If you drive down Cedar Road in Ambler, Pennsylvania, you might miss it. There are no massive neon signs or grand, sweeping arches announcing your arrival. Honestly, that’s exactly how the members like it. Squires Golf Club PA isn’t trying to be the next mega-resort or a family-centric country club with a pool and a snack bar full of screaming kids. It is a purist’s retreat. It’s quiet.
Some people call it "The Squires." Others just call it a hidden gem, though that feels a bit cliché for a place this prestigious. It opened its doors back in 1963, born from the vision of a few guys who just wanted to play golf without the fluff of traditional social clubs. They didn't want the ballroom dancing or the formal gala dinners. They wanted grass, sticks, and a difficult walk.
George Fazio designed it. If you follow golf architecture, that name carries weight. Fazio was a local legend, a guy who actually tied Ben Hogan and Lloyd Mangrum in the 1950 U.S. Open at Merion. He knew this specific slice of Pennsylvania soil better than almost anyone. When he laid out Squires, he wasn't looking to create a "resort" experience. He built a test.
The Fazio Legacy and a Course That Punishes Egos
You’ve probably played courses where you can spray the ball a bit and still find a way to scramble for par. Squires Golf Club PA isn't that kind of place. It’s a par-70 layout that feels much longer than the scorecard suggests. Why? Because Fazio used the natural, rolling topography of Montgomery County to mess with your sightlines.
The greens are famously quick. If the superintendent decides to get aggressive with the mowers, you’re looking at some of the slickest surfaces in the Philadelphia area. Members often joke—well, maybe they aren't joking—that if you’re above the hole on certain days, you might as well just pick up and move to the next tee.
It’s tight. The trees have matured over the last sixty years into formidable walls. While many modern clubs are "opening up" their courses by cutting down thousands of trees to mimic a links style, Squires has largely maintained its parkland identity. You have to shape your shots. You have to think. If you show up with nothing but a "grip it and rip it" mentality, the course will eat you alive by the fourth hole.
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Interestingly, the course underwent a significant renovation by Tom Fazio—George’s nephew—in the early 2000s. It was a family affair. Tom tightened things up, modernized the bunkering, and ensured the course could handle the modern power game without losing its soul. It stayed difficult. Actually, it got harder.
Why Nobody Knows What Happens Inside the Gates
Privacy is the currency here. Unlike some of the high-profile clubs in the Main Line or the storied fairways of Merion and Pine Valley, Squires doesn't court the press. You won't find a flashy Instagram account posting daily "course porn" photos or influencers doing "get ready with me" videos in the locker room.
It’s a "men’s only" club, one of the few remaining in the United States that maintains that specific traditional structure. This is often a point of debate in modern golf circles, but for the membership at Squires, it’s about maintaining a specific, singular focus: the game of golf. No distractions. No tennis courts. No swimming pool. No dining room minimums that force you to buy overpriced shrimp cocktails just to keep your membership active.
The locker room is legendary. It’s the kind of place where business deals are probably discussed, but mostly it's where people talk about their backswings and complain about the pin placement on the 17th. It’s lived-in. It’s comfortable. It feels like a place where time sort of stopped in 1975, but in a way that feels intentional and expensive rather than dated.
The Reality of Membership and Accessibility
Let's be real: you don't just "join" Squires Golf Club PA by filling out a form on a website. It is an invitational process. You have to know people. And those people have to really like you.
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The membership is small. This is the biggest draw for the high-level executives and golf fanatics who call it home. You can show up on a Tuesday morning and basically have the place to yourself. There are no four-hour waits for a tee time. There’s no starter breathing down your neck because a corporate outing is starting in ten minutes. It is the antithesis of the "public-access" grind.
- The Invitational Aspect: You generally need a proposer and multiple seconders.
- The Financials: While they don't publish their initiation fees, industry insiders place it in the mid-to-high five-figure range, with substantial annual dues.
- The Vibe: If you aren't a serious golfer (meaning you actually care about the rules and the pace of play), you won't fit in.
Comparing Squires to its Neighbors
The Philadelphia golf scene is crowded with titans. You have Merion, which has hosted multiple U.S. Opens. You have Aronimink and Philadelphia Cricket Club. How does Squires hold its own?
By not trying to compete.
While Merion is a museum of golf history, Squires is a sanctuary. While Aronimink is a sprawling social hub with massive facilities, Squires is a boutique. It serves a niche. If you want to spend your Saturday at the club with your spouse and kids, you go to Huntington Valley or Whitemarsh Valley. If you want to escape your life for four hours and play a round with three friends where the only thing that matters is the $5 Nassau bet, you go to Squires.
The course itself doesn't have a "signature hole" in the way some gimmicky courses do. Every hole feels like a piece of a larger puzzle. However, the closing stretch is particularly brutal. The 18th hole is a demanding finish that requires a precise drive and an even more precise approach to a green that seems to reject anything but a perfect shot.
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Technical Maintenance and Course Conditions
One thing you’ll notice if you’re ever lucky enough to walk the grounds is the turf quality. Because the volume of play is so low, the grass is rarely stressed. Divots are rare. The fairways feel like walking on a high-end hotel carpet.
The maintenance staff at Squires Golf Club PA is known for being meticulous. They deal with the humid, often punishing Pennsylvania summers by using advanced irrigation and aeration techniques that keep the greens firm. Most local courses get "mushy" in August. Squires usually stays fast. It’s a testament to the budget and the expertise of the greenskeeping crew who have to manage the specific micro-climate of the Ambler area.
Actionable Steps for the Aspiring Member or Visitor
If you're looking to experience Squires Golf Club PA, you have to be strategic. Since it's not a place you can just "book a round" at, here is how the world actually works for a club like this:
- Network within the GAP: The Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) is one of the oldest in the country. Many Squires members are active in GAP events. If you play in local amateurs or mid-amateur tournaments, you will eventually meet someone from Squires.
- Charity Outings: Occasionally, the club may host a high-end charity event or a regional qualifying round for a USGA event. These are your only real "pay-to-play" or "earn-your-way-in" opportunities. Keep an eye on the USGA qualifying schedules for the Mid-Am or the U.S. Amateur.
- Respect the Protocol: If you do get an invite, remember that the dress code is strictly enforced and cell phone use is generally frowned upon or outright banned in the clubhouse and on the course.
- Study the Layout: If you get that rare call to play, look at satellite imagery of the 4th, 9th, and 18th holes. These are the "card wreckers." Knowing where the misses are (usually short and right is better than long and left) will save you from an embarrassing scorecard.
Squires remains a stubborn, beautiful holdout in a world that is increasingly loud and accessible. It doesn't want to be everything to everyone. It wants to be a great golf course for people who love golf. Period. That clarity of purpose is why it’s still one of the most respected addresses in Pennsylvania sports. It’s not just about the status; it’s about the walk.