we finished 12 under par with a score of 59 that included two eagles.

We did fudge a little however on the first hole where we crossed paths with Nordquist for a photo op and some light conversation. The defending champ was out and about around the course just greeting all the media people and hitting shots here and there. She didn't have her clubs but said if we gave her a club and a ball she'd hit a tee shot for us. Without a practice swing she roped one for us.

We equated ourselves well with solid shots in front of the pro from the 345 White tee box but guess whose tee shot we used there to make a par from about 80 yards away?

Where I am going with this is that the rules allow for senior and women players, who don't hit the ball as far as younger players, to play from a more reasonable distance. Both my partner and I still hit it OK, but playing with younger, more athletic and more agile players our tee shots are sitting on the turf looking up at their balls flying past in the air.

I see players various places I go who just put ego in front of reason and insist on playing golf courses from the wrong set of tees. Why not take what the rules give you and go out and have fun. For our round on the Media Day we had a blast and it was so much fun not to be standing out in the fairway wondering if we had enough club to reach greens in regulation or having to hit woods in where others were hitting medium irons.

The recommendation from this retired mind is move up to more forward tees from the traditional regular or White tees. Play a yardage that suits your game. I guarantee it'll be a more rewarding experience.

Steve Gordon, Anna Nordqvist and Bob Oliver

Viewer call in penalties

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(Bob is an occasional contributor to this blog)

By Bob Oliver

I called into Major League Baseball offices and let them know a ball called in yesterday's Washington National’s game was actually a strike. 

To my surprise, MLB didn't change the call.  

Interestingly enough, a wrong call was made on for holding in the Philadelphia Flyers-New York Rangers hockey game over the weekend on a play which led to a goal. I e-mailed the National Hockey League offices and let them know, but they too didn't change the call.

But some yahoo burro calls or writes the LPGA Tour and drops a dime on Lexi Thompson in the ANA Inspiration and before you can say “bingo” the LPGA penalized the tournament leader and ultimately cost her $154,509 in prize winnings as well as a championship.

What did Thompson do? Kick her ball out of the rough? Roll a putt by throwing instead of using a putter? Start handing out mulligans? Wear uncoordinated clothing colors?

Nope, none of the above.

The 22-year-old was: 1) given a two-shot penalty Sunday for incorrectly marking her golf ball on a green during Saturday’s round, and, 2) given a two-shot penalty for signing an incorrect scorecard. The penalties were given a day later.

Thompson did not knowingly replace her ball on the green incorrectly, her playing partners saw no violation, and rules officials walking with the players said nary a word. But a day later words like “ridiculous”, “unbelievable”, “wrong” and “stupid” were uttered by professional golfers when informed of the situation.

For years viewers have called in potential rules violations and the practice has got to stop.

Last year the blowhard callers nearly cost Dustin Johnson the U.S. Open Championship and may have cost Anna Nordqvist the U.S. Women’s Championship.

A couple years ago Mrs. LPGA, Juli Inkster, was in one of those endless waits on the tee (about 30 minutes) wanted to stay warmed up in an event. So she inserted a weighted attachment (a "doughnut" similar to what baseball players use in the on deck circle) and took some practice swings. That's it. She could just as easily lifted her golf bag 10 times, and that would have been perfectly legal.  

A television viewer contacts the LPGA, and Inkster, just a couple shots out of the lead, gets to leave the course on a walk of shame.

Give me a break. I know, I know, rules are rules. I know Dustin Johnson was in a phantom bunker at the PGA Championship and grounded his club (where was that rake, anyway?). I know that because after the tournament they took a picture of it, and sure enough, it was a bunker. But in the heat of battle, with people standing in the "hazard" all day, nobody could tell.

There was a rules official right there, watching the whole escapade, and he didn't think it appropriate to say anything to Johnson.

Give me a break.

Years ago a caller reached the PGA Tour office (don’t they have better things to do) and informed that Craig Stadler violated a rule by kneeling on a towel before hitting a shot from soggy ground. Maybe this was right after playing partner Judge Smails threw a ball onto the green, but it was Stadler who was penalized.

Say what?

Bottom line is that there are playing partners observing the play with the opportunity to question a situation. Rules officials generally travel alongside the leading groups to offer help and expertise. And the tours monitor the life feed from the event.  There is absolutely no reason for a Tour to be taking phone calls and e-mails from viewers of an event.

