Makefield Highlands Golf Club is one of the most exciting, and challenging, and fun golf courses I have ever played, and if you’ve never been, you just gotta go and tee it up there and see it for yourself. It’s a definite “must play”.
Now 20 years old, Makefield Highlands, located in Yardley, Pennsylvania, is a golfer’s happy place. I live more than an hour away and I play it two, three and sometimes four times a year. It’s that good.
A links design in Pennsylvania farm country, Makefield has it all offering pristine rolling fairways, impeccable food service and drinks in their state-of-the-art clubhouse and service that is both friendly and professional.
Rated 9th in Golf Week magazine’s 2013 “Top Places You Can Paly in PA”, and a 2015 US Open Local Qualifying Site, the theme of Makefield Highlands is Risk-Reward, and if you like playing R&R holes, like me, you will absolutely love playing Makefield Highlands.
Just miles north of where Washington made history, and turned our Revolution around by crossing the Delaware, Makefield’s gambling-style golf begins with its short, downhill Par 4 Fourth Hole. Reachable for most long hitters, even from the Back Tees, No.4 plays only about 300 yards to a severely, but helping, sloping fairway going down and left with only a fairway sand trap down the right less than a hundred yards from the green to avoid.
Another terrific birdie, and maybe even eagle, opportunity awaits you at the Front Nine closing 9th, a downhill Par 5. Aim left to avoid the water down the right, and hit the speed slot to gain an extra 50 yards of roll and big hitters will get to have a go at the green from 200 yards or less. A 3-shot hole for medium length hitters like myself, good golfers will usually have a wedge in hand firing for the pin to get a look at 4 r score a comfortable 5.
My favorite two holes on the course are back-to-back at Holes 12 and 13. Twelve, though measuring around 500 yards, plays downhill and to the left. Good, solidly struck drives can gain up to a hundred yards of roll off the tee setting up second shot chances from 200 yards, or less, to a green that is still another 30-40 feet below your feet.
There isn’t a bad hole on the whole course. One great example is Hole No. 2, the favorite Hole of Makefield’s Assistant Golf Professional and Lead Junior Golf Instructor, Joe Garstka.
“ Hole #2 is the 7th hardest hole on the course,” said Garstka. “ From the blue tees, it’s 412 yards. It’s a fairly short hole at that handicap, but the second shot to the green can be difficult as it is kidney shaped and longer than it is deep. The green is perched up much higher than the fairway, and it is protected in the front by 2 large sand traps. I chose to describe this hole because of its importance for my round. It’s an underrated hole in my opinion. It’s likely I think that because it suits my eye and swing. There are plenty more gems out on the course, but I wanted to bring some attention to this one. We hope to see you at Makefield Highlands where our tag phrase is “Redifining Public Golf”.”
Like No.2, Thirteen is a defining hole at Makefield Highlands, as well. Playing only 250 yards from the Whites, and up and over a hill to a putting surface below the tee box, good players have a better than average chance of putting, or chipping, for eagle. I have played with two people, already, in just about 20 rounds, so far, who’ve had eagle putts of ten feet, or less, at 13. It is definitely one of the most thrilling tee shots you will ever get a chance to try. Trust me.
Another thrilling tee shot comes a hole later at Highlands’ Signature Hole, the dogleg left Par 4 Fifteenth. Hit a long draw around the corner and you’ll have a chance to carry the water filled quarry to get a look at 3. A straight drive, or one that is blocked just a little to the right, can make the hole play like a short par 5 with an approach of more than 200 yards over the water with the ball above your feet on a sidehill lie not such a good idea.
But that’s the charm, and the challenge of playing a round around Makefield Highlands.
The Par 4 Closing Hole, 18, adds to the fun with a downhill, narrow, tee ball to play short of a creek about 220 yards away, or risk driving it over to the fairway on the other side. The Eighteenth Green sits perched above you, guarded by some massive traps right and in front, making putting in for par a real accomplishment.
“Makefield is a great facility,” said Spirit Golf’s VP of Golf Operations Kevin Bierne. “ Early on it adopted the phrase “Redefining Public Golf”. That is literally what we are trying do every day, as part of the Spirit Golf network of managed facilities.
“ The golf course is a links style course with very few internal trees and can be stretched over 7000 yards from the back tees and just about 5000 yards from the forward tees. The golf course usually plays firm and fast especially during the long hot summer, so that long yardage isn’t as severe with all the roll you can get when you keep it in play… It is definitely a public golf course worth playing and will provide a stern test of golf for any handicap. This course will provide the OPEN Championship or Pinehurst feel where it is a little brown around the edges and allows for many different types of shots into greens.
“Makefield does 50,000 rounds a year and is a proudly owned by Lower Makefield Township.” A great round, and a great day, is yours to be had whenever you tee it up and let it fly at Makefield Highlands. Make sure to play it as soon as you can.
Makefield Highlands
Yardley, PA
215-321-7000
