Convenience and character - Beaverdale checks both boxes. Minutes off Highway 401 in Cambridge, this GolfNorth course is known for mature trees, water in play on roughly half the holes, and a routing that favors accuracy over pure power. If you like plotting your way around a course - choosing the side of the fairway that opens the green, leaving yourself the right yardage in - you'll feel right at home here.
At 18 holes with modest length, Beaverdale's defense is placement. Tee shots ask you to pick a shape and stick to it, with tree lines that nudge you toward commitment. Approaches matter more than most people realize; the greens aren't huge, and subtle contours mean you're far better off below the hole. Take your medicine when you miss, pitch to your spot, and you'll find pars are there for the taking.
There's variety baked in. A couple of short par-4s lure you into swinging harder than you need (resist!); a handful of par-3s play different yardages so you'll test more than one iron. Water isn't just decorative - it quietly influences decisions from tee and fairway, especially on the stretch where it skirts landing areas you're tempted to flirt with. It's the kind of tension that keeps you engaged without ever feeling punitive.
Around the edges, Beaverdale leans into community golf: leagues for every schedule, a licensed clubhouse that's happy to host your 19th-hole debrief, and staff who help first-timers feel like regulars. Conditions are consistently tidy for the value, which is why locals keep it in the rotation when they want a round that fits real life - playable, fair, and satisfying when you execute.
Bring your course-management mindset, a trusty fairway wood for position off the tee, and a putter that starts the ball on line. Do that, and Beaverdale becomes that quiet confidence booster you'll return to all season long.
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 […]