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Golf in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is the land of the Amish, the home of the Liberty Bell and the first state north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Its rolling hills are covered with majestic Oaks and Maples, Dogwood, White and Pitch pines, Hickory and Walnut. Its name, after all, is Latin for "Penn`s woods."
It is among these woods and rolling hills that you will find each of
Pennsylvania`s 811 golf courses. From Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, there
are courses for the seasoned and beginner golfer alike.
Pittsburgh
is home to Chartiers, a 6,562 yard, 18-hole course that was opened in 1919.
It has a rating of 71.3 and is a par 71. Fox Chapel, also in Pittsburgh,
is a 6,676 yard, par 71 Bent grass course that was opened in 1923. This
is a challenging course, as there are plenty of bunkers where you may just
have to pick up your ball and take an extra stroke. One green even has a
marshy swale running right through the middle of it.
East of Pittsburgh, off of I-76, is Carlisle, home to the Dickenson School of Law and the Cumberland Golf Course. The Cumberland is a 6,508 yard, par 72 course opened in 1963. It`s a great local course and it`s only $23 to ride. The greens do have some tilt and both the front and back 9 start with four easy holes and end in five harder holes. Look out for the sand trap on hole 13 and the 450 uphill yards at hole 17.
Another hour`s drive down Interstate 70, situated on the Susquehanna River, is Harrisburg, home to the Dauphin Highlands, an 18 hole course managed by Rob Shuey. The course has 7,035 yards of Bent grass links with a par 72.
Moving further east yet, the Royal Oaks Golf Course is a relatively new course created in 1992. It sits among rolling farm land and lakes and is quite scenic for the town of Lebanon. The course staff is always friendly and if you choose to manage the course rather than blow right through it, it`s a wonderful practice facility. Royal Oaks has 6,730 yards of links with a par 71. Mike Caporaletti manages.
In Philadelphia, you`ll find Cobbs Creek – The Olde Course. Billy Casper
manages this 6,202 yard Rye grass course and for only $31, you can have
a cart and lunch. Cobbs has a monster 615 yard par 5 on the back 9 that
will challenge even the most experienced golfer.
When using
Car Rental New York to take you to your Pennsylvania golfing destination,
take Interstate 95 south to Philadelphia and then use I-76 to get across
southern Pennsylvania all the way to Bedford where I-76 becomes I-70. From
here, you can go north and connect with I-376 into Pittsburgh.