I have not, but I always wondered what a lot of those courses along Route 6 are like. My girlfriend grew up near Warren, so I'd like to eventually give a lot of them a shot. Have you played any other courses in that region? I have to imagine some of those courses are pretty nice considering the amount of wealth that was up there at one point.
Also, I'm glad you weren't involved in the adelphia audit
Me too! I worked on the Hospital Audit for years, and we would be the only people using the Hotels. Once the Adelphia Fiasco hit, that town was swarming with out of towners.
I have played a few in the NW Pennsylvania Region. Given the topography, they are usually shorter courses with lots of elevation changes. However, I'm one of these guys where aesthetics plays a big role, so I tend to enjoy these places, even if the architecture isn't the greatest.
In Warren, I like Blueberry Hill in Russell PA (near Warren). It’s a little bit of a diamond in the rough. It was designed by James Harrison and Fred Garbin, who were active in the Pittsburgh region in the 50s and 60s. This course appeared on a few “hidden gem” threads on GCA.
http://www.blueberryhillgc.com/If you’re near Warren and willing to venture a little north, try to find Elkdale in Salamanca, it’s pretty much the same type of topography, but a pleasure to play. Another 10-15 minutes past that is Holiday Valley (or “Double Black Diamond” at Holiday Valley) in Ellicottville. This is built on and around a ski resort. The front 9 plays along the base of the hills, but the back nine is a breathtaking trip among the slopes (and was recently redesigned with great improvements). If you go there, tell the Pro Steve Carney that I sent you his way (it may not get you far, but maybe he’ll be glad to see a reference coming from someone he’s given a few free rounds to).
http://www.holidayvalley.com/HolidayValley/info/golf.aspxGoing East along Route 6, I have played Kane Country Club. This isn’t dug into the hills as much as others in the area and I’m not as big a fan, but you aren’t going to hate yourself for playing there. Besides, I only played there once, so I may have missed something. It’s actually one of the oldest courses in Western PA (1912).
http://www.kanecountryclub.com/If you go up a little north on Route 219 from Kane into Bradford, there are two decent courses. Penn Hills is a Private Walter Travis design, but they do give access on certain days to public players, so you could give it a try. The Public Option is Pine Acres, which is another James Harrison design. It features a number of shorter Par 4s, with nice use of elevation changes. I’m a fan, but it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
http://www.pineacrescc.com/Continuing east, there is a little 9 holer in Smethport, but I’ve never been. And then the next town is Coudersport, which I simply adore. If you happen to venture to Coudersport, be sure to eat at Erways Family Restaurant. It’s attached to Erway’s Farmer’s Market, so you can imagine how fresh the food is.
As you go through the town, you can see all the ornate, but vacated, buildings from the Rigas Era. I’m not sure if there are any remnants left of the Rees Jones Golf Course that was in construction at the time. It’s about 7 or 8 miles outside of town, past the former Rigas Estate (on Rt 49). I found it once and drove through the property. I could see a number of greens that were mounded near the roadside, as well as a number of holes carved through the trees. You could tell quite a bit of work was done prior to the project being abandoned.