Aronimink — a first look

For the AT&T National, players – many of them seeing Aronimink for the first time — are registering nearly unanimous approval of the club in the western suburbs of Philadelphia. Aronimink hasn’t hosted a tour event since 1962, when Gary Player won the PGA there.

While not as renowned as Philly-area classics Pine Valley and Merion, Aronimink ranks a close third, sharing many characteristics with Congressional Country Club, which surrendered the AT&T for two years in preparation for hosting the 2011 U.S. Open. 

Aronimink has the same traditional signatures – the wide, parallel, tree-lined fairways. It also has the elevation change and undulating greens so characteristic of Congressional. Like Caves Valley in the Baltimore suburbs, the trees at Congressional and Aronimink are offset from the fairway and aren’t really in play for PGA pros. This gives these courses a big, muscular feel.

The main difference between Aronimink and Congressional is that the former is contained on a much smaller piece of property – no surprise as Congressional has 36 holes, Aronimink 18.

So while Aronimink has a more intimate setting, it can’t match the sweeping majesty of Congressional. The view from the balcony of the clubhouse at Congressional is something that Aronimink can’t approach.