Pennsylvania is a golfer’s paradise, characterized by verdant landscapes, undulating hills, and a stellar array of public golf layouts. Whether your game is polished or in weekend-recovery mode, the Keystone State serves up top-tier options for every swing. Within this guide, we present the best public golf courses in Pennsylvania for 2025, including exclusive course map prints to smooth the path for your next round.
Why Pennsylvania is a Golfer’s Dream Destination
Spanning the craggy Pocono Mountains to the storied layouts adjacent to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s varied topography provides golfers an experience of striking contrast. The best public golf courses in Pennsylvania merge challenging routing, immaculate turf, and arresting panoramas, all without the barrier of an exclusive membership.
2025’s Best Public Golf Courses in Pennsylvania
The following selections are the public-access courses you should prioritize for this season:
1. Olde Stonewall (Ellwood City)
Crafted by Dr. Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry, Olde Stonewall remains a pilgrimage for serious golfers. The links-style routing weaves over dramatic elevation, contoured greens, and steep-faced bunkers while the Connoquenessing Creek serves a picturesque and occasionally watery spectator role.
It regularly appears at the top of the lists for best public golf courses in Pennsylvania.
2. Nemacolin (Farmington)
Set within the opulent Nemacolin Resort, the two Pete Dye-designed 18-hole layouts, Mystic Rock and Shepherd’s Rock, present a high-caliber PGA Tour examination, framed by flawless fairways and glassy greens.
3. Raven’s Claw Golf Club (Pottstown)
Favored by the area’s serious golfers, Raven’s Claw tests accuracy with narrow corridors and quick surfaces, rewarding tactical play and solid ball-striking, and placing the club among the best public golf courses in Pennsylvania for disciplined competitors.
4. Glenmaura National Golf Club (Moosic)
Although membership is required for peak periods, the thoughtful public tee windows allow outside players to encounter Glenmaura’s contoured fairways and immaculate maintenance, on terrain that would comfortably rank among the state’s finest private layouts.
5. Scotland Run Golf Club (Williamstown, NJ – Near PA Border)
Technically across the state line in New Jersey, Scotland Run’s rugged, links-inspired routing, punctuated by bold waste bunkers and subtly rolling greens, is a straightforward drive from Philadelphia and a standout experience regardless of address.
6. Toftrees Golf Resort (State College)
Tucked away in Central Pennsylvania, Toftrees meanders through woodlands and wetlands to present a tranquil yet exacting round that feels a world away from the bustle of town.
7. Wyncote Golf Club (Oxford)
Embodying the links tradition, Wyncote offers generous fairways, intimidating fescue rough, and a wind-swept ambiance that together place it among the best public golf courses in Pennsylvania and replicate the stern yet captivating demands of the British Open.
Exclusive Course Map Prints
To elevate your golfing enjoyment, we are pleased to offer premium course map prints featuring Pennsylvania’s premier public golf layouts. These prints serve multiple purposes:
- Devoted golfers wishing to honor and frame their cherished layouts.
- Travel planners looking to preview and mentally rehearse hole orientations.
- Interior decorators seeking to add sophistication to home or office spaces.
Every print provides comprehensive hole-by-hole renderings, precise yardages, and annotated highlights, allowing you to refine strategy before every swing.
Planning Your PA Golf Trip
For those intent on sampling several layouts, we recommend these golf-rich corridors:
- Poconos: Olde Stonewall, Jack Frost National
- Philadelphia Beltway: Raven’s Claw, Jeffersonville Golf Club
- Pittsburgh Corridor: Quicksilver Golf Club, Totteridge Golf Course
Final Thoughts
Pennsylvania’s public golf renaissance continues to flourish, presenting layouts that measure up to the finest private clubs. Whether your goal is to post a blistering score or to savor a leisurely round amid stunning vistas, the best public golf courses in Pennsylvania promise memories that linger long after the final putt.
Be sure to order your 2025 course map prints in advance so you are well-equipped for your next golfing getaway. Enjoy every round!