COURSE REVIEW
In Pa. golf bargain
haven, Cranberry
Highlands delivers
By Chris Baldwin,
Senior Writer
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (June 12, 2006) - It's 7:30 a.m. on a weekday morning and the carts are lined up starting behind the first tee and almost stretching into the parking lot. It looks like the beginning of the Indianapolis 500 rather than an average day of golf in these times of economic uncertainty (i.e. $3.30-per-gallon gas).
Many of the guys in the cart line showed up early for their tee times, figuring they could slip right on the course on this lazy morning. Obviously, they're not Cranberry Highlands Golf Course regulars.
"We're pretty busy today," Cranberry Operations Manager Jon Shuster admitted back at the clubhouse. "Well, we've been pretty busy most days."
It turns out, this is what happens when you offer an interesting layout in good condition for a reasonable price. Who knew?
Actually, many doubted whether Cranberry Highlands would work. Built for $6.8 million by Cranberry Township, there was plenty of question whether a high-end municipal course would be able to turn a profit in Butler County, Pa., an area polluted by mostly family-run, bargain-priced tracks. Cranberry's green fees are higher than most of its Butler brethren - $49 weekdays with cart, $59 weekends. But they're still reasonable enough to attract a loyal crowd that's been spreading the word.
On this day, a father and his 15-year-old son from Green Bay, Wis. were getting in nine holes at Cranberry on a stopover on a vacation drive home. They'd heard about the course from a local who recommended it. In another group, there was a New Yorker on business who usually played the much-more-well-known and three-times-as-expensive Olde Stonewall on his trips to the Pittsburgh area. A golfing buddy told him about Cranberry Highlands after stumbling across it.
Word of mouth is huge for Cranberry Highlands. It's not the best course you're ever going to play. But it just may be one of the most consistently entertaining courses you're ever going to play for less than 50 bucks. Places like this build customer loyalty because they pleasantly surprise.
Stepping up to the first tee, you're immediately struck by the tall fescue swaying in the wind. It's not a sight usually seen in these parts(cornstalks yes, fescue no) and it gives an indication of the inventive challenges to come. It's not easy for a course that's 6,403 yards from the back tees to garner a 130 slope rating, but Cranberry Highlands pulls it off.
This Bill Love par-70 design weaves through 186 acres of former woodlands, but trees almost never come into play. The fairways almost look aliens amongst the trees, sudden wide open patches appearing out of nowhere. The fescue and the bunkers are dramatically laid out by Love, but it's the plain old rough that's most likely to sabotage your score.
It doesn't look like it from the tees, but this stuff is a thick, shot-killing rough. So green, so deadly. Land in it often and you'll soon be resigned to punching out back to the relatively narrow fairways.
Love is probably most well known for the TPC at Avenel in Potomac, Md., and like many TPC designs, Cranberry Highlands has several very polished visually dramatic holes. This run starts with No. 3, a par 3 that has raised tees on three different levels to shoot down to a large green with water wrapped around it on three sides. You're really in the woods here and even when Cranberry Highlands' tee sheet is packed in 10-minute intervals, it's easy to get lost in the course for a moment.
No. 11 and No. 12 are the best back-to-back illustration of Cranberry Highlands' visual flair. On 11, you're shooting uphill to a green guarded by enough bunkers to make you think it's a Secret Service detail. On 12, you're shooting downhill to a dogleg right green that follows the path of a lake.
These are the two shortest par 4s on the course (322 yards and 331 yards, respectively) and they cause the most debate over what approach to take off the tee. Just bombing driver away puts many a hacker deep in a bunker or fishing for that Pro V1 along the lake bank.
This is postcard golf with a brain.
"It's just a nice course," said local golfer Brad Nelson. "But if you start making dumb choices, it can get really mean."
The verdict
Cranberry Highlands is the most polished course in Butler County. Opened in 2002, it's humming along with a serious efficiency. Its starters are not there to tell you stories or crack jokes, they're just concerned with getting you out on the course at your allotted time. This is anything but the typical lackadaisical muni vibe.
At a time when many of the courses in Western Pennsylvania were showing serious bruises from a scorching summer, Cranberry Highlands' fairways, greens and even rough were all green.
The greens themselves are huge and fun to putt on. You have a real chance to drop some long putts here. Love didn't do much too trick up the greens and once you're on, you're golden on most holes.
Sometimes it's wise to follow a growing crowd. This is a serious budget gourmet course.
Stay and play
The Pittsburgh Marriott North ((724) 779-4201) down the road in Cranberry is your best high-end option in the area by far. It's one of the nicer Marriotts you'll find with extremely comfortable beds and large sized rooms.
The kitchen even produces better dishes than you get in most chain hotels, showing that who's running the individual location still matters these days.
Dining out
Food's available in a large, nice clubhouse that includes a wrap-around bar and a patio with course views.
For something more expansive, the Harmony Inn ((724) 452-5124) in historic downtown Harmony offers a menu that ranges from German to Mexican specialties, ghost stories - complete with sighting pictures - and a surprisingly bustling bar scene.
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Fast fact
The township had used the land of Cranberry Highlands as a site for disposing of sludge from a municipal waste treatment water plant until 1995. Yet there's no noticeable treatment-plant smell.
Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.