Lexi Thompson is an honorable, rules abiding, upstanding lady. If she broke the rules, she should be disciplined. But this idea that a random caller, a member of the armchair sitting television police, can simply call in and affect the outcome of a tournament is ridiculous. Incredible. It would never, ever happen in other major professional sports.

Golf is supposed to be a gentleman’s game, a gentlewoman’s game. There are rules officials all over the course, but none of them had problems with the above situations. No, some yahoo watching a TV or mobile device in their underwear becomes arbiter and drops a dime on a player. Have to call BS on that one.  

Players regularly call penalties on themselves. Bizarre calls and e-mails should not. Brian Davis did call a penalty on himself and it cost him victory at Hilton Head a couple year’s back. So it's not like players are cheating and getting away with it. They police themselves. By allowing callers, emailers, whatever to call the game is a sham. This is not American Idol, where you call in to an 800 number and make your feelings known. It is professional golf and it looks amateurish.

Here's an idea. Create a the new FWL: Fantasy Watchers League. Participants can watch sporting events and call in infractions. They get points for each time they uncovered a dastardly deed. At the end of the year the winner could pick his or her sport and actually wear an official's outfit and "work" a game. The comedy of that would be priceless.

Until then, shut up.

No other major league sport offers such a venue for millions of armchair rules officials to call in and change the outcome of a tournament. Period.

This boorish behavior has got to stop. Now.

Put viewers on a Do not call list. Don't answer e-mails. Establish a new rule that anyone calling in a violation be permanently barred from the game for a year and all e-mailing and telephoning privileges revoked. Stop the insanity!

2017 Masters

By Steve Gordon

I like underdogs. Always have. That is a big reason why I was happy to see Sergio Garcia put the green jacket on. I didn't have a favorite player of all the final round contenders so any of those guys would have been a fine champion for me. As the tournament unfolded however Garcia became my guy. Apparently the Patrons felt the same as they gave him a big roar when that last putt dropped making it official.

Because Sergio has been a very good player for so long, I guess you could make a case that it was just time to get his first Major. Was it a coincidence that it came on the day that would have been his idol Seve Ballesteros' 60th birthday? Was it a coincidence that the only other player to eagle 15 in the final round and win was another countryman Jose Maria Olazabal? I can't speak on that but it was pretty cool.

There is no question that there were a lot of very good players in contention as the final round started as each of them set up and propelled their opening shots from the first tee. It was game on as they began to duel it out on the manicured fairways at Augusta National.

The announcers were saying, anyone within a handful of shots, even 5 or 7 back, could get hot and win. As good as one single player was in past years and how he once dominated and how we marveled at his talent, it was great to see a field of players fight for the coveted trophy.

Now, as the final round unfolded, things did not go well for all of the top contenders and as opportunities were missed and shots were dropped one by one they fell out of contention. The tournament was boiling down to the final pair of Justin Rose and Garcia. Rose looked solid while Sergio had a few hiccups, but he was hanging in there.

And then...and then...they got to Amen Corner.

I was texting with a friend during the round and as things were playing out I admit I jumped the gun. When Sergio's tee shot hit that tree limb and kicked left and into the base of an azalea bush I thought that would be the end of his chances. I texted "He's done." I couldn't have been more wrong and I should have known better. I've been watching this tournament for more years then I'm going to admit to and...well...I just should have known better than to make that call.

Garcia did exactly what he should have done instead of letting the emotions of the moment take over. Besides had he attempted to hack at the ball in that bush, how would that sit with the grounds crew and members of that beautiful place? How dare he do that?

But seriously folks, there was no other realistic option because there was a minuscule chance he could have hit safely out of there even if he could have gotten a club on the ball. Why risk potentially dumping it into the hazard? That would have brought something like a nine into play. He smartly and coolly accepted the situation and he skillfully punch the ball out to the fairway and valiantly made a par out of nothing.

Generally par on the 13th hole in Amen Corner on Sunday at The Masters isn't going to help your cause when you are in contention.

The back nine on Sunday at The Masters rarely goes conservatively by the book and it is often said that the tournament doesn't start until the back nine on Sunday. Once you survive 10 and 11 the real fun starts at the par 3 12th hole. From there a whole scenario of things can happen between it and the par 3 16th, with a very accessible traditional final round pin placement.

