Despite ranking 33rd in size among U.S. states, Pennsylvania is fifth in population, so it’s not surprising that The Keystone State is home to dozens of truly outstanding golf clubs and courses. With the Delaware River in its southeastern corner, Lake Erie at its northwest border, and the Appalachian, Allegheny, and Pocono Mountains in between, Pennsylvania’s diverse topography lends itself well to the creation of many kinds of fields of dreams for golfers. Golden Age designers like A.W. Tillinghast, Donald Ross, and William Flynn plied their trade there—as have modern-era masters like Tom Doak, Rees Jones, and Gil Hanse.
Many of Pennsylvania’s courses—like Oakmont, Merion, Aronimink, and Laurel Valley to name a few—are private and off-limits unless you’re lucky enough to play there as a guest (or teeing it up in competition). And there’s a sizeable gap between the quality of the state’s premier private courses and most of its public ones. But listed among the Commonwealth’s hundreds of options you’ll find a handful of outstanding tracks that anyone can play. So whether you lean toward classic parkland designs, broad-shouldered resort courses, or layouts where Pennsylvania’s mountain majesty is on full display all day, the state’s golfers and golfing visitors have a panoply of good choices.
Here are 10 of Pennsylvania’s top public golf courses. There are more where these came from.
Nemacolin (Mystic Rock)—Farmington
With three luxe hotels to choose from, plus a full complement of resort experiences ranging from fine dining and wellness services to casino games and axe-throwing, Nemacolin is much more than just a great golf resort. But the two Pete Dye-designed courses at this Laurel Highlands leisure world, located about 70 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, are reason enough alone to make your way there. Mystic Rock, home course of the PGA Tour’s 84 Lumber Classic in the mid-2000s, tips out at over 7,500 yards with a slope of 149, so it’ll give even the best players all they can handle. With water hazards factoring in often, elevation changes galore, and Dye’s devilish creativity on full display in the course’s hole, bunker, and green designs, it’s a great test that also offers some stunning mountain views.
Nemacolin (Shepherd’s Rock)—Farmington
The second course at Nemacolin, Shepherd’s Rock, is a 2017 Pete Dye/Tim Liddy reimagining of a preexisting course. Like its Mystic Rock sibling, it takes players on a rollercoaster ride through the Laurel Highlands, with stunning hilltop views, dips through valleys, wetlands and ponds to avoid, and bunkers and mounds any of which can ruin a score. All this in a setting that’s wonderfully natural. It’s generally a bit wider open and less penal than Mystic Rock—and shorter—but it’s no pushover. And it’s a ton of fun. Features like the split fairway at the par-four 4th hole, the elevated peninsula green at the par-three 5th, and the lake-hugging fairway and green at the par-four finishing hole will make it difficult for any player to decide which of the two Nemacolin courses he or she prefers.
Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa (Old Course)—Bedford
From a standout modern resort in the mountains of western Pennsylvania we move about 80 miles east to a historic one in Bedford, where the famed local mineral springs have been attracting well-heeled visitors and dignitaries for more than 200 years. The resort itself at Omni Bedford Springs is younger, but not by much, and its golf course has been around in various forms since 1895. Originally designed by Spencer Oldham, its holes were modified over the years by both Donald Ross and A.W. Tillinghast. But the out-and-back course you’ll play today is owed more to the work of Ron Forse, who in 2007 rebuilt it as part of a $120 million restoration of the entire resort. Don’t let the fact that it’s a shorter course by modern standards (6,785 yards) fool you—you’ll need to play smart, strategic golf to score well here, especially on the quartet of fine par threes. The Ross-designed 4th hole, called “Volcano,” plays 223 yards from the tips—uphill—to a two-tiered green with steep drop-offs on each side. It’s just one of many heady tests that will stay in your memory after your round at Bedford Springs.
Olde Stonewall Golf Club—Ellwood City
The clubhouse at Olde Stonewall looks like a castle, turrets and all, with a shining suit of armor standing guard inside. You won’t need to gird your loins to enjoy a round at this Hurdzan/Fry course, though—just have a taste for adventure. Situated a little north of Pittsburgh, it’s a tale of two very different nines. The course’s front nine occupies flatter terrain wedged between a mountain ridge and Connoquenessing Creek and features its only two par fives. The back nine sweeps high onto that ridge to reveal holes with tees that are like turrets themselves and well-maintained fairways and greens pinched by slopes, trees, and bunkers. The 12th through 16th holes are worth the trip alone, with the steeply downhill, par-three 14th and its greenside waterfalls an Instagram moment. The even more steeply downhill par-four 16th—with deep gullies coming into play twice—is a hole where making par is like pulling the sword from the stone.
