Nemacolin Resort
It’s never too late to think ahead, and if you’re trying to come up with spots for your next late spring, summer, or fall golf destination, we want to share with you one of our favorites — the Keystone State.
That’s right; there’s great golf in Pennsylvania, which should come as no surprise. From the Allegheny Mountains west to the Poconos in the east, there’s no shortage of canvases for golf courses in this big state. There’s also plenty to do, of course, from fly-fishing, backpacking, and hiking, to checking out great cities like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia (which have pretty good sports scenes, too). You might even want to stop by Scranton, Pa., which was the setting for The Office TV show, and get a bite and a draft at the famous Cooper’s Seafood (which has thousands of artifacts, including a gift shop dedicated to The Office).
With that said, the golf possibilities are many, and here are some of our favorites:
Nemacolin Resort (Farmington)
One of the top resorts in the country, and arguably the best in Pennsylvania, is Nemacolin Resort, located north of the West Virginia state line along the Allegheny Mountains, and about an hour and a half south of Pittsburgh. Not only are the 36 holes of Pete Dye-designed golf exceptional, but the other activities, dining, and accommodations can be a sensory overload and provide super memorable experiences as well.
But let’s start with golf. It begins with the Mystic Rock Course, which staged the PGA Tour’s 84 Lumber Classic from 2003-’06. The course opened in 1995, thanks to 84 Lumber founder Joseph Hardy III, whose family still runs this incredible resort. Mystic Rock is more than 7,500 yards from the tips, as the holes meander around ancient boulders and water features. The second course, Shepherd’s Rock (co-designed by Tim Liddy) opened 22 years later. It has more dramatic features with elevated tees, sharper doglegs, and larger, more severely undulating greens. It can be visually intimidating, but it’s actually very playable if you take it on from the correct set of tees.
Both courses are kept in tip-top shape. They are one of the best one-two punches you’ll find anywhere. And Nemacolin has one of the best golf academies in the country, too, with all the state-of-the-art technology and excellent instructors.
But if you stay there, you’ll want to check out all the other options, which are too many to name. The variety and luxurious nature of the accommodations are incredible, led perhaps by The Falls hotel, inspired by the works of the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright (Wright’s famous “Fallingwater” is also in Pennsylvania).
There’s a multi-million dollar art collection, an airplane museum, exotic cars collection, mini golf, five pools, and an incredible spa. Dining options are both scrumptious and numerous. And the three-level spa is top-tier too. Activities include horseback riding, fly-fishing, racquet sports, mini-golf, and skeet shooting. And there’s also an exotic wildlife habitat on the property to check out. It includes lions, tigers, wolves, buffalo, and red sheep.
Nemacolin Resort
Olde Stonewall Golf Club, Ellwood City
In case you’re wondering why it’s called Olde Stonewall, all you need to do is check out the 33,000-square-foot gray stone clubhouse, which looks like a castle, with pennants flying off the turrets. As you walk through the massive doors to get inside, there’s a large spiraling staircase, vaulted ceilings, tapestries, shields, and swords. There’s also a fantastic golf course.
Located just north of Pittsburgh, this Michael Hurdzan/Dana Fry creation doesn’t disappoint. The 7,103-yard par-70 golf course is a tale of two nines, as the front side runs along flatter land in between a mountain ridge and around a creek. The back nine sits above on that ridge. One of the highlights is the par-3 14th, which plays downhill to a green flanked by waterfalls. The par-4 16th also plays from a highly elevated tee.
After golf, you’ll definitely want to check out Shakespeare’s Restaurant, Shakespeare’s Pub, or both, where the “Olde” ambience exudes.
Olde Stonewall Golf Club
Omni Bedford (Pa.) Springs Resort & Spa
About an hour and a half east of Nemacolin is Bedford, which is known for its mineral springs that have attracted visitors for more than two centuries. It’s also where you’ll find the AAA Four Diamond Bedford Springs Resort & Spa. If you stay there, you can enjoy outstanding dining, luxury accommodations, and the Springs Eternal Spa.
You can also enjoy a terrific golf course that dates back to 1895. The Old Course has existed in various forms, designed originally by Spencer Oldham with modifications from Donald Ross and A.W. Tillinghast, but most recently by architect Ron Forse, who rebuilt the course as part of an overall $120 million renovation of the whole resort.
The course, which Golfweek has rated as the top layout you can play, isn’t long at 6,785 yards, but it can be quite a challenge. The par-3s are particularly strong, and the greens feature lots of undulation. Forse’s renovation alleviated previous flooding concerns, and he took great care to preserve many of the classic architectural features on this enjoyable parkland course that’s always in great condition.
Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa
Glen Mills (Pa.) Golf Course
Just southwest of Philadelphia is the Golf Course at Glen Mills, a Bobby Weed design that presents lots of risk-reward scenarios. This tree-lined, hilly layout, which celebrated its 25th year in 2025, was created to provide a positive environment for at-risk youth. It has since evolved into a favorite public course in Pennsylvania with terrific conditioning and beautiful views.
The course begins with four fairly wide-open holes and gets progressively more difficult from there. Holes have such names as Purgatory, Graveyard, and Hill. The par-3 14th “Redan Hole,” pays homage to the 15th hole at North Berwick in Scotland. And the par-5 15th has a Biarritz green, inspired by the 16th at North Berwick.
Glen Mills also has excellent practice facilities, a golf school, and a new club repair facility.
