Holey Terror: Hole No. 13 at Iron Valley Golf Club
Iron Valley Golf Club • Lebanon, PA • ironvalley.com • 717-279-7409
Hole No. 13 • Par 5 • 588 Yards
Have you ever played a golf course so unique and spectacular that you would pay for the privilege to just walk around it? Welcome to Iron Valley Golf Club, where a Dye-abolical combination of rugged terrain, expansive vistas and extreme elevation changes materialize into a layout literally carved through stone with turf laid on top.
Designed by architect P.B. Dye, Iron Valley straddles the boundaries of Lancaster and Lebanon Counties in Pennsylvania, and was constructed on the site of the Cornwall Iron Mines – one of the most productive sites of its kind for some 235 years before ceasing operation in 1972.
Many of the distinguishable features of the iron ore operation remain, most noticeably the outcroppings. For example, the short par-3 No. 5 (just 124 yards from the back tees) is played to a rock-encased island green which replicates the thrill and excitement of No. 17 at TPC Sawgrass. This hole was obviously a nod to Dye’s dad, Pete, arguably the greatest course designer of the modern golf era.
The younger Dye’s flair for the dramatic, which he inherited honestly from his father, is on full display at No. 13, a monstrous 588-yard par 5 built on a mining shaft cave-in. This Holey Terror begins with a 200-yard carry to a raised landing area. The equally as difficult second shot is played to the crook of a dogleg left with woods and a pond squeezing the landing zone. The approach is then lofted to a small green nestled between two sand traps.
Ranked the #8 best daily-fee course you can play in Pennsylvania by Golf Magazine, Iron Valley provides a genuinely great test of golf. Whether or not Hole 13 is lucky or unlucky will be entirely up to you.
What is the most challenging hole at your favorite TeeTime Golf Pass participating course? Let us know! We would love to feature it in an upcoming issue of our weekly newsletter. Submit your Holey Terror to [email protected].
