Saucon Valley Country Club proudly holds the distinction of being a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary through Audubon International. Our dedicated staff continually seeks new ways to strengthen environmental stewardship, while the Saucon Sanctuary Committee encourages members to participate in meaningful ecological initiatives.
As you enjoy a round of golf on our championship courses, you may notice wooden posts featuring QR codes placed throughout the property. These are part of the Saucon Sanctuary outreach program, inviting members and guests to learn more about our remarkable Special Places. There are 20 Special Places plaques across the grounds, each with a unique QR code offering concise and insightful information about its location.
With a simple scan, you can absorb interesting details in under a minute, all while maintaining appropriate pace of play. The QR codes are positioned at scenic and historically significant locations, highlighting the Club’s natural beauty. Many of these Special Places are carefully preserved natural areas, nurtured by our staff to support native wildlife and plant life while honoring Saucon Valley Country Club’s rich history.
The next time you find yourself on the course, we invite you to take a moment to explore the wonders of our extraordinary Club.
When we travel through the front gate of the Club and take in the beauty of the property, it is easy to view it as a complete picture. Yet a closer look at land records across our 850+ acres reveals a far more layered history, including 18th-century industrial uses, mining operations and farming that date back to the time of William Penn.
While walking a manicured fairway with deer quietly grazing nearby, it can be difficult to imagine steam-powered machinery, piles of rock and smoke rising from lime kilns. In later years, workers from Bethlehem Steel built sturdy bridges across the creek using steel produced on the other side of South Mountain.
To learn more about these features, look for the 20 wooden posts located throughout the Club, each topped with a plaque and a QR (quick reference) code. Using your phone’s camera to scan the code will direct you to a page on our website describing the history and significance of each location.
Conservation plays an essential role at Saucon Valley Country Club. In addition to preserving the land’s history, we have identified natural areas that are actively maintained to improve environmental health and wildlife habitats. These include native plant and animal species and riparian areas that promote clean water and ecological balance.
We are especially proud that when water leaves SVCC, it is cleaner than when it enters our property, while also providing a home for trout, ducks and even swans.
Even long-time members may discover something new. Many have played Grace #1 countless times without knowing that the creek along the right side is named Laurel Run, which flows into Saucon Creek just past Hurd’s Pond. To maintain appropriate pace of play, members may find it helpful to review the map and locations prior to their round.
On the Old Course, be sure to scan the QR code for the majestic beech tree planted in 1960. And while a “London plane” won’t take you to Heathrow, it may shed some bark along the way — there’s a QR code for that, too.
The Saucon Sanctuary Committee looks forward to installing additional markers and QR codes in the future and will continue to maintain an updated map, featured below.