| Step Back to the Golden Era of Golf
It's not everyday that you can play a scenic mountain course, built in the 1920's, that hosted a major tournaments played by so many legendary golfers. That's what you get at Water Gap Country Club, the historic course, located in the town of Delaware Water Gap, and the site of the Eastern Open in 1926-1928.
The links style course, designed by Robert White, the first president of the PGA, is extremely hilly. While not long by today's standards, the hills produce many blind shots, and with water on five holes and bunkers throughout, it makes for a real shot-makers course. You'll have the opportunity for some big drives, with clean approach shots to the undulating greens. The rolling greens are fast, but true, so you can sink a few putts if you hit them straight.
The par 72 course plays 6,237 yards from the tips, with only two par fives and seven short par fours, less than 350 yards. There are three shorter tee areas, so the course is accessible to all levels of play.
Course conditions are exceptional, with rye and Kentucky bluegrass fairways, bent poa bluegrass greens and bluegrass tees.
The signature hole is #4, a 120 yard par-3 nicknamed Hagen's Folly, after the
in-famous 11 Walter Hagen scored in the Eastern Open back in the 1920's. The 120 yard par three, which plays from an elevated tee to an elevated green, is only a pitch shot away. If you overshoot the green, you're liable to drop 45' down the hill, producing a recovery shot that even Walter Hagen couldn't handle. You can avoid Hagen's demise by playing a safe tee shot to the middle of the green. The longs holes are #6, a 418 yard par-4 that is uphill, so it plays 50 yards longer. You'll need driver and a fairway wood to reach the undulating green. The 10th is a 568 par-5 with a sloping fairway that demands length and accuracy to keep your ball in play.
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