#85 - Aronimink - Closing Out the Keystone State
Tackling America’s 100 Greatest Courses will be no easy feat. Navigating across the country, developing connections, and planning each adventure around 3 vastly different work schedules comes with plenty of challenges of its own. So it should be no surprise that when The Quest plays all of the Top 100 courses in a state, we consider it a milestone reached. That milestone, our first, was achieved in my home state of Pennsylvania.
Aronimink Golf Club was the last of the 3 Top 100’s in PA. (#5 Oakmont, #6 Merion) Ranked #85, AGC has quite the resume. It has played host to The 1962 PGA Championship, The ‘77/’97 US Amateur, 3 PGA tour stops, The 2020 LPGA Championship, and will be the host of the 2026 PGA Championship. Growing up just south of Philadelphia, I followed alongside Tiger as he navigated his way through Merion at the 2013 US Open and watched him shoot the course record (62) at Aronimink during the 2018 BMW Championship. I always dreamed that one day I would have the opportunity to walk in those same footsteps. That opportunity came on a crisp October morning with Adam and Joe by my side. We knew this was our last stop in PA and couldn’t wait to close out our first state.
Designed in 1928 by Donald Ross, this inland links style course challenges the best of golfers. From the expansive bunkering to the drastic elevation changes, the unique layout of Aronimink has clearly caught the eye of the professional golf world. Ross was adamant about letting the lay of the land determine the way the golfer navigated the course. He felt having this element of chance would excite and amaze golfers worldwide. Gil Hanse restored the course in 2015 with the mission to bring back what Ross had originally intended. He did just that. The course was demanding, the elevation changes were breathtaking, and the 178 bunkers were seemingly endless.
Our day started bright and early. Adam took a zoom call from a local diner, and Joe conducted an important work meeting from the Aronimink parking lot. Once business was settled, the real work began. We met our host, Mark, at the driving range and after some quick intros we made our way to the putting green hidden behind the impressive clubhouse. The course was fresh off hosting the LPGA championship and couldn’t have been in better shape. After getting an idea of the greens speed (which didn’t help me one bit) we made our way to the first tee.
After four strong tee shots our round was underway. Each of us were set up for a fairly easy approach shot, but we quickly learned why this Donald Ross track has baffled even the best of golfers. I found the back greenside rough, Adam just short of a greenside bunker (still made up and down for par), and Joe managed to navigate the hole perfectly. As is tradition, I started with a double. Three doubles in fact, over the first 4 holes, but my confidence did not waiver. Maybe it was the beautifully manicured greens, the perfectly groomed bunkers, or the fact that I always show up for a PA top 100, I knew this round would take a turn for the better.
We made our way to the 5th hole, a short,137-yard, plateaued par three, guarded heavily by deep greenside bunkers. Adam and Joe both dropped their tee shots right on the green. Like the 4 previous holes, I found trouble almost instantly. My tee shot landed in a deep greenside bunker taller than my eye level. The greens were slick, the shot was intimidating, yet I managed to flop a perfectly executed shot pin high. I didn’t even know I had that in my bag. Tap in for par and I felt as though my round had truly begun. Adam, not to be outdone, dropped a heavily breaking birdie putt on top of my par. Joe remained 1 over after effortlessly two-putting for par. He was on a roll and had no intention on slowing down.
Then came one of the more memorably difficult stretches of holes I have ever played. Mark called it arguably the hardest 4 hole stretch anywhere. The 202 yard par three 8th aptly named “Sitting Bull” was the first of this gauntlet of golf holes. It was a daunting downhill tee shot over water to a green guarded by bunkers on each side. I flushed a 5 iron making quick work of a two putt par, Joe followed suit, and Adam found trouble leading to a bogey.
The next hole, “Kickapoo” was an uphill 515-yard Par 5. Adam pushed his drive into the 10th fairway, Joe just missed the fairway and ended up in a deep fairway bunker, and I flirted with the right-side rough. What happened next could only be described as the worst best hole of golf I have ever witnessed. Adam proceeded to fire a “stinger” (some might call it a thinned shot) into the right fairway bunker. From there he played up to 160 yards and managed to execute yet another thinned, sorry “stinger” of a golf shot that we all thought was miles over the green. The hole was living up to its name and Adam was visibly frustrated. When we reached the green to see Adam’s ball inches from the cup, we all couldn’t help but laugh. Someway, somehow, Adam got the better of Kickapoo. His “routine” par was truly something special. Meanwhile, Joe had an uncharacteristic double after leaving his ball in the fairway bunker and then getting a little chunky in front of the green. I carded another par.
The 415-yard signature par 4 was the perfect way to start the back 9. Our drives navigated their way down the tiered fairway presenting us with a breathtaking approach shot. With bunkers on the right, water on the left, and the pin nestled just past the waters edge, the 10th hole had a myriad of challenges. The Quest stepped up to this challenge and attacked the pin. Adam and I hit the green in regulation and eased our way to a two putt par, Joe missed right and dropped another stroke.
The final hole of the stretch was the par 4 11th. This 393-yard hole was littered with 21 intimidating bunkers and, to top it all off, a false front punished anyone who fell short of this elevated green. Adam, Joe and I found out why Mark warned us about this hole. Three decent tee shots led to three disappointing bogeys. Joe played the stretch 4 over, Adam 2 over, and I somehow walked away with a lone bogey.
As my confidence swelled, I started chirping Joe saying “this could be the round where I actually beat you”. I was playing well, hitting my drives dead straight, and was lights out around the greens. All Joe needed was a little fire lit under him, and I stupidly was the one to do it. The par-4, 13th was where I really thought the tide had shifted. I made a great up and down to save par out of a greenside bunker, but as he usually does at least once a round, Joe drilled a long birdie putt and my hopes started to fade.
The next hole I pulled my tee shot on the par three 14th into the fescue opening the door for Joe to put me to rest. I chunked the next shot, flopped the following onto the green and two putted my way to a double. It was over; he played the last 6 holes even par. I never had a chance.
After the round we grabbed a beer and a bite with Mark on the clubhouse patio, which overlooked two of Aronimink’s signature holes. It was the perfect setting to reflect on another incredible round, and the perfect way to close out Pennsylvania.
