Pleasant Valley Golf Club (Connellsville, PA)

Often times I chase golf courses simply by the architect of record expecting to find something unique. This approach has lead to some cool experiences but it doesn’t always work out that way. Pleasant Valley was one of those times. Designed in 1922 by Emil Loeffler and John McGlynn, Pleasant Valley has gone through a metamorphosis of sorts as the present day owner has made some drastic changes. 

Pleasant Valley sits in a hollow intersected by two roads. (Golfers cross them a total of five times during the round.) Seven holes occupy the property behind the clubhouse (1-6 & 18) with the other eleven across the street. The first six are from the original routing and are untouched. Unfortunately, the terrain is so severe that the holes come across as amateurish and not very good. The par four fifth is the worst offender with a crescent shaped dogleg finishing at a green at the end of hill. Golfers find themselves scratching their heads trying to figure out how to stop the ball from bounding over. 

(The 339 yard par four fifth drops down to the this small green that accepts ball stubbornly.)

Most of the work done by management is on the holes across the street. Wanting more pizzazz, they cut out a new green for the seventeenth, and made it an island green while making the fourteenth a peninsula green. All the earth movement and waterworks has elevated its status in its local community and made it something folks are proud to play. In the process, they lost what looks to be a terrific long par five that drops down from the hillside to the road. 

(The 480 yard par five eleventh plays alongside this babbling creek. Note the dyke like earth movement that helps keep the creek from overflowing.) 

(The tee box of the 166 yard par three twelth is next to a hill of rocks which gives the hole a cool vibe…
…the shot is across the water to a pitched forward green. The wind is the main factor regarding club selection.) 

Of particular note is the restaurant that serves golfers and the local community. It’s a large space that has room to handle a lot of people. It’s the type of business model that should see success for its new owner. Located just south of Erie, Venango has a similar philosophy and it is doing very well. It also brings more business to the golf course. 

(The peninsula green has water that eats significantly around the front. A very precise shot is needed to hold the putting surface.) 

(The fifteenth green has a pronounced left to right slope.) 

(This is the view back from sixteen fairway. Look how far uphill the tee shot is. The tee seen in the foreground is for the ladies. The men’s is forty yards back and requires a strong drive to get to the top. The back of the ladies tee is in play if one hits it too low.) 

(The old seventeenth was a gorgeous par five that played all the way to the road. Now it’s a par three. The back tee is by the cart path on the left…
…it’s a 200+ yard par three downhill to an island green. Pray the wind is not blowing in your face. It’s an eye popping hole!) 

Hopefully Pleasant Valley can solve the riddle of how to handle the holes behind the clubhouse. They are the weak part of the course. If the new owner really wanted to be a rebel, he could just make it a 12 hole course (a concept that has been bantered by folks for years) The ending hole plays to the back of clubhouse and is well done. I give it a 3 (average)(worth driving 15-30 minutes to play). It has potential to bump up one. 

(The 320 yard par four eighteenth plays to the back of the clubhouse. The green was originally two practice putting greens that they combined into one. The back right is more narrower.)  

(Note the seventeenth says 118 yards. The new tee not only makes the hole harder but pushes the overall yardage over 6000 yards.) 

(A very common scene in western Pennsylvania are the creeks.)