Monday Night Football is headed to Philadelphia, and the league didn't get cute with it: Cowboys at Eagles, Lincoln Financial Field, 8:15 PM ET, under the lights. Dallas fans in enemy territory. The Linc at full volume. Arguably the nastiest road trip in football. If you're looking for golf near Philadelphia Pennsylvania, a Monday game is a gift, because it turns a normal weekend into two full days of golf with the stadium as the closer.
The Linc at dusk, with the skyline watching.
The game
Dallas (2-4) visits Philadelphia (2-4) on Monday, October 26. Kickoff is 8:15 PM ET on ESPN and ABC from Lincoln Financial Field.
This was supposed to be the NFC East heavyweight fight. Instead it's a desperation game. Philadelphia lost Jalen Hurts for the season to blood clots, so backup Tanner McKee starts, Saquon Barkley is questionable, and the Eagles have dropped four straight. That's how Dallas, coming off back-to-back losses of its own, ends up a 4.5-point road favorite. Two 2-4 teams. Zero chill.
The forecast is on your side: clear skies, mid-50s at kickoff, sliding into the upper 40s by the fourth quarter. Pack layers and a tailgate plan. Leave the rain gear at home.
And the weekend math beats a Sunday game. You get Saturday and Sunday with zero schedule pressure, then a wide open Monday for a morning round before the main event. Same formula as our GameDay in Provo weekend, golf by day and big football by night, just with the game saved for the very end.
Best public golf courses near Philadelphia
The Golf Course at Glen Mills (Glen Mills, PA) is the anchor. The Bobby Weed design (6,636 yards, par 71, 131 slope) rolls through Chester County hills and sits on Golf Digest's Top 100 public list. Golfweek ranks it the No. 4 public course in Pennsylvania, which makes it the highest rated public course in Greater Philadelphia. It's about 35 to 40 minutes from the Linc, and weekend pricing moves with demand, currently around $115 to $125 for 18 with a cart. This is the round you'll talk about on the flight home.
Jeffersonville Golf Club (Norristown, PA) is a 1931 Donald Ross original, restored in the early 2000s: 6,443 yards, par 70, and owned by West Norriton Township. It's Golfweek's No. 7 public course in Pennsylvania and a GOLF.com pick for best courses under $100. Golden Age bones at muni pricing. It sits just northwest of the city, about 40 to 45 minutes from the Linc, and weekend 18 is currently around $80, same price whether you walk or ride.
Wyncote Golf Club (Oxford, PA) is Brian Ault's heathland style layout: 7,012 yards, par 72, 130 slope, and bentgrass wall to wall. It's a Golfweek Top 10 public course in Pennsylvania with 4.5 stars in Golf Digest's Places to Play, and it's worth the drive down toward the Maryland line, about 70 to 75 minutes from the Linc. Weekend 18 runs $100 riding or $80 walking before 2 PM. Yes, the course shares my first name. No, I don't get a discount.
RiverWinds Golf & Tennis Club (West Deptford, NJ) is Ed Shearon's links style layout along the Delaware River: 7,086 yards, par 72, 132 slope, with the Philadelphia skyline in the distance. Wind, water, and a skyline. It's the most distinctive backdrop on this list and the closest round, just across the bridge from South Philly, about 20 minutes from the Linc. Pricing moves with demand, currently around $120 for 18 with a cart.
Makefield Highlands Golf Club (Yardley, PA) is Rick Jacobson's 7,058-yard, par 72 links style muni (managed by Spirit Golf) that hosts U.S. Open local qualifying. Golfweek has it at No. 9 on its list of courses you can play in Pennsylvania. Championship golf on a muni tee sheet, up I-95 in Bucks County, about 40 to 45 minutes from the Linc. Green fees currently run around $60 to $80 for 18 with a cart.
Five Ponds Golf Club (Warminster, PA) has won Best of Bucks County nine years running and carries 4 stars from Golf Digest. It's a fun, well kept parkland round and the easy, close to everything option, about 35 to 40 minutes from the Linc. Weekend 18 is $64 walking or $85 riding.
Fall golf outside Philadelphia.
The play
Saturday: land and play the anchor. Glen Mills, or Jeffersonville if you want the Donald Ross pedigree closer to the city. Sunny, 63°F, zero chance of rain. Mornings start in the upper 30s, so take the second tee time and let it warm up.
Sunday: sunny again and 67°F, the best golf day of the three, so make it the big round. RiverWinds across the bridge for the skyline, or Wyncote for the heathland test. Then cheesesteaks and a sports bar. You're in Philadelphia. It's practically required.
Monday: a morning round before the game. With an 8:15 PM ET kickoff, a 9 AM tee time at Five Ponds or Makefield Highlands gets you back with plenty of time to clean up and head to the Linc. The afternoon climbs to 73°F, then kickoff lands in the mid-50s and slides into the upper 40s. T-shirt golf at lunch, winter coat by the fourth quarter. Plan accordingly.
Quick answers
Can I play golf Monday and still make the 8:15 PM ET kickoff?
Easily. Every course on this list is within about an hour of Lincoln Financial Field except Wyncote, at roughly 70 to 75 minutes. Tee off around 9 AM, finish by 1:30, and you're at the stadium well before tailgate prime time.
What's the best public course near Philadelphia?
The Golf Course at Glen Mills (Glen Mills, PA). The Bobby Weed design (6,636 yards, par 71) is the highest rated public course in Greater Philadelphia: a Golf Digest Top 100 public course and Golfweek's No. 4 public course in Pennsylvania. It's the anchor round of the weekend.
What should I wear in late October?
Layers. Mornings are in the upper 30s, afternoons reach the mid-60s to low 70s, and Monday night at the Linc drops from the mid-50s into the upper 40s. No rain expected, but the fourth quarter will be genuinely cold in the stands.
Artwork generated for this post.