
The Ace Club
Bucolic retreats like this in the middle of a major urban setting are usually reserved for parks or botanical gardens.
Only 10 miles from the center of Philadelphia, the ACE Club boasts an unusually spacious feel for a golf course. The 311-acre site includes a Gary Player-designed course whose holes are framed in acres of tall, wavy native field grasses. It's easy to see why the course, which opened in 2003, has qualified as a Certified Silver Audubon International Signature Society Sanctuary-the first in Pennsylvania to do so.
The club is very traditional in that there are no tee times, walking is encouraged, and the clubhouse provides elegant long views and a cozy bar for hanging out. In an area of many old line clubs here's one place that manages to provide indulgent comfort and quality conditioning while avoiding the feel of a museum.
Brad Klein welcomes comments and suggestions at: bklein@bjtonline.com.