Bob O’Conner Golf Course (Pittsburgh, PA)

The Bob, as it’s affectionately called, is nestled in Schenley Park between the Oakland and Squirrel Hill neighborhoods. It’s atop a hill overlooking the University of Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University. Golf has been played on this hill since 1897 and the present eighteen holes has been there since 1902. The course is relatively unchanged and is the design of George Ormiston. It is 4620 yards par 67. Back then, it was a healthy challenge, but today’s technology has relegated it to beginner level and so it is run and managed by the First Tee of Pittsburgh. 

The way the course lays upon the hill is interesting, and I surmise it’s very similar to what one would find over in the hills of Scotland. There are eight shots that carry over a road, which it should be noted, are quite busy with vehicles driving throughout the park. There are no tee boxes here rather large mats. (I thought I wouldn’t like hitting from them but was pleasantly surprised) I did not get to play the course in its regular format but rather played a mishmash setup called the Bob-9. There are extra tee boxes and a couple extra greens. The second hole for instance is 128 yards played from the road uphill to sixteen green. Few courses will match the degree of quirkiness the Bob possesses. 

(This is one way to avoid worrying about the tee boxes  and the amount of play they receive.) 

(This is the sixteenth green that the Bob nine uses as its second hole. It’s a concave putting so the green slopes towards us from this angle but away from us after it reaches the middle.)

(The 212 yard par four Bob nine sixth plays over the road forty feet uphill to the green. The left side looks inviting but lengthens the approach shot…
…the green slopes from left to right. If one bailed left from the tee then this green is sloping away. The Cathedral of Learning in the background is 42 stories and is the second tallest university building in the world.) 

(The 245 yard Bob nine seventh doglegs right with the curve of the road. It’s a fun tee shot especially if one can launch it around the big tree…

…the green slopes away so this testy chip awaits those you go long.)

(The 357 yard Bob nine eighth uses the sixth hole tee box and plays to one of the extra greens…

…the sixth green is closed for today as we play to the one at the edge of the hill…
…I love the cops which stop balls from running on if one didn’t judge the carry properly. The cop on the left is interesting and I wonder if another version approaches this green from that angle.) 

As I get older, I’m finding quaint places like Schenley Park to be fun. It’s yardage and old time architecture makes it one of the stops on the hickory tour. I imagine it’s rough around the edges fairway conditions is authentic to pre 1900 golf. I love that the First Tee makes its home here. It’s a great place for kids to learn the game. (As I was finishing up there must have been forty kids at designated stations practicing pitches and chips throughout the closed portion of the course) The city center and green space of Schenley gives it a unique atmosphere. Comparing it to our First Tee program here in Cleveland, our course at Washington Park is better conditioned and has a modern design but Schenley has more nuanced shots and provides a stronger game with multiple lies and stances.

(Travel and Leisure named Schenley Park one of the coolest city parks in America. This log cabin home is near the fifth green. It is a reconstruction built around the chimney and fireplace that dates back to 1795.)