Holey Terror: Hole No. 16 at Olde Stonewall
Olde Stonewall • Ellwood City, PA • oldestonewall.com • 724-752-4653
Hole No. 16 • Par 4 • 474 Yards
Olde Stonewall is a golf writer’s worst nightmare. Much like a lengthy uphill putt, chances are you’ll come up woefully short in your attempt to describe it with paper and pen.
Rising from the banks of Connoquenessing Creek about 45 minutes north of Pittsburgh, PA, the 7,100-yard magnum opus designed by world-renowned architects Dr. Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry has captured honor upon honor since debuting in 1999, including being ranked the #1 Public Golf Course in the Keystone State. Olde Stonewall doesn’t just storm the castle when it comes to defining upscale daily-fee play, it catapults over it.
Olde Stonewall doesn’t begin when you step up to the first tee. It commences, instead, when you approach the 33,000 sq. ft. Medieval fortress that serves as the clubhouse. With its tall turrets and massive 800-pound, 11 feet high, four inches thick solid oak doors, it’s an imposing sight that would make even King Arthur and Sir Lancelot seethe with envy. But golfers don’t drive all the way out here to the Western PA countryside to just joust around with their friends. They come here to slay the dragon.
The course occupies 269 acres of open farmland and wooded hills along the Connoquenessing, a tributary of the Beaver River. During the preplanning and construction phases, Hurdzan and Fry encountered huge blocks of granite which they used throughout the layout to line tee boxes, fairways and water hazards. As its name suggests, roughly 750,000 tons of formidable stones were unearthed. The two sides are laid out in contrasting circuits with a more typical low country front nine and a much more hilly back with spectacular elevation changes. What all 18 holes share in common is total seclusion. Even on the busiest of days, you’ll think it’s only you and your playing partners riding into battle.
As a reminder that chivalry isn’t completely dead, the fairways are more generous than they appear from the tee and wide enough to forgive minor swing transgressions. Hurdzan and Fry were also careful to avoid uphill holes and blind shots when possible, a major victory given the rugged terrain. What the layout won’t tolerate is a lack of patience and accuracy, especially on approaches. Trees, water, limestone, steep drop-offs, a minefield of deep fairway and greenside bunkers, and uneven lies call for a more nuanced method of attack.
In truth, any one of Olde Stonewall’s 18 holes would raise the signature banner at most mortal courses. For example, golfers would be hard-pressed not to consider the 375-yard No. 4 as being the toughest hole on property. Protected on the left by tall hardwoods, the tee shot is played to a diagonally-cut fairway with the creek lining the entire right side. The approach is to a peninsula-style, rock-encased green protected by sand on the front right and water on three sides. Still, the hole might be forgotten or dismissed in light of what comes later in the round.
For this week’s Holey Terror, we’ve laid down the gauntlet and selected the par-4 No. 16, which is played from the course’s highest vantage point. Even if you have no intention of teeing off from the Epic tees (474 yards), you owe it to yourself to at least take a drive up there to admire the breathtaking view. The hole features an 80-foot drop, two forced ravine carries and a pair of nasty, oversized mid-fairway bunkers. But that’s a small price to pay for the opportunity to launch what could be a career-long drive.
Olde Stonewall may not be for faint-hearted. It was purposely designed to test a golfer’s mettle and produce an adrenaline rush from the second you pull into the parking lot. It truly is an experience unrivaled this side of Camelot.
What is the most challenging hole at your favorite TeeTime Golf Pass participating course? Let us know! We would love to feature it in an upcoming issue of our weekly newsletter. Submit your Holey Terror to [email protected].
