Golf in New Kensington

Named for the sunny yellow birdsfoot trefoil flowers strewn throughout the course—sprouted from seeds that fell off hay wagons rumbling through years ago on the fields of the former Buffalo Creek Farms—the championship golf course at Birdsfoot Golf Club enchants golfers with rolling hills and country charm. The links-style front nine give way to a back nine whose fairways open over hills, inviting golfers to pull out their drivers and whack dimpled orbs with the club-swinging gusto usually reserved for cracking eggs into an omelet pan. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette highlights the course’s 465-yard third hole as one of the 18 best public holes in western Pennsylvania, citing its mounded fairway, which doglegs left and challenges putts with a downhill, sloped green. As carts zoom from one hole to the next, they traverse a path where bogeyman faces carved by a local artist peer from tree trunks. When players finish their rounds, they can unwind in a clubhouse where ghosts from its former life as a farmhouse offer advice on covertly changing scorecard results.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course

• Length of 7,034 yards

• Course rating of 74.4

• Slope rating of 137

• See an interactive course tour

Former Marine and PGA-section-tournament champion Brian Machen assists his students’ swings by teaching techniques that he's refined across 12 years of instruction experience. Brian tracks swings using slow-motion and stop-action video, which help to isolate wayward movements so that he can suggest subtle adjustments in stance or switching out polka-dotted sweater vests for plaid polos. His fact-based, comprehensive cadre of tips applies to golfers of all ages and abilities, and after perfecting long drives on indoor or outdoor greens, pupils can access an online video lesson to force loved ones to watch during family movie nights.

Although conservation is important to the course managers at Cherry Creek Golf Club, it never comes at the expense of challenging play. Throughout the scenic 18-hole course, golfers will come face-to-grass with meticulously planned layouts that incorporate ponds, bunkers, and vistas bordered by gentle rolling hills. The first two holes epitomize the club’s course design; hole one's curving terrain and four sand bunkers require precise aim to avoid, and hole two's flowing stream adds an extra level of difficulty to an already nerve-testing approach. Course managers also take care to protect the natural setting and wildlife that inhabit the grounds, taking eco-friendly measures such as building blue bird nesting houses and improving water quality by reducing the use of harmful chemicals. Their efforts have earned the course Audubon International's Cooperative Sanctuary certification, an honor awarded to a select group of earth-minded golf courses around the country.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 70 course
• Total length of 6,147 yards from the back tees
• Four sets of tees per hole
• Scorecard

The nine-hole course at The Club at Blackthorne stretches for nearly 3,000 yards of expansive fairways and receptive greens designed by Palmer Course Design Company, Arnold Palmer’s namesake firm. Players tee off on the 400-yard par 4 first hole—with the eighth, one of just two holes 400 yards or longer—sending their golf balls flying against a horizon dominated by the Laurel Mountains in the distance. The fifth hole’s huge arc of a dogleg presents golfers with a classic risk/reward shot off the tee, much like hitting shots over a pool of lava onto a green made of chocolate. Golfers can attempt to fly the cherry trees in hopes of reaching the green in one stroke—thereby risking a tight lie in the fescue grasses—or they can lay up near the fairway bunker for a short iron shot into the green. The signature ninth hole demands similar theatrics, as a lake and six bunkers team up to force a 200-yard carry just to reach the fairway, and an elevated green renders approach shots trickier than their short length might indicate.

Course at a Glance:

• Nine-hole, par 33 course
• Total length of 2,947 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 68.4 from the back tees
• Course slope of 135 from the back tees
• Four sets of tees per hole
• Scorecard

The Club at Blackthorne's rates fluctuate throughout the week and year. Though The Club at Blackthorne sometimes features a discounted price online, this Groupon still offers the best deal available.

The Madison Club’s 18-hole, championship course develops over rolling hills and winds through trees for a layout engulfed in a spectacular setting that incorporates the natural landscape into course play. Multiple water hazards characterize a large chunk of the course, as highlighted on the challenging par 3 17th, a hole that forces golfers to carry a short-iron tee shot over open water and has been lauded as one of western Pennsylvania’s best public holes by both the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the fish that cheer on golfers from the green-protecting pond. Though the course cuts through topsy-turvy terrain, the greenskeepers maintain relatively level fairways so accurate tee shots don’t end up on unfavorable, sloped lies. After a day at the links, guests can unwind with a light meal from the course restaurant or toast to the memory of broken golf tees with a drink from its full-service bar.