Oakmont in Oakmont, Pa.
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As part of GOLF’s rigorous assessment process for our newcomers Top 100 courses in the USA AND The best 100 courses you can play ranking, our fleet of 100-plus expert panelists identified the best golf courses in each state.
You can check out the links below to browse all of our course rankings, or scroll down to see the best courses in Pennsylvania. And if you’re looking to create your future ride, you’d be wise to let the new GOLF Course finder the tool helps you. Here, you can edit all of our lists – top 100 public, best munis, best short courses, best par-3s and more – or filter by price to create the itinerary perfect for your next trip.
Ranking of other GOLF courses: Top 100 courses in the world | Top 100 courses in the USA | The best 100 courses you can play | The 100 most valuable courses in the USA | America’s Best Municipal Courses | The 100 best short courses in the world
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Best Golf Courses in Pennsylvania (2024/2025)
SYMBOL GUIDE
# = Top 100 courses in the USA
Y = Top 100 you can play in USA
V = The 100 most valuable courses in the USA
P = Public/Resort
Ed. Note: Some subjects were removed from our ranking because they did not receive enough votes.
1. Oakmont (#)
No course thrives more on poor looks. Indeed, the beauty of Oakmont is how unassuming it is, and yet for a purist, the view from the top of the hill at 15 is as breathtaking as any. The barren landscape has few trees and no water, only drainage ditches criss-crossing the land. The carry isn’t terrible either, and the greens are huge, so what’s the big deal? The question is answered at 1, with a green that follows the natural contours and slopes away from the player. The club prides itself on the pace and durability of its world-renowned putting surfaces, so let the thrashing begin! For a course known for its difficulty, what gets lost in the shuffle is the brilliance of its short quartet of par-4s, at 2, 11, 14 and 17.
2. Merion – East (Ardmore) (#)
What makes Merio so special is its incredible variety. Some par-4s are short; others are monsters with a delta that is up to 200 yards. A par-3 is small, at 115 yards; the others are 236, 246 and 256. The famous par-4 11th, where Bobby Jones won the 1930 Grand Slam, is cut by a creek, while the par-4 16th requires a shot over a quarry of abandoned stone. In short, Merion has it all, including sub-air and irrigation systems that give more control over the stability and speed of playing surfaces. Recently expanded greens have created an abundance of new holes around the perimeter of the greens and the player’s chess match with the clever design is more intense than ever.
3. Fox Chapel (Pittsburgh) (#)
This restoration by Tom Marzolf was a strict restoration of Raynor’s 1925 vision, some of which had been lost based on advice the club received from AW Tillinghast in the 1930s. Raynor fans are left with much to enjoy, including the restored Lion’s Mouth bunker at 9, the restored Double Plateau green at 13 and the famous hole bunkering scheme of bottles returned to 16. All approach areas were covered with sand, resulting in firmer surfaces that allow for creativity in short games. In addition, short grass now surrounds the green cushions, ensuring that options are plentiful for recovery shots. Panelist Barry Doyle has suggested that Fox Chapel may now be home to Raynor’s best set of greens.
4. Aronimink (Newton Square) (#)
Donald Ross always thought Aronimink would be his masterpiece. Over the years, one of the great architects gently modified this suburban Philly classic, and while the course never lost its grandeur, bits of Ross’ genius were slowly removed. Nearly 20 years of patient restoration—most recently led by Gil Hanse—have brought Ross’ original vision back to life. Today, the famous Tudor Club overlooks a course with larger greens and more treacherous bunkers that is once again the “supreme test” that Ross intended.
5. Philadelphia Cricket – Wissahickon (Flourtown) (#)
Keith Foster’s 2013 restoration, which features great variety and space, brought back all the splendor of AW Tillinghast’s design. Some greens are open in the front and begging for a run shot, while others are low and heavily protected. The design reflects Tillinghast’s genius for various green environments. His famous trademark, the Big Hazard (a large central bunker that cuts the fairway in half), is particularly well done on the PCC’s 7th hole. The course is also home to one of the best finishers on the East Coast, a tough and dangerous par-4 with a creek that comes into play if you don’t hug the left side of the fairway off the tee.
6. Lancaster
7. CC of Scranton (Clarks Summit)
8. Rolling Green (Springfield)
9. Huntington Valley
10. The Manufacturers (Fort Washington)
11. Saucon Valley – Old (Bethlehem)
12. Sunnehanna (Johnstown)
13. Dafina Valley (Ligonier)
14. Allegheny (Sewickley)
15. Saucon Valley – Weyhill (Bethlehem)
16. Leigh (Allentown)
17. Gulph Mills (King of Prussia)
18. Long view (Verona)
19. Stonewall – Old (Elverson)
20. Philadelphia CC – Spring Mill (Gladwyne)
21. Llanerch (Havertown)
22. Applebrook (Malvern)
23. Saucon Valley – Grace (Bethlehem)
24. Pittsburgh Field Club (Pittsburgh)
25. LuLu (Glenside)
How we rank our courses
For our newly released US Top 100 and Top 100 Playable lists—a process that helped us create the top 50 rankings in the country—each panelist was given a ballot consisting of 609 courses. . Alongside the list of courses were 11 “buckets” or groupings. If our panelists deemed a course to be among the top three in the US, they marked the first column. If they believed the rate was between numbers 4-10, they checked that column, followed by 11-25, 26-50 and so on up to 250+ and even a column for “remove”. Panelists were also free to write in courses they felt should have been included on the ballot.
Points were assigned to each bucket; to arrive at an average score for each course, we divide its overall score by the number of votes. From these point totals, courses are then ranked accordingly. It’s an intentionally simple and straightforward process. Why? Because it has historically produced results that are widely praised. Like the game itself, there’s no need to overcomplicate things or try to fix something that already works so well.
The key to the process is the experience and expertise of our panel. Hailing from 15 nations and all the golfing meccas around the world, each of our 127 hand-picked panelists has a keen eye for architecture, both regionally and globally. Many of our panelists have played more than 1000 courses in over 20 countries, some over 2000. Their handicaps range from +5 to +15.
Because the nature of course evaluation is so intensely subjective, no opinion counts. The only way, then, to build meaningful consensus is to incorporate this diversity of panelists and experiences into a ranking.
