Cranberry Highlands Golf Club (Cranberry, PA)

Cranberry Highlands is situated atop a hill, one of the few ways to alleviate the up and down topography most western Pennsylvania courses have. Not only does being on top provide beautiful vistas, but holes are relatively flat from tee to green. 

(The beautiful first hole shows off all the grand qualities of Cranberry Highlands.) 

Cranberry Highlands is a municipal course that was designed by Bill Love in 2002. Most holes sport plenty of width off the tee, and are very playable for the average golfer. It's not exceptionally long either. It's pretty much what most municipalities are looking for when they're investing money into building a golf course, number one being having fun! 

On difficult property, it's very common to have five par threes, so Love uses the short holes to connect the golf course together, and while most of the course plays atop the hill, the par threes play on the sides. 

(The downhill par three third plays to a penisula green. Left pins can be very intimidating, but plenty of room to bail out right.)

(By playing lower than the top, Love was able to put all the fours and fives on the hill. Most would say the par threes are the best holes on the course.)

 (218 yard sixteenth is a very natural hole playing from an elevated tee across the ravine to an elevated green. Not a single bunker was needed and the short grass around the green gives an opportunity to up n down for par. This is possibly the best hole at Cranberry.) 

The par fives are all very long, and the 542 yard seventh has a green half hidden behind a hill. Overall, an average group, but three good shots are needed to make a birdie. 

Cranberry has plenty of short par fours, giving everybody a chance to a make a few pars and possibly a birdie. 

(The wide fairway on eleven allows players to be as aggressive as they like off the tee.) 

(Possibly driveable, the twelfth can be played in several ways, tho a layup short of the fairway bunker leaves a simple pitch.) 

(The 391 yard sixteenth is the only dogleg at Cranberry, thus it stands out. Every other hole plays straightaway, eliminating the drama of a spectacular hole.) 

(The fifth is a good short par four complete with centerline bunker that forces players to make a decision off the tee.) 

Bill Love does toss a few long par fours at the player, most notably the 424 yard fourteenth and the 438 yard seventeenth. In fact the last six holes are all tough pars so better take advantage of the short ones earlier in the round. 

Cranberry Highlands does a lot of good things. In fact, the Pittsburgh Golf Review has it as one of the top ten courses (#10) in the area. It's in great shape and it's playable. Those are two things every municipal should want for their citizens. It's not a very difficult, so there is a good opportunity to shoot a low score. I give it a 5 (good).