The Donald Ross-designed Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, has long been recognized as a premier course in the greater Philadelphia area. This week, it serves as the venue for the 108th PGA Championship, confirming its elite status.
To underscore Aronimink’s reputation, we turn to Doug Borgerson, the borough manager of nearby West Conshohocken and boys’ golf coach at the elite Episcopal Academy, located just down the road from Aronimink. Borgerson’s extensive local golf knowledge comes from both his coaching role and recreational play across the region. When asked to name his top 10 courses in greater Philadelphia, he didn’t hesitate, though limiting the list to 10 was a challenge.
In the late 1980s, I experienced Philadelphia’s golf scene firsthand as a member of the Philadelphia Newspapermen’s Golf Association, where I first played the sublime Merion West course. Lee Trevino won a U.S. Open on its sister course, Merion East, also a gem. Merion West features a trio of holes known as “Oh Sh*t Corner,” including a wildly downhill 120-yard par-3, a 280-yard par-4 where the goal is to finish with your original ball, and a 240-yard par-4 up a suburban mountain. Some local high schools hold events there, highlighting golf’s deep roots in Philadelphia’s sporting culture alongside squash, court tennis, and hockey.
Golf is integral to Philadelphia’s identity. Most high schools have co-ed teams, many clubs maintain thriving caddie programs, and there’s excellent public and private golf for nearly every budget. Borgerson, a lifelong Philadelphia resident, knows this well.
Here is Doug Borgerson’s top-10 list of greater Philadelphia courses, with brief commentary:
1. **Pine Valley** (1919, George Crump et al.) – Nick Faldo called it “more British than anything in Britain.” Gorgeous in an Old Spice sort of way.
2. **Merion Golf Club, East Course** (1912, Hugh Wilson) – Justin Rose, who won the 2013 U.S. Open there, plays it annually. Lee Trevino, after winning the 1971 Open: “I just fell in love with a girl named Merion and I don’t even know her last name.” Mixes speeds like few others, with six holes of drama, six of comedy, and six of tragedy.
3. **Huntingdon Valley** (1928, William Flynn) – “A symphony of a golf course that never plays the same from one day to the next,” says Borgerson, a former member.
4. **Rolling Green** (1926, William Flynn) – When the U.S. Open was held there in 1976, Sandra Palmer and JoAnne Carner tied at eight over par. Carner won the 18-hole playoff with a Monday 76. Tough and great.
5. **Philadelphia Cricket Club, Wissahickon Course** (1922, A.W. Tillinghast) – (Full disclosure: I’m a member.) Borgerson’s fifth is my favorite: quirky, beautifully bunkered, with mystery-theater greens and findable balls.
