Hartmann's Deep Valley brings a woman's touch to western PA golf

By Chris Baldwin,
Senior Writer

HARMONY, Pa. - The water almost arrives as a surprise. After nine holes where the fairways are tight and side-to-side, nine holes where a hacker can feel like he's in a golf-ball shooting gallery with shouts of "Fore!" and head ducks coming fast and furious, suddenly you're on No. 10 and the water's stretched out before you.

There is a pond to carry right off the raised tee and another right before the green. It goes like this for the next three holes straight. Two forced water carries, plenty of room to get lost in the course. It's as striking a departure from the front nine as you can get.

Hartmann's Deep Valley Golf Course may be located in Harmony, but it's two nines are anything but a harmonious blend.

"The back nine is open, it gives you a chance to go for some things,"said Greg Holler of nearby Benton, Pa. "The front nine, you feel like you're playing in a chain saw."

Holler laughed. Playing Hartmann's Deep Valley is not the time you obsess over design quirks. Save that forthe $160 greens fees at clubs such as Olde Stonewall Golf Club outside Pittsburgh. Hartmann's is one of the family-owned, better-than-decent golf courses you can play for under $30 easy (in this case under $20 without cart even on weekends) in Butler County, Pa., one of the last undiscovered golf spots in America. It's the type of place where they brag about their hot dogs more than their slope rating.

"We're famous for our hot dogs," said Diana Ferrari, who's worked at Hartmann's for 23 years and doesn't plan to leave anytime soon. "Really, it's a great hot dog."

This is 6,310 yards of golf and zero trace of attitude.

As local hacker Henry Ford put it, "They ain't too snobby either."

The course is almost entirely run by women. Two sisters started the course in 1957 and all the employees around the clubhouse were women on this busy Saturday. Some of the regulars swear that makes all the difference in approach. There is no long talk about course rules when you check in. You're just handed a key to a cart and sent on your way, largely left to find the first tee at your own pace.

Hartmann's does not take tee times, except for large groups. It's show up and wait your turn, polite like.

"It's open, so it's one of the few courses you always have a chance to get on," Holler said. "If the tee sheets are packed everywhere else, you can still come to Hartmann's and almost always get out there."

Which does not mean the Hartmann women skimp on the service with those $14 weekday and $19 weekend standard walking rates (a cart will set you back $12). In fact, they've been known to pull a rescue operation or two.

"One time my leg cramped up and they came out and picked me up," 70-year-old regular Jeff Bridge said, smiling. "I've had some health issues and sometimes my legs cramp up and I can't hardly move, but I don't have to worry out here. They look after their golfers."

Things like that keep older guys like Bridge playing Hartmann's despite those back-to-back-to-back forced water carries run. "I play the front nine better," Bridge said. "That water on the back is mean."

Not too mean though. As long as you don't go driver crazy on the tight, shorter front nine, Hartmann's is a course where you can put up one of the better numbers of your golf trip. The water carries on 10, 11 and 12 are rather easily navigated by displaying a modicum of strategy. In fact, the hardest forced carry is actually the decent-sized creek right before the green on the 220-yard par-3 15th. It is hard to feel good about laying up on a par 3, but you'll see some of the more experienced Hartmann's players taking that route rather than risking a big number that messes up that neat round.

The verdict

Hartmann's Deep Valley is not a fancy resort course that's going to look good on a postcard. It is a fun, incredibly reasonable East Coast play.

Like many of the courses in Butler, Hartmann's was experiencing some conditioning issues in this dry, Western Pennsylvania summer. It made it harder to get a shot with good loft off the hard ground and took away from some of the cosmetics, but you could still score. Price is what saves it here. With some of the goat track munis you could play for much more than $20-30 on the East Coast, the fact that No. 15 was not as striking with the brown on the hills in the background of the green does not loom nearly as large.

Hartmann's is the kind of course you feel good about supporting. You sense the family atmosphere as you get into an easily walkable round. If you want to play with people who love golf, but wouldn't dream of paying $100 for it, Hartmann's delivers.

"People feel comfortable here," Ferrari said, offering another one of those hot dogs.

Stay & play

The Pittsburgh Marriott North ((724) 779-4201) 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 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.

If you want to stay on a golf course, Conley Resort ((800) 344-7303) in Butler fits the bill. Its rooms are very 1970sish, large and clean but old fashioned. Conley will soon be converting to city water, but until it does, make sure you're comfortable with well water for bathing.

Dining out

There is a full separate restaurant on site and many golfers who don't even golf say it's one of the better spots to eat in the small town. And of course, there are those legendary Hartmann's hot dogs on the clubhouse grill.

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.

Hartmann's Deep Valley Golf Course
169 Harman Rd.
Harmony, PA
Tee times: 724-452-8021
Info on Butler County, Pa. Golf: (866) 856-8444
Web:visitbutlercounty.com

May 18, 2006

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management.