The hardest golf courses in Pennsylvania
The hardest 18-hole golf courses in Pennsylvania, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 175 courses have complete, verified tee data.

Ledgerock Golf Club
Mohnton, PA, USASlope rating 153, 75.6 course rating, Rock tees, 7,245 yds
PrivateRees Jones
- 4.5Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 5.0Scenery
- 2.8Facilities
- Pristine
- Views
- Driving range

Commonwealth National Golf Club
Horsham, PA, USASlope rating 151, 74.7 course rating, Championship tees, 7,117 yds
PrivateArnold Palmer
- 4.0Conditions
- 2.0Layout
- 1.0Scenery
- NRFacilities
Course moves in and out through a corporate center. The putting green was in very poor shape and did not accurately reflect green speeds. The course had a lot of strategic holes in which you had to lay up on par 4s.
Written by
@Teddy
- Driving range
- Strategic
- Restaurant

Olde Stonewall Golf Club
Elwood City, PA, USASlope rating 149, 74.3 course rating, Epic tees, 7,103 yds
PublicDr. Michael Hurdzan & Dana Fry
- 4.0Conditions
- 3.7Layout
- 2.8Value
- 4.3Scenery
- 3.6Facilities
We played Olde Stonewall while visiting Pittsburgh in August 2024 for a Bruce Springsteen concert with my brothers and dad — and of course, we packed the clubs. This course was such a fun surprise. It’s carved through rolling hills with tons of elevation change and character.
Written by
@TGUN312
- Views
- Challenging
- Fast greens

East
Merion Golf Club
Ardmore, PA, USASlope rating 149, 73.5 course rating, Back tees, 6,592 yds
PrivateHugh Wilson & Perry Maxwell
- 4.8Conditions
- 4.7Layout
- 4.1Scenery
- 4.4Facilities
The tee shot off the first is one of the most intimidating shots in golf. Right next to the lunch patio, golfers are forced to hit less than driver to kick off their round at one of the most esteemed courses in the world.
Written by
@rev
- Must play
- Pristine
- Walkable

Mystic Rock
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort
Farmington, PA, USASlope rating 146, 77.2 course rating, Championship tees, 7,526 yds
PublicPete Dye
- 5.0Conditions
- 4.5Layout
- 3.3Value
- 3.8Scenery
- 4.4Facilities
Mystic Rock has been billed as a top public course in PA for years and I finally had the chance to see if it lived up to the hype. This track did not disappoint. Pete Dye on a mountain with what feels like unlimited land.
Written by
@Tom Doakito
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Must play

Union League Liberty Hill
Lafayette Hill, PA, USA
Slope rating 146, 76.2 course rating, Black tees, 7,471 yds

(Spring/Mill (Championship)) Philadelphia Country Club
Gladwyne, PA, USA
Slope rating 145, 74.7 course rating, Black tees, 6,976 yds

Seven Oaks Country Club
Beaver, PA, USA
Slope rating 145, 74.4 course rating, Yellow tees, 6,865 yds
Sunnybrook Golf Club
Plymouth Meeting, PA, USA
Slope rating 144, 74.8 course rating, Black tees, 7,027 yds

Southpointe Golf Club
Canonsburg, PA, USA
Slope rating 144, 74.7 course rating, Black tees, 6,912 yds

The Links at Gettysburg
Gettysburg, PA, USA
Slope rating 144, 74.1 course rating, Gold tees, 7,069 yds

Montour Heights Country Club
Coraopolis, PA, USA
Slope rating 144, 72.9 course rating, Black tees, 6,634 yds

Rolling Green Golf Club
Springfield, PA, USA
Slope rating 143, 74.7 course rating, Black tees, 6,941 yds

Lookaway Golf Club
Buckingham, PA, USA
Slope rating 143, 73.8 course rating, Black tees, 6,968 yds

Great Bear Golf Club
East Stroudsburg, PA, USA
Slope rating 143, 73.5 course rating, Black tees, 7,025 yds

Blue Bell Country Club
Blue Bell, PA, USA
Slope rating 143, 73.4 course rating, Gold tees, 6,840 yds

Union League Golf Club at Torresdale
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Slope rating 143, 72.8 course rating, Black tees, 6,612 yds

Oakmont Country Club
Oakmont, PA, USA
Slope rating 142, 76.9 course rating, Black tees, 7,255 yds

White Manor Country Club
Malvern, PA, USA
Slope rating 142, 74.2 course rating, Silver tees, 7,008 yds

Laurel Valley Golf Club
Ligonier, PA, USA
Slope rating 141, 76.2 course rating, Pink tees, 7,427 yds

The Golf Course at Glen Mills
Glen Mills, PA, USA
Slope rating 141, 71.7 course rating, Black tees, 6,646 yds

(Shepherd's Rock) Nemacolin Woodlands Resort
Farmington, PA, USA
Slope rating 140, 75.2 course rating, Championship tees, 7,516 yds

(Wissahickon) Philadelphia Cricket Club
Flourtown, PA, USA
Slope rating 140, 74.8 course rating, Tee I, 7,119 yds

(Old) Saucon Valley Country Club
Bethlehem, PA, USA
Slope rating 140, 74.8 course rating, Black tees, 7,126 yds

Waynesborough Country Club
Paoli, PA, USA
Slope rating 140, 74.6 course rating, Gold tees, 7,063 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. State pages include courses across Pennsylvania. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
Ledgerock Golf Club is #1 on Course Vaults in Pennsylvania at Slope 153 (75.6 course rating · Rock tees · 7,245 yds). 175 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. State pages include courses across Pennsylvania. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 3:52 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
