Lancaster

The 2nd green takes advantage of a commanding position

The 8th hole is reminiscent of the 14th at Rolling Green, but boasts a more spacious location

A deceptively steep back-to-front slope makes the 17th tougher to par than it might immediately appear

Course name: Lancaster
Location: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Four Word Course Review: Amish golf (simple & traditional!)

Ninety minutes out of Philadelphia, Lancaster CC has one significant advantage over the courses in the city - an expansive site in rolling hills with longer views.

That more generous setting creates a real feeling of expansive scale to the land over which William Flynn routed a course that twists and turns on itself with surprises around every corner.

Like at Philadelphia’s Rolling Green, Flynn showed himself at Lancaster to be a master of using steep land - creating holes that encounter the hillsides from all angles and taking advantage of the really steep stuff to set up dramatic shots like the drive across the river at the par four 3rd and the ridge-to-ridge par three 8th.

Lengths vary greatly, but short par fours such as the 4th, 5th and 16th are full of challenge thanks to the great use of land and smart hazard placement.

And where the land hasn’t got its own magic, smart green placement makes the likes of the skyline 2nd and riverside 7th genuine highlights.

The result is a course that peppers you with a series of new challenges while retaining a collective character that ties the holes together. The warm, welcoming club is an added reason to make the drive to Lancaster - the post-round drinks and meal overlooking the course as afternoon slipped into night remains a lasting highlight of my time spent travelling in America.