So we had Garcia in the trees and taking an unplayable lie and Rose sitting pretty. It looked like a two shot swing for sure. Maybe that's what filtered through Roses mind, just for a fleeting second. As a top player you try not to let those things get into your head, but we are all human. You never want to take anything for granted playing this game but you have to agree that Rose was in a very good position to grab this tournament by the throat and take control.

With the two pars on thirteen I wonder that as they both walked to the 14th tee if one player had his spirits uplifted a bit and the other saw an opportunity missed? It could be that hole is where The Masters was decided this time around even before the eagle that just fell into the side of the cup on 15 for Sergio? Of course there was no question that leaving 15 the eventual winner was on adrenalin overload while Rose had to be back on his heals a little.

To his credit Rose didn't crack. Sixteen and Seventeen certainly didn't go as planned for either player but the result took the final pair to 18 tied. You all watched it unfold and the playoff and it was just fitting that Sergio drained the birdie putt to seal the deal.

Looking back at the tournament as a whole, who could maintain a dry eye with the Arnie tribute on the first tee for the ceremonial opening tee shots. And who didn't have a little voice inside hoping that 57-year-old Fred Couples could muster up some youthful energy and give us some real magic?

I also have to make a comment about the people who phoned in that they saw Garcia's ball move after his drop on the 13th hole. They are not golf fans in my opinion and I echo a comment I read from a story on another site that said they should be banned from watching golf.

All things considered this had to be one of the best Masters tournaments.

Course Review - Royal Manchester

By Bob Oliver

Well, there’s some controversy about the Royal in Manchester, but other than that nitpicking statement there isn’t much to dislike about this challenging, fun and eye-catching 18 near York, Pa. designed by Timothy Freeland.

There isn’t a tree which comes into play on the course, which is built upon Pennsylvania Power and Light land near the Susquehanna River along rolling hills. Wind is a hazard which can change day to day, and while the greens are sizeable being in the wrong position brings three-putting often into play.

The course winds over the countryside like it has been there for decades but it’s a relatively new course. It has as much teeth a player can want, and shorter tee boxes allow players of all abilities to accept the challenge.

Numbers 4 and 7 are drivable par four tests, and the par-5 ninth is as much a golf hole as you’d like. A perfect drive brings the green in play in two shots, but miss short or to the sides and water is in play, and a long shot gets one into a collection area that means nothing but trouble for a third shot.

Golf Advisor ranked Royal Manchester 42^nd as it’s places to play in America, so the golfing public clearly likes the course. At the most recent PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando the course received an award for its conditioning and playability. Why? Royal Manchester’s greens were destroyed in 2015 when a contaminated batch of fungicide was applied.

“It was awful,” explained General Manager/PGA Professional Kieron Moony, who closed the course on June 15, 2015. “Looking back, it was a terrible time, but I made the decision to close the course and take care of the problem full on rather than piecemeal. We had to flush out the bad chemical from the greens, using a charcoal liquid. Then we waited for it to work, and about a month later we cross slit the greens in two directions and dropped A1/A4 Bent grass seed.

“About ten days later we saw germination and we oversaw heavy irrigation schedule to give the grass a chance. It is obviously difficult to grow healthy grass in July and August, so we had to take great care. We continued to overseed until we had full grow in coverage by late October. It was a great deal of work, but the team did a great job and we reopened March 1, 2016.”

A stellar job was done, as the course is better than ever and one wouldn’t notice there had been a problem with the greens. They roll well, and are as dastardly as ever. The time off allowed a couple new tees to be built, adding even more challenge.

“From a design standpoint, our course flows so very well. There are no gimmicky holes, and we attempt to have the course in great shape” added Moony, who advised the York Open is held at the course through 2025. “I believe in stellar customer service, and we do our best to make the visitors happy.”

Visually, Royal Manchester is right there in front of you. There are a couple blind shots…if your tee shot doesn’t crest a hill for instance. But it is not some tricked up layout. The course rewards good shots, and what you see is what you get. An outstanding test worthy of a drive from Bucks County.

Royal Manchester is part of the Raspberry Golf Trail, a reasonable drive from Bucks County and a Must Play destination. It rated 4.2 stars on our 0-5 point scale. Details found at www.royalmanchestergolflinks.com

(Photos by Steve Gordon)

Clubhouse from eighteenth fairway behind the green

Iconic waterfall on the 18th hole