Pittsburgh-area golf courses among best Pennsylvania public, private courses in Golfweek rankings
Several golf courses in the Pittsburgh area have been included in a new ranking from Golfweek, listing the best public and private courses in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania is home to numerous historic private golf courses and clubs, including several that have hosted major championships.
Oakmont Country Club, which hosted last year's U.S. Open and is often regarded as one of the top courses in the country, has been listed as the top private golf course in Pennsylvania, in a new ranking from Golfweek.
The iconic club, split by the Pennsylvania Turnpike, is renowned for its sloping fairways, firm and fast greens, thick rough, and deep bunkers, including the famous "church pew" bunkers that line the course's third and fourth holes.
Other Pittsburgh-area courses included in Golfweek's list of the top 20 private courses in Pennsylvania are Fox Chapel Golf Club, Laurel Valley Golf Club, the Pittsburgh Field Club, Sunnehanna Country Club, and Allegheny Country Club.
Fox Chapel, designed by iconic golf architect Seth Raynor, is one of western Pennsylvania's gems and features a few trademark holes, including its No. 17 that features a Biarritz.
Clubs like Laurel Valley, the Pittsburgh Field Club, Sunnehanna and Allegheny have all contributed to western Pennsylvania's rich golf history between hosting championships at both the professional and amateur levels.
When it comes to public and resort golf courses in Pennsylvania, Golfweek's list of the best in the state includes multiple Pittsburgh-area clubs.
Four of the top six courses on the list are in western Pennsylvania, including the No. 1 rated Old course at Omni Bedford Springs, designed by A.W. Tillinghast, better known for his work at places like Winged Foot, Baltusrol, and on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park in New York.
Nemacolin Woodlands' two courses, Mystic Rock and Shepherd's Rock, are rated the No. 2 and No. 6 public courses in Pennsylvania, respectively.
Mystic Rock hosted the 84 Lumber Classic for many years and Shepherd's Rock was built in later years as a complement to the original design.
Olde Stonewall in Ellwood City is ranked as the third best public course in Pennsylvania and is known for its picturesque views and dramatic elevation changes.