Jeffersonville Golf Club is a mix of par 3, 4 and 5 holes on a tight footprint in the middle of a blue-collar Philly suburb.
Christian Hafer
Twenty-five miles outside of Philadelphia there’s little township called West Norriton, and on the north side of town there’s a municipal course designed by Donald Ross. The course, Jeffersonville Golf Club, dates to 1931. It’s quintessential Ross, with a routing that maxes out its tiny parcel of land and greens that make you work for every putt. The essence of Ross’ original design remain; it’s a second-shot course with more than a few blind approaches. The greens are pushed up, sloping and quirky — old-school, really. The whole place exudes a bit of an old-school vibe. In a good way.
But that doesn’t mean fancy. While the Jeff used to be private, West Norriton bought the property in 1972 and took over proud stewardship. The pro shop is small and understated, welcoming golfers with a “show up, keep up and have a good round” mentality. And when we call this place a horse track, that’s not derogatory. Before Ross got his hands on the property, it was used for steeplechase horse racing on an obstacled half-mile oval track that’s now the 11th and 16th holes.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAWPN9FFqX4/
As a result, it’s an easy walk with a criss-cross routing that takes advantage of what small elevation changes the property has. As is the custom with plenty of old-school East Coast classics, the par-3s are stout and the par-5s can be had. One last thing — check out the greens fees:
Weekdays, 18 holes
$32 walking/$50 riding until 2 p.m.
$26/$39 after 2 p.m.
$22/$33 after 4 p.m.
Weekends, 18 holes
$65 to ride (or walk) before 2 p.m.
$33/$46 after 2 p.m.
$26/$37 after 4 p.m.
But enough talk: let’s get to the photos!
GOLF’s Chief Photographer Christian Hafer recently played Jeffersonville and snapped the below photos. He’ll walk you through the rest.
The 1st fairway (middle frame) uses Ross’s famed mounding to block the 3rd green (lower right) and 4th tee just behind. This image shows the tight routing that makes Ross a master with bits of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 all squeezed into the frame.Christian Hafer
The par-3 4th and par-4 7th. Small mounding in front of the tee obscures the view and presents a unique challenge.Christian HaferDonald Ross: A dude who loved his slopes.Christian Hafer
No. 8 is a long downhill par-3 and is one of the only holes where water comes into play.Christian Hafer
Chipping paint and a bucket o’ balls.Christian HaferParked at Jeffersonville.Christian Hafer
Check out those mow lines!Christian Hafer
Check out the approach on the par-5 13th.Christian HaferThe views at Jeff always show off other holes along the way.Christian Hafer
17 green is surrounded, appropriately, by the neighboring community.Christian HaferThe 17th showing off that smooth green-to-tee transition.Christian Hafer
This is part of our Muni Monday series, spotlighting stories from the world of city- and county-owned golf courses around the world. Got a muni story that needs telling? Send tips to Dylan Dethier or to munimondays@gmail.com and follow Muni Mondays on Instagram.
Dylan Dethier is a senior writer for GOLF Magazine/GOLF.com. The Williamstown, Mass. native joined GOLF in 2017 after two years scuffling on the mini-tours. Dethier is a graduate of Williams College, where he majored in English, and he’s the author of 18 in America, which details the year he spent as an 18-year-old living from his car and playing a round of golf in every state.
