Maybe you never heard of Llanerch before, but I am almost positive you have seen the area, as the course sits a stone’s throw from the famed Llanerch Diner, a focal point in Silver Linings Playbook, starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.

Many people may think Llanerch is a Native American name, and it is true the Lenape tribe lived on this land. But the name has Welsh origins, as William Penn took possession by royal charter and Welsh Quakers subsequently settled the area.

Originally chartered in May 1902 as Delaware County Country Club, Llanerch proudly claims to be one of the oldest golf clubs in the United States. The first 18-hole course opened the following year, followed by several changes and mergers — first called Delaware County Field Club, encouraging all athletic endeavors, and then combining with Athletic Club of Philadelphia in 1911.

In 1914 the merger with the Athletic Club ended, and the membership changed the name to Bon Air Country Club. One of its first duties was to replace the “sand greens” with grass. A massive fire destroyed the clubhouse in 1918, leading to yet another name change, to Llanerch Country Club. At this time the ownership brought in noted golf architect Alexander H. Findlay to design a championship 27 holes. The new course opened in 1928 to much fanfare and excitement.

In 1938 came another ownership shift, and the course was almost sold to create much-needed post-World War II housing in the Philadelphia area. Thankfully, a group of investors rescued 119 acres and reconstructed an 18-hole course layout, following much of Findlay’s design. In the 1940s and ’50s, Llanerch hosted many championship tournaments, including the 1958 PGA Championship.

The club undertook a long-range plan in 1995, including a design tweak of the 18-hole course and a major renovation and enlargement of the clubhouse and facilities by Stephen Kay, who has extensive experience bringing back to life the classic courses designed by greats like Donald Ross, A.W. Tillinghast, Devereux Emmet and Charles Banks.

I teed off with Wayne Weaver, banking executive; Lucky Bob Hancock, Global Traveler Advisory Board member; and John Kelly, member of Llanerch and GT Advisory Board member, for a fun-filled and beautiful October day at the annual Member–Guest Tournament, followed by an unforgettable lobster feast.

HOLE 1
403 yards, par 4
When you par the first hole out of the gate, it makes you think you’ll have an incredible round. My tee shot landed to the right side of the fairway and bounced left, as the entire fairway runs from right to left. The rest of the team really poured on the pressure. Weaver tagged a ball, outpacing me, and Bob kept looking for his ball in the rough (which we clearly found in the fairway). My second shot landed pin high but on the right side of the right trap. A Lucky Bob lob wedged to the green allowed me a putt for par. Bogey for John, and Wayne took the third par.

HOLE 2
432 yards, par 4
Leave it to Findlay to locate the No. 1-ranked hole in the first batch. What makes this hole difficult is the length required to land in two strokes, plus the elevated fairway surrounded with pines. Lucky Bob, not in his regular form, hit a painful-looking drive, slamming to the left and running just under one of those pines. I hit one just right of Bob but in the rough and slammed my 3-wood to get the ball airborne and to the right of the fairway, rolling like a madman into the rough and under some trees. To make matters worse, the green is two-tiered with four bunkers around the circumference. Lots of high, disappoint- ing scores!

HOLE 15
321 yards, par 4
This should not be a difficult hole, but I was lured into the fairway traps on the left side and went from trap to trap to a trap by the green. The smart move is to lay up short of the moguls and traps on the left side. John Kelly followed my lead but with more zest, landing left and squarely behind a tree. We seldom saw Wayne and Lucky Bob on 15; some say they fell off the edge of the world on the right side. Llanerch is a course that needs to be played a few times — course knowledge is key.

HOLE 17
150 yards, par 3
A nice par 3 with an elevated green as you pass a tranquil, babbling brook. Wayne and Bob had decent shots, but Wayne caught the trap on the left of the green while Bob landed on the green. John and I took a few extra strokes to get there; and Wayne, so concerned with rolling off the green for his bunker position, aimed away from the pin and allowed the hill to roll his ball within par putting distance. What a well-thought- out play!

HOLE 18
296 yards, par 4
The signature hole at Llanerch, Hole 18 features an imposing pond to clear and the beautiful renovated clubhouse in the foreground. I shot a drive I thought was too far left — but after searching near the creek, I found a lucky tree had caught me, and John Kelly found me safely in play in the rough. An easy iron shot got me to the green, where I two-putted for par. This is a wonderful closing hole where you feel like you’re practically in the Men’s Grill when you putt on this tricky surface.

We had a lot of fun playing Llanerch. Having grown up only a few miles from the club, I never imagined I would play there myself one day. Note to greens- keeper: Cut the rough lower next year!