Top 10 Golf Courses in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has one of the deepest major-championship histories of any American state. Oakmont alone has hosted more U.S. Opens than any other single course; Merion's East Course has been the site of Bobby Jones completing the Grand Slam, Ben Hogan's legendary comeback win in 1950, and multiple subsequent championships. The state's golf culture is rooted in the Philadelphia mainline clubs — many designed in the golden age by A.W. Tillinghast, Donald Ross, and Hugh Wilson — and in the industrial Pittsburgh communities that produced some of America's finest early amateur and professional players. The season runs from April through October, with the best conditions in late spring and early autumn.
1. Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont
William Fownes designed Oakmont in 1903, and the course is perhaps the most consistently demanding venue in American major championship golf. Oakmont has hosted a record nine U.S. Opens, the first in 1927 and most recently in 2016. The greens are the fastest and most severely contoured in championship golf; the Church Pew bunker — a series of parallel grass ridges running between the third and fourth fairways — is one of the most photographed hazards in the world. The Oakmont rough grows to punishing density for championship play. Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller (with the most brilliant final round in U.S. Open history), Ernie Els, Angel Cabrera, and Dustin Johnson have all won here. It is a private club; access through member invitation only.
2. Merion Golf Club (East Course), Ardmore
Hugh Wilson designed the East Course at Merion in 1912 on a relatively compact 110 acres in Ardmore on the Philadelphia mainline. The constraint proved a virtue — Wilson's routing is one of the most architecturally intelligent in American golf, with holes that overlap and interweave the ground creatively. The par-4 11th, the finishing hole of the morning round during major championships, is considered one of the finest par 4s in the world. Merion has hosted five U.S. Opens (1911, 1934, 1950, 1971, 2013), a U.S. Amateur, and a Ryder Cup (1927). Merion uses wicker baskets rather than flags on its flagsticks — a distinctive tradition. Private; access by member invitation.
3. Aronimink Golf Club, Newtown Square
Donald Ross designed Aronimink in 1928 on a wooded site in Delaware County. The layout is characteristic of Ross's late work — rolling parkland terrain, greens that fall away at the edges, and a strategic variety of hole types that demands a full repertoire of shots. Aronimink hosted the 2010 PGA Championship (won by Martin Kaymer) and the 2018 BMW Championship. Ross called it the best course he ever designed — a significant claim given his portfolio. Private; access by member invitation.
4. Saucon Valley Country Club (Old Course), Bethlehem
Herbert Strong designed the Old Course at Saucon Valley in 1920, and William Gordon oversaw the addition of the Grace and Weyhill courses in subsequent decades. The Old Course has hosted U.S. Seniors Opens and numerous regional championships. The property sits in the Lehigh Valley with rolling Pennsylvania countryside providing the context. The Old Course is parkland in character with mature deciduous trees and well-distributed water hazards. Saucon Valley is a private club with limited guest access.
5. Philadelphia Cricket Club (Wissahickon Course), Flourtown
William Flynn designed the Wissahickon Course at Philadelphia Cricket Club in 1922. Flynn is one of the great overlooked architects of American golf — his Shinnecock Hills work is better known — and the Wissahickon Course represents his parkland sensibility at its most accomplished. The course winds through deciduous woodland with a natural, unhurried routing that feels entirely appropriate to its suburban setting. The Philadelphia Cricket Club is a private multi-sport club; golf access is through member invitation.
6. Pine Valley Golf Club, Pine Valley
George Crump designed Pine Valley in 1919 with contributions from H.S. Colt, and the course has occupied the number-one position on most serious American course rankings for decades. Set in the New Jersey Pine Barrens just across the Pennsylvania state line — technically in New Jersey but integral to the Philadelphia golf world — Pine Valley is a penal target-golf course where every shot demands precision and every error is punished by sand, scrub, or jungle. The par-3 fifth, the par-5 seventh, and the par-4 thirteenth are among the most celebrated holes in golf. Pine Valley admits roughly one visitor per year per member; access is among the most restricted in world golf.
7. The Golf Club at Laurel Creek, Mount Laurel
Tom Fazio designed Laurel Creek in 1995 as a public-access course in southern New Jersey, adjacent to the Philadelphia market. The parkland layout uses the Laurel Creek corridor with considerable water interaction and mature tree framing. Fazio's trademark green complexes and the course's consistently excellent conditions have made it a popular choice for serious golfers who want a quality public round within striking distance of Philadelphia.
8. Huntingdon Valley Country Club, Huntingdon Valley
George Thomas designed Huntingdon Valley in 1916, and the course sits in Montgomery County with the rolling Pennsylvania countryside providing an attractive setting. The layout is a mature parkland course with Donald Ross-era design sensibility — relatively compact greens, pronounced turf movement, and a varied collection of hole types. The club has hosted regional amateur championships and maintains a strong competitive golfing tradition.
9. Overbrook Golf Club, Bryn Mawr
One of several golden-age clubs on the Philadelphia mainline, Overbrook was redesigned by A.W. Tillinghast and offers a representative example of his parkland work. The course plays through mature woodland with Tillinghast's characteristic attention to green contours and the strategic placement of bunkers that define angles of attack from the fairway. Private with member-guest access.
10. Waynesborough Country Club, Paoli
A modest but well-regarded Philadelphia mainline club, Waynesborough operates a parkland course in the Chester County countryside. The layout is more accessible than the major championship venues and provides a good-value introduction to the quality of Pennsylvania parkland golf for visiting players arranging access through local contacts.
Pennsylvania's golf heritage runs deeper than almost any other state. The concentration of golden-age design talent that worked in the Philadelphia corridor — Tillinghast, Ross, Wilson, Flynn, Thomas — produced a body of work unrivalled in American golf history. Oakmont and Merion are the international benchmarks; Aronimink and Saucon Valley are their peers. The season runs from April through October in ideal years, with spring and autumn offering the firmest, most consistent conditions. Open the map to explore the full sweep of Pennsylvania golf from the Philadelphia mainline to the Lehigh Valley.