Pickering Valley Golf Club

I have been playing at Pickering Valley since May of 2022. This course is a lot of fun, and is in the best shape it has been, today in July of 2024. The Thompson family and their employees are welcoming, friendly and make the golf experience a lot of fun.

The course challenges golfers of any ability. The greens are surprisingly challenging, and the course is forgiving also.

My friends and I enjoy playing here on a regular basis.

Great value and a lot of fun.

Mark Lane

It is a lot better than 3 or 4 years ago, but I watch and give off to people who don’t know to repair they think it a art of the course, give hand outs to people explaining golf they way it’s supposed to be played and if people are in gross negligence should be penalized.

Eamonn

I've played this course at least 20 times and today was brutal. The tee boxes are a disaster, the fairways are very spotty and at least half the greens are disgraceful. We have definitely scratched this course off our "play" list.

Pickering had the courtesy to call and say they were not sending carts out in the rain so I cancelled thru them. I then proceeded to try to cancel on Golfnow throughGOLFPASS+ members are covered under Worry-Free Tee Times and it would not let me cancel although I tried numerous times prior to my Tee time. I tried to call and all you get are recordings directing you to the website which is useless. So I have no idea how my round went.

Got the anniversary membership which is a deal you really can’t beat ($300 for a 2 yr membership, unlimited golf except before 11 on weekends/holidays). I play a few times a week here usually. Fairways are in good shape and the greens are as well, though the greens are a bit slow and I wouldn’t mind to see them a bit firmer. Tee boxes of recent have been in poor shape which is a bit frustrating. The rough off some of the greens is poor and can make it frustrating to chip from (see holes 10 and 11 to start the back). It’s a solid track, the front is more open and forgiving to bad shots, but the back has some holes that are tighter and demand more accurate tee shots. Very hilly, and I usually walk. It is much more of a workout than some other nearby courses.

The one big gripe I have is the slow pace of play at times, it would be nice if they had someone going around the course to make sure people are playing at an appropriate pace.

Off the course, it has a driving range with grass tees which I consider a huge positive.

Overall, it’s an above average public course, and with the anniversary membership it is almost impossible to beat for the price. It’s not at the level of say a Jeffersonville, but it can hold its own. I’d put it in the same tier as Skippack, which has much more generous reviews on here.

Pickering Valley recently had a membership drive ($198 for 2 years) and it's led to a less than desirable golfing experience these days. The staff cannot handle all of the volume especially during the pandemic where only golfer is allowed in the clubhouse at a time. Tee times are only 10 minutes apart for some reason and there is no starter which creates chaos on the first tee. One person handles both the check-in and sending golfers off and needless to say he was very stressed out when I tried to play. They should hire a starter to help out during peak times.

The course itself is a good layout with some challenging holes and nice elevation changes but the owners need to focus on the service aspect as this contributes to a positive experience. They seem more concerned with packing as many people on the course as possible. I don't bother playing there during the warmer months and will revisit once the crowds thin out in the fall/winter.

I used to not like this course at all. If I ever got an invite to play I would say no. Played Sunday May 24 2020 and I have to admit that I enjoyed the round. Tee boxes were in good shape. Greens were well maintained - little slow. Lots of cool elevation changes. Gets pretty tight on a couple holes on the back nine and I would highly recommend hitting an iron off the tee. Next time someone asks me to play there I think I will say yes.

Staff is not friendly at all. Tee boxes are awful. Pace of play is extremely slow with their 8 min tee times and a ton of walkers. Not worth the money for course conditions.

Would not recommend. Have played there a bunch over the years and I will no longer go back. They don’t take care of their course and they jam as many people on the course as possible. If you go just expect to overpay a decent amount, hit off bad tee boxes and wait A LOT. 5 hour round is not all that uncommon at Pickering.

