On The Greens

STORY BY Joe Abramowitz

PHOTOS BY Heidi Lewis

For many players, golf is less about the actual sport and more about being a great excuse to get outside and enjoy the weather. In the Laurel Highlands, golfers take advantage of the region’s scenic beauty as it dramatically unfolds from spring to summer to autumn.

At Seven Springs Mountain Resort and its sister site 10 miles away, Hidden Valley, three seasons offer golfers a chance to play and see diverse and incredible vistas. Both sites are in Somerset County, easily accessible from Pennsylvania Turnpike exchanges in Somerset and Donegal.

Unlike most golf facilities, where trees and other plant life are strategically placed through landscape designs, the courses at Seven Springs and Hidden Valley have been delicately carved into natural pine and hardwood forests.

In spring, golfers at the resorts see those trees bursting to life after the long winter, and scant months later, with summer in full swing, the courses are surrounded by lush greenery. Come autumn, though, the mountains are stained brightly by swatches of gold, red, and orange—the famed fall foliage that makes the Laurel Highlands so appealing—and such an attraction to visitors near and far.

On a sunny midweek day in late fall, the slight chill did not deter more than 100 players from the Seven Springs course, says Dave Flockovich, director of golf for both resorts.

Days later, with a misty rain falling, two golf enthusiasts from nearby Connellsville traveled up the mountain to play a round amid a brilliant autumn palette.

Larry Johnson Jr. and Larry Johnson Sr. say they have played the course several times and loved the experience.

“We never played here in fall, and we decided to give it a try,” Larry Jr. says.

“It was beautiful riding up here,” his dad says.

He says a broad array of amenities add to the appeal at Seven Springs and Hidden Valley. Seven Springs is a top ski resort in the northeastern United States, but the fun doesn’t stop when the snow melts. The resort continues to play host to corporate events, conventions, families, and countless visitors seeking luxurious accommodations, top-notch entertainment, and a dazzling array of dining choices, all in the splendor of the Laurel Highlands. Flockovich says the golf courses at Seven Springs and Hidden Valley see heavy traffic as September rolls into late October.

Many of the amenities are also available at Hidden Valley.

Outdoors at Seven Springs, guests can swim, fish for trout, fire away at shooting clays, ride across the mountain on a zipline and, of course, hit the links.

Flockovich says courses at both resorts are carefully manicured for optimum playing conditions but offer completely different experiences.

Hidden Valley features tree-lined fairways, with each hole being unique.

“There are not a lot of switchbacks,” Flockovich says. “Golfers feel like they are playing by themselves.” He calls it “target golf.” The Seven Springs layout is more open. “You gotta hit it here,” Flockovich says. “It’s a bomber’s delight.”

Flockovich has a long history at Seven Springs, beginning in the early 1990s on the maintenance crew. He worked his way up, serving as assistant pro and head pro at Seven Springs before being named director of golf for both resorts.

“Somebody will say, ‘Dave, come out and help me for five minutes,’” he says. “I want to help people, help people play better.” That’s key to Flockovich’s course management style.

The courses are set up for golfers to succeed, not walk away frustrated because of extreme difficulty levels.

“Everything here is based on the guest experience,” he says. “We want you to shoot your best score, and if you don’t, we want you to have a great time. We want you to come here and have fun.”

Course conditioning and playability are most important, Flockovich says.

Each course is about 6,500 yards, and the layouts are designed to challenge players of all skill levels. Flockovich says most players hit from the front tees.

“They like to hit a drive and one shot to the green rather than three shots,” he says.

Flockovich says players mistakenly believe the mountaintop courses will be extremely hilly.

“Most of the holes are really flat, and the climbs are subtle climbs,” he says. “It is fun golfing in these two places. You will hit every golf club in your bag.”

Seven Springs and Hidden Valley cater to three classes of players: locals who receive great deals through an aggressive membership program, overnight guests making golf part of an overall resort experience, and convention and conference participants enjoying a round before or after meetings.

Pittsburghers Dennis Mitrik and Amanda Charleroy marveled at course conditions during their weekend stay at Seven Springs.

“It is in really nice shape,” Mitrik says before heading off to the back nine. “It is really well maintained.”

Both had been to the resort before, which Charleroy describes as “beautiful.”

They started their day with the breakfast buffet in the Slopeside Restaurant in the main lodge then headed off to the links. “It’s a nice place to play,” Charleroy says. The resorts offer several golf packages, the most popular being the Unbeatable Golf Getaway: one night of lodging, breakfast and resort dining credit, two rounds of golf (cart included), and one bucket of range balls per round.

“You are basically staying the night for nothing,” Flockovich says. “It is one of the most competitive packages in the market right now.”