Glen Mills Golf Course
The Links at Gettysburg (Pa.)
If you’ve never been to Gettysburg, you truly owe it yourself to visit this historic and very solemn site. And if you’ve got a couple of days, be sure to bring your golf clubs with you because the nearby Links at Gettysburg course is a special experience as well.
The course, which opened in 1999 and was designed by Lindsay Ervin, runs through hilly terrain not far from the famous Civil War battlefield, offering stunning views. The 7,069-yard golf course features lots of cliffs, with stone-lined tee boxes, 10 lakes, waterfalls, fescue, and red rock cart paths.
There’s also a creek called Lousy Run that runs throughout the property, and can catch any “lousy” shots. Signature holes include elevated par-3 12th with a red rock cliff backdrop, and the par-5 fifth, which has a fairway that runs the entire length of a river.
The Links at Gettysburg
Hershey (Pa.) Country Club
Everybody knows what Hershey is known for, of course, so while you make the trip to Hershey Entertainment & Resorts to see how chocolate is made and collect a few samples at the factory, you might want to check out the golf there.
Hershey Country Club has two courses, the East and the West, the latter of which dates back to 1930. Henry Picard and Ben Hogan were professionals at Hershey Country Club, which is right next to the famous factory and Hershey Mansion.
The West is a par-78 that plays just under 6,900 yards. Designed by Maurice McCarthy, the West Course has a wonderful traditional layout with great views of the town of Hershey. The course features elevated tees, tricky undulating greens, hardwoods, and a few water features, such as creeks you have to cross. The longer East Course is a George Fazio design that opened in 1969. Elevated greens, three lakes, and more than 100 bunkers make this one a tough test.
Hershey Country Club
Iron Valley Golf Club, Lebanon
Located between Reading, Lancaster, and the capital city of Harrisburg, Iron Valley Golf Club is a fun P.B. Dye design. It includes an island-green par 3 that’s reminiscent of the famous par-3 17th at the TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium Course, created by his parents, Alice and Pete Dye. At Iron Valley, the island is on the fifth hole, which can play as long as 124 yards. But it’s hardly the only highlight of this beautiful layout that opened in 2000.
This 7,026-yard par-72 layout has two distinct nines – the Tailings Nine and the Mine Nine, the latter of which features more tree-lined holes vs. the Tailings Nine, which has very few trees. In addition to the fifth, the par-3 12th has a green that sits on a mound of boulders more than 30 feet below the tee.
Lebanon used to be home to the massive Bethlehem Steel operation, and the course’s 350-acre site was once the site of the Cornwell Iron mines that shut down in 1972 after flooding from the remnants of a hurricane. The facility offers nice practice facilities, and exceptional dining and libations at The Miner’s Pub in the clubhouse.
Iron Valley Golf Club
Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, Shawnee on the Delaware
There’s so much history at Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort and a really unique classic golf course as well.
This historic resort, with 18 holes of this 27-hole golf course set in the Poconos on an island in the middle of the Delaware River, has hosted such luminaries as President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jackie Gleason, Lucille Ball, and Ed Sullivan. And Sam Snead was the resident golf professional back in the 1930s. It was during this time lost to Paul Runyan in the final match of the 1938 PGA Championship, which was conducted at Shawnee Inn’s Tillinghast-designed course.
The course, composed of the Red, White, and Blue nines, is certainly quirky, but its sense of tradition and mountain views make it most enjoyable. There’s also the six-hole Tillinghast Chip ‘n’ Putt par-3 course.
The resort features the 80-room Shawnee Inn with a variety of other accommodations, including glamping. Cozy restaurants, a brewery onsite, a spa, and other outdoor activities like archery and hiking can also be part of the experience.
Shawnee Inn and Golf Reosrt
Jeffersonville (Pa.) Golf Club
Just northwest of Philadelphia is Jeffersonville Golf Club, once the site of a steeplechase horse track. Back in 1931, however, the land was repurposed for a golf course, and none other than Donald Ross was the architect at the club, which has been known as “The Jeff” ever since.
This par-70 layout measures under 6,500 yards from the tips. There are so many distance holes and shapes as the course works its way around hilly terrain, tucking some holes into corners while others play a little more open. Owned and operated by the West Norriton Township for more than 50 years, the course received a facelift in 2000 by architect Rob Pritchard, who preserved its classic features but modernized the course with better irrigation, drainage, and turf.
Highlights include the short dogleg-right second, which is a classic Ross design with a green protected by a creek and a false front. The finishing stretch is terrific, punctuated by the par-5 18th that features a blind tee shot. In addition to the course, there’s a full-service bar and restaurant as well as six Trackman golf simulators.
Jeffersonville Golf Club
Inniscrone Golf Club, Avondale
If you’re in the Philly area and would like to check out one of architect Gil Hanse’s designs, head over to Inniscrone Golf Club. Opened in 1998, Hanse converted an old farm site to a course where no two holes are parallel, and every hole is different.
It’s a par-70 layout that plays just 6,561 yards from the back tees, but it’s deceptively difficult. There aren’t many level lies on the course, and some of the holes can be quite tricky. There’s elevation change, pot bunkers, wider expanses of sand, tall grass, and subtle, yet sometimes difficult-to-read greens.
The long par-4 ninth is one of the toughest holes, with a series of cross bunkers off the tee. But perhaps the most interesting hole is par-4 16th, which features a split fairway and a series of bunkers below the green on the left.
Inniscrone Golf Club