The Bridges Golf Club (Abbottstown, PA on 07/01/18)

After our round at Flatbush my friend headed back to Virginia. However, I had one more round left in me on the hot, holiday weekend! The Bridges Golf Club was my first call, though I didn’t have my heart set on any specific course. Most of the courses around Gettysburg that I’ve played haven’t disappointed, so all I needed to hear were the words “Come on out” on the phone.

I arrived shortly after 2pm and was on the first tee almost immediately. I got things arranged in my cart, took some practice swings and my usual picture of the tee shot. Right as I was ready to tee off I saw two carts dart from a blind area in the fairway! That group should be glad that I move slow and took my time on the tee! I had no clue they were down there.

I gave the mystery group some space and they ended up letting me through on the 3rd hole. I played through another group on the 7th and a single followed me around. I wish I would have spent more time enjoying the scenery and the course, instead of trying to stay out of everyone’s way. Oh well, it was a quick round and sometimes when you play as a single that sort of choppy pace is what you are dealt!

The defining feature about The Bridges is probably its location! The course is conveniently located off US Route 30 between Gettysburg and York, in Abbottstown. I’ve driven through the area a couple times and it is a nice ride, with all the farmland and the city squares that are centered around traffic circles. I guess “quaint” is the word that I’m looking for to describe the area! The Bridges is right off of Route 30 and there are on-site rooms where you can stay, if a stay and play package is your thing.

Here are some of the nice looking flowers!

Besides the charming and convenient location, The Bridges lies adjacent to a hillside, which allows for nice views and influences play more than a first timer (like me) might imagine. The mountain views are all to one side of the course, and that actually reminded me of Arroyo Golf Club out in Las Vegas. Overall, the course has a good look to it, especially with many colorful flowers!

After playing The Bridges I find it hard to classify the course’s style. It has a mix of wetlands holes, parkland holes, wooded holes and even mountain holes. Basically, it has a little bit of everything. It offered a more wooded feel than I expected and it isn’t a course that you’d want to walk! The 5th and the 14th have you hill climbing and the layout is fairly spread out.

The Bridges was designed by two brothers, Charles and Fred Altland, in the mid 1990s. I looked online for a story about the Altlands’ creation of The Bridges, but I wasn’t able to find anything. That is too bad as I’d bet the story would be a good one! As far as I know The Bridges is the only course design for the duo. The scorecard lists both brothers as still involved with the club, so that is nice to see.

Each nine at The Bridges heads from the clubhouse to the hillside and then back to the clubhouse. I played the blue tees which are 72.4/136/6713. The course had me guessing on the best spots to hit the ball, but there is a decent amount of room out there to find stray shots. I’d certainly suggest picking distances and lines where the ball doesn’t get out of sight, until you know your way around the course. The greens are fairly large, modern surfaces that have continuous movement in them.

When I think of standout holes at The Bridges, I think of two holes with some funk to them, the 2nd and the 5th. I don’t think these are signature holes in the truest sense, however they are ones that will likely spark some discussion when someone mentions the course. I thought all the other holes were well-designed.

The 2nd is one of the shorter par-4’s at The Bridges, playing only 339 yards from the blue tees. The hole doglegs sharply left but the fairway doesn’t start until around 200 yards from the tee. The fairway is shaped almost like a small, upside-down banana and is surrounded by trees. The tee shot borders on frightening because it looks so narrow! The undergrowth is cleared out and you can challenge the left side without risking a lost ball, so the hole isn’t as bad as it looks from the tee. Still, I think some tree removal and a bigger fairway would make the 2nd a better hole.

This is the second half the 5th hole, on its uphill climb.

The 5th is another dogleg of interest. This time it is a short par-5 that moves sharply right and climbs into the hillside. Trees overhang the right side off the tee and another tree sits in the fairway. That means you’ll need to kick a field goal to find the short grass! Depending on how far you hit the ball, driver isn’t needed. If you can get it to the corner of the dogleg then you can go for the green in two, just make sure to factor in the rise to the green. Again, a few trees being removed would make this a better hole.

As you’d expect for a South Central Pennsylvania course, the conditions far exceeded the $40 green fee! The Bridges was in great shape. The fairways were lush and everything was nice and full. The greens were smooth and had some speed to them. The sand wasn’t as impressive, though. It was thinner and I had to be careful not to blade the ball on my sand shots.

The Bridges is another course in the area that is worth checking out. It offers a slightly different feel than the area’s usual farmland setting, and that is nice to see. I only mentioned the course’s two quirky holes, but it has plenty of strong holes to offset those! If you live within an hour I think it is worth checking out.

#1 (375 yard par 4):