Presidential at Hickory Valley Golf Club

Although the layout is interesting, the course is very tight and narrow. If you are a mid to long hitter, be prepared to hit less than driver on most holes (I only hit 3 drivers). The course is difficult to play without prior knowledge due to severe doglegs and trees blocking second shots. Most of the tee boxes and all of the fairways were in great condition. However, all of the greens had excessive number of ball marks and were extremely slow. Don't let the practice putting green fool you, the actual greens are probably 2-3 feet slower and extremely soft. The bunkers here are also extremely soft (my ball embedded completely and I could barely see it). Holes 1 and 16 were my favorite and their practice greens and driving range was nice (irons only). Staff was also friendly and helpful.

Drove over an hour to get to the course and was glad I did! The staff was very friendly and welcoming. The course is beautiful. Well maintained and landscaped. It seems they take care of all the little things that most courses have forgotten about. Great layout to the course beer and food prices were very reasonable . Wish I lived closer.

Great course to play if your up for a challenge. Slot of sand on this course so bring your wedge game.

I have played it several times per year for many years, and it is fairly constant relative to the conditions. The white tees at 6300yd is plenty for most, as the back tees adds another 400yds which combined with the layout is too much except for perhaps a single capper. There are many holes that are tree lined, and the tree trimmer guy has not visited this course in quite some time. In other words, hit it perfectly straight or deal with the trees. There are a few forced carries over water, bunker, etc. that will add to the challenge. The course cummulatively starts to wear on your game by the end, so it does not always leave you walking off the 18th with a happy face. The greens are usually pretty good meaning that good putts have a good chance to go in. This course will test your game, and it is worth the challenge.

Nice course, greens very soft and slow, tough to read. Old growth and protected areas lead to many penalty strokes, making it tough for a first timer not knowing this.

What a great course challenging and fair .
Great staff

Course was in great shape but the greens a little slow considering the amount of rain.

I play on average 3 times a month. This course is over grown, dog legs throughout with terrible site lines, its extremely narrow. By contrast the Presidential is a great course. The ambassor's design clearly indicates it was on a tight budget. If the management of this course really wants it to viable, they need to cut down scores of trees to improve playability. Or they could continue to do what they are doing, just taking your money. I will never play this course again.

I put together a round of golf for 4. I used the app and got a great price of $25 per person, plus tax it worked out to like $30 per. What a deal. This course is worth every cent. The greens were in great shape, the fairways were well cared for and the staff was friendly. The only complaint was that the crew was working on sandtraps and had not yet sprayed one down with water. One of my buddies hit it in the sand and it sunk about 3 inches into the sand.
Had a great day, thanks for the hot deal, I will be back.

Right pricing for the middle class golfer. Great layout, water and long tee shots are awesome for the serious and not so serious golfer.

Course was wet due to heavy rain the prior evening so it was cart path only which made it much less enjoyable.
Since it had not rained in NJ where I live, I was not prepared for the news of having to stay on the paths even though I am not questioning the reasoning.
Is it possible that "cart path only" can be indicated on Golfnow so that golfers know about it before making reservations?

The overall condition of the course was great. Bunkers were nicely kept and soft sand. Fairways were good, and the first cuts werent too harsh.

If you make a decent shot off the tee, you were rewarded, if not you were penalized. Lots of trees, and other miscellaneous hazards (water, ravines, collection areas, etc).

I had a great time playing, and would recommend this course to anyone.

We enjoyed playing this course, but it was a little difficult for us this early in the season. Many trees along the fairways. The greens were a little slower then expected.

This is a very nice golf course. Very playable for the majority of the public. And therein lies the problem with this course. As a senior citizen and not hitting the ball as far as I once did, there are some very difficult holes on this course in terms of yardage. Par four's in excess of 390 yards are unreachable in two for me. That takes the fun out of the game. Looking at it from the perspective of a younger golfer I would give this course an A+, but from my point of view I would have to go with a B-. Combined with other factors such as it's a little over an hour ride for me I would have to say I probably won't play this one again.

Nice mix of fun and challenging holes. The white tees are a good match for all but the lowest handicaps. The tips are a bear especially on the back (10,11,13, 16,17). One of the best value courses in the area for quality versus cost.

I had heard great things about the presidential. I had played its sister course the ambassador and didn't care for it as it was more of a narrow shot maker course. Presidential says it is more open a little longer and much newer. Had to try it. Got a great deal on golf now and headed out. The greeting was less than welcoming. Everyone had a big "hello" but didn't go out of their way. Pro shop was kind of dumpy and the attendant seemed miserable. On the counter was a big sign sayin "cart path only! No warnings given!" I understand as we had 4" of rain in the past week but explain it. Don't put a rude sign at the cash register. The layout was unremarkable. A lot of parallel holes laid out next to each other. Mounds seem to grow out of the ground for no apparent reason other than to say "I'm a modern course". The greens were remarkably fast for the amount of rain we had and they were true. Again the amount of un necessary undulation in the greens screamed of desperation to be noticed. The back nine (after the joke of a tenth hole)was just as tight if not tighter than the sister course and the mounding and undulating was not as severe. All in all, I wouldn't go back soon. Maybe more suited for some players who like to lay up at dog legs and squeeze shots through narrow shoots while dodging mounds and bunkers placed in the middle of the fairway. But for me, I like more subtle challenges that are just as difficult without being so "In Your Face"

Paid $20 for the Ambassador course. Nice challenge for the average player.

Hickory Valley CG is a local golfing treasure located about 30 ,iles from center city Philadelphia. Easy to get to and once there you are rolling farm land. The Presidential is a wnderful course that is challenging to all levels of amature golfers. The par-threes are beautiful holes with large greens. Many of the par-fours and fives are dog-legs offering a risk/reward opportunity. The greens are very challenging asthe subtle undulations are hard to read so be prepared to three-putt oand move on.
The course has a rage suited for warming-up your iron game. There is a snack style concession stand at the club house and one at the 10th tee box (nine does not return the the clubhouse). And for us older people there are sufficient of rest rooms prefectly located to keep our minds on the game!
A really great golfing experience!

This course is nicely laid out. I have only played about 8 or 10 different courses in the area, but hickory valley is among the best. The conditions were as good as could be expected this early after the winter we had. During the summer and well into fall, the course is beautiful and well groomed. The course is challenging as streams provide natural water hazards on quite a few holes, but smart play can reward you with a respectable score.

This course was well kept. Lots of tough pin aplacements on this day.