The ACE Club, located just outside of Philadelphia in Lafayette Hill, is a unique golf club owned by ACE Insurance Company centered around competitive events, corporate outings and conferences. It’s a terrific layout in a beautiful setting with wide open views of the surrounding course. What makes it interesting is that it’s actually the third golf course to be built on the property, dating back to the late 1920’s. It flies under the radar because of its corporate focus but is not to be overlooked. With a mix of streams and water hazards throughout, the layout is superb and scenic.
The course you see today was designed by Gary Player and Warren Henderson in the early 2000’s. Interestingly, Warren Henderson also designed Arcadia Bluffs. Prior to the ACE Club it was Eagle Lodge Golf Club which was built in the 1980’s by Reese Jones. The original course was Roxborough Country Club which was built in 1928 and designed by Herb Jewson.
Today’s course stretches to 7,500 yards with some tough tee shots and a variety of hazards. Like many modern courses, it was built to accommodate all skill levels. This is a feature that we especially like, as it adds variety to each round while keeping pace of play moving (hopefully). It’s in a hotbed for golf in the Philadelphia area, with Whitemarsh Valley Country Club, Philadelphia Cricket Club, Green Valley and Philadelphia Country Club within a few mile stretch. So if you’re ever in the area to play any of these courses, I highly recommend you carve out time to visit The Ace Club.
In addition to the course, the massive lodge style clubhouse is unique and large enough to accomodate large parties and meetings. There are also rooms available on site for guests to stay on site, which is always a nice feature.
Golf Digest ranks it as one of the top 25 courses in Pennsylvania, coming in at No. 19.
Highlights
The 9th Hole is a long par-5 with a stream splitting the fairway. The slanted green makes going for it in two a major risk. Hitting it out to the right makes for the best angle on the approach
George Wolfe