Best golf courses near West Chester, PA

Aronimink is an object lesson in architectural evolution. After Donald Ross completed his design in 1928, he proclaimed, “I intended to make this my masterpiece.” That didn’t keep club members from bringing in William Gordon in the 1950s to eliminate out-of-play fairway bunkers and move other bunkers closer to greens. The course was later revamped by Dick Wilson, George Fazio and Robert Trent Jones. In the 1990s and into the 2000s, Ron Prichard, one of the profession’s original restoration specialists, began returning Aronimink back to Ross’s conception based on the architect’s drawings and field diagrams. But there was always a discrepancy between what Ross drew in plans and what was actually built in 1928. A more recent renovation by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner, who live nearby, has put the course’s architecture more in line with what aerial photographs depict of the early design, particularly the bunkering that might have been imagined as larger in scale but built in smaller, more scatter-shot formations.

Stonewall’s Old course is a minimalist layout designed by Tom Doak, about 45 miles northwest of Philadelphia. The challenging layout has a good amount of elevation change, including at the par-4 finisher, where the approach plays dramatically downhill to a green set in front of the old stone clubhouse. There are five strong par 3s, including the downhill fifth, where the green is guarded by wetlands short and a creek to the right. The club hosted the 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur and will host the 2023 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur.

The Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed South Course is routed among the rolling terrain of northern Delaware and provides some really good vistas of large sections of the golf course. The routing takes advantage of the terrain to produce a course with strong layout design and a variety of holes that include thoughtful short par 4s such as the 11th, challenging longer par 4s such as No. 5 and a beautiful mix of par 3s. Recent tree removal plus some tornado damage have opened up the course even more, and some bunkers were added at the corner of doglegs in an attempt to restore some shot options back to a few holes ahead of the 2022 BMW Championship, the first time the PGA Tour will host an event in Delaware.

In just his second solo design, Gil Hanse’s Applebrook aims to provide a challenge with options for playability. With wide fairways and green complexes both subtle and intricate, Hanse allows for players of all levels the opportunity to try and put up a score. While bunkers are plentiful and varied they do not overwhelm the golfer, and the water’s presence on nearly half the holes provide for manageable forced carries. The course is not long in comparison to some of Hanse’s championship renovations and the wide fairways allow for aggressive tee balls, accuracy is rewarded equally to avoid the 40-plus greenside bunkers and to deal with difficult hole locations.

Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield is ranked as one of the best golf courses in Pennsylvania. Discover our experts reviews and tee time information

Wilmington Conutry Club: North in Wilmington is one of the best courses in Delaware. Discover our experts’ reviews and where Wilmington Conutry Club: North sits in our rankings.

Stonewall's North Course in Elverson is one of the best courses in Pennsylvania. Check our experts reviews and how they rate the courses.

French Creek Golf Club in Elverson is ranked as one of the best golf courses in Pennsylvania. Discover our experts reviews and tee time information

The Golf Course at Glen Mills sits about 40 minutes from downtown Philadelphia, but the tumbling topography make this public course one of the best options in the Philly area. “A beautiful escape from the hustle and bustle of Philly,” one panelist says. There is a nice mix of open holes and ones that require more precise ball-striking. The course is cut into a valley and presents a lot of elevation change. Sprawling bunkers add uncertainty to many shots, as the bunkers and elevation change can make depth perception difficult.

White Manor Country Club, located in the western suburbs of Philadelphia, is set largely within a valley, that has a creek diagonally bisecting the property. Each nine begins by playing down into the base of the valley, where you then traverse up, across, and down the other side of the ridge, before returning to the clubhouse by climbing back up the slope to complete both nines. The creek and several ponds feature prominently on multiple holes on both nines. As you would expect with the topography, elevation changes factor into several shots throughout the course. White Manor is full of risk/reward scenarios, and often within different points on the hole; from the tee, fairway, and also green. The constant decision making on each hole makes for a very fun round of golf. A good collection of varied par 3s are waiting for the player; calling for length, shot shaping and accuracy to give yourself a good chance at hitting the green.

DuPont Country Club in Wilmington is one of the best private clubs in Delaware. Discover our experts reviews and tee time information

Designed by Donald Ross in the late 1920s on an old steeplechase horse-racing loop, this rolling piece of land was restored in the 2000s and is one of the best public courses in the Philly area.