The word “unique” hooked me. I’d never seen it used before to describe a golf course. I’ve seen the word quirky, which if you ever read Golfclubatlas seems to be the buzzword many aficionados use to seek out interesting places, but never unique. It turned out to be the perfect adjective because this place is unlike any course I’ve seen.
(The edge of the world 153 yard par three fifth hole captures your attention immediately. The green is literally a ledge flanking off the side of the hill. The abyss left is chocked full of trees with an endless view beyond that ...
...wow is the green really that small or is it an illusion of being next to the hill? Hopefully the wind is not blowing too hard. So many thoughts go through your mind but what an exhilarating feeling watching your ball land on the putting surface!!)
Nicknamed “The Monster on the Mons,” Grand View inhabits the top of Matta’s Hill overlooking the Mon Valley. One can see the skyline of downtown Pittsburgh, the Cathedral of Learning, Kennywood, the Edgar Thompson Steel Mill, and other points of interest including the Monongahela River. It actually took me back to when I was in San Francisco and I was on Telegraph Hill where the one side had awe inspiring bay views and the other had jaw dropping city views.
(The 292 yard par four sixth hole curves against the slope of the hill. The timid have a backstop at their disposal to safely hit but the long hitter can take it over the ravine and drive the green. It’s an exciting hole that can produce a wide variety of scores. Regardless of what you make, the vista behind the green makes everyone a winner.)
Being on a property with this extreme topography, holes are not going to be standard fare. Several dogleg around big slopes with aiming flags stuck high on the hillside. They’re not suggestions either. In fact the further one hits it, the higher one must take it up the slope. Where the ball ends up is the real mystery. A well shaped ball will be fine but overcook it or hit it the wrong way and finding it becomes problematic.
(This picture perfectly exemplifies the challenges one faces off the tee. One can shape it into the slope or let the ball feed off it. There’s plenty of choices and options.)
On courses of this nature, the par threes should really shine, and here at Grand View they are the showstopper. Two of them are unlike any you’ve see. The fifth is so insane, you won’t believe they placed a green there. Remember the old golf calendars with the fictional crazy holes?! It reminds me of that! Then the fourteenth with its 100’ drop will make you smile from ear to ear. The green sits down in a valley with a rock walls as the background and the fifteenth tee elevated behind it. You literally have to walk to the end of the tee box and jump up to see the pin. How cool is that?!
(The 125 yard par three ninth is not as intimidating as the fifth. Players can err long and the hill will keep the ball in play. Wind is the real hazard here and the ball will be more exposed since it’s just a short iron or even pitching wedge shot. It’s a definite birdie hole on a calm day.)
(The 154 yard par three fourteenth is an absolute blast! It drops 100’! The tee box is way up there...
...as you make your way down the hill, the green comes into view. Being atop the hill for the entire front nine and the first few holes on the back, this drop into the valley really catches you off guard. It’s a terrific change of scenery.)
The holes on the very top of Matta’s Hill are more traditional. Both ten and eighteen are par fives that have plenty of width. The eleventh is a solid par three that plays on top too. I like the change of pace on the back as it works it’s way down before plunging completely on the par three fourteenth. These expansive views all of a sudden become intimate. It’s a cool twist as the fifteenth plays in a tight canyon of rock before clawing it’s way back up on the black diamond slope called the sixteenth.
(The 350 yard fifteenth plays in one of tightest corridors I’ve seen. Rock outcroppings on both sides hem in the fairway like a ribbon. A bunker fronts the green making the long iron, because you hit a conservative shot off the tee, even more exacting.)
(Most of the back nine overlooks the neighborhood and town of Braddock.)
Grand View is never going to win over the pencil and paper type. It does too many things that go against the established rules of design. But for most golfers who just want to have fun, this place provides for an intoxicating ride. All these years reading about quirky little courses all over the British Isles, I found one right here at home. It’s only two hours away.
(The third green overlooks Kennywood’s Steel Curtain roller coaster.)
Over the past several years, Golf has seen a metamorphosis. Par three courses are all the rage, nine holers are deemed the elixir to the time crunch, and places like TopGolf and indoor golf are as popular as ever. This knowledge gives me confidence in recommending a course that’s far from traditional. I have no trepidation in my opinion. It’s an absolute blast to play. I give Grand View a 5 (good)(worth driving an hour to play). It’s “Uniquely Pittsburgh!”
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