Saucon Valley Old Course

The verdict

Saucon Valley Country Club's Old Course is the heart of one of the most decorated golf clubs in Pennsylvania and a beautifully unforced example of classic American parkland design. British architect Herbert Strong laid it out on rolling land in Bethlehem, in the Lehigh Valley north of Philadelphia, and it opened in 1922. It plays as a par 71 of about 7,129 yards, a course that has grown into its setting of mature trees, gentle elevation change and a creek that threads quietly through the round.

What sets the Old apart is restraint. Strong trusted the land and the routing rather than tricks, and the result is a course that flows naturally and reveals itself hole by hole, asking for steady, well shaped golf rather than heroics. That quality has made it a favorite of the USGA: the Old Course has staged three U.S. Senior Opens, in 1992, 2000 and 2022, along with the 1951 U.S. Amateur. For a traveling golfer it is a private club of genuine championship pedigree set in handsome country, reached through a member, and a fine companion to the great courses around Philadelphia.

The holes worth the trip

The Old Course is a study in good rhythm. Strong set the holes among tall, mature trees so that each fairway feels framed and private, and the meandering creek comes into play just often enough to matter without dominating. The greens are medium in size and subtly contoured, rewarding the player who can control trajectory and spin into firm targets, and the bunkering is placed to question the line off the tee rather than simply to punish.

The closing holes give the course its championship teeth, lengthening and tightening as the round comes home, which is why the U.S. Senior Open has returned three times to test the game's best older players. There is little that is flashy here; the test is the accumulation of solid, precise shots over eighteen holes that never lets a player coast.

What stays with players is the sense of a course completely at ease with itself. The Old does not strain for difficulty or drama; it simply presents fair, handsome, well varied golf that has held up against championship fields for a century. It is parkland architecture of the most graceful kind.

Where to stay nearby

Bethlehem and nearby Allentown offer comfortable hotels and a lively dining scene close to the club, while Philadelphia is roughly seventy five minutes south and New York City about ninety minutes east for travelers building a wider itinerary. The Lehigh Valley International Airport is a short drive away, with Newark and Philadelphia the larger gateways.

Saucon Valley is a rewarding stop on an eastern Pennsylvania golf tour and pairs well with the great courses around Philadelphia. We can arrange the introductions where possible and handle the lodging and transfers around your round.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts around the Lehigh Valley.