Green Meadows Golf Course, Volant, PA

The course has been sold an a solar farm will take its place.

Green Meadows is a well-respected public course in the area. It’s very well maintained and the owners are friendly and keep up with the course. I’d call it a “high end” public course.

The rates are a bit higher than some other public courses in the area, but it’s a fair rate for what you get ($30 for 18 holes plus cart.) This course has plenty of challenges to offer, some of which you might miss at first glance.

The course has a large water feature and a mature tree line. There is even a nice area to have a picnic on the property. The clubhouse isn’t overly modern or fancy, but it’s been kept up to date. It’s also 5 minutes from the local outlet malls if you want to make your golf round into a longer outing.

The fairways are wide open and fairly straight, but they aren’t always as easy as they appear. On Hole #2 you’re hitting blind onto a small fairway. Prevailing winds are also a challenge on such an open course.
Hole #7 (Par 4, 438 yards) is the signature hole. It doglegs to the left, but to add to the challenge, there’s a thick tree line on the left of the green. Club down to avoid hitting over the green and losing your ball in the trees.

The biggest challenges on this course will be staying out of the trees and choosing the right club. With long greens and a number of uphill and downhill lies, play blind greens with a strong club choice that won’t have you overshooting.

Even shorter holes still offer a challenge. On Hole #9, even though it’s a Par 3, you’ll still be hitting over Lake Abbie from the tee. Watch out for sloped downhill putts on a number of holes (like #11.) Reading greens is definitely an important skill for playing at Green Meadows, as it’s quite a hilly course, but sometimes the geography fools you.

The lake features prominently on the right side of Hole #12, plus a sand greenside bunker right in front of the green. Hole #14 is the second most difficult hole because it doglegs to the right and the fairway narrows as you approach the green. There is also a dense treeline on the left and a lake on the right. Watch out for small but strategically placed sand traps that can catch you by surprise.

This course has plenty to offer intermediate to advanced golfers (I think it’s a bit too hard for a total beginner.) The only drawback is that the long, straight fairways can get repetitive (with a few exceptions.) Overall, this course is one I would visit regularly. The friendly staff is a plus and I like that the challenges have been designed in a way that’s subtle.