An amazing Flynn gem. I played about a week and a half after the Women’s US Open concluded, and the conditions were still perfect. Firm and fast on a hot day, made it challenging. The 3rd and 4th holes might be my favorite back to back par 4’s I’ve played this year. The 3rd tee sits what seems to be 100 feet above the fairway, making for a really fun hole. The 4th does not require driver. The safe shot is hitting something 220-240 to the fairway and then hitting a wedge to an elevated green right of the fairway. Going out as a 2-ball, we played the front 9 in an hour and a half. Unfortunately the back 9 took us more than double that time, due to the lightning detector going off a handful of times. Absolutely fantastic course. Fun and challenging in all the right places.

The most enduring aspect of Lancaster for me is the tremendous usage of the land and how Flynn keeps players on one's toes in slotting the holes so well.

Like a savvy baseball pitcher, you don't see one type of pitch throughout the round. The variations are always challenging and being able to secure the optimum position is central to one's success.

Beyond the shaping of shots from the tee -- the magnificent Flynn greens are truly vexing. Staying away from downhill or massive sidehill putts is mandatory if one wants to escape unscathed. The false fronts on a few of the holes can be maddening -- seeing one's ball sliding away from the green will add a bit of angst for sure.

If you should have a Roberto Duran stroke -- "hands of stone" -- be forewarned you will be tormented throughout the round. Conversely, if you are a first-rate putter you will be rewarded for your prowess. So much of one's success rests on how well one's approach shots are played. At Lancaster, there iis a "right" side of the green to be on and you can be sure there is a "wrong" side too.

If one is going to score well, it's necessary to get off to a fast start. Once you get deeper into the round the intensity meter increases.

I thoroughly enjoyed the trio of strong par-4 holes encountered at the 9th,10th and 11th holes. And, like many other Flynn designs, the array of quality par-3 holes is also done well. The lone downside, as has been stated by others -- the pedestrian par-5 13th.

Nonetheless, Lancaster's a quintessential member's course and another shining example in what elevates the Keystone State to such a powerful force in showcasing stellar golf architecture.

If you're a Flynn fan -- then Lancaster surely needs to be your radar screen.

I covered the '15 Women's Open and it was a grand event. Looking forward to the '24 event when it returns. Place Lancaster in any number of other States and it would surely be listed at the top of the charts.

Not any weak holes and the greens are firm and fast, great use of elevation changes. The approaches, however, were very soft on the day we played and were not conducive to running a shot onto the green. Holes 1-7 are mostly shorter and you need to take advantage of them if you can, as the course becomes very difficult once you get to hole 8.

The Highlands course is a standalone nine hole course which is a nice addition to the country club as it has several holes keeping very much in character with the main course and is a par 35 3075-3329 course depending on the tees.

As for the main course, it is a gem rolling up and down the hills for most of the golf course as it feeds away from the high ground which is where the clubhouse is, down towards the stream that runs through several of the holes. The course offers quite a difficult test as a par 70 from the back tees at 6840 yards and Blue tees at 6339 yards. The hills make the course play longer than the yardage.

There are quite a lot of doglegs where the dogleg runs opposite to the slope of the land. Nearly all of the greens are very tilted and due to excellent greens keeping, are very quick. You never want to be above the pin location and sometimes not even on the same side as the pin.

There are still quite a few trees on the property and has a hilly course, it can be a difficult walk if you are carrying your own bag.

The best hole by far is the long downhill 10th hole, a dogleg right with a terrific green. It is 481 yards from the back tee and 446 from the member tee. This hole could be the best hole on many top rated courses.

The worst hole is the 13th, a short par five of 517 yards or 489 yards to a green that is hidden around the corner of a very large number of trees.

There are many good par 4's on the golf course but there are also a few weak holes which are mainly in the beginning those being holes 3 thru 5.

The first par five, the 7th, on the golf course is one of only two flat holes on the course and offers a pond in front of the green otherwise this would be a bland golf hole. With the pond it becomes pretty good only because the pond is set against the front of the green with no relief for being short. A long hitter will find this hole to be way too easy. The only other flat hole besides the par five 7th is the par 3 17th hole.

Which leads me to the two critiques I would offer regarding the course. The first is that there are many holes playing downhill, then uphill to the green complex. These holes are 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 18. 8 and 12 are par 3's - one all uphill and one all downhill.

The greens on nearly all of the holes are tilted quite severely back to front and sometimes sideways as well.

So in summary one gets the feeling that many of the holes are the same despite the variation in the shape of the dogleg because you tee off downhill and hit uphill to the green with a similar titled green on each hole. The greens do vary in depth.

The green side bunkers are well placed and of the right depth but the course suffers a bit from a lack of fairway bunkers on some holes. There are fairway bunkers but there are not enough of them.

Lancaster Meadowcreek/Dogwood is very much a golf course worth playing and deserves its lofty reputation and ranking. It is a course that should be played multiple times to understand those greens and it is one that should be played with a knowledgeable caddie or a member to help you read them. The members here have something special.

Once a regular resident on the USA Top 100 ranking list, its lofty recognition is certainly justified.

This course has a number of distinct characteristics which struck me while analyzing the property. Firstly, Flynn created fabulous angles off the tee. You’ll then have to contend with the camber of the land through the dogleg. Many holes have the fabulous design of the land pitching from right to left, but the hole moves from left to right. Exciting stuff! There is an absolute premium on accuracy off the tee, and it really gets you thinking about the line you take and your overall strategy of how to get on the green in regulation. This course is blessed with fabulous, sometimes thrilling, changes in elevation as the 18 holes roll across the wonderful topology.

There are a few straight holes, but each of them presents dramatic changes in elevation which adds to the challenge of club selection. Just because you can see the green off the tee doesn’t mean you can take a breather. No matter whether you’re playing downhill, uphill or into a swooping dogleg, the architecture is a feast for your eyes. I can only imagine Flynn’s satisfaction when he completed the project.

With the pitch of the land being so demanding in many places, this lends itself to green complexes that often run back to front or right to left with sometimes brutal false-fronts. The championship caliber of the course keeps you on your toes from the moment you put the peg in the ground. The routing of the main course has gone through a few revisions over the decades due to land-swap deals and the development of housing. Many changes were welcome and even added improvements; however the current par 5 13th hole is the weakest hole on the course architecturally. When standing in the middle of the fairway, you’re faced with an uphill shot into a wall of trees, and have no perspective on where the green is or where you’re supposed to hit the ball. In the coming years, I expect the club to take down overhanging or unnecessary trees as the focus shifts to opening corridors and removing undesirable clutter on the rolling property.

With the exception of the 16th hole, the bunkering doesn’t offer much in terms of inspiration, but I anticipate bunkers being moved or added based on how far the ball is travelling to ensure they don’t become obsolete. I quickly concluded that the membership is blessed with a course which doesn’t get enough praise. It’s of no surprise that the venue was selected for the 2015 US Women’s Open, and I offer full support for future tournaments to be played at this Keystone State gem. Any champion at Lancaster CC earned their money! While the Philadelphia area is highly populated with top-class private clubs, the extra effort to get out to Lancaster is time well spent.