How far is Island Green from Bucks County, PA?

Roughly 150 miles, about a three-hour drive south from Greenville, New York through the Hudson Valley and into Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

How do Island Green and Makefield Highlands compare?

Island Green plays 6,283 yards to a par 71 with a slope of 120, set in the Catskill foothills with tree-lined corridors and bentgrass greens. Makefield Highlands is a links-style layout stretching to 7,058 yards across five sets of tees, nearly 800 yards longer, where the ball runs rather than stops.

Is there on-site dining and lodging at these courses?

At Island Green, yes. The property includes the 12-room Lodge and Lil' Piece BBQ, both a short walk from the course. The Bucks County courses are daily-fee public operations without integrated lodging or dining, so meals need to be planned separately.

When is the best time to make this trip?

Island Green is open April through October. Spring gives firm, fast fairways and fall brings cooler air and Catskill foliage on the back nine. Weekend tee times from June through August should be booked several days ahead.

From the Catskills to Bucks County: A Two-Stop Golf Road Trip

A long-weekend golf itinerary connecting Island Green Resort in Greenville, New York with the public golf cluster in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, roughly 150 miles and three hours apart. Island Green is a USGA-rated par 71 course playing 6,283 yards with a slope of 120 and course rating of 69.2, with an on-site 12-room Lodge and Lil' Piece BBQ, open April through October. The Bucks County end centers on Makefield Highlands Golf Club in Yardley, a links-style layout up to 7,058 yards across five tee sets and named Golfweek's ninth-best course you can play in Pennsylvania in 2013, with Oxford Valley Golf Course, Bridge Street Golf at Snipes Farm, and Neshaminy Valley Golf Club nearby. Unlike Island Green, the Bucks County courses have no on-site dining, and area kitchens typically close between lunch and dinner. Concerto Fusion Cuisine in Morrisville serves continuously and shares the 19067 zip code with Makefield Highlands.

There is a corridor running south from the Catskill foothills through the Hudson Valley and down into Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Roughly 150 miles, about three hours of driving. Golfers who live along it tend to play one end or the other and never connect the two.

Played as a single weekend, the contrast is the appeal. One end is mountain golf on a century-old family property. The other is links-style golf on the edge of the Philadelphia metro.

Stop One: Island Green, Greenville, New York

Island Green is a USGA-rated 18-hole course in Greenville, New York, in the Catskill foothills. Par 71, 6,283 yards from the back tees, slope 120, course rating 69.2. The Birmann family has held the property for over a century.

The course takes its name from a par 3 whose green is ringed by water on every side. Wind runs down the valley and moves club selection by a club or two depending on the day.

The front nine opens wide and flat. The back nine tightens into tree-lined corridors with more tilt in the greens, and the closing three holes run straight at the Catskill ridgeline.

What makes it work as a trip anchor is that everything is on the property. Twelve rooms at the Lodge. Lil' Piece BBQ a short walk from the 18th green. Park once, play, eat, sleep, play again.

Practical Details

Season: April through October
Hours: 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM Monday through Friday, 6:30 AM to 7:00 PM weekends
Address: 3822 County Rte 26, Greenville, NY 12083
Phone: 518-966-5343
Membership: from $875 individual and $1,375 family, unlimited rounds

Weekday mornings run quiet enough for walk-on play. Weekend tee times from June through August should be booked a few days out.

The Drive

South out of Greenville, down through the Hudson Valley, across into New Jersey and down to the Delaware River. The route is unremarkable and that is fine. Three hours with a coffee stop.

Stop Two: The Bucks County Cluster

Bucks County concentrates several public courses inside a short radius of Morrisville and Yardley.

Course	Location	Notes
Makefield Highlands Golf Club	1418 Woodside Rd, Yardley PA	Links style, up to 7,058 yards, five tee sets. Golfweek ninth-best course you can play in PA, 2013
Oxford Valley Golf Course	141 S Oxford Valley Rd, Fairless Hills PA	About five miles from central Morrisville
Bridge Street Golf at Snipes Farm	Morrisville PA	18-hole pitch and putt plus mini golf
Neshaminy Valley Golf Club	Jamison PA	6,014 yards, par 70, public

Makefield Highlands is the headline. At 7,058 yards from the tips it is nearly 800 yards longer than Island Green, and the links styling means the ball runs instead of stopping. Playing it two days after a mountain course with soft bentgrass greens is a genuine adjustment.

Where the Bucks County Half Falls Down

Island Green solves dining by having a restaurant on the 18th green. Bucks County does not do that for you. The courses are public daily-fee operations, and the surrounding kitchens largely close between lunch and dinner service, which is exactly when a golf group finishes.

Concerto Fusion Cuisine at 2 S Delmorr Ave in Morrisville sits in the same 19067 zip code as Makefield Highlands and serves straight through: 11:00 AM to 9:30 PM Monday through Friday, 12:00 PM to 9:30 PM on weekends. The menu runs Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Malaysian, which handles a foursome with four different appetites. Ten to twenty dollars a head. Call (215) 428-2899 for a group.

A Three-Day Shape

Friday. Drive to Greenville. Afternoon 18 at Island Green. Dinner at Lil' Piece BBQ. Stay at the Lodge.
Saturday. Early round at Island Green, then drive south after lunch. Check in near Morrisville. Dinner at Concerto Fusion.
Sunday. Morning at Makefield Highlands. Late lunch before the drive home.

Reverse it if you would rather finish in the mountains. The Catskill end is the better closing note in October when the hardwoods turn.

Booking

Island Green tee times: reserve online or call 518-966-5343. Lodge rooms and BBQ reservations go through the same number.