Hershey Country Club (West)—Hershey
The fabled chocolate town of Hershey sits just east of Harrisburg, and in addition to enjoying the many diversions of Hersheypark, there’s good golf to be found there. Hershey’s West course dates to 1930, when Milton Hershey decided to expand the golf offerings there to 18 holes, all in sight of the Hershey factory and/or Hershey Mansion. Henry Picard—and later Ben Hogan—served as golf professionals there, and the parkland course you’ll play today retains much of its Golden Age flavor. Oaks, maples, and pines define the playing corridors, which tilt up and down, this way and that—as do the greens. Many of the tee boxes are elevated, such as at the short, par-four 4th, with its upturned-saucer green angling away from the fairway; the hilltop-to-hilltop, par-three 5th with its green just steps from the mansion; and the dogleg-left, par-four 6th with a creek that must be carried on your tee shot and avoided on your approach. The snaking, par-five 12th is another great hole, as is the par-five 15th, with a green site perched at the top of a hill. Three of the course’s last four holes are par fives—all terrific. The West course hosted the 1940 PGA Championship, won by Byron Nelson over Sam Snead in match-play, and it’s still a solid, classic test. Note: Hershey C.C.’s East course, while not as endearing as the West, is well worth a play, too.
The Golf Course at Glen Mills—Glen Mills
Located southwest of Philadelphia in Delaware County, the Golf Course at Glen Mills is a 2000 Bobby Weed design that’s strong enough to have hosted USGA qualifiers but a fair and enjoyable test for all. This natural, hilly course was originally created to allow the troubled and at-risk youths of the Glen Mills School to work in an environment that would help them reach their full potential. Today, the course offers players plenty of risk itself, with tight, treelined holes bearing names like Purgatory, Graveyard, and Hell—but also many opportunities for rewards, including at its several short but tricky par fours. The par-three 14th, “Redan,” pays homage to its famous namesake at North Berwick in Scotland, as does the green at the course’s 15th hole, its final par five, whose Biarritz green echoes North Berwick’s 16th.
Wyncote Golf Club—Oxford
Ninety minutes west of Philadelphia in Chester County, Brian Ault did the design work in 1993 at Wyncote, a heathland-style course where trees aren’t a concern, but bunkers, wetlands, and water hazards definitely are. All three come into play—a lot. The par-five opening hole, for example, has both a pond and bunkers pinching the layup zone, and four more bunkers guarding the green—a double green shared with the par-five 10th. The 9th is a strong, uphill par five that buttonhooks to the right near the green, where a whole passel of bunkers await stray shots. The course’s bunkers tend to be shallow, and the course’s strong finish is somewhat diminished by fairway homes. But Wyncote’s a good outing—and its siting on a hill, one where you’re likely to encounter more than just gentle breezes, adds to the challenge and fun.
The Links at Gettysburg—Gettysburg
South-central Pennsylvania’s contribution to our list is The Links at Gettysburg, located near the site of the decisive Civil War battle. Of course, it’s not a true links layout, but along with water hazards and tall fescue grasses, you’ll play in and amongst red rock cliffs that give the course a distinctly different look. These appear as a backdrop to the green of the downhill, par-three 12th hole—and there’s another backstopping the green of the short, par-five 9th. Don’t go long on either of them. A creek called Lousy Run runs through the property, awaiting any shots that may result from lousy swings. Other ponds, lakes, and streams come into play on almost every hole, like the 4th, a 450-yard par four with a large lake on the left and a river on the right. If you’re not a straight hitter, bring plenty of balls (or a sturdy ball retriever).
Iron Valley Golf Club—Lebanon
The town of Lebanon sits just northeast of Hershey, 60 miles southwest of Allentown. Once home to a sprawling Bethlehem Steel mill, golf came to town in 2000 when the P.B. Dye-designed Iron Valley opened. There, on the 350-acre site which once housed an old mine, Dye created a 7,000-plus-yard course that can challenge the best of players and thrill the rest of us with two distinctly different nines that add up to 18 testing but thoroughly enjoyable holes. One such hole is the par-three 5th, where the island green is surrounded not by water but boulders. At the par-three 12th, the green sits atop a mountain of boulders. At the following hole, the tee shot is blind over a giant mound, after which the fairway slopes sharply downhill to a green that looks tiny from any vantage point. It’s a tough course, and one that calls for strategy. It absolutely belongs in this list of Pennsylvania’s best.
Jeffersonville Golf Club—Jeffersonville
Jeffersonville Golf Club, located northwest of Philadelphia just past King of Prussia, has a rich history. Once the site of a steeplechase track (hence the jockey jersey and cap in its logo), “The Jeff” became a golf course in 1931 after Donald Ross finished repurposing the land for golf. West Norriton Township purchased the course in 1972, and in 2000, Ron Pritchard restored it, rerouting some holes, removing trees, rebuilding the tee boxes, adding lost bunkers, and installing modern irrigation. Many times host of the Philadelphia Public Links Championship and USGA sectional qualifiers, it’s a muni that punches way above its weight. Expect a mix of straight and doglegging holes, green sites tucked in dells and on hilltops, and lightning-fast greens with lots of slope. Woe be to the player whose approach shots end up above the hole here.
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What is your favorite public golf course in Pennsylvania?
Oakmont USED to have a public course right across the property, it was called Oakmont East.