Best Affordable Public Golf Courses in Philadelphia – The Fried Egg

Last fall I took an excursion to Eastern Pennsylvania. The trip itinerary included a few days at the BMW Championship at Aronimink and a heavy exploration of the area’s public golf offerings. We are going to focus on the latter portion of this article.

Philadelphia is one of the most revered golf cities in the world. Its roster includes the likes of Pine Valley, Merion, Philadelphia Cricket Club and Aronimink, to name a few. The city’s offering of private clubs is as deep as any and thrusts it into the conversation of best golf city in America. The high-profile private clubs do cast a large shadow over Philly’s strong public courses. As far as major cities go, Philadelphia is also one of the best for the public golfer. Within an hour drive of the city center, there are dozens of public golf courses worth playing.

Golfers know, sometimes you get lucky with the weather and other times conditions turn sour. The week of my visit was on the losing side of the ledger. After opening the week with upper 90s and humidity, it dumped rain for four straight days. It cut into the golf on TV and hindered my ability to fully explore all of the spots on my hit list. Although what follows is not full coverage of the area, this collection of courses should give you plenty for a road trip around Philly.

Lulu Country Club – Donald Ross – Glenside, PA

Peak Walking Rate: $79

Lulu is a private club that allows for public play. The Donald Ross design is quirky and fun. New ownership has taken down trees, reopening some long views and bringing back Lulu’s charm. Limekiln Pike divides the course with 1-7 playing on one side of the road and the closing 11 on the main parcel. Lulu’s strength is its wonderful rolling land, good variety and a splendid set of Ross greens. A few of the course’s most notable holes include the short par-3 4th (one of the many great shorties in Philly), the punchbowl par-4 8th and the short par-4 16th. It’s unclear how long Lulu will accept public play, so I advise getting out on this gem sooner rather than later. Full profile

Jeffersonville Golf Course – Donald Ross – Jeffersonville, PA

Peak walking rate: $45

Philadelphia is bless with not only one but two Donald Ross designs that the public can play. 15 minutes from Lulu is municipally owned Jeffersonville Golf Course. Unlike Lulu, Jeffersonville’s land is far flatter which led to Ross building bold greens. The course has improved considerably over the past 15 years thanks to the help of architects Ron Prichard and Tyler Rae as well as superintendent Rich Shilling. Jeffersonville is a model municipal – the course handles over 40,000 rounds per year and management understands the value of investing in their most valuable asset, the golf course.