Pleasantville Country Club’s nine-hole course rewards accuracy and a deft putter stroke with one of the most enjoyable rounds of golf you’ll find anywhere. At 4,294 yards (for 18 holes) it’s certainly not long, but bombers and gougers won’t dominate the course. Instead, they will find themselves at a disadvantage when they try to thread the tree-line fairways and go pin-seeking on the target greens. It’s not golf as you see it on TV — it’s golf for the true shot-making aficionado.
The first hole perfectly sets the tone for your round. It’s a 300-yard dogleg right tester that plays downhill and should be a pushover. Be just a bit long off the tee, however, and you’ll find yourself in one of two bunkers guarding the left side of the fairway with the additional joy of trees blocking your path to the green. The green itself is protected by a front bunker and has more contour than you think.
So it goes for the next eight holes, with several elevated greens, water in play on four holes, out of bounds on three, and thick rough squeezing every fairway. Watch out for the third hole, the longest on the course at 362 yards. The landing area for your drive is blind from the tee and there’s a creek that crosses the fairway that’s reachable by a long hitter. Assuming your ball stays dry, you will be hitting your second shot off a downhill lie to an elevated green, one of the harder shots in the game.
The course is impeccably manicured. Fairways and rough are groomed, greens are small, fine and fast, and colorful landscaping lends a civilized touch to the round. If you have time for a full 18 holes, Pleasantville provides two sets of tees that vary the way you’ll want to play many of them. The second, for example, is a steeply uphill 130-yard par three that becomes 180 yards the second time around.
Pleasantville CC is a private club, but a variety of memberships at reasonable rates are available with no residency requirement. In addition to the fine A.W. Tillinghast golf course, the club has a practice facility, fitness room, saunas, pool and tennis, as well as a grill room overlooking the first hole. Families will find Pleasantville CC especially welcoming.