While clubs are available in the pro shops, most visitors come to the courses well equipped.

“We mostly sell some putters and wedges,” says Flockovich, adding most guests are interested in apparel. “They want memorabilia to take back with them.”

Many memories involve lasting images of visits to the resorts.

“The panoramic views from both courses are breathtaking,” Flockovich says. “On busy days I feel as much photographer as golf professional. Players want their pictures taken with the mountain in the background.”

The Laurel Highlands is a rich source for golf, and its most famous player likely inspired the development of so many courses.

Golf legend Arnold Palmer learned the game in the foothills of the Laurel Highlands under the watchful eye of his father, “Deke,” golf professional and greenskeeper at the Latrobe Country Club.

Palmer won seven major championships including four Masters Tournament titles.

“He came from blue-collar people,” Flockovich says of Palmer. “He was a great influence. Back in the day, he proved that golf doesn’t have to be a rich man’s sport.”

Private courses remain in the region, including the Palmer family-owned Latrobe Country Club, the Rolling Rock Club in Laughlintown, and the Sunnehanna Country Club.

Some country clubs have not survived as exclusive, members-only facilities, including two in Fayette County. Uniontown Country Club now is privately owned and bills itself as semiprivate. Pleasant Valley Country Club in Bullskin Township is now privately owned. Rebranded as the Pleasant Valley Golf Club, it is undergoing an extensive upgrade.

Among the numerous public courses in the Laurel Highlands region, Mount Odin Park in Greensburg is a rare municipally owned course with a challenging start: three consecutive par 5 holes.

Thirty miles from Seven Springs, more mountaintop golf is available at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort near Farmington. Nemacolin is home to two courses: Mystic Rock, once the site of a PGA tour stop, the 84 Lumber Classic, and sister layout Shepherd’s Rock. Nemacolin is a full-service resort, offering a wide range of golf and other amenities.

Courses are 18 holes unless specified.

• Duck Hollow Golf Club, Uniontown(www.DuckHollowGolfClub.com)

• Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Mystic Rock course, Farmington(www.NemacolinGolf.com)

• Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Shepherd’s Rock course, Farmington(www.NemacolinGolf.com)

• Linden Hall, Dawson (www.LindenHallpa.com/golf)

• The Summit Inn’s course (9 holes), Farmington(www.SummitInnResort.com/golf)

• Pleasant Valley Golf Club, Connellsville (www.PleasantValley.Golf)

• Uniontown Country Club, Uniontown(www.UniontownCountryClub.com/ucc-golf)

• Hidden Valley Golf Club, Hidden Valley Resort, Hidden Valley (www.HiddenValleyResort.com/golf)

• King’s Mountain Golf Course (9 holes), Rockwood (www.KingsMountainResort.com/golf-course)

• Northwinds Golf Course, Indian Lake, Central City (www.NorthwindsGolf.com)

• Northwinds Peninsula Golf Club (municipal), Central City (www.NorthwindsPeninsulaClub.com)

• Oakbrook Golf Club, Stoystown (www.OakbrookGolfClub.net)

• Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Champion (www.7Springs.com/summer/golf)

• Sliding Rock Golf Course (9 holes), Boswell (www.SlidingRockGolfCourse.com)

• The Club at Middlecreek (9 holes), Rockwood (www.TheClubAtMiddlecreek.com)

• Cedarbrook Golf Course Gold, Belle Vernon (www.CedarbrookGolfcourse.com/the-gold-course)

• Cedarbrook Golf Course Red, Belle Vernon (www.CedarbrookGolfcourse.com/the-red-course)

• Champion Lakes, Bolivar (www.PAgolf.com)

• Cloverleaf Golf Club, (three 9-hole courses), Delmont (www.CloverleafGolfDelmont.com)

• Club at Blackthorne (9 holes), Jeannette (www.TheClubAtBlackthorne.com)

• Donegal Highlands Golf Course, Acme (www.facebook.com/DonegalHighlandsGolfCourse)

• Glengarry Golf Links, Latrobe (www.GolfGlengarry.com)

• Irwin Country Club, Irwin (www.IrwinCountryClub.com)

• Latrobe Elks Lodge Golf Club, Latrobe (www.Latrobe-Elks.org)

• The Madison Club, Madison (www.TheMadisonClub.com)

• Manor Valley Golf Course, Export (www.ManorValleyGC.com)

• Norvelt Golf Club, Championship Course, Mount Pleasant (www.NorveltGolfClub.com/course)

• Norvelt Golf Club, Luke’s Links Course, (9 holes), Mount Pleasant (www.NorveltGolfClub.com/course)

• Totteridge Golf Course, Greensburg (www.Totteridge.com)

• Willowbrook Country Club, Apollo (www.WillowbrookCC.org)