Bucks County boasts challenging, publicly owned golf courses

James McGinnis, Bucks County Courier Times
·8 min read

Verdant sloping greens. Check.

Winding waterscapes. Check.

Bucks County was seemingly built for golf and its citizens own some of the nicest publicly-owned courses in the state, according to the Professional Golf Association, more commonly known as the PGA.

The pandemic has spawned a surge of activity with this outdoor sport that allows for ample fresh air and social distancing.

Constructed or preserved with local tax dollars, many government-owned courses in Bucks and their clubs also offer discounts to residents, teens, and seniors who want to get in on the game.

For subscribers:Golf, anyone? Public golf courses are big business for some Bucks County towns

Bensalem County Club

Once a farm and the site of a historic estate, the Bensalem Township Country Club is today popular with many Philly golfers looking for a quick excursion from the city.

Located at Route 413 and Brown Avenue just south of Street Road, the 18-hole course incorporates into its landscape the adjacent Poquessing Creek. An old farmhouse remains on the property.

Bensalem’s course, hemmed in by housing developments, is designed to start challenging players around the 12th hole. The 14th hole is 225 yards with an uphill climb. On the 16th hole, you must drive the ball 515 yards and avoid plopping down into the nearby Poquessing.

The township-owned Owls Nest bar specializes in pub fare with TVs for every sporting event.

More:Gotta have a Wawa? Residents in these Bucks County towns are saying no thanks

Cop conundrum: 'No-confidence' votes aren't rare in law enforcement. Here's what it means in Falls Township

The nearby township-run banquet hall can handle up to 250 guests for weddings and other events. From the Benjamin and Rose rooms, attendees can order a $35 New York strip steak in au jus, butlered hors d'oeuvre, or go with buffet options ranging from $28 to $31 per person.

  • Price: $37-$65 (customers pay more to golf at popular times); discounts are offered to seniors, township residents, and "junior" golfers ages 17 and less

  • Renting clubs: No

  • Game time: Approximately 4 hours and 30 minutes

  • Par: 70 (expert golfer)

  • Difficulty rating for “bogey” experienced golfers: 98

  • Difficulty rating for “non-scratch” novice players: 119

Five Ponds of Warminster

Water hazards abound at the Five Ponds Golf Course in Warminster. Built in 1988, the property is hilly, dotted with water, and known for tricky winds.

Five Ponds uses bentgrass, a type of greens with dense, tiny blades, that’s known to grow better in cooler conditions.

The opening holes are wide vistas. Later challenges are tree-lined channels to your objective on the fairway. The property spans 140 acres — equal to 105 football fields.

The Overlook at Five Ponds is a banquet hall for weddings and other events and can hold as many as 175 guests with views of the course, an outdoor seating area, and fire pit.

The township-owned Backyard Bar & Grille at Five Ponds features outdoor seating as well as a dining area with windows that look out onto the course.

Signature cocktails include the Ponds Sunrise with a mix of Makers Mark whiskey and lemonade. Another trademark is the club's toasted peanut butter and jelly sandwich on sourdough toast served with funnel cake fries.

  • Price: $47 (walking course) $61 (golf cart); discounts are offered to township residents and seniors

  • Renting clubs: $20

  • Game time: 4 hours and 20 minutes

  • Par: 71 (expert golfer)

  • Difficulty rating for experienced “bogey” golfers: 98

  • Difficult rating for novice “non-scratch” players: 114

Middletown Country Club

For more than 120 years, golfers have turned to the green fields located between Route 413 and the Neshaminy Creek in Middletown for recreation.

The former Langhorne Country Club and one-time Bucks County Country Club was built in 1901 and originally featured just nine holes.

By 1916, the course had expanded to 19 holes designed by a renowned Scottish architect.

It's common for country clubs to change up their courses, making them more challenging for players Yet Middletown maintains 12 holes that haven’t changed in a century, officials said.

The first hole is considered the most challenging of the course with a landscape that slopes toward an adjacent railroad track.

The historic club house at Middletown Country Club was built in 1913 and originally contained a bowling alley, casino, card room, and shuffleboard area. Today, the space is rented out by newlyweds and other celebrants with parties of up to 150 guests.

The adjacent township-owned Hackers Grill serves up pub far and “signature Hacker’s Salads.” Shuffleboard remains on the menu.