First off by way of clarification and full disclosure, I just took advantage of PVGC's 2 years of play for $298 but that said, I've played here off and on since 1994. This course was built in the mid-1980s on a challenging piece of real estate. There are substantial ups and downs that make for a real workout if you walk. There are not (yet) paths all around the layout. That's good news if you're a purist who hates asphalt scraped golf balls. That's bad news since carts can get onto spots that are wet and create damage. Pickering is one of four courses build in the general area by a designer, John Thompson. He also did Spring Hollow, which is just about 8 miles further out from the city, and Moccasin Run, and Furnace Bay in Maryland. The par 3s are well done. The 4s also vary in length and shot demands. Number 18 is a bit of a bear because of its length and constant climb. I enjoy the par 5s but I'd expect that some might find #8 with it's 90 degree turn a bit contrived. Number 17 is also a two or three shot proposition that some will get down to the bottom off the tee (and love) or wind up on the downhill or worse (and hate). Practice facilities are nice with a large putting green, a full range, and a short game area that could use some TLC. They seem interested in working cooperatively with players to improve conditions. The tees do get worn. Let's put sand boxes on those tees and move the tees regularly. I'd also recommend bottles with divot mix on every cart. Clubhouse is pretty Spartan but the people I've met are nice. For the record, I've played 800+ golf courses. This isn't Pine Valley or Aronomink but it's a good time. It can play 5100 from the forward tees or 6500 from the tips. Slope and rating (from the tips) 127 & 71.5. Lastly let me comment about some of the views! Those can be magnificent, overlooking Phoenixville, Royersford, Kimberton, and a bunch of other very attractive communities.

No grass in tee boxes some of the greens looked like someone drove a car on them and that’s being kind I’ve played many course from public to private this has to be the worst ever

Nice layout. Not recommended for beginners. Very hilly. Tee times are 8 minutes apart and that can cause log jams. Only 1 water fountain on the course, so bring your own. $53 on the weekend — which is about right for the courses in this area. Aside from bushes that represent 150 yards, forget it - so bring a gps. Greens are on the slow side. Finding balls in the rough can be tough. Honestly, there are too many other quality courses within 20 minutes of this track.

The prices was too high for the green condition. Green wasn't cut or rolled so it was like putting on a thick carpet. I've seen tee box in better condition than this green. The guy a the pro shop was a completely ignorant. I've booked the 11am tee time for $45fromt their website and he tell's me its suppose to be $51, but he'll give it to me for $45. So why was he thinking about over charging me? My 2nd time playing in this course and the green was bad as the last time I've played. NOT worth $45.....$25 at best. that'll be my last time there.

If you plan on spending $ 51.00 on a course spend it on a place you know or like. I am playing every course I can this summer 2 different per weekend. I called Thursday for a tee time letting them know I'm a solo player I was told just come out we'll put you with another or a group ok I'm fine with that. Checking in I got the aaahh I don't know we're really busy maybe you can get 9 in,,, I didn't drive an hour to play 9. ok,,problem solved but we had to check in at 16 to see what tee time we could get when we came around to 1, I was started of the back with a guy nice enough person,, he gave me the rundown on each hole which was nice. As we played on it seemed like the grass was growing in the fairways or are they always that long ? The greens were just untrue and allover the place when putting it may have been esier to putt if they where airated last week. Maybe its just this time of year when everything is still getting up and running as far as courses go, some of The bunkers had tire tracks from the grounds crew machine that rakes them. This is not a $ 50.00 course if you haven't played it take your money somewhere else where you know its worth the spend. The bacon and egg sandwich was good.

My son and I have played this course about 4 times in 2014 and 3 times this season so far. It features all kinds of hazards, forced carries, and changes in elevations that make you bring your "A" game. There are some long uphill holes and long downhill holes. Many are wide open, others can be somewhat narrow. One dogleg par-5 has 2 forced carries over water. The greens are good, some fast, some slow depending on conditions. Plenty of scenic vistas of Chester County, PA everywhere.

If you choose the correct tee box, this course will properly challenge golfers of almost any ability. We played PV the day after a serious line of storms had dropped heavy rainfall in the area. Nevertheless, PV was in really decent shape. They said it was the only course letting people out in carts that day -so it was more crowded than usual.

My only suggestion is that management (PV is family owned) install online Tee times.