Whitetail Golf Resort

Whitetail Golf Resort course details

Initial Thoughts

The controversy sourrounding this course when it was opened was that you had to play it without the driver in the bag. Some people complained that there was too much shot making required to play the course and not enough opportunities to turn the big dog loose. There is some validity to that claim if you play from the front tees. But Whitetail Golf Resort offers five different tee boxes to play from and trust me, if you want to hit the driver, you can find a tee box that allows you to do so.

This course sits at the base of two beautiful mountains in Mercersburg, PA. It was built a little over ten years ago and has changed hands several times since its original opening. The reasons for its financial difficulties are many, none of which are related to the quality of the course.

Date Played

Friday, September 29th, 2006

Value - 8.0

Other than nearby Penn National, the area does not have great cliental for high priced courses. So Whitetail has been forced to keep its rates very reasonable in order to attract the local play necessary to stay profitable. For $35 dollars during the week, you get 18 holes of challenging, scenic, and enjoyable golf. They also offer an after 2:00 rate of $25. In my opinion, there isn’t another course within 50 miles that has a better value than Whitetail’s after 2:00 rate. Even a bad round can be quickly forgotten with a simple glance down the valley at the beautiful farmland and colorful mountains.

Pace of Play - 5.0

Because of the many landing areas and tight holes, this course does tend to foster slow play. On the front nine, there are several holes lined with natural grass areas that often result in long empty searches for that special Top Flite. The course does list these areas as red hazards to try to speed up play, but that only helps so much. The back nine is tree-lined against the foot of the mountain. Anytime you have a tree-lined course you have balls that seem to disappear. Whitetail is no different.

Course/Maintenance - 7.5

Whitetail is 6950 yards from the tips, 6433 yards from the blues, and 6072 yards from the white tees. If you play the white tees, you will find yourself hitting a lot of fairway woods or irons off the tee. There are a lot of fairways at Whitetail that end and if you hit through them, you’ll be in trouble. However, most of the fairways are long enough to hit driver from the blue and black tees. Even though the blacks are almost 7000 yards, this course really does not play long. The par fives are reachable with two really good shots. If you don’t get there in two, you’re still looking at wedge shot approaches to the green. Most of the length seems to come from the lengthy par 3’s.

Whitetail Golf Resort is almost always in excellent shape. Of all the times that I’ve played this course, I can remember very few times being disappointed with the condition of the course. There are a lot of drainage areas on the course, so it does tend to get soggy pretty easily in those low lying areas. But at the same time, the course stays green longer than most because of the water that it holds.

The greens at Whitetail are very fair. I would describe their size and speed as average. There are a few greens that have multiple tiers which can create some interesting pin placements, but even though they may be difficult at times, they are always fair. You won’t putt any balls of the green because of the lighting speed, but at the same time, you won’t find yourself leaving putts short all day long either.

Hospitality - 8.5

The staff at Whitetail greets you with a smile and makes the pain of handing over your hard earned cash a little easier. The pro shop staff has been more than willing to work with me on multiple occasions to make my experience a good one. I’ve seen them give discounts when they didn’t have to, allow players to go off the back nine to avoid slow play, and entertain criticism from players who’ve had a long day with a smile. I did have one unfortunate encounter with a ranger that was out of control. As much as I love this course, that ranger was very close to preventing me from never coming back to the course. I spoke with several senior members of the staff about that individual. Each person that I spoke to apologized for the occurrence and assured me that the issue would be dealt with and prevented from happening again. Even that one negative event had its positives thanks to the other members of the staff.

Scenery - 9.0

The scenery at Whitetail is my favorite thing about this course. It is tucked between two mountains that are nothing shy of gorgeous in the spring and fall especially. There are a few elevation changes that give you a view for miles up the valley and across the acres of farmland that surround the course. It is not a rare occurrence to encounter deer, turkey, and other wildlife during your round. Even a poor round of golf can be enjoyed at Whitetail thanks to the beauty that surrounds the course.

Overall - 8.0 (not an average)

Overall, Whitetail Golf Resort is a must play if you are in the area. I would recommend this course to golfers of all handicaps because of the beautiful scenery and pleasant experience you are sure to enjoy. A higher handicap player should be prepared to lose a few balls and not worry too much about his/her score because it can be a difficult course. But with the difficulty comes the adventure and excitement of hitting a lot of challenging shots. The price is tough to beat and the views alone are worth your money. So look around and enjoy your round at Whitetail Golf Resort.

course details

[ comments ]

Kickntrue says:
I want to hear the story that almost got you kicked off the course.

11/1/06

merlin2driver says:
Maybe I am not searching hard enough, but I can't find the author of this review. I'd like to hear about the Marshall too.

12/15/06

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