Melrose Country Club Tee Times

SAVE THIS GOLF COURSE!!! Scheduled to have houses built here?!? We’re losing one of the best designed courses in the region? Why?!? This diamond is nestled at the edges of the not-so-rough suburbs of Cheltenham and Elkins Park and has only recently become all scuffed-up due to previous sub-par ownership and its public status. But make no mistake, this course has superior design and facility capabilities. New management has finally moved the player’s lounge to take advantage of the mansion building, which can easily be arranged for events of various sizes. Should it be returned to it’s previous excellent condition, it could easily trump similar older course such as Yardley Country Club even though Melrose is public. Why? Golf course architecture. Historic designers who were known for other courses you might have heard of, like Augusta National and the nearby Merion. Yeah. Those guys. Maybe it’s old, and maybe it’s short, maybe a couple holes were changed a little. But still, this golf course is hard, fun, and you will find something new every time you play it. Every whole invites you to take out driver off the tee when you should be hitting irons. The challenge lies not in getting around the course, because that’s doable for most even with tight tree-lined fairways, but finding a flat landing spot with a clear view of the green and scoring consistently on this course…that can be hard. To succeed, you will need to shape the ball in every direction and use every club. I find something new each time I play it and I’ve played it a million times. When I think I have found an advantage over the course, the designers have already thought of it and offered a defense 100 years ago…that is forward thinking. Two of the par 3’s (8 and 17) are the hardest I’ve ever played. I consider 5 or less on either to be a good score (these are par 3’s). Even with new ownership, this course is a shadow of what it once was and what it could potentially be, but is coming back! The setup of the course could be much harder, and should be. I suggest playing from the back of the furthest tee on every hole for the full experience. It has the potential to be the hardest course around. Let it be what it was meant to be: a mini-Marion/Augusta. Old as heck, hard as heck, and not apologizing for it. Were you looking forward to playing it? Sorry! It is scheduled to have houses built on it. When? Next year. Maybe the year after. It’s open right now and getting better. Here’s your chance to experience some of the brilliance of this diamond-in-the-rough. Historic designers. Hard. Public. Better hurry. Who would buy a golf course to build houses on it? There are plenty of empty lots to build on. No need to ruin a perfectly good golf course built by historic designers. GO BUILD YOUR HOUSES ELSEWHERE!!! SAVE THIS GOLF COURSE!!! I know it’s old, but this one is WAAAAAY worth it!

4 years ago

Facilities are overall excellent (visited August 2020): beautifully kept grounds and greens, pro shop with gear and drinks, and ample carts without a wait. The staff were also very friendly and attentive. Front nine is tight, and another group played through our own fairway when hitting from the adjacent hole. Overall, a tough course but highly recommended.

5 years ago

Pretty sure the owner is about to sell this place. They totally gave up on the greens. Guessing they haven’t watered or aerated in 5+ years. The design is actually great but the course has become unplayable

a year ago

Awful, awful experience. I cannot believe they're charging $60 for this course. Greens were not even puttable, weeds EVERYWHERE. Pace of play was Horrible (5 1/2 hour round.) Tee boxes garbage, Weeds in bunker, no fairways. Do not ever waste your money in this place. Trees down on course and debris everywhere. It should be $30 to play... We went in after 2nd hole and asked for a refund so we could leave and told no. So I took enough pictures to make sure you do not waste your time if you are thinking about going there. Do not go!

6 years ago

Really enjoy this course and was happy to play again when they reopened for the year. The fairways were ok...but that was it. The tee boxes were in really rough shape. The green were worse. No reason there should be wedge divots on the greens. They weren't fresh either. I went on the 6th day they were open for the 2023 season. If you're closed all winter there's no reason why the course shouldn't be in tip-top shape before you open. Especially with the extremely mild winter we've had. Played on multiple course that are half the price ($50 during april) that have stayed in better shape over the "off-season". Hopefully they fix the place up as it gets warmer, but honestly I probably won't come back to check with so many better maintained courses in the area. EDIT: Played today 4/21. May have gotten worse. If you landed your approach on the green it ran about 20ft off. And the teeboxes were rough. Also it's a Friday in late April. It's 80 degrees. Full teesheet. No beverage cart. No bar. No food.

2 years ago