Golfing with Giles at Schenley Park

I’ve spent years playing golf in and around Pittsburgh, but just two months ago I discovered… I’ve spent years playing golf in and around Pittsburgh, but just two months ago I discovered something that changed my life – or at least that part of my life that involves polo shirts, pull carts and nine irons.

See, there was a week when I decided that instead of driving 40 minutes out of the city to spend $50 on a round of golf, I would instead try and stay closer to the city and spend less money. That’s how I discovered Schenley golf course.

Eighteen holes at Schenley costs just $5 with a Dick’s Sporting Goods scorecard. That’s less than half the price of playing nine holes at my municipal course in Mt. Lebanon.

When I played Schenley for the first time, I actually walked off the course after nine holes, but it was still well worth the $5 I paid.

Both its distance from Oakland and its cost make a round at Schenley a no-brainer for Pitt students, but the course itself is quite beautiful. Of course, Schenley is limited by its location and budget, (there are no par-5s, four par-3s and no water or sand hazards) but the course is well maintained.

Schenley has a few problems that are more like hiccups in the round than major issues.

The tee boxes are Astroturf, which makes it almost impossible to tee your ball up correctly. Also, a few of the holes actually cross Schenley Drive. Waiting for cars to pass before you hit an iron into the green is, for instance, a little awkward at the second hole.

But it’s difficult to actually be upset over these issues when you know that the round only costs $5.

It’s cheaper to play 18 than going to a driving range – they rents clubs for about $15 and it’s less than five minutes from campus.

But if you want more of a challenge than Schenley’s endless succession of par-4s, there are a number of courses within about 40 minutes of Pittsburgh that won’t break the bank but provide an interesting challenge to the amateur golfer.

My favorite is a course called Grand View in North Braddock that I’ve been playing at for about two years now. It’s built around a mountain, has a great view of Kennywood, and specials are often in effect that make it very affordable.

However, if you don’t have a good iron game, the course can be torturous. The only hole you can reasonably hit a driver on is 10, and the rest of the course demands a high level of accuracy and control.

It’s important to note that you can’t walk the course and expect to survive the experience. As I said, it’s built around a mountain. So take a cart, relax and enjoy the view.

Another course that I started playing this summer is Buffalo. It’s a 40-minute drive north of Pittsburgh, and greens fees with a cart are between $30 and $35.

It’s also a much more forgiving course than Grand View. You can exercise both your driving game and iron game fairly equally, and the hazards offer a decent challenge.

Essentially, there are courses in the area tailored to every level of experience and dedication. These three courses are just some of the golf options in the city, but they are a good starting point for anyone becoming acquainted with golf in southwest Pennsylvania.