(Looking back down the hill at #1 417 yard par four. It's an original Ross hole. It's a very small green that usually requires a mid or long iron approach.)
Conewango was nine holes until the '70s when it expanded to eighteen holes. While the new holes are nice, they're no comparison to the Ross holes. (1,9,10,11,12,13,16,17,18)
That comes as no surprise considering the the best part of the property was given to Ross sixty years earlier. Nonetheless, six thru eight is a good stretch of holes.
(The sixth is the class of the new holes. It's a 465 yard par four whose fairway abruptly drops downhill to the green. The play is a layup off the tee, then hitting a 220-200 approach. Short is the proper miss and leaves a makeable up n down.)
(The 190 yard seventh plays longer than it's listed yardage. The fairway short of the green will snarl balls looking for a bounce forward.)
(The 373 yard eighth is a tricky hole. The dogleg right has a creek at the far end with a bunker near the turn. The player must take his run out into consideration or his ball could find trouble off the tee. The green is befuddling too.)
The ninth starts a stretch of five Donald Ross holes that are just a blast to play! 
(The ninth is 533 yards but plays significantly downhill....
....most players will have a chance to reach the green in two, but there's not much room to land the ball safely...
....the view from fourteen tee shows the creek left of the green. With bunkers short and a large pronounced roll in the front portion of putting surface, there's plenty of hazards to negotiate. My favorite thing bout nine are the numerous challenging pin positions. It's a great par five!)
A large ridgeline separates the clubhouse from the main road, and Ross used this feature to great effect, routing three holes over it.
(Ten is only 321 yards but the fairway ends 240 yards out, the well bunkered green thirty feet below the ridgeline.)
Eleven tee is just a few feet away, and plays to a green atop the ridgeline, the exact opposite of the shot on ten. 
(Look at that great uphill shot! Also, note the steps with rail to the right....
...the green is bi level with contours throughout. Ten green is in the background.)
(How cool is twelve?!! The bottom green is for the ladies.... The flag atop the hill is for the men!
...Enjoy the view after you putt out!)
(Thirteen is a 486 yard par four. The downhill tee shot will make it play a little shorter but it's a strong hole! This was the final hole back when it was just a nine holer.)
The next two holes are the new ones, and while fourteen is forgettable, fifteen offers an opportunity for some drama.
(Long hitters must challenge the water to reach the green in two. Shorter hitters must decide where to layup.)
The last three holes are Ross.
(The 182 yard sixteenth has a creek that cuts diagonally in front of the green. The player does have the option of hitting short and bouncing the ball in. The green slopes away in the front so pins there are hard to get close. Good par three!)
Seventeen is the only hole that plays next to the main road. It's 406 yards and the player drives over the entrance road coming in. A couple bunkers guard the front of the green. Then players walk over to eighteen tee and play one of the coolest short par four finishers I've ever seen!
(The ridgeline crosses diagonally in the fairway, forcing the golfer to pick the proper line off the tee. The left side is less carry but a long drive can carry into the trees. The right side is a longer carry, but a block or mishit will find big trouble and a blind uphill approach shot. It's just a great tee shot!!!....
....a good drives leaves a short shot to the green, and an opportunity to make birdie. The green slopes towards the front right. The beautiful old clubhouse overlooking the green paints a classic image one remembers long after the round.)
Conewango turned 100 this year and I had the good fortune to be able to purchase a centenial pass that allowed me to play this private club. (With the economy hurting in this area of Pennsylvania, I would bet a simple phone call could get one on the course.) The genius of Ross is beautifully on display. It's two and half hour drive from my house, and I have no qualms with it. Of course time flies by when the countryside is as mesmerizing as it is here. I give Conewango Valley CC a 6 (very good)(worth driving two hours). Get a cabin at Kinzua or Lake Chautauqua, and make this your weekend course!
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