  • Price: $40 (walk) $57 (golf cart); discounts offered to township residents, seniors, and golfers ages 17 and younger.

  • Renting clubs: No

  • Game time: 4 hours and 15 minutes

  • Par: 69 (expert golfer)

  • Difficulty rating for “bogey” experienced golfers: 68

  • Difficult rating for “non-scratch” novice players: 119

Makefield Highlands Country Club

The newest and largest publicly-owned course in Bucks County, Makefield Highlands spans more than 127 football fields off Interstate I-295 and the Delaware River in Lower Makefield.

The greens are fetusca, a light blue grass with yellow flowers that requires less water.

Beyond the fairways lay farm fields and grain silos. A stone house dating back to 1718 is an ornament beside the property's landscaped pond.

For those who'd rather stay home, Makefield Highlands also offers a 90-minute "virtual golf experience" of the course that sells for $30 per person.

Your in-person experience of Makefield Highlands can include an "on-course beverage service."

Located on the property, the Manor at Makefield’s hosts weddings and other events. The Makefield Highlands Public house features a woodside smokehouse grille that specializes in smoked meats.

  • Price: $47 (Monday-Thursday), $75 (weekends and holidays); discounts offered to township residents, seniors and golfers under age 19.

  • Golf carts: $22

  • Renting clubs: $45

  • Game time: 4 hours and 25 minutes

  • Par: 72 (expert golfer)

  • Difficulty rating for expert/bogey golfers: 94

  • Difficult rating for novice/non-scratch players: 121

Northampton Valley Country Club

The township-owned Northampton Valley Country Club is often mistaken for an exclusive members-only joint.

Another property ― located in Lehigh County and with the exact same name ― is private. That course is usually the first to appear on any Google search.

Drivers along Newtown-Richboro Road also might not notice the 125-acre Bucks County property setback from the street and flanked by dozens of single-family homes and the Tyler State Park.

Visitors to the course are greeted by a tall, silver fountain surrounded by emerald fields and blossoming oak trees. The course has nine-spot driving range.

Most golfers opt for carts. The course itself spans more than 88 football fields.

Many are drawn to the property more for the food and the views. Each of the three banquet halls boasts a private bridal suite. Each dining hall offers windows onto green vistas, landscaped ponds, and sand traps.

The executive chef tempts newlyweds with dinner “enhancements” such as the “Bacon Bar” with maple peppercorn bacon, cherrywood smoked bacon, chocolate bacon, pecan wood smoked bacon, jalapeno-wrapped bacon, and a bacon tempura with Sriracha ranch dipping sauce.

Couples can also splurge on the “Ice Luge,” an ice carving that serves martinis.

The Tavern on Ten is open to golfers and everyday diners looking for pub grub or finer fare such as the grilled pineapple and strawberry salad.

  • Price: $65-$75 (players pay more to golf at popular times)

  • Golf carts: $30

  • Renting clubs:

  • Game time: 4:15 hours – 4:30 hours

  • Par: 70 (expert golfer)

  • Difficulty rating for expert/bogey golfers: 91

  • Difficult rating for novice/non-scratch players: 119

Oxford Valley Golf Club

The 46-acre golf course that straddles Bristol Township and Falls has long had the neighbors teed off.

Neighbors on Trenton Road and South Olds Boulevard often decorate flowerbeds and windowsills with errant golf balls. After more than a decade of complaints, a 50-foot safety fence was erected in 2016 to protect area residents and members of the next door Falls Township Senior Center.

Located in Fairless Hills and bisected by a busy street, the Oxford Valley Golf Club is still the best deal in Bucks for offering the cheapest rates of publicly owned courses.

In 2021, Bucks County hired a new company – Spirit Golf Management – to run Oxford Valley in hopes of landing some more business for the course which was renamed the Oxford Valley Golf Club.

More:Bucks County improves Oxford Valley Golf Club, hires new course management firm

The Professional Golfers Association has not reviewed the nine-hole course that strides the Queen Anne Creek. The course does not allow for golf carts and users must bring their own clubs.

  • Price: $14-18 (players pay more to golf at popular times)

  • Golf carts: No

  • Renting clubs: No

  • Game time: 90 minutes

  • Par: 31 (expert golfer)

  • Difficulty rating for expert/bogey golfers: N/A

  • Difficult rating for novice/non-scratch players: N/A

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Public golf courses in Bucks County provide open space, recreation at a discount